The Rules Matter — And So Does Republican Integrity

Guest Opinion by Joan Reynolds

The Alabama Republican Party has one fundamental responsibility: to elect Republicans and protect the conservative majority that keeps our state strong, secure, and growing.

That responsibility requires more than campaign signs and slogans. It requires standards. It requires structure. And it requires the courage to enforce the rules fairly and consistently — even when doing so is unpopular.

Recently, there has been noise and misinformation surrounding the Party’s ballot access decisions. Some individuals who were denied access to run as Republicans are now publicly attacking the process itself. Let me be clear: these decisions were not personal, political, or arbitrary. They were made according to written rules adopted and affirmed by more than 400 members of the Alabama Republican Party State Executive Committee.

Those rules were not created overnight. They were debated, amended, and approved by elected representatives of Republican voters from every corner of our state.

Here is the simple truth:

If someone has recently voted in or run in another political party’s primary, or has funded or publicly supported another political party or its candidates, our rules say they cannot simply walk into a Republican primary and claim our label.

If someone loses a Republican primary and then runs against the Republican nominee in the same election cycle as a Democrat or Independent, our rules say they cannot later return and run as a Republican again.

And if someone wishes to switch parties, there is a clearly defined process to do so — but it must be completed before qualifying to run.

These are not complicated concepts. They are common-sense protections designed to preserve the integrity of our primary process and protect Republican voters.

It is also important for the public to understand who enforces these rules.

Members of the Alabama Republican Party’s State Executive Committee and County Executive Committees are elected by Republican primary voters every four years. These grassroots leaders — chosen directly by Republican voters — then elect the members of the Steering Committee to represent them and uphold the rules they themselves wrote and approved.

In other words, this process is not controlled by one person. It is governed by a representative body of Republicans that are elected by Republicans.

And just as there is a process to enforce our rules, there is also a process to amend them. Any member of the State Executive Committee may propose changes, and those proposals are debated and voted on by that same representative body. If someone believes the rules should be different, the proper course of

action is to work through the established process — not to attack the integrity of the system when the rules are applied consistently.

Our Steering Committee carefully reviewed each ballot access case individually and consistently. While these decisions are never easy, they followed the process exactly as laid out in the Party’s rules. Those rules exist to protect Republican voters — not to protect political insiders or personal relationships.

I understand that emotions can run high when friends or allies are affected. But leadership requires upholding the standards of the Party even when it is uncomfortable.

The Alabama Republican Party does not exist to serve individual ambitions. It exists to serve Republican voters and to advance conservative principles.

The rules matter. Integrity matters. And protecting the Republican primary process matters.

That is the job. And we will continue to do it.

Joan Reynolds is the Acting Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party and founder of the Alabama Mighty Strike Force, one of the largest Republican grassroots canvassing organizations in the country. She currently serves as Chairman of the Shelby County GOP and previously served as Chairman of the Butler County GOP.

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