Early ballots for the Aug. 30 primary election will be arriving in the next few days. Several races are on the ballot, but there is one contest which is truly local. That is the race for Republican precinct committeeman.

Precinct committeemen can be considered the “bottom rung” on the ladder in party organization, but they can also be considered the most important part of party structure. After all, without the bottom rung, you can’t start climbing up the ladder.

Precinct committeemen are volunteers. They don’t work for pay or for any particular reward. Their job is to register voters, educate voters, motivate voters, help support candidates for office, and also (very importantly) hold elected officials accountable to their campaign promises.

Precinct committeemen are the voters’ closest connection with their political party. We live in Golden Eagle precinct, which includes homes in the northwest corner of town. Registered Republicans will receive a separate ballot for the office of precinct committeeman.

We are voting in support of 11 candidates for Republican precinct committeeman who are trustworthy, hardworking, reliable conservatives. We are voting for: Judy and Richard Rutkowski, Ron Smith, William Bovinette, Clancy Hellige, Roger Velez, Terri Huffman, Charlene Dill, Laurence Schmit, Effie Gross and Evelyn Munn.

You can depend upon them to work in support of traditional conservative Republican principles. We encourage you to support these 11 candidates in the Aug. 30 primary election.