Also visit - KBB HAD A FAIR CHANCE, BUT NOW IT'S TIME FOR HER TO GO
December 26, 2021
An Open Letter to Colorado Republicans,
Let me put this to you straight – GOP Chairman Kristi Burton Brown & legal council Chris Murray have, through a bad interpretation of the CRC Bylaws, completely dissolved 107 Colorado Republican Organizations and forcefully removed from office approximately 328 Republican District officers who were elected this Spring to serve until the 2023 Organizational Meetings. More details in the letter below.
For the love of State and the love of Country, the officers affected should protest the Chairman’s edict. For every registered Republican, Christian, MAGA supporter, Patriot, election integrity advocate, and Coloradoan who would like to restore this state, CLICK HERE to learn how Colorado’s caucus and assembly process works to empower the grassroots and replace the Good Ol’boys Party.
For more articles on the GOP Redistricting Over-reach, see
PROJECT: KBB'S REDISTRICTING OVER-REACH 2022
(A longer, more detailed letter with footnotes.)
December 26, 2021
An Open Letter to Colorado Republicans,
Using a tortured interpretation of the redistricting bylaws, Chairman Kristi Burton Brown and GOP legal council Chris Murray have determined that because the district lines were redrawn and the new Congressional District Eight was added, every Congressional District, State House District, and State Senate District is “new.”[i]
Chairman Brown’s misinterpretation has, without due process, completely dissolved 107 Colorado Republican Organizations and forcefully removed from office approximately 328 Republican District officers who were elected this Spring to serve until the 2023 Organizational Meetings.[ii] The bylaws of the district provide steps to fill a vacancy that's created when new district lines remove the officer from the district.[iii] Nothing in the bylaws requires or insinuates that ALL District GOP officers will be forcibly removed “every ten years” after redistricting, as Chairman Brown claims.[iv]
No former GOP council or State or District Chairman has interpreted that almost all of the GOP structure must be dissolved because of any boundary line changes. Chairman Brown has dissolved 107 Colorado Republican Organizations by proclaiming that due to redistricting, they have no bylaws, even providing “interim bylaws” for conducting the fraudulent new Organizational Meetings. Each District’s established bylaws have detailed procedures for amending them.[v] Amazingly, this huge disruption is nowhere mentioned on the GOP website - www.cologop.org/
Regarding the newly added Congressional District 8, this is how I believe the CRC bylaws SHOULD be interpreted:
CRC Bylaws Article XVI
Section F. Effects of Reapportionment.
1. Following the addition of a (NEW CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT), the party central committees for each such NEW (DISTRICT) shall be called to meet for the purpose of electing a chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary, selecting a vacancy committee and adopting bylaws – (FOR THE NEW DISTRICT). The call (was) issued by the following party officers:
a. For a single county… (does not apply to the NEW DISTRICT CD8)
b. For (NEW) multi-county districts (CD 8) - by the current presiding officer of the county party of the county with the largest portion of the disrict’s [sic] population, according to the last federal census, or his designee, after consultation with the current chairmen of other counties wholly or partially within that (NEW) district.
c. If no call is issued… (doesn’t apply.)
2. The person calling the (NEW DISTRICT) meeting presides until pro tem chairman is elected...
3. The (NEW DISTRICT) meeting shall be governed by… (CRC) bylaws, (Appendix B)…
4. The (NEW DISTRICT) meeting may be held in person, in an electronic format, or…
5. In the 1st year after the boundaries are changed (Reapportionment, with the addition of CD 8), if the (NEW CD 8) district central committee has not been organized forty days before the date of the precinct caucuses, the central committee of the county with the largest portion of the population according to the last federal census (IN THE NEW DISTRICT) shall adopt rules for representation and apportion the number of delegates. (SO THAT THE NEW DISTRICT HAS REPRESENTATION IN EVERY APPROPRIATE DISTRICT AND THE STATE,) The chair of said county (THE LARGEST COUNTY IN THE NEW DISTRICT), after due consultation with the chairs of the other counties having precincts within the (NEW) district, shall issue the call for the (NEW) district(‘s) assembly and, if the (NEW) district central committee has not been organized fifteen days prior to the assembly, (THE CHAIRMAN OF THE LARGEST COUNTY IN THE NEW DISTRICT SHALL) preside over its meeting.
(Note: This subsection does not apply to CD8, as they have been organized in time for caucuses, and it clearly doesn’t apply to every District in the state.)
It is time to invoke The Doctrine of The Lesser Magistrates. A higher authority has told us to do something wrong, so we are responsible to disregard their demands and do the right thing instead. Every duly elected Republican District Officer and Committee should protest Chairman Kristi Burton Brown’s dictates and simply conduct any business necessitated by redistricting.
Obviously, the Colorado GOP is broken now, but we could restore this state if every registered Republican, Christian, MAGA supporter, Patriot, election integrity advocate, and liberty-minded Coloradoan would engage in their local GOP. We can do it! MyColoradoGOP.org can help.
Sincerely,
Peg Cage, Bonus Member Boulder County, Chairman JD 20
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EMAIL ME TO ADD YOUR NAME!
James MacFarland, Bonus Member, Jefferson County
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Ben Nicholas, Bonus Member, Adams County
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Alan Seeling
Chaffee County GOP Chairman
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Chaffee Co GOP is opposed to this wonton takeover of our Party and its Bylaws.
FOOTNOTES -
[i] Chairman Kristy Burton Brown’s email of 12-10-2021 (https://mailchi.mp/a81dd858112d/why-are-we-having-so-many-district-re-org-meetings-find-out-here?e=b7207bf2f9) Highlights added by author.
