Senate District 1
Texas GOP
Precinct Chair Training
Three hours. Bring your phone or laptop. We work on the real websites together.
Everything lives at sd1toolkit.org/go
What this is
- Where to click. Who to ask. What the deadline is.
- Not legal advice. Not a state certification.
- No candidate endorsed, for any office.
Where each rule comes from
- LAWTexas statutes. Binds everyone.
- SOSSecretary of State election guidance.
- RPTParty rules. Bind inside the party.
- LOCALYour county bylaws. Check yours.
- PRACTICEWhat works. Not a rule.
How today works
- We say every step number out loud.
- Lost? Rejoin by number.
- Ask questions whenever.
Nothing is printed. Your name tag holds the code to everything.
Open this now, on your own device
Or scan the code on your name tag. Same place.
This is the only address you type all day. Everything else is a link on that page.
Module 1
Where you fit,
and what you can do
Thirty minutes. Three powers you already have.
You wear four different hats
- Party officer
- Election official
- Poll watcher
- Convention delegate
Wearing one does not make you the others
Each hat has its own rules, its own authority, and its own limits.
This is the most common new chair mistake.
Who votes at your CEC meeting
- The county chairman votes.
- Every precinct chairman votes.
- An SREC member sits in, but does not vote and cannot make motions.
No proxies. Ever. At any level.
You cannot send someone in your place, and nobody can carry your vote.
If you cannot be there, you are not there.
How many have to be in the room
| Ordinary business | One fourth |
| Statutory business only | Those present |
Short of one fourth, the committee can only do statutory business.
How often your CEC must meet
| County over 20,000 people | Quarterly |
| County under 20,000 people | Twice a year |
Most of SD1 is the second row. Fewer meetings, higher cost to wasting one.
Three powers you already have
Most chairs never use any of them. Each needs nothing you do not already have.
One: make the chairman report the money
A majority vote requires him to put balances and spending in writing, in the regular reports.
A majority of the body you already sit on.
Two: get the roster
Ask in writing. He must keep it current, update it within seven business days, and give it to you.
At copy cost, or by email.
Three: attend and record any committee meeting
Every CEC committee meeting is open to you. Appear, testify, record, livestream.
Except executive session.
Find the rules yourself
The point is not the rules. The point is that you can find them again on Tuesday without us.
One more vote you did not know you had
The committee approves the contract for election services and supervises the conduct of the primary.
Ask to see the contract before you approve it.
Do this week
Email your county chairman and ask for the current precinct chairman roster.
Template is on the companion.
10 minutes. Template at sd1toolkit.org/do/1
Module 2
The CEC meeting,
and how to get on it
Twenty five minutes. How to make something happen.
Nothing is before the body until the chair states it
You make a motion. It does not exist until the chair repeats it to the room.
Most local disputes start right here.
Submit a motion, not a topic
| A topic | Gets discussed |
| A motion | Gets voted on |
Write what you want the committee to do, not what you want to talk about.
Four tools when you are outvoted
- Point of order
- Appeal the decision of the chair
- Division of the assembly
- Demand a roll call
The appeal is the keystone
A ruling by the chair is not final. Appeal it, and the body decides.
A chair who refuses an appeal is exceeding his authority.
One fifth, not a majority
A roll call vote is demanded by one fifth, not half.
In a committee meeting, put it in writing. This is the most useful number today.
Minutes decide disputes later
- Discussion is not action.
- Only what was moved and voted is a decision.
- Read the minutes before you approve them.
How your county does agendas
Submission route and deadline come from your county's own bylaws.
Do not assume the next county does it your way.
Do this week
Submit one written item for the next CEC agenda, worded as a motion.
Template is on the companion.
20 minutes. Template at sd1toolkit.org/do/2
Module 3
The Legislature,
live
Fifty minutes. You leave with alerts running on your phone.
Why this matters right now
| Prefiling opens | 9 Nov 2026 |
| Session convenes | 12 Jan 2027 |
| Sine die | 31 May 2027 |
| Next conventions | Mar 2028 |
What you will have in fifty minutes
- A free account on the Legislature's own site
- A watch list of bills you care about
- Three alerts that email you
Watch first. Hands off.
