Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the Republican National Convention will be elected at the Louisiana Republican Convention on February 16, 2008 at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Three delegates and three alternates will be selected from each congressional district.

The selection of delegates and alternates will be made by state convention delegates. The state convention delegates from each congressional district will elect three delegates and three alternates for their respective congressional district.

On the evening of January 22, the Republican Party of Louisiana will hold a caucus in each congressional district to elect the delegates to the state convention. Fifteen delegates and fifteen alternates will be elected at the caucus by all registered Republicans in attendance at the caucus. In order to participate in the caucus, you must be a registered Republican voter as of November 30, 2007. You must present a drivers license or valid photo I.D.

To run for delegate or alternate delegate to the state convention, you must fill out the application form and submit it to the Republican Party of Louisiana by 5 pm on Thursday, January 10.

You do not need to be a delegate to the state convention to run for delegate to the national convention. To serve as a District Delegate or district Alternate Delegate, the only requirement is that you must be a registered Republican and you must be nominated by a state convention delegate from your congressional district. To be nominated for delegate or alternate delegate, a delegate from your congressional district must nominate you by filling out the nomination form and returning it to the Republican Party of Louisiana by February 11, 2008.

Congressional District delegates are “uncommitted,” meaning that they may vote for any candidate for President regardless of the results of the Presidential Preference Primary. They are not “allocated to” a presidential candidate.

After the election of the district delegates, all of the state convention delegates will vote to elect twenty at-large delegates and alternates to the Republican National Convention, nominated in the same fashion as district delegates and alternate as set forth above. After this election, the remainder of the at large delegates and alternate delegates will be elected, nominated by the executive committee of the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee.

At-large Delegates are “allocated to” the presidential candidate who receives a majority of the statewide votes cast on Feb. 9 in the Presidential preference Primary. If no presidential candidate receives a majority in the Primary, all At-large delegates are “uncommitted,” or not “allocated to” a presidential candidate.
 

Those wishing to run for delegate or alternate delegate to the Louisiana Republican Convention now have until Saturday, January 12, 2008 to submit their application and qualifying fee to the Republican Party of Louisiana. Applications must be received at Republican Party State Headquarters, 11440 North Lake Sherwood, Suite A, Baton Rouge, LA 70816, no later than 5 p.m. on January 12, 2008, along with a qualifying fee of $100 for delegate candidates or $50 for alternate delegate candidates. Application forms and instructions are attached to this release and available at www.lagop.com or by calling (225) 928-2998.

Louisiana's Republican voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, January 22nd at 11 different caucus sites to cast their ballots for delegates and alternate delegates to the 2008 Louisiana Republican Convention. Voters will cast ballots from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm that evening.

"We're excited about the upcoming caucuses,"" Villere said. "I believe this system will allow Louisiana Republicans to have a strong impact on the election of the next President of the United States."

The state convention will choose the bulk of Louisiana's delegates to the 2008 Republican National Convention. Louisiana will have a total of 47 delegates and 44 alternates to the national convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Three of Louisiana's delegate spots are already decided. Under RNC Rules, Chairman Roger F. Villere, Jr., National Committeeman Ross Little, Jr. and National Committeewoman Hon. Kay Kellogg Katz serve as automatic national convention delegates. State Convention delegates will choose the remaining 44 national delegates and alternates and will adopt an official platform for the Republican Party of Louisiana.

The following cities will host the caucuses: Bossier City, Natchitoches, Monroe, Pineville, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Houma, Kenner, New Orleans and Covington. Voters will be assigned to caucus sites based on the parish where they are registered to vote. The listing of the caucus sites with the assigned parishes is at the end of this release.

Fifteen delegates and fifteen alternates to the state convention will be elected from each congressional district. Republican voters are eligible to vote in the congressional district where they were registered on November 30, 2007. In order to participate, voters must present a drivers license or valid photo I.D.

The state convention will be held at 10:00 am on February 16, 2008 at the Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge. All of Louisiana's 2008 national convention delegates will be uncommitted, except that if a presidential candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the February 9, 2008 Presidential Preference Primary, state party rules require 20 of Louisiana's at-large delegates to support that candidate on the first ballot of the national convention. If no presidential candidate receives a majority on February 9th, the at-large delegates will be uncommitted.
2008 Caucus Cities
(Venues are subject to change)

    * Bossier City (CenturyTel Center)- Caddo, Bossier, Webster, Claiborne, Bienville, De Soto, Red River
    * Natchitoches (Natchitoches Events Center)- Sabine, Natchitoches, Winn
    * West Monroe (West Monroe Convention Center)- Union, Morehouse, West Carroll, East Carroll, Madison, Tensas, Franklin, Caldwell, Jackson, Lincoln, Ouachita, Richland
    * Pineville (Walden Gym at Louisiana College)- Rapides, Vernon, Avoyelles, Concordia, Catahoula, La Salle, Grant
    * Lake Charles (Central School Arts & Center)- Beauregard, Allen, Jefferson Davis, Calcasieu, Cameron
    * Lafayette (The Family Church)- Evangeline, St. Landry, Vermillion, Acadia, Lafayette, St. Martin, Iberia
    * Baton Rouge (Jefferson Baptist Church)- St. Helena, Livingston, W. Feliciana, E. Feliciana, Point Coupee, E. Baton Rouge, W. Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension
    * Houma (Houma Municipal Auditorium)- Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption, St. Mary
    * Kenner (Pontchartrain Center)- Jefferson, St. Charles, St. John, St. James
    * New Orleans (Morial Convention Center)- Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines
    * St. Tammany (Holiday Inn in Covington)- St. Tammany, Washington, Tangipahoa