Wake Precinct and Convention Interpretation

Date: March 5 , 2025

Question From: Wake County Leadership and Volunteers

Question(s) Presented:

Can a county deny admission of a qualified Republican to attend a Precinct Meeting,
election as a delegate, and participation in a County Convention by implementing a
local preregistration requirement?

Answered by: Dan Barry, NCGOP Plan of Organization Committee Chairman
on behalf of the Committee.

Answer:

No, Article I of the 2024 North Carolina Republican Party Plan of Organization
unequivocally protects the rights of all North Carolina Republicans to participate in
the official affairs of the party:
“All citizens of North Carolina who are registered Republicans are members of
the Republican Party of North Carolina and shall have the right to participate
in the official affairs of the Republican Party in accordance with these rules.”
Further, the NCGOP 2024 Plan of Organization states that, “Every Republican
registered as of January 31 preceding the Meetings shall be entitled to cast one (1)
vote, except that the January 31 requirement shall not apply to residents who have
moved into the precinct, or turned eighteen (18) years of age within 30 days of the
Precinct Meeting.”
The Annual Precinct Meeting is the foundation which the entire NCGOP governance
structure stands on. They are to be open and inclusive and must provide for onsite
registration. No undue burden shall be placed on a qualified Republican in order to
participate in the affairs of the Party. Additionally, those Counties holding the
Precinct Meeting and County Convention on the same day, must provide for the
credentialing of delegates at the close of the Precinct Meeting so Elected Delegates
can be seated at the County Convention.
While the State Plan of Organization Committee recognizes preregistration as a good
tool for leadership to prepare for the Precinct Meeting and County Convention, a
failure to preregister shall not be used to support denial of access and full
participation in a Precinct Meeting or County Convention.
Precinct meetings are official affairs of the party. The 2024 NCGOP Plan of
Organization guarantees the right to attend precinct meetings to all North Carolina
Republicans. Those rights may not be infringed by any county or district party.
Denying a North Carolina Republican, who satisfied the January 31 voter
registration deadline, admission to a county precinct meeting for any reason is an
unpermitted infringement of the member’s rights and is not allowed.
Approved on March 5, 2025 by the North Carolina Plan of Organization Committee
unanamously. Committee Mike Phillips was recused from participation in
deliberation and vote.