Latest News and Events - Bastrop County Republican Party

“I Voted” Sticker Contest

March 6, 2023 by Mark L. Torrey in Commentary / County Chair / Election / Government

The Bastrop County Elections Office conducted their First Ever “I Voted” and “Future Voter” sticker contest announcing the winners and presented awards at the Commissioners Court on February 27th.

“I Voted” Sticker Contest Winners

Congratulations to Sophia Royster, a Junior attending Smithville High School, for winning First Place! In second place is Avery Fobert, a 7^th Grade student at Bastrop Middle School. Third place goes to Mateo Martinez, a Sophomore homeschool student, and son of BCRP Precinct 1003 Chairwoman Cathy Martinez and husband George.

“Future Voter” Sticker Contest Winners

Congratulations to Kyla Coleman, a 2^nd Grade student at Bluebonnet Elementary School, for winning Bastrop County’s first “Future Voter” Sticker Contest! In second place is Isaiah Mubasher, a 3^rd Grade homeschool student. Third place goes to Henley Duty, a 1^st Grade student at Smithville Elementary School.

For the rest of the story, the full winners list, and winning designs, visit BastropVotes.org

Informational Meeting ~ March 27th 2023

March 2, 2023 by Mark L. Torrey in Commentary / Informational Meetings / National News / Other PAC's

The March 27th Informational Meeting will feature Rebekah Warwick, Central Regional Coordinator and Lobbyist for Heritage Action for America, based in Mansfield, TX. Meeting location will be announced by email and website update … As usual, the doors open at 6:00pm for networking, and the program will start at 6:30pm.

Prior to Heritage Action Rebekah worked for the Majority Whip of the Colorado Senate Republicans and on various local campaigns in the Denver Metroplex. She holds bachelor’s degrees in history and political science.

As Central Regional Coordinator, Rebekah partners with 4,000 Heritage Action Sentinels and over 125,000 grassroots activists to hold lawmakers accountable and advocate for conservative policies. She is an experienced public speaker and regularly hosts trainings with activists on how to influence the policy debates at the federal and state level. Her editorials have been published in the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

Heritage Action Mission:

Heritage Action’s unique strategy combines inside-the-Beltway lobbying with outside-the-Beltway grassroots pressure. They communicate directly with lawmakers in Congress and in our state capitals and work with grassroots on the ground to know the issues and take effective action to influence the legislative process. Through this strategy Heritage Action works to bring about the conservative policies that hold true to our Founding Fathers’ ideals. Heritage Action exists to ensure that these ideals are not only maintained but flourish, both now and for future generations.

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BCC Hosts Campaign Training

March 2, 2023 by Mark L. Torrey in Campaign / Election / Other PAC's

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Leadership Institute Campaign Training

Monday, March 6, 5:00 pm, Casa Chapala Bastrop

Bastrop County Conservatives mission is to support the election of conservative candidates. This is a great opportunity to gain valuable information about running and supporting a successful political campaign.

Our County elections are here in May. Our candidate Sourcing and Selection Committee is hard at work. We will very quickly be moving to candidate support, getting candidates elected.

With that thought in mind, the Leadership Institute is offering a training to assist in our success. The training event will be held at Casa Chapala, March 6th, 2023 at 5:00pm Preregistration is required. See link below to sign up.

This event will cover –

Responsibilities and activities of a School Board
Developing a campaign strategy
Building a coalition
Getting involved
Building your team

Your meeting coordinator/speaker will be Robert Arnakis, the Senior Director of Domestic and International Programs for the Leadership Institute. Mr. Arnakis oversees divisions which provide political education and consultation to senior government officials, public policy leaders and influencers. His background includes serving as senior staff to multiple Presidential and Congressional campaigns. Additionally, Mr. Arnakis has consulting experience with multiple grassroots driven organizations.

To attend the meeting, you must sign up in advance, no later than Thursday March 2nd. Fee is $15.00, which includes dinner. Why only $15.00? The Leadership Institute is funded with charitable donations and offers these classes as an outreach to promote conservative causes.

Sign up at HERE:

Looking forward to seeing you there!

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Gun Owners of American (GOA) Sues ATF

February 17, 2023 by Mark L. Torrey in Commentary / Government / Other PAC's

Thanks to overwhelming support from GOA members, we filed suit yesterday against the ATF’s pistol brace rule.

Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) jointly filed a lawsuit with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton challenging the Biden Pistol Brace Ban. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

This new rule, which took effect on January 31st of this year, will force Americans to register or destroy approximately 40 million of their lawfully owned brace firearms within 120 days, or face possible felony charges.

The Gun Owners’ lawsuit, which can be read HERE, documents how the ATF has waffled on the topic of pistol-braced firearms for almost ten years. Originally, the agency stated that such braces would not convert a pistol into a Short-Barreled Rifle (or SBR). And in 2014, the ATF even stated that if gun owners were to brace such a pistol against one’s shoulder, that would not reclassify the pistol as an SBR.

