Should a Republican Club allow Unaffilliated members?

Washington Daily News ^ | Friday, November 19, 2004 | JONATHAN CLAYBORNE

[RepublicanReptile]

Near the end, Klemm and club President Bill Sprenkle spoke briefly about proposed changes to the club's by-laws. Klemm indicated club officers had met to discuss allowing the club to alter the by-laws early next year to let GOP-leaning independents to join as voting members.

"What we are trying to do is get these independents here and become Republicans," Klemm explained.

Club member Lee Foreman questioned the proposed by-laws change.

"I'm not sure that's where you want to go," Foreman said, referring to the by-laws alteration.

Klemm asked whether Foreman would be amenable to allowing unaffiliated members to join as nonvoting members, and Foreman suggested he would accept that.

No action was taken on the proposed change.

[RepublicanReptile]

Ping

[Constitution Day]

Why not?
I was registered "Unaffilliated" for a long time.

[Constitution Day]

NC *Ping*

Please FRmail Constitution Day, TaxRelief OR Helms if you want to be added to or removed from this North Carolina ping list.

[pillbox_girl]

It's probably a good idea to allow in independents. I knew a few people at college who were independents, but would have registered Republican except their hippy liberal dumbocrat parents would then have disowned them. Many independents I know are more Republican and conservative than some nominal Republicans we now have "representing" us in the House and Senate. You know who they are.

[livius]

I'd rather see them as non-voting members.

There may also be legal problems involved in letting in non-Republicans as voting members. They should check this out very carefully.

[JesseJane]

1) No.

2) Why not allow people 'guest memberships' for a limited and reasonable period of time? They get all the benefits of participating, except voting.

3) I like how this forum's poll questions are set to accept votes from members and non-members, then overlay the results.. Very cool.. It tells if non-members are tracking with members..

[counterpunch]

I'm registered as "decline to state" which is California's version of "unaffiliated."
I've never been registered to any party.

[jesda]

Im a libertarian and I started a republican club.

[Chad Fairbanks]

No. Invite them to meetings to participate, but until they decide to actually become Republicans, they shouldn't have leadership positions...

[zerosix]

Absolutely NOT!

Once that is done, it ceases to be a "Republican" club.

[pillbox_girl]

To be honest, most true Republicans are very libertarian (small 'L'). And many nominal republicans are authoritarian socialist liberals. The problem, as I see it, is one of team identity taking precedence over political ideology. How many liberal socialists now hold office as republicans simply because they run under the republican party name to glean out enough republican votes to put them over the top? I can name quite a few. Unfortunately, an honest libertarian conservative Republican would be unelectable in their districts. That's where the identity problem lies.

That and the inescapable fact that the official Libertarian Party is chock full of nuts.

[PhiKapMom]

Our Republican Women's Club has associate members who can vote on anything but disbursing money and electing officers.

[Jaysun]

If they're worried about recruitment they should launch a recruitment campaign, not water down membership criteria.

[Alia]

Thanks for the ping! I like all the responses in this thread; but truly, I see both sides. Glad I'm not being asked to vote on this proposal. :)

[lwd]

Let's keep in mind that NC posts your party affiliation on the state BOE website, so anyone can go look up your personal info. I know that is why I changed my registration a few years ago from Republican to Unaffiliated. Plus, if you want to pull a "malicious crossover" and vote in the dem primary, you can't be a registered republican.

All of that said, I think the members of various Republican clubs should still be very cautious of who they let in and give voting authority to.

[Prospero]

bump, for meditation.

[TaxRelief]

Imagine, if you will, the number of unaffiliated members exceeding the affiliated members within the group: bylaws are corrupted, Republicans are voted out of leadership positions and the "Republican" name is misused by a group of people with no vested interest in the Republican Party.

The press could have a field day with their antics and Republicans could be besmirched everywhere. As a consequence, many folks thinking about becoming involved in the party will probably choose not to be associated with a group that acts out and has no control over its members.

Just one possible consequence of not requiring members to make a public commitment...

[TaxRelief]

Your personal info in NC is available publically if you are registered to vote, own a car, own land or own a home.

It's nearly impossible to keep it a secret, and affiliating with a party discloses no more than registering as an unaffiliated.

So, take a position, and be proud to defend it!