Candidate Warning

I've been following local politics for more than twenty years and I've never see the kind of things that have happened this election cycle. One candidate has been removed from the ballot and two others were under challenge with the newest, state Republican bylaws.

One of the new state GOP bylaw requirements states, that any candidate who wishes to run as a republican must have voted in at least 3 of the last 4 state, republican primaries. There were two state primaries in 2020, one in 2018 and one in 2016. If a candidate doesn't met the 3 out of 4 requirement, that candidate can be challenged by a bona fide republican. Bona fide meaning, voted the 3 out of 4. If a candidate running as a republican fails the 3 of 4 requirement and is challenged by two bona fide republicans from the district they are running in, the three member state GOP executive committee can remove the candidate from the ballot.

Thus far, three of the four candidates for Lenoir City School Board in the August election do not meet the 3 out of 4 state republican primary election requirements. Thus could be challenged and removed from the August ballot.

Those candidates have two options. Stay on the republican ticket and potentially risk being removed from the ballot or run as independents and be exempted from the republican bylaws.

There is the "vouch for" provision in the bylaws, but ultimately the the three member state GOP executive committee has the final authority to make the determination on who stays and who goes.     

And by the way, candidates will be required to pay an extortion fee to be allowed to run as a republican. 

Below are the relevant bylaws discussed here. 

State GOP Bylaws

ARTICLE IX

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 1. The following shall be Party membership requirements for candidacy to public office. The TRP hereby defines the term "bona fide Republican," as:

A. Any individual who is actively involved in the Tennessee Republican Party, his County Republican Party, or any recognized auxiliary organization of either; and resides and is registered to vote in said county; and either

B. Any individual who has voted in at least three (3) of the four (4) most recent Statewide Republican primary elections; or

C. Any individual who is vouched for in writing (to the satisfaction of the decision makers defined herein) as a bona fide Republican by an officer of the TRP or a member of the CEC, excluding SEC members, of the County and/or District where said individual resides. The decision makers defined herein may require additional verification that said individual is indeed a bona fide Republican.

The final decision concerning said individual’s bona fide Republican status shall be determined by a majority vote of the following: the State Chairman and each SEC member who represents any portion of the district covered by said individual’s proposed candidacy.

1. The TRP and each CEC shall maintain a list of all recognized auxiliary organizations for the application of the forgoing standards. Each CEC shall submit an updated list of recognized auxiliary organizations prior to their biennial reorganization. The State Chairman has final authority on all approved auxiliary organizations.

2. “Actively involved in” in the foregoing section shall be defined as a quantifiable contribution including, but not limited to, time or money to Tennessee Republican Party, his County Republican Party, or any recognized auxiliary organization of either during the time period since the most recent County Republican Party reorganization.

D. Any individual seeking elective office as a Republican candidate will be required to submit to the TRP the following fees prior to the applicable filing deadline for the

office being sought.

Governor - $5,000

US Senate - $5,000

US Congress - $2,500

Tennessee State Senate - $1,000

Tennessee State Representative - $500

District Attorney and Public Defender - $500

State Executive Committee - $100

Countywide Elected Offices - $100

County Commission and Constable - $25

Such fees may be submitted in any manner determined to be acceptable by the TRP, which will maintain an updated list of acceptable payment methods and provide that list to any candidate seeking office as a Republican within three (3) days of a written request for the same. If the TRP posts the updated list on its website at least ten (10) days prior to any applicable filing deadline, it will be deemed to have met this requirement for all candidates including, without limitation, those making individual requests. The TRP will accept fees for any particular office from the day after Election Day of the office being sought until the expiration of the following applicable filing deadline.

1. Should any individual seeking elective office as a Republican candidate not have the financial ability to pay the required filing fee for the office sought, such individual may appeal to the Political Subcommittee of the TRP for a waiver of the fee provided that such appeal is filed in writing with the TRP at least ten (10) days prior to the applicable filing deadline.

2. In addition to the filing fee, the individual seeking elective office as a Republican candidate will be required to submit to the TRP a copy of his or her completed nominating petition that was filed with the appropriate county election commission office or the office of the state coordinator of elections, whichever is applicable to the office being sought.

3. No fee collected from any candidate that is not currently held by a republican.

Section 2. If a person's bona fide status is challenged, the challenge shall be made to the State Chairman from at least two (2) individual registered voters (within the district in which the challenged candidate has filed to run) who have voted in at least three (3) of the last four (4) most recent Statewide Republican primary elections. Such a challenge must be made no later than five (5) days before the deadline for removal of a candidate's name from a ballot under TCA Section 2-5-204 or otherwise, or any other applicable deadline. The challenge shall be resolved pursuant to the standards and procedures set forth in Section 1 above. The SEC hereby delegates to the State Chairman the authority to communicate to the appropriate election law officials the decision as to whether or not the challenged individual shall be considered a bona fide Republican for the purposes in question.

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3/14/22