Do your part

Thank all of you who voted in the primary last Tuesday.

Congratulations to all the candidates who participated. It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there and try to serve your community.

It’s our duty and privilege to vote in every election in which we are able. Having our voices heard is one of the most rewarding things we can do as United States citizens.

In Kendall County, Republicans enjoy a large advantage over Democrats. In the primary, the Republican Party had 10,699 votes to the Democrats’ 1,081, almost a 10 to 1 margin.

That’s the good news. The bad news is, only 31% of registered voters went to the polls. Together, we can — and must — change that.

We have a strong conservative culture imbedded in our way of life in Kendall County. We all must do our part to keep it this way. There are just too many examples of Texas counties that have been changed to purple, or even blue, as people move in and bring their politics with them.

The overall trend in Texas is alarming. The Republican presidential margin of victory has gone from 16% in 2012 for Mitt Romney to 5% for President Trump in 2020. We must do more to stop this trend, so I am asking you to do a couple of things to reverse it and fight to keep Texas red.

First, we must increase turnout. In the November election, reach out to your friends and make sure they are going to the polls. Second, please get involved in the local Republican party. We have a great event coming up that you can be an integral part of and will allow you to get your voice heard and make a difference.

Our Precinct and County Conventions occur Saturday, March 23, at Kronkosky Place. The Precinct Conventions start at 8 a.m. and the County Convention begins about 1-2 hours later. The whole process is done in 4-5 hours.

This is truly the grassroots, and you’re invited. This is where our party gets its resolutions which are considered in the process to become our great party’s platform.

Each of our 17 precincts in Kendall County is supposed to be represented by a precinct chair. The number-one goal of precinct chair is to maximize Republican turnout in that precinct.

They also lead the convention for their respective precinct.

When you attend the precinct convention, you will elect delegates to the county convention and vote on any resolutions. If there is an issue that is important to you and it is not already part of our platform, this is your chance to have it included.

At the county convention, which will immediately follow the precinct convention, you again will vote on resolutions that are compiled from each precinct and elect 36 delegates and 36 alternates to the state convention. We are lucky this year that the state convention will be held in San Antonio on May 23-25.

The state convention is a wonderful experience. To be in a convention center with thousands of people with similar views gives you great hope for our state and the motivation to go and make a difference.

It is also a great way to get close up with our state’s leaders. However, it is not just a party, there is work to be done.

As a delegate you will vote on the resolutions that form our platform. You will vote on the people who run the Texas Republican party including the chairman, vice chair and Republican National Committee man and woman for Texas.

In short, you will help shape the makeup of our party and the direction it takes going into the most significant election of our lifetimes.

This brings me back to the primary, and our turnout. It can be disheartening to think that only 31% of our voters voted.

I like to look at the positive side of this — think of the many voters out there who we can convince to join us. Please do your part; it does make a difference.

Hope to see you on March 23 at Kronkosky Place. Check our website (www.kcrptx.com) for more information.

Michael Wheeler is the Kendall County Republican Chair.