This convention gave me some insights that I would like to share with all of you. I was very impressed with Abraham George, who was the chair of the State Party. We all went to our own Senate District breakout groups, and on Friday morning each SD voted for the next chair and vice chair. There were four contenders running for chair of the Republican Party, and at our SD meeting three were nominated. We voted by secret ballot, but in the runoff D’Rinda Randall, the current vice chair, won our SD. After lunch we got the news that Abraham George had conceded the race to D’Rinda. Color me shocked!
It turned out that 22 of the 31 SDs had voted for D’Rinda for chair, and he graciously conceded prior to us even coming into general session. And yet it was up to him to run the rest of the General Sessions where all the SDs assembled. He did run those meetings — again graciously and in a spirit of unity that, in my opinion, could only come with help from the Holy Spirit.
As I reflected on the convention, I realized how very grateful I am for what is happening here in our club. The convention gave me a glimpse of what it is like to run effective meetings as compared to less effective ones. Whether you realize it or not, this club is preparing us for the work God is giving us to do. Learning how to operate in these meetings — and even how to run a meeting — is one of the many things being offered to us here.
In the general sessions where all the SDs convened, we pored over Rules, Legislative Priorities, and the Party Platform using Robert’s Rules and the Rules of the Convention. People submitted motions, many of them amendments (even amendments to the amendments), held discussions, and observed two-minute time limits for each person to speak either for or against the amendments.
It was brutal, but I have such an appreciation now for this process, having also attended the Convention in 2024 and seeing a huge difference. What do I mean by “brutal”? The Chair had to shut down extraneous commentary frequently. People would not be aware of where we were in the process and would try to submit an amendment to another plank before we finished with one amendment on the floor, to which he would say, “Motion is out of order,” and pull everyone back to the subject at hand. I was shocked at how often it happened. Can you imagine going to the mic, stating your name and SD number in the presence of thousands of people, and having the chair say “out of order”? That happened so many times!
After the amendment was established (it had to be submitted beforehand), nothing was allowed to be said until the amendment received a second. Then the Chair allowed the person proposing the amendment two minutes to speak to it. Then there was back-and-forth discussion for and against, but no more than three for and three against. Then he would call the question, and we would vote yea or nay on the amendment. Surprisingly, most amendments failed.
The chair also had to deal with “point of information” or interrupting motions called during the meeting. Did the Chair make mistakes? Yes, he did, but I still say he ran an excellent meeting. There were 256 planks submitted for the Party Platform. The chair took them in sections and set a time of 12 minutes for each section. What did that mean? Only the people really on top of things were even able to submit their proposed amendments. Why do I say the meeting was well run? We were out of general sessions before 5 p.m. every afternoon. In San Antonio, the sessions didn’t end until after midnight every day of the convention. So the convention was brutal in Houston in the submitting of amendments, but in San Antonio the convention itself was brutal.
**Takeaways:** Preparation is king! People who got their amendments heard had submitted them early and were ready to speak as soon as the floor opened to their section. Those who were not on top of things did not get their concerns heard. The trade-off: a well-run meeting versus a not-so-well-run meeting.
Another takeaway from the Republican Convention: If you really want to affect the Party platform or Legislative Priorities, it is best to volunteer for the appropriate committee and attend the Monday–Wednesday sessions. These meetings too are run using Robert’s Rules.
All this to say, I am so grateful that Gail is President at this time and is teaching us these things that she has learned from attending conventions, SREC, and other meetings run using Robert’s Rules. We are learning from a pro, and her insistence on preparing for these meetings with motions already put together and submitted prior to walking in — along with Tara’s timekeeping — is teaching us how to be effective for the Republican Party and, ultimately, for what God is putting on our hearts to do for Him.
Written by Diane DeKonig, Stand in Secretary of TTPRW. This was her third state Rebuplican Convention.
