YRNC Dallas 2023

From August 16th to August 20th, the Young Republicans of Vermont visited Dallas Texas for the biennial National Election of Young Republican officers. In the days we were there, we attended several panels and training, and had the opportunity to make valuable connections with Young Republicans from across the country. With new allies comes new ideas and greater access to mentors.

Unfortunately, only the networking and training were positive aspects of the trip. On August 19th, the election for national officers was held and regrettably; the YRNF made the decision to break, not only many decades of precedence, the national Bylaws, and the rules of parliamentary procedure, but also the trust of every Young Republican State Federation.

After the election of the first three national officers, the presiding Chair entertained an illegal motion to elect the remaining officers together via a single vote, which is explicitly forbidden under the Bylaws of the organization. The Chair continued this by ignoring “Points of Order” and legally made motions from the floor. Whenever convention delegates spoke out against the proceedings, the microphone would entirely cut out. Our Vermont State Chair was silenced when he tried to speak against this. In addition, a delegate was threatened and physically intimidated by a representative of the National Chair.

This sort of election proceeding is something to be expected out of the Soviet Union, North Korea, or fascist dystopias, not in the Young Republican National Federation. After raising money to send our delegates across the country, the state of Vermont was completely denied our right to vote for the majority of the Young Republican national officers. We have been disenfranchised.

Despite this, life moves on in Vermont. Regardless of what occurs on the national scale, we know that Vermont needs the Young Republicans more than ever. We are committed to our hard work and never letting up the gas. We rely on the strength of our members, the support of the VTGOP, the generosity of our donors, and the Young Republican allies that we have in our neighboring states.

We plan to assist our neighboring YRs with volunteers in their elections, as we know they plan to assist us in ours. As it stands, Vermont is sending Young Republicans to New Hampshire to knock doors in their upcoming special election this month. If anything is to be learned from going to Texas, it’s that the Northeast Region is strong, and we are bound by grand ties.

We plan to work with and support the duly elected officers of the YRNF. Despite their complicity in the election proceedings, we must be united going into 2024 and we must be willing to set aside differences to work hard and elect good moral candidates to save our state and save our nation. As said by President Calvin Coolidge,

The meaning of America is not to be found in a life without toil. Freedom is not only bought with a great price; it is maintained by unremitting effort."