On Tuesday, February 27th, 2024, you have a chance to impact our state by participating in party caucuses. This is a wonderful opportunity to love our neighbors and to be "salt and light" for the direction of a political party and the selection of candidates for office at the most basic level. When we as Christians bring our convictions of life, family, and religious freedom to the caucus process, we have a real chance of improving the political discourse in our state - and I think we can all agree that it must be improved!
This year, your participation is crucial. You have a chance to influence the choice of candidates for local and statewide office, and the direction of your party for years to come.
Are you ready to learn more about caucusing? Let's get started!
Find your caucus location here.
IMPORTANT: choose which party you want to caucus for. Here is a comparison of the two major parties in Minnesota from our friends at FRC Action.
Remember to show up! Honestly, this is the most important thing. At this level, the party is quite literally run by those who show up. Visit with your neighbors before and after you sign in at 6:30 p.m.
The caucus should convene promptly at 7 p.m., and as things begin, don’t be shy about asking questions – everybody is a volunteer and, often, half the people in any given precinct are there for the first time.
There will be somebody who convenes the meeting in your precinct, and the first order of business is to elect somebody to run the caucus – it may or may not be the convener. Then there will usually be some precinct organizing done, such as electing a “precinct chair” who will be active for the coming two-year cycle (or longer). This is also the time and place to submit a resolution to influence your party’s official platform with caucus resolutions.
Okay, let's talk about how to create a caucus resolution.
They often start with “Whereas…” “Whereas” is a way to introduce a reason, or a series of reasons, supporting the action item. They’re a form of persuasion or logical argument; the whereas parts let somebody make the case.
You fill in the form and present it to your precinct caucus chair (or some other volunteer) the particular rules and procedures for adopting them will be made clear by your caucus chairperson, but you can start filling out the form at any time.
Here are three resolutions that will help your party move toward more strongly protecting life, family, and religious freedom:
Combating Physician-Assisted Suicide
Recognizing Pornography as a Public Health Crisis
When presenting your resolution, make sure to use the correct form for your party:
GOP Resolution Form (Updated 2024)
DFL Resolution Form (Updated 2024)
Finally, it's important to note that though caucusing is not difficult, it requires patience and perseverance while everyone gets a chance to have their say, and to follow procedure for an orderly process. Besides voting, it's the most basic level of political involvement; it will take thousands of Minnesotans working together at this level to achieve the changes we want to see in the party platforms - changes that would benefit all Minnesotans who value life, family, and religious freedom – and to choose candidates for elected office who will champion those values if elected!
So, don’t be intimidated or discouraged from attending because you’re uncertain how it will work! Let’s exercise “citizenship worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27) and boldly let our voices be heard and our light shine in the 2024 caucuses!
Parts of this caucus participation explainer have been adapted with permission from the Minnesota Catholic Conference.
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