The preceding excerpt is from a recent email from the Gun Owners of America. Click HERE to view the full context. Or, you can visit the Gun Owners of America website HERE.

Volunteer Deputy Registrar

February 17, 2023 by Mark L. Torrey in Election / Government

The Bastrop County Election Department announces the following changes in VDR renewals …

All current Volunteer Deputy Registrar terms expire 12/31/2022.

Effective January 02, 2023, the Bastrop County Elections Department will conduct in-person training and reciprocity for ALL Volunteer Deputy Registrars.

All VDR’s wishing to renew their certification for the upcoming ’23-24 term must attend and complete the required training session. New VDR certificates, numbers and supplies will be issued at the time of completion. Please review the schedule image below for available training session dates and times. Sign-up is encouraged but not required.

Updated training and additional information is available on their website here.

LPRW hosts Pizza & Politics ~ February 20th

February 12, 2023 by Mark L. Torrey in Other PAC's

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Lost Pines Republican Women are hosting a Pizza and Politics event February 20th, at Leo’s Italian Grill, located at 887 State Hwy 21 West in Cedar Creek. Speakers will be Stan Gerdes, our newly elected Texas State Representative of House District-17, and Perla Hopkins, former candidate for State Board of Education District 5. Come out and show your support, ask questions, share your concerns, and enjoy some great Pizza!!

Registration is strongly suggested, as Leo’s space is limited. Pre-register online HERE, or by printing the image below. Visiting the LPRW website HERE for more information and a signup link.

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2023 Texas State Rifle Association Annual General Meeting

February 7, 2023 by Mark L. Torrey in Commentary / Other PAC's

2023 Annual General Meeting Information

February 17 – 18, 2023

Bastrop Convention Center

The Texas State Rifle Association will hold its Annual General Meeting the weekend of February 17-18th at the Bastrop Convention Center. Please join us to learn about TSRA, attend seminars, and help us raise funds to protect the Second Amendment and promote competition shooting and educational initiatives. Please purchase your tickets by February 13th.

Friday, February 17th – Open to the Public

The Seminars and the Friday Night Gala Fundraiser – “Boots Suits and Diamonds” are open to the public.
Non-members can attend the seminars for a $10.00 contribution, and
- For “Boots Suits and Diamonds” ticket and table prices please visit the TSRA Website
Our Cowboy Action Shooting Director, Scott Love will make a short presentation on this discipline, and
A panel of 3 speakers called “Guns, Government and Me”. U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions, Texas State Representative Briscoe Cain and Bastrop District Attorney Bryan Goertz are confirmed for the panel.

Please join us for this fun-filled weekend!

Your receipt is your ticket.

Saturday, February 18th is closed to the public. You must be a member to attend the Members Meeting and Luncheon. Our luncheon speaker is Ed Monk of Last Resort Firearms who will speak about Active Shooter Situations.

Legislative Priority Number 5

February 4, 2023 by Mark L. Torrey in Commentary / Government

Informational Meeting – February 27th

January 28, 2023 by Mark L. Torrey in Commentary / Informational Meetings / National News / Other PAC's

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The next Informational Meeting of 2023 will be February 27th in Bastrop, at the BCRP Office, Meeting Room. Doors open for networking at 6:00pm with the program starting at 6:30pm. This meeting will feature Wes Virdell, a USAF Veteran, staunch 2A at the state and federal level, and current serves as the Texas State Director of Gun Owners of America.

Here’s a little more about our speaker.

Born and raised in the heart of Texas, Wes Virdell is a veteran and small business owner in the Transportation Industry. Like many hardworking Texans, Wes places a priority on faith, family, and freedom. Wes is 9^th generation Texan and 14^th generation American.

A few short years after graduating from Brady High School in 1998, Wes served in the U.S. Air Force where he worked on Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles and served as a Military Training Leader.

After being honorably discharged from the military, Wes returned to his hometown of Brady and got involved in the fight for the right to keep and bear arms.

Wes started attending committee hearings for gun legislation in Texas in 2011 and was active in the battles for open carry in 2015 and Constitutional Carry in 2021.

Wes has served as a 2020 and 2022 State Delegate for the Republican Party of Texas and as a 2020 National Delegate for the Republican National Convention.

Most recently, Wes served as the Texas Hill Country Coordinator for Gun Owners of America from 2020 to 2022.

With the support of his family and countless liberty-loving Texas patriots, Wes now serves as the Texas State Director for Gun Owners of America and leading the fight to protect our inalienable rights.

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Bastrop County Elections Sticker Design Contest

January 28, 2023 by Mark L. Torrey in Campaign / Election / Social Media