Maine GOP 2016 Presidential Nominating Caucus Plan. Maine GOP in partnership with County & Municipal Republican Committees

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1 Maine GOP 2016 Presidential Nominating Caucus Plan Who: Maine GOP in partnership with County & Municipal Republican Committees What: Statewide Presidential Nominating Caucus and Municipal Organizational Caucuses When: March 5, 2016 from 9 AM through 7 PM Why: To nominate a candidate for the 2016 Republican Presidential campaign in a process that is timely to the national nominating process and makes Maine a relevant participant. Overview To ensure Maine's relevance in the 2016 Presidential nominating process and to give Maine Republicans as direct a voice as possible in the selection of our nation s next President, the Maine GOP will oversee a one-day statewide nominating caucus. This process will bind delegate votes at the national convention as allowed under RNC rules. In accordance with the Resolution passed at the September 19, 2015, State Committee meeting, delegates and alternate delegates to the National Convention shall be bound on a proportional basis through the first ballot to candidates receiving in excess of 10% of the statewide vote. If no Presidential candidate reaches the 10% threshold of the statewide vote, the threshold becomes 5% for a candidate to receive delegates and alternate delegates. If a candidate receives in excess of 50% of the statewide vote, the candidate receives all of Maine s delegates. The Maine GOP will set all rules and procedures to ensure an honest, secure, and reliable nominating process with the goal of publicly announcing results the evening of Saturday, March 5. This should provide significant incentive for Republican Presidential candidates to expend time and resources to pursue victory in Maine. No exceptions to the Resolutions passed by the Republican State Committee on September 19, 2015, and in accordance with the Rules passed at the 2014 Republican State Convention shall be made. Committees The Maine GOP will partner with the 16 county committees, and assist those committees with bringing as many municipal committees as possible into the nominating caucuses, which will serve as the precursor to the Municipal Organizational Caucuses for Republican municipal committees held on the same day, March 5th. Included in the assistance the Maine GOP provides will be individual outreach to existing municipal GOP chairs and/or other officers based on the information on file at Party Headquarters; direct communication with Republican Legislators and Leadership to ensure active participation in the process; and support of search efforts to locate individuals who will call caucuses for municipalities without existing officers or committees.

2 Along with organizational assistance and outreach in advance of March 5th, the Maine GOP will provide resources to raise public awareness of the Nominating Caucuses and Municipal Organizational Caucuses, provide all materials needed for execution and success, and appoint Caucus Wardens and Deputy Wardens who will oversee the actual execution of the Nominating Caucuses. Municipal Organizational Caucuses will be conducted following the Rules established at the 2014 Convention for the 2016 election year. Caucus Wardens and Deputy Wardens will be well-respected Republicans, preferably with parliamentary experience and election experience, appointed by the Chairman of the Maine Republican Party in consultation with the Executive Director and the Chief Warden. The Maine GOP will work to encourage and assist county committees to organize the Nominating Caucuses in such a manner as to not exceed thirty-two locations statewide, to allow for the greatest level of manageability and oversight of the nominating process. The Maine GOP will work to encourage and assist county committees and municipal committees to coordinate scheduling of Nominating Caucuses and Municipal Organizational Caucuses in such a manner as to stagger the times on March 5 th to increase the ability of Presidential candidates and their designated surrogates to attend as many Nominating Caucuses as possible. This scheduling will take into consideration both the value of timing and each location. A full caucus schedule will be required no later than February 13 th in order for Presidential candidates to coordinate travel and planning. As dates are confirmed, they will be put on the Maine GOP website, along with the name and contact information of local officials who can answer inquiries. Maine GOP Oversight & Execution Maine GOP oversight and execution of the nominating caucus will be divided into four divisions: Execution (Leadership, Chief Warden, Caucus Wardens, Deputy Wardens & Caucus Clerks) Administration (Staff) Communications and Public Relations (Staff) Security (Hired) Execution Execution will be classified as the local planning (site selection, hours of operation, layout of facility, etc.) and on-site execution (due diligence with the checking of voters, distribution of ballots, counting, and official reporting of results handled by the Caucus Warden and Clerk) of the nominating caucus.

