Township politics plays a major role in party politics

 Community members do not have to take part in something huge to have a voice. A little known secret to getting involved on a local level begins with township politics. The smallest elected office has limited power, but it is vital to each political party.

Township committees are involved in planning and organizing political events and caucuses and require the time and effort of many individuals. They also organize voters in neighborhoods and promote political involvement at the grassroots level.

Sen. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield) is a strong advocate of township government and calls it “a great service to voters,” noting that township committee members help voters become informed.

“Their job, for whatever political party, is to identify where all the people who vote for their candidate or your party are and make sure that every one of those voters get to their polls on election day,” Cunningham said.

One committeeman and committeewoman represent the national committee for each party. There also is a committee from each Missouri senate district that comprises members from each state party committee. Stepping down from there, there are 28 individual townships, and each township elects a man and a woman to represent it.

Township committees were established as part of Missouri Revised Statute 115.605, which states that each party committee shall be selected as provided for the purpose of representing and acting for the party in the interim between party conventions. Each township includes a man and a woman from each party who are elected by the voters to lead that township. Committee members are elected every four years when the governor is elected, and candidates must have lived in the township for at least one year and be a registered voter. Township positions are totally unpaid, volunteer positions.

St. Louis County townships include Airport, Bonhomme, Chesterfield, Clayton, Concord, Creve Coeur, Ferguson, Florissant, Gravois, Hadley, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lemay, Lewis & Clark, Maryland Heights, Meramec, Midland, Missouri River, Normandy, Northwest, Norwood, Oakville, Queeny, Spanish Lake, St. Ferdinand, Tesson Ferry, University and Wild Horse.

Cunningham explained that township committee members, who are elected by the voters, have the job of organizing residents of a particular township for the purpose of information and getting out the vote. The ideal candidate, she said, is a person who has a vision and commitment for a way of government, as articulated in their party platform.

She suggested that the ideal Republican candidate must have the motivation to preserve a limited government, while the ideal Democratic candidate would be more interested in the larger, more service-oriented government.

All the township committeemen and women elected are automatically members of the County Central Committee, which helps to elect local party members and assist the state of national party committees.

“This is where the political power of these offices comes in – the caucuses we read so much about,” Cunningham said. “These committees elect delegates to go to the state convention to choose presidential electors, become delegates to the national convention and vote on the party platform.”

Chris Howard is the Lafayette township committeeman, state committeeman for the 7th senatorial district and St. Louis County Republican Central Committee treasurer. He said with township committees, like anything in life, you get out of it what you put into it.

“Township committees are way underutilized and not understood,” he said. “It is an underappreciated role, and many people don’t know this, but these people do potentially have an impact on your life in the sense that they pick who the candidates are sometimes; they make decisions on who represents you on the state party’s level.”

With the upcoming elections, Howard suggested voters need to “ask the people who are running what they have done and what they have said they’re going to do.”

He also suggested that voters who want to get involved should visit their individual party’s website and figure out where their township is.

“Your township is listed on your voting card, and meetings are open to the public,” he said. “The satisfaction is that you have an influence on the process. People complain that they can’t make a difference. Well, yeah they can, if they want to.”

 

Township politics plays a major role in party politics

By SARAH WILSON

 

Community members do not have to take part in something huge to have a voice. A little known secret to getting involved on a local level begins with township politics. The smallest elected office has limited power, but it is vital to each political party.

Township committees are involved in planning and organizing political events and caucuses and require the time and effort of many individuals. They also organize voters in neighborhoods and promote political involvement at the grassroots level.

Sen. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield) is a strong advocate of township government and calls it “a great service to voters,” noting that township committee members help voters become informed.

“Their job, for whatever political party, is to identify where all the people who vote for their candidate or your party are and make sure that every one of those voters get to their polls on election day,” Cunningham said.

One committeeman and committeewoman represent the national committee for each party. There also is a committee from each Missouri senate district that comprises members from each state party committee. Stepping down from there, there are 28 individual townships, and each township elects a man and a woman to represent it.

Township committees were established as part of Missouri Revised Statute 115.605, which states that each party committee shall be selected as provided for the purpose of representing and acting for the party in the interim between party conventions. Each township includes a man and a woman from each party who are elected by the voters to lead that township. Committee members are elected every four years when the governor is elected, and candidates must have lived in the township for at least one year and be a registered voter. Township positions are totally unpaid, volunteer positions.

St. Louis County townships include Airport, Bonhomme, Chesterfield, Clayton, Concord, Creve Coeur, Ferguson, Florissant, Gravois, Hadley, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lemay, Lewis & Clark, Maryland Heights, Meramec, Midland, Missouri River, Normandy, Northwest, Norwood, Oakville, Queeny, Spanish Lake, St. Ferdinand, Tesson Ferry, University and Wild Horse.

Cunningham explained that township committee members, who are elected by the voters, have the job of organizing residents of a particular township for the purpose of information and getting out the vote. The ideal candidate, she said, is a person who has a vision and commitment for a way of government, as articulated in their party platform.

She suggested that the ideal Republican candidate must have the motivation to preserve a limited government, while the ideal Democratic candidate would be more interested in the larger, more service-oriented government.

All the township committeemen and women elected are automatically members of the County Central Committee, which helps to elect local party members and assist the state of national party committees.

“This is where the political power of these offices comes in – the caucuses we read so much about,” Cunningham said. “These committees elect delegates to go to the state convention to choose presidential electors, become delegates to the national convention and vote on the party platform.”

Chris Howard is the Lafayette township committeeman, state committeeman for the 7th senatorial district and St. Louis County Republican Central Committee treasurer. He said with township committees, like anything in life, you get out of it what you put into it.

“Township committees are way underutilized and not understood,” he said. “It is an underappreciated role, and many people don’t know this, but these people do potentially have an impact on your life in the sense that they pick who the candidates are sometimes; they make decisions on who represents you on the state party’s level.”

With the upcoming elections, Howard suggested voters need to “ask the people who are running what they have done and what they have said they’re going to do.”

He also suggested that voters who want to get involved should visit their individual party’s website and figure out where their township is.

“Your township is listed on your voting card, and meetings are open to the public,” he said. “The satisfaction is that you have an influence on the process. People complain that they can’t make a difference. Well, yeah they can, if they want to.”