Dear SCC Members,
We've received a number of questions on why the redistricting process requires all Congressional, Senate, and House Districts in the state to host re-organizational meetings. The foundational reason is that our bylaws require each district to have a specific organizational meeting every 10 years, after district boundaries are changed by redistricting. The requirement is not only for actual brand new districts like CD8. Instead, every district must "re-organize" itself when boundaries across the state change. As you know, a change in boundaries brings in new voters and takes out other voters. Our bylaws recognize that the new set of voters should be able to choose their own officers for the district.
For specific legal explanation, I'll turn to our State Party legal counsel, Chris Murray (https://www.bhfs.com/people/attorneys/l-o/christopher-murray):
"Here’s a short explanation of why I come to the conclusion that every district created by the congressional and legislative redistricting processes is 'new' and therefore all districts—and not only an additional congressional district granted by reapportionment—are 'new' and subject to Bylaws Article XVI, Section F:
• First, and most basically, though I didn’t have any involvement with the drafting of Article XVI, Section F, I think a facial reading of the provision shows that it is intended to treat all post-redistricting districts as new and not only additional districts (i.e. districts which increase Colorado’s number of representatives in Congress and/or increase the number of members of the General Assembly). Colorado has not increased the number of seats in the General Assembly in decades, yet the provision specifically addresses legislative redistricting (called by its old name “reapportionment” in the bylaw provision) and not only Congressional redistricting.
• The sub-sections are clearly pointed at legislative seats: they address single and multi-county districts. Until very recently, Colorado had no single-county congressional districts. Even now, such congressional districts are exceedingly rare...
• Sub-section (c)(5) ensures organization of a district in “the first election year after boundaries are changed” in order to prepare for precinct caucuses. Why would organization be needed for “changed boundaries” if the triggering event is the addition of a previously nonexistent district (i.e. the situation we have with the 8th CD in 2022)?"
While many of us were not involved in the Colorado GOP 10 years ago when the last redistricting process took place, I recognize that some of you were, and I thank you for the experience you bring to the table. The process may have looked different then in some aspects. However, it's my responsibility to take the best legal advice available today and ensure we follow the most legally-compliant process so that our candidates and districts are protected for 2022.
I realize these re-org meetings ask for more of your time and require more of your work. Thank you for all you are doing. As we often do, after we complete this process in 2022, we can collectively re-evaluate our State Bylaws and consider changing them to make re-organization an easier process for the people who come after us 10 years from now.
Thank you again for all you do, and let me know how I can help.
Kristi Burton Brown
Chairwoman | Colorado GOP
[ii] Chairman Brown has dissolved 107 Colorado Republican District Organizations and removed in each district; a Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Secretary, for 7 Congressional Districts, 65 State House Districts, and 35 State Senate Districts totaling approximately 307 elected officers.
(Note: Each District has established their own bylaws. A standard template for all District Bylaws is provided in the CRC Bylaws as APPENDIX B, which “shall be the bylaws of any county or district central committee that has not adopted its own bylaws….” The references in this document are to that template in the CRC Bylaws. Each District organization should refer to their own Bylaws in reference to these matters.)
APPENDIX B-3 District Republican Central Committee
ARTICLE III. OFFICERS, POWERS OF THE COMMITTEE
Section 3. Election of Officers:
A. Election of Officers: Officers of the District Central Committee shall be elected at the biennial
Organizational Meeting.
D. Term of Office. The officers of the District Central Committee shall assume their duties at the conclusion of the biennial Organizational Meeting, or at the conclusion of a meeting that may be called to fill a vacancy, and shall hold office until their successors are elected or appointed and qualified to serve.
Section 4. Vacancies and Removal of District Central Committee Officers
B. Removal: The District Central Committee may remove any officer for good cause and declare a vacancy by the affirmative vote of 2/3 of the members of the District Central Committee present and voting at a regular or special meeting of the District Central Committee. The District Central Committee Vacancy Committee shall convene immediately upon adjournment of the meeting of the District Central Committee at which an officer is removed to fill the vacancy in any officer position.
[iii] ARTICLE IV. DISTRICT VACANCY COMMITTEES
Section 1. Vacancy Committees Created and Empowered: Vacancy Committees shall be and are hereby organized and empowered to fill vacancies in District Central Committee officers, in the designation and nomination of Republican candidates for the General Assembly for the District, and the Republican Elected Official of the District, in accordance with relevant provisions of Colorado law.
[iv] https://www.cologop.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/CRC-Bylaws-and-Appendices-with-standing-rules-as-amended-9-18-2021.pdf
[v] District- Appendix B
ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENT OF THESE BYLAWS
These Bylaws may be amended at any Regular or Special Meeting of the District Central Committee by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of those members present and voting, provided that the proposed amendment was submitted, in writing, to the officers for review, mailed or sent by e-mail no fewer than thirty (30) days prior to the meeting to the members of the District Central Committee, and a copy of the proposed amendment(s) were included in the written notice of the meeting.
State -
ARTICLE XX: AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS
Section A. Amendment.
These bylaws may be amended at any meeting by a two-thirds vote of members present in person or by proxy and voting provided that the proposed amendment was first submitted to the Bylaws Committee and included in the official call mailed no fewer than thirty days before that meeting.
Section B. Effect of Inadequate Notice.
If previous notice was not given in the call, unanimous consent of all CRC members present in person or by proxy must be obtained before any amendment may be offered.