3 The leadership of the Maine GOP (Chair, Vice Chair and Executive Committee will be responsible for approval of this final caucus plan upon the recommendation of the Executive Director and Political Director of Maine GOP). The Maine GOP Executive Committee will appoint a Chief Warden of the Maine GOP Nominating Caucus to execute this plan. The Maine GOP Executive Director will negotiate salary and terms with the Chief Warden selected by the Maine GOP Executive Committee. The Chairman, Executive Director and the Chief Warden are responsible for the administration, schedule, rules and procedures and procuring security for the nominating caucuses. The County Executive Committees are responsible for appointing a Caucus Clerk for each Nominating Caucus in their county and appropriate number of Deputy Clerks as determined by the Executive Director and Chief Warden. Caucus Clerks and Deputy Clerks will be well-respected Republicans, preferably with election experience. The number of Deputy Clerks required will be distributed to the County Chairs no later than January 6 th. The names of the Caucus Clerk(s) and Deputy Clerks appointed by the County Committee Executive Committees must be submitted to the Chief Warden no later than February 20 th with final approval given by the Chairman of the Maine Republican Party. The caucus plan will be clearly communicated with appropriate training of all Caucus Wardens, Deputy Wardens, Caucus Clerks, Deputy Clerks and all State Committee Members, as well as those duly appointed by County Committee Executive Committees for the purpose of executing the nominating caucuses. Each Caucus will be designated one Caucus Warden who will communicate with the County Chair and/or committee designated by the County Chair in the local planning and on-site execution of the Nominating Caucus of their jurisdiction. The Caucus Warden, Deputy Warden and Caucus Clerk are accountable to the Maine GOP and are responsible for ensuring that the all Nominating Caucus procedures established by the Maine GOP are followed. The Caucus Clerk and Deputy Clerks are accountable to the Caucus Warden and Deputy Warden. Upon execution of the Nominating Caucus, the Caucus Warden will ensure official results are communicated to the administrative branch of the Maine GOP caucus team, with confirmation from the Deputy Warden and Caucus Clerk. The Caucus Clerk is responsible for ensuring that all materials are secured properly and returned to assigned security for transportation to a site designed by the Executive Director. Caucus Wardens will also be responsible for distributing results to the press at the site of each Maine GOP caucus. All results are to be considered UNOFFICIAL until results are published by the Communications Director. Administration of Nominating Caucuses Maine GOP staff is responsible for the distribution of the following Nomination Caucus materials:

4 Voter Lists Official Forms Ballots Writing Materials Miscellaneous Supplies Process to be followed The administrative branch will work at the direction of the Maine GOP Executive Director, with the guidance of the Maine GOP Political Director and Chief Warden. The Caucus Warden, Deputy Warden and Caucus Clerk are responsible for making sure that the totals are accurately entered into a spreadsheet by lot and that the final results match the total number of ballots distributed to a polling place. Nominating Caucus results will be transmitted to assigned staff and triple-checked for accuracy before being posted in a single public location on the MaineGOP.com website as quickly as possible. The three individuals who must approve the release of Nominating Caucus results to assigned staff shall be: - Caucus Warden - Deputy Warden - Caucus Clerk Upon verification, results will be reviewed one last time for accuracy, and posted. Communications and Public Relations Communications and public relations will be conducted by the Maine GOP Communications Director and any staff or leadership designated by the Maine GOP Executive Director. Ahead of the execution of the caucuses, this will be a largely promotional duty, including pushes to ensure local newspapers, radio and television outlets provide information for Republicans about the nominating caucuses and the municipal organizational caucuses, as well as promoting awareness to members of the public that those who are not Republicans but wish to participate can do so by enrolling as a Republican. The Communications Director will, in advance of the caucuses, communicate with the various county committees, Presidential campaigns, other candidates for office, as well as members of the Maine GOP caucus team. The Communications Director will provide written samples of news releases and statements to all team members responsible for calling nominating caucuses, and will thoroughly learn the caucus process and rules in anticipation of explaining said process and rules to the press. On the day of the caucuses, the Communications Director will be responsible to oversee announcement of results to statewide press and candidates, as well as intra-

5 party announcements, including but not limited to, caucus results, emerging issue awareness, interview requests and scheduling, and any other communication needs. Security The Maine GOP will seek professional security services to distribute all Nominating Caucus materials to be given to the Caucus Wardens, oversee each Nominating Caucus, and provide ballot security by transporting ballots and all other nominating materials to a site determined by the Executive Director. Security may be sought through the Maine State Police (MSP) or County Sheriffs Association. Security will likely be the single most significant cost of the Nominating Caucuses, with mileage and staff costs estimated at $500 per site. CAUCUS OPERATIONS The Maine GOP will provide all collateral materials necessary for the execution of a successful Nominating Caucus and Municipal Organizational Caucus. Materials for the Municipal Organizational Caucuses (traditional caucus kits) will be distributed to the County Chairs or their designee during a State Committee meeting or at such time as deemed appropriate by the Chairman, Executive Director and Chief Warden. It is the responsibility of the County Chairs or their designees to ensure that these materials are distributed in a timely manner to those responsible for calling the municipal organizational caucuses. The Maine GOP Communications Director and County Chairs shall work together on an aggressive public information campaign to inform voters as to the times and locations of the caucus for their communities. This shall include notifications in publications, public notices, newspaper, radio and television announcements and automated calls to Republicans directing them to a single website page statewide, and providing a county specific phone number voters can use for inquiries. The Maine GOP website and all persons providing public information shall provide answers and an information sheet at the request of news organizations, officials and voters regarding the nominating caucuses and Municipal Organizational Caucuses, schedules, voting and caucus procedure, voter registration and other information deemed necessary. This sheet shall also be made available in web page form at MaineGOP.com and in pdf for distribution by . Maine GOP will tentatively advise the following opening order of the caucus: Call to Order Welcome Invocation Pledge of Allegiance Introduction/acknowledgement of those who assisted in organizing the event Explanation of how the day will proceed

6 Various processes, including but not limited to the list below, will be written by the Executive Director and Chief Warden, with final review and approval by the Chairman of the Maine Republican Party. Voter enrollment and/or registration, including documentation to be turned in when receiving ballot Voter check-in information card (to be turned in at the Organizational Caucus) Handing out ballots Nominating Session Order and introduction of speakers Length of speeches Opening of polls Collection of ballots Close of polls Counting Process Packaging of all materials Collection of ballots and all materials Presidential nomination voting will be on pre-printed paper ballot with all names of qualified candidates clearly listed in alphabetical order; ballots will include a space for a write-in candidate at the bottom. Voting will occur for a 3-hour period, beginning one hour before the start of the Presidential Nominating Caucus. A count on the number of ballots that have been distributed shall be provided to the Caucus Warden, Deputy Warden, and Caucus Clerk. No early ballots (absentee), or late ballots will be accepted. Same Day voter enrollment/registration shall be allowed in accordance with Title 21-A for a period of one hour before the Presidential Nominating Caucus. Announcement of voting results. Congressional candidate speeches and other candidate speeches. Congressional candidate Q & A, other candidate Q&A Announcement of Presidential ballot results. TBD by Caucus chair. Immediately following the announcement of results of the Presidential ballot, Caucus Warden will contact both via phone, and then , the designated Maine GOP administrative staff responsible for collating results. After triple-check confirmation procedure, Maine GOP Communications staff will post results for specific caucus, along with updated totals in a pre-formatted release and will provide via to press, and post updated website link to social media. Release should be in a similar format as the following:

