Precinct Committee People

I often hear people complain about the direction of the Republican Party. One thing that I don’t think people understand is that in order to change this direction, they need to get involved. The best way to do that is to become a precinct committee person. Most people have never heard of this office and have no idea what it is.


As many people know, a precinct is the lowest level government division. Counties are divided into precincts by the County Board of Elections based on population. In the cities, usually a ward is divided into several precincts. In the townships, there may only be a couple of precincts for the entire township. (My precinct is the only one in the entire township.)

Local County Parties are made up of a central committee with a representative from each precinct-the precinct committee person. In Trumbull County, these individuals are elected every four years in the primary. After the primary, the county party will reorganize and elect officers and an executive committee. The central committee plays a big role in determining the direction of the party. In some counties, they also vote to endorse candidates. (Trumbull GOP does not do this.)

One responsibility that precinct committee people have is appointing the two Republican poll workers for their precinct. This is important because we need to have good well trained poll workers in each precinct. It is certainly NOT the most important thing though and is definitely not the only responsibility that precinct committee people have.

Central Committee members should be the direct link between voters and the County GOP. They should get to know the people in their communities. Getting involved in community events is a good way to do this. With a precinct in a more densely populated area, using a walking list of all the Republicans and Independents in the precinct and going door to door to canvass the precinct can be done. In less densely populated areas, phone or mail can be used. Social media is another way to get to know those in the precinct. A Central Committee person should also know what is going on in their neighborhoods and communities. He or she should attend trustee and council meetings.

Really, when you think about it, a big part of what a Central Committee person does is just basic good citizenship.

During campaigns, the precinct committee people are the boots on the ground in each precinct for the candidates. The relationships they form with the Republicans in their precincts will help them recruit others to work in campaigns.

This seems like a lot of work, and it can be. The hardest part is forming relationships with your fellow Republicans. Once that is done, you can draw on others who want to be involved to help you.

There are 210 precincts in Trumbull County. Many of these precincts do not currently have a precinct committee person. 2014 will be our next election in Trumbull, but if you live in an open precinct, you can be appointed. If you live in Trumbull County and are interested in serving as a precinct committee person, please contact me at mcyoder@aol.com.

Election and appointment of precinct committee people varies from place to place, but they are needed everywhere.

If you are concerned about the direction of our party and want to change it, get involved. I encourage my friends who want to get more involved to contact their local county GOP.