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You might not realize it, but the county and state Republican Party have enormous influence over our everyday lives, yet there is so much happening at the state and county levels that remains unexplored by most citizens.

Here at Fortify Geauga, we believe our County GOP and State GOP should reflect grassroots conservative values. Over the next few months, Fortify Geauga will be working hard to put conservative citizens in touch with their county and state Republican Party representatives. Please take some time to learn about the purpose and structure of your Republican Party.

Start here: How in the World Did This Guy Get Elected? The Central Committee and Why You Should Care

ATTEND OUR EVENT
Do you live in or near Geauga County? Would you like to learn more about our GOP Central Committee and how you can get involved? Join us this Spring as we kick off a series of informational meetings where you can learn all about the structure of our party, why it matters to you, and how you can get involved. Join our Mailing List HERE and we’ll send you the dates and details.

Establishment GOP Attacking Tea Party, Squawking About “Fake Slate Cards”

Read About Our Vision for a Vibrant Geauga County GOP

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Structure of the County Party

Of the People

Your county GOP is made up of people just like you. Every Precinct in Geauga County is represented by a Central Committee member. These 78 members are voted in for 4-year terms on a rotating basis. In most Geauga precincts, candidates either run uncontested or win their seats easily with few votes. Our Central Committee is a mixture of long-time public servants and newcomers who volunteer their time to serve our community.

Do you know who your Central Committee representative is? Does your Central Committee representative know how you feel about the issues that are affecting our county and state?

By the People

Some of the specifics of the County Central Committee are outlined in the Ohio Revised Code, but much of how the Committee operates is decided by the committee members. In a vibrant, active county GOP, citizens communicate with their representatives and can influence the leadership structure, policies, and goals of the party.

For the People

In nearly every county in Ohio, Central Committee meetings are open to the public. In Geauga County, however, we do not have regular open meetings. That means we have to work harder to figure out what’s going on. It also means it’s especially helpful to get to know your Central Committee representative. The Fortify Geauga team is planning events throughout the Summer and Fall to help constituents connect with their Central Committee representatives. Please sign up for our Weekly Newsletter or send us an email at FortifyGeauga@proton.me if you’d like to be invited to one of our events.

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Our vision for a vibrant Geauga County GOP includes:

• Open meetings where the public is welcome to attend.
• Meetings scheduled in advance to help increase attendance. The Geauga GOP leadership schedules last-minute meetings, often with only the minimum notice required by law. The sad result is very low attendance. For example, the October 2023 meeting where the GOP was set to approve expenditures for Issue 1 was announced at the last minute and so poorly attended that there was not a quorum; hence our county GOP could not approve expenditures to fight Issue 1.
• Roll-call votes so constituents know how their elected representatives are voting. How can we evaluate and support our representatives if we don’t know how they vote?
• Meeting minutes and attendance published for public view.
• Updated platform. The platform for our Geauga County GOP was last ratified in 2015. We elect new Central Committee members every four years. Shouldn’t they evaluate and ratify the platform with each new term?
• Welcoming, functional physical headquarters. The Geauga GOP currently has no physical headquarters, and the last office space they occupied was unkept and infrequently used.
• Subcommittees. Other county GOPs have subcommittees to evaluate and address issues of concern in their communities.
• Effective constituent outreach. Most Geauga County Republicans aren’t even aware of the purpose of our Central & Executive Committees and are rarely invited to participate. The GOP website lists only home addresses for elected Central Committee members. How can citizens be engaged if they don’t have an easy way to contact their representatives?
• Training for committee members. We the People elect Central Committee members to be our voice in the party. Leadership should provide orientation and training in Robert’s Rules of Order so our representatives can effectively participate in the business of the party.