To: All Those Interested in the 6th District Convention

From: Nathan Boyer, Chairman

Jeffrey R. Adams
C. Frank Hilton
S. Vance Wilkins

We write you as individual members of the preliminary Rules Committee of the 6th District
Convention and, in the case of Frank Hilton, General Counsel to the 6th District Committee. We
are compelled to respond publicly to John Whitbeck's public letter regarding, among other
things, the proposed Rules for the 6th District Republican Convention. His letter was based on an
ignorance of the proposed Rules and was made without asking the members of the Committee
for either the substance of the proposed Rules or our rationale in drafting them. It is necessary to
address his factual inaccuracies about the proposed Rules in detail, which will show that all of
his supposed concerns about the Rules have already been addressed fairly and through a
transparent process.

Turning to Mr. Whitbeck’s specific concerns about the preliminary Rules, none are correct.
With regard to children, the initial draft prohibited children from being in the delegate areas.
This was done, in large measure, to conform to the Rules used by the Committee in past
Conventions, since we believed that any changes were likely to be controversial in the tense
atmosphere of this campaign. Concerns from parents were raised by members of the
Arrangements Committee, concerns to which the provisional Rules Committee responded. A
provision allowing young children of delegates to accompany their parents in the delegate
areas was added to the draft of the proposed Rules on April 30, and has been included in
every draft since. (Rule 1.F.)

There has never been, in any draft of the Proposed Rules, a prohibition on political
campaigns conducting their activities on the floor of the convention, from the first iteration
of the proposed Rules to the last. To suggest otherwise is just untrue. There are only two
provisions of the proposed rules that relate to campaign activities. First, there is a rule that
prohibits campaign observers from electioneering during the collection and tallying of the
ballots. (Rule 6.P.) And, second, there is a rule to limit the number of non-delegate staff in the
delegate areas at any one time, in order to prevent congestion. (Rule 1.F.) That is all.

With regard to the press, press arrangements generally fall within the purview of the
Arrangements Committee, which has established a press area. The original draft of the proposed
Rules did not explicitly permit the press in the delegate areas, again following the rules used for
prior conventions. The issue of expressly permitting the press in the delegate areas was raised at
our meeting with the campaigns and addressed to the satisfaction of all present. The current
proposed rule, revised before Mr. Whitbeck's letter, expressly allows the press into the
delegate areas. The only limits are on the number of individuals from each media outlet (2
at any given time) and on the equipment (only hand held equipment), in both cases to
prevent hazards, congestion and obstruction. (Rule 1.F.)
The last issue related to the proposed Rules is the question of a recorded vote for Temporary
Chairman. The proposed Rules as drafted always provided wide latitude for a minority of
delegates to demand a recorded vote, and everyone's expectation was that a recorded vote would
be held for Temporary Chair if necessary. However, once it became clear that two candidates
would stand for Temporary Chair, the preliminary Rules Committee revised the proposed
Rules to require a recorded vote for Temporary Chair, if more than one candidate stands
for the office. (Rule 6.I.) Again, this was agreed to by all parties in the meeting with the
campaigns on the 7th, and the revision was made prior to Mr. Whitbeck's letter.

In short, every one of Mr. Whitbeck's professed concerns about the rules had already been
addressed by the preliminary Rules Committee, after seeking the input of all of the
campaigns and to the satisfaction of all of the campaigns that sent a representative to the
meeting on May 7. Notwithstanding which, Mr. Whitbeck–without bothering to ask for a
copy of the current draft, and without consulting with the members of the preliminary
Rules Committee–issued his letter, replete with demands and threats.

The members of the preliminary rules committee, including Chairman Nate Boyer, Jeff Adams,
Frank Hilton and Vance Wilkins, have spent long hours working on the proposed Rules which all
of the members believed to be fair and equitable. We had frank discussions and made
compromises, which resulted in a consensus among ourselves on virtually every issue, large and
small. Then we took the initiative to consult directly with the campaigns and give them their say,
which led to further revisions. To have Mr. Whitbeck attack our efforts, and to do so without
even knowing the contents of the proposed Rules, is offensive.

But his intervention is more troubling than that. In this campaign, candidates and their proxies
have liberally attacked not only each other, but the process itself. That is their right. But Mr.
Whitbeck is supposed to be an honest broker here; he is held to a higher standard than a
candidate in the midst of a contested campaign. Given his concerns he should have asked for a
copy of the proposed Rules. He should have read them. He should have ascertained the facts and
brought his concerns–if any–to the Committee directly. By speaking out publicly and in
ignorance of the facts, he has further poisoned this already difficult process.

