GOP PC graphic

Become a Precinct Committeeman

This page describes how to become a Precinct Committeeman in Maricopa County, Arizona. Other locations may have a different process, which is likely similar to ours.

Precinct Committeeman is a generic term for men and women. Becoming a Precinct Committeeman is not a difficult process. If you haven’t read our PC Q&A page, please do that now.

There are two ways to be a PC in our area: through the election process or by appointment. This page walks you through both of these:

  1. Precinct Committeemen are elected in the Primary elections. PCs serve a two-year term. Primary elections are in August every two years. The next Primary is in August 2022.
  2. Party leaders for a precinct’s Legislative District will appoint people to those open PC positions. Check out the Be a Precinct Committeeman website, hosted by the Republican Party, for more details. The information below summarizes that information:

Election Process

Being elected as a Precinct Committeeman is not as scary as it might sound. A PC’s name is rarely on the ballot. But like a candidate for any other elected office, there are signatures to gather and paperwork to file.

Elections occur every two years in the August Primary elections. August 2022 is the next Primary Election. You will complete your preparation in March 2022. The process is quite simple and we can help you with each step. Until then, you can become a PC through the Appointment Process.

Election Process Steps
  1. Verify your registration and location information:
  2. Download and complete the Nomination Paper Declaration of Qualification form for Maricopa County. Reach out to us or LD18 GOP leaders for help. Carry this form during your signature collection process (next step), then later you will submit this form to the County along with your signature form.
  3. Download and complete the top section the Partisan Nomination (signature) Form. Next, you’ll collect signatures from registered Republican voters within your precinct. Some tips:
    • Precincts in the Dobson Ranch area currently require 10 signatures. However, you should confirm this using the Maricopa County Precinct Committeemen Information site. You can also Contact us or LD18 leadership for help.
    • We will help you complete the top portion of the form and locate eligible voters close to you. Generally you can collect signatures by attending one of our monthly meetings. We are also willing to knock on doors with you to help collect those signatures!
  4. Return your completed forms to a Maricopa County Recorders Office before the deadline for the current Primary election. Find the locations at the bottom of the Recorders Office website.

Ballots rarely include Precinct Committeemen, because competition for PC positions is limited. So the County cancels the election and appoints you to the PC position per ARS 16-822.

In this way you are an Elected PC. You will hold the position for two years following that year’s Primary election. Elected PCs have the right to vote for Republican party leaders at the LD, County, and State levels. And you are also eligible to be a state delegate for Presidential elections.

Appointment Process

Most precincts will have multiple Precinct Committeemen. And Arizona has approved an Appointment process in cases where there are vacant PC positions. The party’s Legislative District leadership can fill those positions using the Appointment process.

If the number of persons who file nominating petitions for an election to fill precinct committeeman positions is less than or equal to the number of precinct committeeman positions, the county board of supervisors may cancel the election for those positions not sooner than seventy-five days before the election and appoint the person who filed the nominating petition to fill the position. If no person has filed a nominating petition to fill a position, the position is deemed vacant and shall be filled as otherwise provided by law. A precinct committeeman who is appointed pursuant to this subsection after filing a nominating petition shall be deemed an elected precinct committeeman.

Cited from ARS 16-822
Appointment Process Steps

These steps are a summary from the Being Appointed page on the Be a Precinct Committeeman website. The Republican Party hosts that site.

  1. Verify your registration and location information:
  2. Confirm there is a PC vacancy in your precinct. You can do this in one of these says:
    • Contacting your Republican LD Chairman
    • or… Reach out to us and we’ll help.
    • or… Go to the Maricopa County Precinct Committeemen Information site. First, open the appropriate “Precinct Committeemen – by precinct” file, find your precinct. Make note of both the quantity of Signatures Required and the Quota number. The Quota column lists the number of allowed PCs. Second, open the most recent file in the “Precinct Committeemen Elected and Appointed by Year” section. Find your precinct and count the number of PCs. If the number here is less than the Quota, then there are vacancies.
  3. Download and complete the Republican PC Appointment Form.
  4. Submit your completed Appointment Form to your Republican LD Chairman.
And now you wait…

The remaining steps are out of your hands and take about six weeks to complete. Your district chairman will sign and submit your form to the MCR Executive Director. The Director verifies your registration and submits your appointment to the County Chairman and County Recorder’s Office. This happens once per month. The County Recorder’s Office will submit your appointment to the County Board of Supervisors for approval at their meeting two weeks later.

You’ll be notified when this process is complete.

BUT… You don’t have to wait! In most districts, you’ll be included in everything as soon as you’ve submitted your appointment form. The exception is party leadership elections. Other than that, you are invited to attend district meetings, volunteer, and get involved in the political process!

1 thought on “Become a Precinct Committeeman”

  1. Pingback: Precinct Committeemen Q&A - Dobson Ranch Republicans

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: