State Convention FAQs

State Conventions are where county-elected state delegates conduct Michigan Republican Party business. For the two-year cycle and how Grand Traverse elects those delegates, see Precinct Delegates & Conventions and County Convention FAQs.

Purposes

A State Convention is called for one or more of these purposes: elect state party leadership, endorse major state office candidates, or nominate major state office candidates.

Elect state party leadership

State party leadership is elected at the odd-year winter/spring convention (typically February). The evening before, state delegates and alternates caucus by congressional district to elect 25 members of each Congressional District Committee. Seven of those also serve on the State Central Committee (the District Chair and six others).

The State Party Chair, Co-Chair, and six Vice Chairs (Administrative, Coalitions, Ethnic, Grassroots, Outreach, Youth) are elected at the State Convention.

The National Committeeman and National Committeewoman serve four years. They are elected at the Spring State Convention in presidential election years.

Endorse major state office candidates

At the Spring Convention in statewide election years, state delegates may endorse Republican candidates for Secretary of State, Attorney General, Michigan Supreme Court (2), State Board of Education (2), Governors of Wayne State University (2), Regents of the University of Michigan (2), and Trustees of Michigan State University (2).

Those same offices later receive the official party nomination at the post-primary State Convention. An endorsement gives the candidate extra months before the general election.

Nominate major state office candidates

At the convention after the August primary, candidates receive the official party nomination for major state offices. Winning that nomination is the party equivalent of winning a primary. Those nominees appear on the November ballot.

In a statewide election year, state delegates nominate the Republican candidates for Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General.

In a presidential election year, Republican presidential electors are nominated.

At each post-primary nominating convention, two party nominees are chosen for each of these: Michigan Supreme Court, State Board of Education, Governors of Wayne State University, Regents of the University of Michigan, and Trustees of Michigan State University.

What Rules Apply

In this order: Michigan Election Law (MCL 168); Michigan Republican Party bylaws; State Committee rules adopted for that convention and the county conventions that elect its delegates; Robert’s Rules of Order, latest revised edition.

About 6–9 months before a State Convention, the State Central Committee approves rules drafted by its Policy Committee. Those rules also govern the County Conventions that select that convention’s delegates and alternates.

Delegate Packet

A packet for state delegates and alternates is issued before the convention. It includes the Call, schedule, candidate list for initial and runoff rounds, hall map, hotel blocks, and other instructions. Use the packet for that convention, not a prior year.

Who Votes

Each state delegate elected at the preceding County Convention has the right and responsibility to attend and vote. If a delegate is absent, the vote passes to alternates in the order they were elected at the County Convention.

Delegates at large include Republican incumbents in the state legislature and Congress, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General, current Michigan Republican Party officers, and each Congressional District Chair.

Voting on the floor is by congressional district. Grand Traverse County votes with the 1st Congressional District.

Officers

State convention officers are appointed by the State Party Chair. The Chair leads the convention unless another person is appointed. A secretary keeps the minutes. Parliamentarians enforce the rules. The sergeant-at-arms keeps order. Tellers count votes and aggregate district results.

Officers do not have to be state delegates. If they are, they still vote.

Committees

Credentials. Seven members: State Party Chair, Co-Chair, National Committeeman, National Committeewoman, General Counsel, Budget Committee Chair, and Policy Committee Chair. They receive each county’s list of state delegates and alternates, certify it, and present it to the Rules Committee.

Rules. Two members appointed by each Congressional District Chair. They accept the credentialed list and interpret the rules.

Issues. Same body as the MIGOP Issues Committee. A delegate who wants an issue before the convention must submit a written draft with pros and cons at least 7 days before the convention and obtain a majority of the committee. No more than five issues are received. Debate on the floor is timed. District Chairs tally their district’s votes and submit them to the secretary and tellers.

Ballots and Counting

The party has used tabulators by congressional district. Credentials are checked, a ballot is issued, and the ballot is fed into that district’s machine. When voting in a district is done, the tape is printed and the District Chair submits it for aggregation. Totals are recorded by district and displayed to the hall.

At the April 2022 endorsement convention, a hand-count verification process developed by Unity4MRP was used alongside the machines. The hand count matched the tapes. Whether a future convention uses machines, a hand count, or both is set in that convention’s rules.

Modified Unit Rule and Winning Percentage

Before results are finalized, the modified unit rule is applied to a congressional district that had vacancies. Delegates present from that district vote the district’s full allotted strength.

Example: A district is allotted 200 state delegates but casts 190 votes. Those 190 votes are treated as 200. If Candidate A has 100 and Candidate B has 90 of the 190, the scaled result is 105 to 95.

After that rule is applied, a “vote for 1” race (Secretary of State, Attorney General) requires 50% to avoid a runoff. A “vote for 2” race (Supreme Court) requires 40% to avoid a runoff. Runoffs continue until the required percentage is met.

Typical Agenda

1. Delegates and alternates get credentials and sit by district.
2. Call to order, prayer, Pledge, national anthem, reading of the Call.
3. Officers appointed and sworn.
4. Rules Committee report, then Issues Committee report and any issue debate.
5. Nominating and seconding speeches.
6. Candidate demonstration period (speech or video).
7. Vote by congressional district; count, aggregate, and report.
8. Runoff if required.
9. Announce results and adjourn.

Details for any given convention are in that Call and delegate packet.