Central Committee is a group of elected individuals who vet candidates for elections. A local person is elected to represent their “Precinct” as Captain or Committeeman. There are Republication and Democrat Central Committees in each county. Every Township/Village is represented by multiple Precincts. There is an Ohio State Level Central Committee which a Man and a Woman are elected to represent State Senatorial Districts.
After candidates are vetted by Central Committee a “slate card” is prepared and distributed at election locations. Voters are informed of candidates who have been “Endorsed” by Central Committee. Since most voters are not aware of each candidate’s attributes, the “Endorsed” candidate usually wins the election.
It seems people aren’t as interested in local politics as in the past. If no one runs to be Captain of their Precinct, the Central Committee can “Appoint” a person to an open Precinct. This is where the shenanigans may begin.
The following information was obtained from the Jan 15, 2026, Clermont County Republican Central Committee Contact list. Clermont has 167 Precincts. 13 Precincts are open, leaving 154 members. Of the 154 members, 29% are Appointed; 12% are Elected Officials or their spouses; and 4 Married Couples, one elected, one appointed. Also, many Precinct Captains who are appointed may work in the office of an Elected Official, such as the Prosecutor’s or County Auditor’s Office.
As you can image, the Central Committee votes can be manipulated by encouraging blocks of Precinct Captains to vote for favored candidates. This would be the work of the “Establishment”, a select group pushing their choice. But, there are many good people on Central Committee trying their best to vet the best candidate.
How do we solve this? Consider running for Captain in your Precinct. Attend a meeting and watch what goes on. GOP Central Committee meetings are open to the public and are held on the third Wednesday of the month, 7pm, GOP Headquarters, Batavia. For Democrat Central Committee information, please see their website.
Let’s have all Precincts be Elected Captains.
Photo courtesy of Facebook.