7 ### MAINE GOP PRESIDENTIAL CAUCUS RESULTS: CONFIRMED RESULTS FROM XXXXXX CAUCUS, COVERING ALL/PART OF XXXX COUNTY: XXXXX: 37 votes (37%) YYYYY: 33 votes (33%) ZZZZZZ: 14 votes (14%) AAAAA: 9 votes (9%) BBBBB: 7 votes (7%) UPDATED STATEWIDE MAINE GOP CAUCUS RESULTS: XXXXX: 285 votes (28.5%) YYYYY: 253 votes (25.3%) ZZZZZZ: 182 votes (18.2%) AAAAA: 157 votes (15.7%) BBBBB: 123 votes (12.3%) Statewide results now include 7 of 30 nominating caucuses to be held on March 5, Additional results will be announced throughout the day, as results are submitted and confirmed. A schedule of Maine GOP caucuses can be found here: mainegop.com/caucusschedule Media outlets are encouraged to wait to report on official results through Maine GOP's triple-verified caucus results system, and not to rely on unofficial announcements made through social media or announcements at the caucus site. Press is welcome at any Maine GOP caucus site, but are asked to follow the basic guidelines for reporting on Maine GOP caucus, which can be found here: mainegop.com/caucusbasics CAUCUS SITING & COSTS Maine GOP will shoulder the burden for the vast majority of Maine GOP Presidential Nominating Caucuses, but must implement a few basic guidelines and protections in the case of Caucus Chairs or others choosing to expand or complicate their local Nominating Caucus.

8 Per-County Site Limitations: Either through a formula based on geographic land mass divisible by a pre-defined number (likely square miles/2000), or through a population based formula, Maine GOP will endeavor to provide a soft-cap through which it will cover costs and provide administrative support at no-charge. This shall be provided on a county-by-county basis, and counties shall be billed the estimated cost of additional caucuses beyond their softcap. It is likely that due to the geographic layout of Aroostook, Penobscot and Oxford Counties, these counties will hold multi-site caucuses. Other counties, such as Sagadahoc, Lincoln and Knox can more easily manage a single location caucus. As such, Maine GOP would provide a list to County Chairs by December 15, 2015 of how many sites each county is allotted by Maine GOP. County committees and/or local committees shall be responsible for cost of additional sites beyond the number provided by the Maine GOP soft cap, but would continue to be responsible for administration and execution of the Nominating Caucus under Maine GOP rules in order for results to be counted in Presidential nominating caucus. This would include all time/schedule constraints and reporting, designating official Caucus Warden and staff, reporting in a timely manner, and all other rules laid forth by Maine GOP. ORGANIZING CAUCUSES STILL ALLOWED Local committees that choose to not participate in a Presidential Nominating Caucus may be allowed to hold a Municipal Organizational Caucus' for the purpose of selecting delegates to the convention, nominating county committee members, appointing municipal officers and other necessary party organization. By choosing to do this process, no Republicans in the municipality will be permitted to cast ballots at the Nominating Caucus. An Organizational Caucus may be called at any time from January 1 through March 6, Organizing caucuses will not be permitted to conduct Presidential nominating procedures if they are not conducted within time restrictions and rules laid forth by Maine GOP. NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE SHALL BE MADE. Additionally, inclement weather shall not serve as a cause for postponement of Presidential Nominating Caucuses. Any caucus not held in accordance with Maine GOP time restrictions and rules, regardless of reason, will not be eligible to submit Presidential nomination results. NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE SHALL BE MADE. Candidates for President will be required to file a $10,000 filing fee by December 15, This will cover the cost of running the nominating caucuses. No other ballot access requirements (ie. Petition signatures) will be imposed.

9 Payment of filing fee in full will ensure candidate's name is on the ballot. In addition, candidates will receive lists of attendees to the 2012 and 2014 caucuses and state convention. Maine GOP may also allow each official candidate in Maine the opportunity to communicate to the Maine GOP list as a component of ballot access and filing feel. All candidates will be offered an equal amount of access to this and all other items.