On Saturday, members of the Alabama Republican Party State Executive Committee (SEC) will decide who will be the next party chairman following John Wahl's recent resignation.
Three candidates are vying for the position: Joan Reynolds, who moved up from vice chairman to the position upon Wahl's resignation; State Rep. Scott Stadthagen (R-Hartselle), who stepped down as majority leader of the Alabama House of Representatives to run; and former Secretary of State John Merrill.
SEE: Merrill, Reynolds, Stadthagen vie to be next Alabama Republican Party chairman
The vote will be the first item on the agenda. The committee itself consists of 475 voting members. The chairman has the authority to appoint individuals to the SEC, but those appointees are non-voting members.
Carol Jahns, the party secretary, will oversee the election, with David Bowsher, ALGOP legal counsel, overseeing the vote counting and results.
Bowsher is a partner at Balch and Bingham. He is on the board of directors and was the past chairman of the Republican National Lawyers Association.
The process will begin with official nominations from the floor.
Each candidate will have seven minutes to introduce themselves and make their case for their election. They may share this time with supporters, but no candidate will be allowed to go over seven minutes.
ALGOP uses ProVote secure, wireless electronic voting devices made by Meridia Interactive Solutions. The Meridia website boasts that their products "Ensure Privacy and Anonymity of the Vote."
Each candidate will have a representative who can oversee the vote counting and results with Bowsher.
If a candidate gets 50% +1 vote in the first round, they will win the election. If no candidate meets that threshold, then a runoff will immediately follow the first vote with the top two vote-getters.
The party bylaws explain the term and duties of the chairman:
The State Committee shall elect for two (2) year terms of office (and until their successors are elected) a State Chairman, a vice-chairman, a secretary, a treasurer, and such other officers as the State Committee deems appropriate. It shall not be necessary for such officers to be selected from among the members of the State Committee. The State Chairman shall be the chief executive officer of the State Committee. The secretary shall be the State Committee’s recording officer and the custodian of the State Committee’s non-financial records. The treasurer shall report on the financial affairs of the State Committee and shall be the custodian of its financial records. The officers shall perform the duties imposed upon them by the laws of Alabama, by these bylaws, by the parliamentary authority adopted herein by the State Committee itself, by the Steering Committee and by the State Chairman. The Steering Committee may assign duties to the vice-chairman. The State Chairman and treasurer (or their respective designee appointed in writing) must either sign or approve all disbursements of the State Committee. In the event of a vacancy in the office of State Chairman, the vice-chairman shall assume the duties of State Chairman until a replacement is elected pursuant to Article IV paragraph 6.
The full bylaws can be found here.
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