What is a PCO?

Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) are elected officials of the party. As a PCO, you are the primary conduit between voters in your neighborhood and the Republican Party. Becoming active with your local Republican organization will make you a more effective PCO and make a real difference in your precinct. The position of PCO is the most important role in the Republican party grassroots effort. A PCO is the leader of the Republican Party in their precinct representing their precinct to the party organization and representing Republican values to people of the precinct. A PCO is responsible for activating as many precinct voters as possible to vote for our candidates up and down the ballot. PCOs are the boots on the ground and to win elections we must have a PCO in each precinct reaching voters, persuading them to vote for our candidates and promoting the Republican Party.

The Republican Party structure starts at the ground level with voters electing their Precinct Committee Officer. The County and district PCOs elect the local party officers who are responsible for developing the committees where most the important work is done. For example, PCOs elect the individuals who create committees for vetting and endorsing candidates. In the Republican Party, power is as close to the people as possible. Become part of that power.

PCO’s make up the Central Committee who elect the party officers including a Committee Woman and a Committee Man who serve on the Washington State Central Committee which elects the State Party leadership.

The State Central Committee Elects a Committee Man and Committee Woman who serve on the National Committee. This means that you as a PCO are once removed from deciding those who represent you at the National level. The person you vote for to serve on the State Committee has a vote in electing your national representative to the party. That is a lot of power you hold and ability to influence change.

The PCO’s duties and responsibilities are set forth in state law and the Washington State Republican Party’s bylaws.

Below are the legal responsibilities specified in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW):

Legal Duties (RCW 29A. 80.030 and WA CONST. Art II Sec15)

Assist in organizing your County Party by electing officers of the county’s Central Committee
Serve as a voting member of the County Central Committee
Responsible for electing replacements to fill vacancies in other elected partisan offices such as County Commissioner or State Legislators.
Call and conduct precinct caucus, as directed by the County Chairman.

PCO Eligibility & Elections (RCW 29A.80.041 and RCW 29A.80.051)

Be a member of the Republican Party.
Be a registered voter in the precinct.
File for election in the even numbered years.
If unopposed, a PCO candidate is automatically elected, if opposed whoever received the most votes in the August Primary will be elected.
Serve a two year term starting December 1st following the election.

PCO APPOINTMENT (RCW 29A.28.071)

Appointment for open precincts must be made after the county reorganization meeting (which has happened and we are currently appointing to finish out the current term)
Eligibility: must declare to be a member of a major political party, registered voter in the precinct
Appointment is made by the County Chair and may require approval of the County Executive board
If the County Chair cannot find a person within a precinct to serve as a PCO, then he or she may appoint a precinct captain. This individual acts as a PCO but does not live within the precinct and is not a voting member of the Central Committee