Not your father’s GOP convention
In age of COVID, delegates will stay in vehicles for ‘voting experience’
Call it drive-thru voting.
A “revised” 5th Congressional District Republican convention will take place at Tree of Life Ministries in Lynchburg this Saturday to determine which candidate — incumbent freshman Rep. Denver Riggleman, endorsed by President Donald Trump, or challenger Bob Good — will face the Democratic challenger in the November 3 general election.
The biennial convention was originally scheduled for April 25, but the spread of COVID-19 put a damper on the proceedings and Virginia's 5th District Republican Committee voted to move the date to June.
Besides a congressional candidate, convention-goers Saturday will choose a district chairman, central
committee representatives, delegates to the national convention, and a national electoral college elector.
But talk about a watered down convention.
For any GOP delegates who dare step outside of their cars (which they needn’t do to vote) social distancing guidelines of six feet will be in place. Convention officials will “wear masks (or face shields) and disposable gloves” for the duration of the convention. Delegates are also encouraged to wear masks and gloves if leaving their vehicles.
Due to the virus, the Riggleman and Good campaigns are advised “not to transport their delegates to the convention by bus, van or other form of mass transit. Delegates are encouraged to travel alone, with family members, or with caregivers.”
Distribution of literature and other campaign material to delegates at the convention shall be “strictly prohibited.” And any communication by candidates, their campaigns, or other interested parties to delegates should be transmitted by electronic or digital means.
Ceremonies, speeches, demonstrations and other activities are prohibited, although campaign signs will be permitted at the convention site in designated areas (convention officials are forbidden from displaying any type of political advertisement, including buttons, but “Trump” shirts and caps are acceptable).
The Tree of Life Ministries polling place will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., however delegates from various county zones are asked to vote at designated times. For instance, delegates from Rappahannock County should vote from noon to 3 p.m.
Delegates have been instructed to remain in their vehicles for the duration of their “voting experience.” Each county zone will have its own traffic lanes of voting manned by the credentials committee, and Riggleman and Good can assign up to two people to observe the voting in each line.
Each verified delegate will be handed one ballot and then drive forward to a designated waiting/parking area to ink their choices. Delegates will place each completed ballot in a secure container and then leave the site.
The convention chairman will personally transport all completed ballots to a predetermined secure location within the Tree of Life building, accompanied by one candidate observer from each campaign. There, the ballots will be counted and verified.
That accomplished, the chair of the Tellers Committee will contact 5th District Republican Committee Chair Melvin Adams and GOP Secretary Aaron Moyer with the final vote count and certified election results.
Adams, we’re told, will then personally contact both candidates and inform them who won the race.