A #GAGOP Resolution That May Actually Be Productive

Next weekend, Georgia Republicans will flock to Augusta to elect new officers, hobnob with candidates for statewide office, and pass resolutions (as well as other things).  Some resolutions are to honor those who are no longer with us, but a lot of times they are a statement of principle or to “send a message” to elected officials.

Sometimes they make good fodder and get picked up by the press, especially those that chastise an elected official, but most of the time they get forgotten a couple of weeks after the final gavel of the convention falls.

On occasion, we see resolutions that look to change the operation of the Party.  A resolution submitted to the GAGOP Resolutions Committee by the Georgia Young Republicans looks to do just that.

It’s a resolution that requires the Georgia Republican Party create a Youth Advisory Committee comprising representatives of the GAGOP Executive Committee, the Georgia Young Republicans, the Georgia Association of College Republicans, and the Georgia Teen Republicans; for that committee to create a strategic plan; create voting seats for official auxiliary committees; and set goals for obtaining at least 40% of the youth vote in the 2018 and 45% of the youth vote in the 2020 elections.

Georgia Young Republicans Chairman Robert Lee had this to say concerning the resolution:

In GYR, we set as one of our strategic goals for the year having a stronger influence in the shape of the GAGOP. The best way we can do that is to work with our partners in the CRs, TRs, and GAGOP to build a clear, focused plan that shows everyone what we will do and what we will accomplish. Young voters are not the future of the party – we are leaders now. We look forward to the resolutions adoption at the convention and getting right to work.

This is a resolution that I hope makes it out of committee, adopted by the convention, and implemented by our state executive committee.  Young people are not enthusiastic to support a Party perceived to be a Party of “Old White Men”.  Our Party will need to begin to examine what is important to those of us born in the 1980s and later and begin to internalize those.

In addition to the resolution, the Board of Directors of the Georgia Young Republicans also adopted and published a statement of principles they urge our next state chairman to uphold.  You can read that statement here.