We run the whole path once while you watch. Then you do it with us.
Nobody touches a device yet.
Click Login, then Register
Top right of the page. It is free and always has been.
Use an email you actually check
They send a confirmation. Open it before you go further.
Made your account at home already? Just log in and wait with us.
Go to My TLO
Four things live here: Bill Lists, Alerts, Saved Searches, RSS Feeds.
We use the first two today.
Create a bill list
Name it something plain. Your county, or the subject you care about.
Run the list any time and it updates itself.
Add a bill to the list
Type a bill number if you have one. If not, use the next step.
Search by subject instead
This is how you catch a bill you did not know existed.
Save the search. It keeps working.
Open Alerts
Alerts email you when something happens to a bill on your list.
Set three alerts. Only three.
- Scheduled for Hearing
- Reported Out of Committee
- Calendar Action
Select everything and you build an inbox you learn to ignore.
Bookmark both committee pages
House postings and Senate postings. This is where hearings appear first.
capitol.texas.gov, then Committees
How much notice you get
| House public hearing | 5 days |
| House formal meeting, where bills get voted out | 2 hours |
| Senate committee, any meeting | 24 hours |
| House daily calendar | 36 hours |
Two hours is the whole point
Official action can happen on two hours notice.
Checking email once a day is not coverage.
So split the week
- A few chairs each take days.
- Somebody checks morning and evening.
- One person can act without calling a meeting.
Who really decides
The committee chair picks when the committee meets and which bills get heard.
Most bills die by never being set.
Three ways to weigh in
| Register a position online | Minutes |
| Submit written testimony | An hour |
| Appear in person | A day in Austin |
Four hours from Austin? The first two still count.
Do this week
Create your My TLO account and set your three alerts before Friday.
Then send us a screenshot. This is what we measure.
15 minutes. Template at sd1toolkit.org/do/3
Module 4
Conventions
and resolutions
Twenty minutes. How an idea climbs the ladder.
The ladder
- Precinct convention
- County or senate district convention
- State convention
Each level elects the delegates to the next one.
A precinct convention has no quorum
One qualified participant can convene and continue a lawful precinct convention.
The most underused fact in Texas politics.
Resolutions climb
A resolution adopted at one level must be considered at the next level up.
Passed in an empty room in March, it still lives.
Thirty minutes, then it is gone
File resolutions within thirty minutes after the permanent committees are named.
Miss it and the resolution does not exist.
What makes a resolution survive
- One subject only
- A specific action by a specific body
- Factually supportable
- Reads well when an opponent reads it aloud
Three different things
| Censure an officeholder | Party |
| Discipline a party official | Party |
| Remove from public office | Court |
None substitutes for another. Detail on the companion.
Do this week
Write one resolution about a real problem and send it to your county chairman.
Resolutions do not have to wait for March.
30 minutes. Template at sd1toolkit.org/do/4
Module 5
Getting records,
asking questions
Fifteen minutes. How to find out what is true.
A records request costs a stamp
It creates a written record that the agency itself has to answer.
A pattern in their own records is the only durable foundation.
How to write one they answer
- Name the records you want
- Give a date range
- Be specific enough that nobody has to guess
Know which door you are at
| Party problem | Party forum |
| Government problem | Records, then court |
Confusing the two wastes months. It is the most common failure.
Removal is real, and narrow
- County officers and school trustees only
- Ends in a jury trial
- You can be taxed the costs
Get a lawyer first.
Do this week
File one public information request on something you actually want to know.
Template and a worked example are on the companion.
20 minutes. Template at sd1toolkit.org/do/5
Five things, this week
| Ask for the roster | 10 min |
| Submit an agenda motion | 20 min |
| My TLO and three alerts | 15 min |
| Write one resolution | 30 min |
| File one records request | 20 min |
Questions we parked today
Every one gets an answer, with a name and a date attached.
Nothing on that board gets abandoned.
Everything we did today
The five actions, every template, every link.
Rate the training and sign up for a committee at the same address.
Built for Senate District 1 by Jim O’Bier and Susan Conway, SD1 SREC Committeeman and Committeewoman, from the Precinct Chair Academy materials by Jim O’Bier. Free to use and adapt. Keep this line. sd1toolkit.org
