Kelly kickoff, convention updates, primary absentee update
If you haven’t already heard, Arlington GOP chairman Mark Kelly is running for Arlington County Board in the March 27th special election to fill the seat vacated by state Sen. Barbara Favola. Mark makes an excellent candidate and needs your help to get the campaign going strong with just six weeks until the election. The Kelly campaign will hold a kickoff this Wednesday, February 15th at 7:00 pm at the home of Steve & Harriet Pearson, 3542 North Dickerson Road in Arlington (map). Tickets are $50/person or $30 for Young Republicans, with sponsorships at $100, $250, and $1000. RSVP online here. Also, if you want to volunteer for the campaign, sign up online here.
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Unit committees have announced the process for becoming delegates to the 8th District Convention on May 12th. If you want to be a delegate to the 8th District Convention, you need to sign up as a delegate through your local unit committee (Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, or Fairfax) or visit their websites or get in touch with the 8th District Committee (va8gopchairman@hotmail.com) and we will help direct you to the right folks to speak to. The deadlines for signing up as a delegate will be set by the respective unit committees.
Deadlines for signing up to be a delegate to the 8th District Republican Convention through your unit committee:
City of Alexandria residents: Sign up by March 13, 2012 with the Alexandria Republican City Committee.
Arlington residents: Sign up by February 22, 2012 with the Arlington County Republican Committee.
Fairfax County residents: Sign up by March 10, 2012 with the Fairfax County Republican Committee.
Falls Church residents: TBA
The convention call has been updated to reflect changes in the delegate numbers for Fairfax County as a result of redistricting. See the 2012 Convention page to see the revised call.
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You should follow the redistricting plan passed by the General Assembly to determine which district convention to go to. For example, if the plan moves you from the 8th District to the 11th District, you should go to the 11th District Convention. Get more details here.
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The filing deadline for offices to be elected at the convention is fast approaching. The deadline is Friday, February 24th at 5:00 pm to file to run for chairman of the 8th District Republican Committee, representative to the State Central Committee, delegate/alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention, and elector in the Electoral College. Those wishing to run for any of these offices must file 1) a signed written statement stating their intention to run for the office and 2) the required filing fee with the 8th District Republican Committee Chairman Mike Ginsberg no later than 5:00 pm on the 24th at 1276 North Wayne St. in Arlington (map). Note that all filings must be received by that time and date – a postmark on the 24th does not count. See the convention call for filing fees and details.
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Absentee voting for the March 6th presidential primary is happening now. See the valid reasons for voting absentee here. You can vote absentee in person through March 3rd at your county/city elections office listed here. To vote absentee by mail, you must apply by February 28th, and absentee ballots must be received by March 6th at 7:00 pm. Download an absentee ballot application here.