We have attached the latest draft of the proposed Rules, which was finalized prior to Mr.
Whitbeck's letter. We ask him to read them in their entirety. Then we ask him to correct the
record and to apologize to the members of the preliminary Rules Committee for publicly
impugning their efforts.
 Final Report of the Rules Committee
th
2018 6 Congressional District Republican Convention
of the Commonwealth of Virginia
1. RULES

A. The Convention shall be conducted in accordance with the Plan of Organization of the
Republican Party of Virginia, the bylaws of the 6th Congressional District Committee of the
Republican Party of Virginia and Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised (11th Edition). No
action of the Convention may conflict with the Plan of Organization of the Republican Party
of Virginia, as amended, but to the extent that there is a conflict, the provisions of the Plan of
Organization of the Republican Party of Virginia, then the bylaws of the 6th Congressional
District Committee, and then Robert’s Rules of Order shall prevail in that order of
precedence.

B. Upon adoption of these rules, the temporary convention organization shall become the
permanent convention organization.

C. Once adopted, these rules may be repealed, suspended or amended only by a two-thirds (2/3)
vote of the Delegates, unless otherwise provided in a specific rule.

D. No motion shall be in order at the Convention except those pertaining to the Order of
Business or the item of business being pursued at the time the motion is made.

E. Upon the instruction of the Convention Chairman, the Sergeant-at-Arms may appoint deputies
to assist him in maintaining order. The Sergeant-at-Arms and his or her deputies may remove
any person who disrupts the proceedings of the Convention.

F. Guests are not allowed in the convention delegation areas, but may sit in designated guest
areas. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following guests are allowed in convention
delegation areas: (i) children of Delegates twelve (12) years old and younger; (ii) non-
delegate campaign staffers (who can be either volunteer or paid staff), who shall be issued
credentials by the Credentials Committee granting them access to the convention delegation
areas and which clearly designate them as non-delegates and identify the candidate for whom
each is working. Each candidate for Congressional Nominee may designate up to ten (10)
non-delegate staffers and each candidate for District Chairman may designate up to five (5)
non-delegate staffers; and (iii) members of the media issued credentials by the Arrangements
Committee, provided, however that each media outlet shall have no more than two
representatives in the convention delegate areas at any one time and members of the media
shall not bring any equipment into the convention delegation area other than hand held
equipment which is not tethered by cables. The Convention Chairman may remove members
of the media from the delegation areas at any time. Non-delegate campaign staffers shall
remove themselves from the delegation areas when their candidate is no longer standing for
election or nomination, either because the candidate’s election has concluded or because the
candidate has been eliminated as an eligible candidate. Only credentialed Delegates may sit in
the seating provided in the convention delegation areas and, if space permits, their qualified
children.

G. The vote by which each committee report was recommended shall be announced. One
member who voted in the minority may speak for one (1) minute before any discussion on the
floor. One member in the majority may speak for one (1) minute before any discussion on the
floor.

2. CREDENTIALS
 A. Any person, so long as space restrictions permit, may attend the Convention, but except as
provided in 1.F., above, only Delegates may have or be on the floor unless specifically
recognized or permitted by the Chair.

B. Only delegates duly certified by the Credentials Committee, or alternates representing absent
delegates, may vote. All delegates and alternates shall meet the requirements as specified in
the Call of the Convention. No proxies for delegates shall be accepted.

C. Each Unit Chairman or his designee shall serve as his delegation’s chairman.

D. Unless their electing body has adopted other specific instructions, the Delegates in a given
delegation shall designate which Alternate shall vote in the place of an absent Delegate.

E. The Credentials Committee shall report on the proper certification of each delegation and
decide any question that may arise concerning certification, subject to an appeal to the
Convention. Any such appeal shall be considered final. Any challenge to an entire delegation,
or individual Delegate, must come before the Credentials Committee not later than 10:00 a.m.
on May 19, 2018. All decisions of the Convention shall be final and binding.

F. Convention registration shall begin at 8:00 a.m. and shall remain open until balloting for the
Temporary Chairman begins. Immediately prior to the vote on the Rules of the Convention,
the Credentials Committee Chairman shall provide an interim report to the Convention setting
forth the number and identity of Delegates eligible to vote. Immediately following all of the
speeches of the candidates for Chairman and Regional Vice-Chairmen and Congressional
nominee, the Credentials Committee Chairman shall provide a final report to the Convention
setting forth the number and identity of Delegates eligible to vote.

G. Upon commencement of the balloting for Temporary Chairman and thereafter, no quorum call
or point of order regarding the quorum of the Convention or of any committee thereof shall be
in order.

H. In order to receive credentials, a delegate must present a valid form of photo identification or
other identification approved by the Credentials Committee.

I. A delegation to a Convention may not have more than five delegates and five alternates per
delegate vote. No delegate may have less than two-tenths (0.20) of a vote.

3. RESOLUTIONS

A. No resolution may be presented from the floor. Each resolution shall be considered separately
in the order contained in the committee report. