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The frank truth is that Republicans at the state and county level have put almost no effort into registration activities and the Democrats and left-leaning groups have significantly invested in registration activities. Let me share some numbers from a presentation that some of you have seen me give.

Wait a minute, you say…

…certainly, registration is not a problem in Weld County?! This is Weld County! We’re Republican! Let me share the registration trends from the past decade…

To further break down those numbers…

• In ten years, the Democrats added 8,739 registered voters for an increase of 23.9%
• In the same 10 years, Republicans added 17,336 registered voters for an increase of 30.6%.

And what about population growth?!

• Weld grew by 74,108 to 344,213 persons.
• That’s an increase of 24.1%.
• The Unaffiliateds added 45,887 registered voters.
• That’s an increase of 63.4%.

Let’s take a look at ten years of registration trends in Colorado…

To further break down these numbers…

• In ten years, the Democrats added 159,647 registered voters for an increase of 17.8%.
• In the same 10 years, Republicans added 421 registered voters for an increase of 0.04%.

And what about population growth?!

• Colorado grew by 646,265 to 5,839,925 persons.
• That’s an increase of 12.4%.
• The Unaffiliateds added 749,905 registered voters.
• That’s an increase of 76.5%.

Simply put, we must register new Republicans and convert conservative-leaning unaffiliated voters back to registered Republicans. The Weld County GOP is working on a plan to do just that and I will be sharing that plan as we roll out our strategic plan for 2024 over the next two months.

For now, we need interested Republicans to study Registration Drives through the Colorado Secretary of State and take the online training. Learn what a Voter Registration Drive (VRD) is and take note of the approved VRDs for 2023 in Colorado. None of these groups are exactly right-leaning.

While the registration outlook is not positive, we can turn that around with effort. Let’s begin today. I will share more in the weeks to come.

The democrats elected a new state party chair. He is known to be strategic and smart. He has told us what his plan is and I believe him.

Murib said his job will be to protect and expand the state’s Democratic majorities in the statehouse and Congress, including defeating Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert. But he also promised a focus on rural and local politics, saying the “next frontier” was to win more elections for sheriff and county commissioner offices. 

From THIS CPR article

The Democrats have conquered their “first frontier.” Not a single statewide elected office is held by a Republican. The D’s dominate. Governor. Secretary of State. Attorney General. Treasurer. Not a single Republican to be found. They have a majority in the Colorado Senate and a super-majority in the Colorado House. We’re not even a speed bump to their socialism.

Thankfully, the best government is the government closest to home. Municipal governments. School boards. Boards of county commissioners. In Weld County, these governments are still reasonably occupied by Republicans. The sheriff is a Republican. So is the Clerk and Recorder and the Assessor. All five County Commissioners and all five County Council members are Republicans.

“Sheriffs across the state refuse to enforce our gun safety laws. We have Republican county commissioners who won’t build affordable housing. They won’t enforce the oil and gas laws meant to keep our neighborhoods and schools safe. And Republican county clerks are straight up inviting corruption into their election offices, right?” he said, an apparent reference to the criminal charges against former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters.

The new Democrat state party chair

So Weld is red, right? It is, but not as red as you might think. Weld County has 33 municipalities and 17 school districts. I did a recent analysis on these local governments and here is what I found. Of the municipal governments I analyzed:

• 15% are Democrats
• 1% are Libertarians
• 31% are unaffiliated
• 51% are Republican

What about Weld’s 17 school boards? Of the analysis I did:

• 20% are Democrats
• 36% are unaffiliated
• 44% are Republican

Resounding majorities? They are not.

“Republicans have majorities in these seats across the state, and I believe the next frontier of Democratic politics must be local.”

The new Democrat state party chair

When someone tells you who they are, and what their plan is, believe them. The Democrats are focussed on coming for local governments. Don’t let them.

As a Chairman, one of my primary goals is to #KeepWeldRed by recruiting, supporting, and electing Republican candidates in local government elections. For too long, the Weld Republican Party has not actively participated in these races because they are “non-partisan.” I can assure you they are most certainly not. The new Democrat state party chair sees local government as the “new frontier.” He has told us who he is and what his plans are and we should believe him.

I know that Republican ideas are better for Weld County communities. Ideas on bolstering public safety, protecting our children, empowering parents and families, keeping government small, and protecting the God-given rights of the individual. As witnessed by their actions at the state capitol, the Democrats believe more in the power of government than the power of the individual. They believe they know better how to live your life than you do. They trust government and regulation more than they trust you.

It’s B.S. We make a little of that here in Weld County and I can identify it by its appearance and smell.

Join me in recruiting, supporting, and electing Republicans for town boards and councils, and school boards. If you want to be a candidate for a local government office, please contact me. In Weld County, its time to fortify and protect our frontier. Radical leftist and socialist ideas are not welcome here. Let’s work together to #KeepWeldRed.

The Lincoln Day Dinner aside, Nila was discussing her many projects and requests in an email to me this morning. Her great concern was to get the many activities we are planning into “the newsletter.” “The Newsletter” is just one of the many tools we have in our toolkit which we will utilize to accomplish the Executive Officers’ primary goal of improving communication.

At the Executive Committee meeting held last Tuesday March 21, I formalized my appointments to the PR Committee. Led by 1st Vice Chair Hunter Rivera, I am excited by the talent on that committee and will task them with reinvigorating the monthly newsletter which, beginning in April, you will receive in your mailbox by the 10th of each month.

This would be a good time to remind you to put some email addresses in your address book: info@weldcountygop.com, scott@weldcountygop.com, and weldgopcolorado@gmail.com. The spam filters of the major email providers (GMail, Outlook, Yahoo, Proton, AOL, etc.) are becoming increasingly picky. Official communication from the Weld GOP will come from one of these three email addresses and adding them to your address book means info from the Weld GOP won’t be banished to your spam folder.

But once a month just ain’t enough…

We really do have a lot going on. As the battle intensifies for our state and as we gear up for 2024 and our concerted effort to #KeepWeldRed, there seems to be so much info to relay. Checking our website HERE, paying special attention to the Calendar Section, are great ways to stay informed. But as much as we kindly ask that you come to us, we (the Weld GOP) needs to come to you!

That’s why I am launching The Chairman’s Monday Memo. Today I begin a weekly effort to keep you informed of what’s happening in our party, our county, and our state. I may have just one or two links or I may have pages, but every Monday I want to personally see to it that you hear from your Grand Old Party and that we give you a snapshot of what’s going on.

Your content suggestions are greatly appreciated – drop me an email HERE.

I can barely remember my own anniversary…

So I am unsure why I regret missing – just last week – the anniversary of a speech most of us read as grade schoolers and middle schoolers. It was at the Second Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775, that Patrick Henry rose to address the Convention’s president, Peyton Randolph of Williamsburg. We all know the crescendo of that speech – “give me liberty or give me death” – but do you remember reading the words leading up to that rallying cry? Let me share a few here, because they are still startlingly applicable to the times in which we now live.

This is no time for ceremony. The question before the house was one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfill the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.

Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those, who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.

Patrick Henry

When you view with a critical eye the actions of democrats in the state legislature, evoking a little know and seldom used rule that stifles debate while they endeavor to take our constitutionally protected rights, the only conclusion to which you can arrive is that the time is now to get involved before they deem every right God gave you “a matter of statewide concern.” It is my hope that the Chairman’s Monday Memo will provide some insight and opportunities for you to join the Weld County GOP as we fight for our county and our state.

Election Judge Requirements

Colorado Revised Statutes Section 1-6-101(2) establishes certain requirements for election judges. Please review the following before submitting your name for consideration as an election judge in Weld County. To be an election judge, you must:

• Be registered to vote and be willing to serve;
• Be physically and mentally able to perform and complete the assigned tasks;
• Attend a class of instruction concerning the tasks of an election judge prior to each election;
• Have never been convicted of election fraud, any other election offense or fraud;
• Be neither a candidate whose name appears on the ballot anywhere in Weld County nor a member of a candidate’s immediate family, related by blood, marriage, or civil union to the second degree, of a candidate whose name appears on the ballot anywhere in the county.
• Be able to provide your own transportation to the school of instruction, polling place, and counting center, as applicable.

Be advised that some of the following abilities and tasks may be required to:

1. Understand Dominion Democracy Suite ImageCast X voting equipment after receiving training
2. Read the LCD display screen on the Dominion Democracy Suite ImageCast X equipment.

What are the Election Judges Positions and Duties?

• Supervisor:  VSPC & Board Coordinator, responsible for assigning duties and supervising the conduct of the election.
• Ballot Box Judge:  Responsible for the collection of Mail Ballots at VSPC’s.
• Greeter Judge:  Provides Signature Card to voter and verify voter identification was brought.
• Log Book Judge: Ensures voter identification requirements are met and maintain the log book of voters entering the VSPC.
• Computer Judge: Responsible for registering new voters, providing in person paper ballots, mail ballots or ballot marking device credit, and indicating on each voter’s record that they have voted.
• Voting Assistance Judge: Provide direction for voter to assure a secret ballot.  If paper ballot is chosen then the voter will be directed to a voting booth to complete, and if a ballot marking device, then assist voters as needed to complete the process and print out their ballot. The Exit Voting Assistance Judge will direct voter to place ballot in Ballot Box.
• Ballot Courier:  Responsible for collecting ballots from polling locations and 24-hour drop off locations and delivering them to the ballot processing facility.
• Receiving Board Judge:  Responsible for collecting ballots delivered by couriers, arranging them, and applying a date stamp received to each envelope. 
• Signature Verification Judge:  Responsible for comparing voter’s signature on the voter’s mail ballot to what is on file.  Identify any discrepancies and report them to election staff.
• Opening Board Judge:  Responsible for separating the ballot from the envelope then batching ballots together for processing and scanning by the Central Count Judges.
• Central Count Judge:  Responsible for scanning ballots, duplicating ballots too difficult to scan, and adjudicating ballots that are over-or-under voted. 

What is an Election Watcher or Observer?

An eligible voter in Colorado who has been appointed by candidates, political parties, or issue committees depending on the type of election to witness and verify the conduct of an election. The watcher cannot be a candidate on the ballot nor an immediate family member if watching for the candidate.

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Election Watchers and Observers

What steps and forms are applicable to Election Watchers?

Must have Certificate of Appointment & Oath of Watcher form submitted to the County Clerk with Watcher’s name and location of observation. The watcher must also complete training courses provided by or approved by the Secretary of State if going to observe election activities where confidential and personally identifiable information may be within view.  These forms must be submitted the Friday before the election, to the extent possible.  The Certificate must accompany the Watcher to the observing location and surrendered to the Supervisor Judge. (If a Watcher leaves a location but returns to the same location, another Certificate of Appointment is not necessary, but a new Watcher who is replacing an original Watcher must provide his or her Certificate of Appointment for that polling location. The Certificate of Appointment is not transferable to another individual.)

Must take an oath administered by an Election Judge.

What are a Watcher’s restrictions?

Watchers may be present at each stage of the conduct of the election, when electors are voting or when election judges are present and performing election activities but must be aware of the following accommodations:

• Stay at least 6 feet from the voting equipment, voting booths and ballot box (the immediate voting area).
• Not handle election supplies, touch, or handle the official signature cards, ballots, mail ballot and/or provisional ballot envelopes, voting or counting machines or machine components.
• Disrupt or interfere with any stage of the election process, including issuance of ballots, receiving of ballots, and voting or counting of ballots.
• Must not interact with Election Judges other than a designated watcher contact, except as permitted by the County Clerk.
• Use of a mobile phone or other electronic device to make or receive a call, or to use electronic device to take or record pictures, video or audio in any place election activities are conducted is not permitted.
• Must not attempt to determine how any elector voted or disclose any confidential voter information including recording of ballot numbers or other identifying information about electors.
• Disclose any election results before the polls have closed.

A County Clerk may remove a Watcher upon finding the Watcher has committed or encouraged fraud in connection with his or her duties, violated any of the limitations outlined above, violated his or her oath or was abusive or threatening toward election officials, judges, or voters.

We can help. Getting Republicans elected is what we do. It is the policy of the Weld County Republican Party to stay neutral in partisan races where more than one Republican is running for the same office. In this instance, we will support all Republicans equally. Regardless of your campaign or competition, we are here to help provide the resources and contacts you need to advance conservative ideas in elected office. But we have to know who you are! Please let us know and a representative from our Candidate Committee will be in touch within 72 business hours.

Weld GOP Candidate Interest Form

Future Candidate Name (as listed on your voter registration) *

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The Finance Committee

Help us raise money to get Republicans elected. If you have a knack for “the ask” and are passionate about funding the next generation of conservative leaders, please let Treasurer Fred Mahe know – fredwmahe@gmail.com.

The Arrangements Committee

This committee helps find locations and equip the meetings of the Weld GOP. They also work with our amazing 2nd Vice Chair, Nila Croll, in putting on the parties of the Grand Old Party! If interested, please contact Nila at nilacroll@yahoo.com.

The Public Relations Committee

Help us get the word out – about Republican candidates and Weld GOP events and activities. Our PR Team is looking for folks good with words, social media, video, and website design and maintenance. Is that you? Contact Chairman Scott James at me@scottkjames.com or 1st Vice Chair Hunter Rivera at HBR302cool4u@hotmail.com.

We want you!

Please get involved by volunteering for a committee today. The time commitment for all our committees varies by job and personal desire, but if you could give us 2 – 3 hours a month, that’s a big start in keeping Weld red and taking that color to the rest of Colorado!