GOP chairman offers context
To the editor:
Because of state and national attention surrounding the Maine Presidential Straw Poll, it might be helpful to provide detail and context for the 2012 Republican town caucuses to clear up any confusion. This is from an Aroostook County perspective:
• So-called “caucus kits” were prepared by the Maine GOP and passed out at each of three regional caucus events: Fort Kent (Feb 3); Presque Isle and Houlton (Feb 4).
• Caucus kits contained paperwork whereby each town would elect its Caucus Chair, at which point among other administrative tasks, Delegates and Alternates to the Republican State Convention were elected.
• One component of the caucus process was the distribution of the ballot for the Presidential Straw Poll.
• The caucus kits, once completed, were delivered to Maine GOP Headquarters for the purpose of organizing the Maine Republican State Convention to be held in Augusta, May 5-6. At the State Convention, Delegates will be elected to attend the Republican National Convention in Tampa. Maine Delegates to the Republican National Convention are not bound to a Presidential primary candidate.
• The Presidential Straw Poll ballots were distributed to qualified registered and enrolled Republican voters and counted at each caucus event. Aroostook County kept the ballots and reported the total County count to the Maine GOP.
• There were more people who attended each of the three Aroostook County caucus events than were qualified to receive a ballot; some folks attended all three caucus events.
• Ultimately, a poll is a poll, a snapshot of a mini-moment in time. Clearly, a poll is not an election, but it nevertheless provides an important momentary perception.
• The Maine Republican Presidential Straw Poll window was pre-set by the Maine GOP for those towns who chose to caucus between Feb 4 (or before) and Feb 11, at which time the Maine GOP was to announce, and did announce, the Straw Poll results.
• The probable extension exception of the Feb 4-11 poll window is Washington County; they had scheduled Feb 11 but due to weather conditions had to postpone to Feb 18. Aroostook County is on record that the Washington County ballots should be counted.
• The Straw Poll was essentially a non-binding “beauty contest” to be held by Maine counties/towns choosing to caucus specifically during a pre-defined period of time, Feb 4-11.
• Those towns who did not choose to caucus during the pre-defined period of time, Feb 4-11, did not qualify to participate in the Straw Poll.
• Because of the pre-set polling window, it would make no sense for towns that did not choose to caucus Feb 4-11 but that may still legally caucus to expect or allow them to take part in the Straw Poll now that the pre-set polling period has expired.
• The ground rules of the 2012 Maine Republican Straw Poll may not have been effectively communicated by the Maine GOP or understood by some of the County or Town Chairs responsible for running the caucuses — or the media. This was not the case in Aroostook County.
• As Aroostook County reported, Ron Paul was the clear winner at 59 percent.
The town caucus is sometimes a muddled grass-roots event but next to the Town Meeting is about as close as we can get to representative form of government within a political party. The much neater alternative, the state-wide primary, is a cash-driven media event.
Hayes Gahagan, chairman
Aroostook County Republican Committee
