The following is a brief summary on the qualifications to be a county chair, the roles and responsibilities of a county chair, and the kinds of support county chairs can expect from the Texas Forward (FWD) Party.

Interim county chairs are vetted by FWD Texas’s State Executive Committee and appointed to serve until county conventions in March 2024. Anyone interested in becoming a county chair should contact Alex Contreras at [email protected] OR click HERE, enter your information and tick the "Be a County Chair" box.

Preparing for 2024, FWD Texas must accomplish four things: 1) build a statewide party infrastructure, 2) recruit qualified candidates, 3) conduct nominating conventions, and 4) obtain ballot access under Texas law. County chairs serve a vital role in achieving these goals.

Qualifications

  • No prior experience in organized political affairs is required.
  • Must be a registered voter of the county.
  • Commitment to preside as county chair until county conventions in March 2024.
  • Commitment to sustained recruitment of precinct chairs, candidates, activist volunteers, and general supporters.
  • Ability to conduct one’s affairs publicly and privately in a professional manner.

Roles and Responsibilities

County chairs should expect to spend approximately four hours per week on FWD party tasks. Additional time will be required for organizing nominating conventions in March 2024.

Ballot Access Assistance

Obtaining ballot access in Texas requires the support of 1% of those who voted in the last gubernatorial election, evidenced by a combination of attendance at precinct conventions and those who sign a ballot-access petition. County chairs will support this effort by:

  • Working to maximize attendance of qualified precinct convention attendees to be held in March 2024.
  • Assisting with volunteer efforts in their county to conduct the ballot-access petition following 2024 precinct conventions.

Party Building

The Texas FWD Party intends to nominate and promote candidates for public office in 2024. Building party infrastructure, beginning at the precinct and county levels, are critical to this effort. County chairs will support party’s 2024 goals by:

  • Recruiting and appointing county leadership positions specified in interim county bylaws supplied by the state party.
  • Recruiting, appointing, and training voting precinct chairs.
  • Presiding over recurring county party meetings in accordance with county bylaws.
  • Organizing and conducting social, recruitment, and outreach events.
  • Preparing periodic reports to the Party Organization and Oversight Committee, including a plan to grow the county party.

Candidate Recruitment

The candidate filing period for 2024 is Nov. 11 through Dec. 11, 2023. County chairs will:   

  • Identify and recruit FWD-principled candidates, especially for political subdivisions contained within county boundaries.
  • Provide information and support for candidates.
  • Receive and file county-specific filing documents to appropriate county election officials.
  • Submit lists of FWD Party nominees for county-specific political subdivisions.

Conducting Nominating Conventions

County convention activities include: 1) nominating candidates for political subdivisions contained within the county, 2) electing county leadership for the following two years, 3) considering changes to county bylaws, 4) electing delegates to district conventions, and 5) electing delegates to the state convention. Organizing and conducting nominating conventions entail the following for county chairs:

  • Providing required public notice of precinct and county conventions time and place.
  • Ensuring that all statutory requirements are met in terms of delegate qualifications, documentation, and filing deadlines.
  • Coordinating district conventions jointly with chairs from counties with subdivisions that cross county boundaries.

State Party Support

County chairs will have access to NationBuilder, software that the FWD Party uses to organize volunteers. NationBuilder includes contact information as well as information about those willing to volunteer their time. The Party Organization and Oversight Committee will provide continuing on-going support for the state’s county chairs, including a county chair handbook.