This is the fourth of a five-part series written in 2015 by Marengo native John Biver.

It is aimed at Republicans, but the points he makes about this route to influence one’s party are equally relevant to Democrats.

Biver has his own web site “Dispatches,” which can be found here,

Find Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here.

This is reprinted with permission from Illinois Family Action:

Running for GOP Precinct Committeeman: What You Need to Know

Editor’s Note: Through this series of articles we hope and pray that conservative Christian voters will consider running for the office of precinct committeemen. In doing so, you will directly and positively influence pro-family issues and political leadership within the Illinois GOP.  We are not aligning with the GOP establishment, which has been woefully inept and cowardly.

Written by John Biver

I hope that by now you’ve decided to run for precinct committeeman and to get all your conservatives friends from church and work to do the same.

Like so many things in life, the management and maintenance of the political arena is serious business. If enough of the right people aren’t involved, the void will be filled by the wrong people.

Do you think these kinds of things happen by accident?: Court: Christian baker must provide wedding cakes for same-sex couples.

They don’t.

They happen because the wrong people are making the decisions.

They happen because those wrong people believe they can get away with making those decisions.

Republicans need a troop surge of conservatives in party politics.

That means you.

In previous posts we’ve covered the big picture, the very big picture, and walked through a mental exercise that is unassailable in its accuracy.

We’ve also touched on some of the basics regarding what a Republican precinct committeeman is, and what you need to know about being one.

Now let’s highlight a few more important links that should cover everything you need to know about the fundamentals.

As noted previously, Republican News Watch (RNW) contains a great deal of helpful information and links about party politics, including about the office of Republican Precinct Committeeman.

These two pages need to be highlighted:

What is a Republican Precinct Committeeman? (And Frequently Asked Questions)

How to Run for the Office of Republican Precinct Committeeman

Long time veterans of party politics Doug Ibendahl and Cathy Santos run the Republican Precinct Project — and on the RNW homepage they include these links:

Resources for Illinois Republicans

• Check your Voter Registration
• Illinois Voter Registration Application
• Meet the State Central Committee
• Republican County Organizations

The fight that too many conservatives have stayed out of is the fight for the soul of the Republican Party.

So it should be a surprise to no one that the GOP is a damaged brand run by “Republicans in name only.”

If any conservative would like to get caught up on the intra party battle here in Illinois that has been going on for years, I would refer you to two website archives — that of Republican News Watch and my own website, Dispatches.

Now that things have seemingly come to a head is not a surprise for those of us who have been outmanned and outgunned in the fight to make the GOP adhere to its Platform principles.

Here is Doug Ibendahl writing in his post, “The Illinois GOP isn’t going to fix itself.”

[I]t’s up to regular Republicans like you to get the Illinois Republican Party on track.

Our party needs new blood from top to bottom — literally thousands of fresh leaders. Republican Precinct Committeeman (or Republican Township Committeeman in Cook County) is the perfect place to start.

If you don’t want to run yourself, at least help recruit. And if you can’t do either, then don’t complain.

The Republican Precinct Project pulls back the curtain and provides the information and forms you need. We all have to step-up because the old GOP bosses aren’t serious about getting the job done in Illinois.

Becoming a committeeman gives you a seat at the GOP table. While strictly volunteer, it’s a crucial job.

Committeemen also represent the GOP’s farm team. From these ranks come the next candidates for county board, state house, state senate, school board, congress, and governor.

Read more: Republican New Watch

Here is what Jan Klaas, precinct committeeman and a former GOP county chairman has to say about running for precinct committeeman:

Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the wicked rule, the people groan; but when the righteous rule, the people rejoice.” 

Christians are responsible for promoting righteous leaders in our government. If we don’t like the laws that are being passed, then we must change the people who are getting elected.

I have been a Republican precinct committeeman for over 20 years, as well as serving as the county chairman for 5 1/2 years.

I believe the Republican Party platforms, both state and national, better reflect Biblical values than the Democrat Party platform.

Although I am well aware that certain Republican leaders and elected officials choose to ignore the platform, there are many Republicans who continue to work for the values and candidates that promote righteousness and liberty.

The work of a precinct committeeman is easy, takes very little time, but is crucial to turning out the vote to elect good candidates.  

As the neighborhood volunteer for the GOP, you distribute candidate information and encourage people to vote.

You also elect Republican Party leaders in your county and the Republican State Central Committee, the steering body for the state party.

If you want to stop the liberal Democrat control of Illinois and keep the Illinois Republican Party on course with the Republican platform, become a precinct committeeman!

Up next: Part 4 — The power of the office of precinct committeeman.

(This is the fourth article in a series about running for the political office of Precinct Committeeman. These articles were originally published in 2015.)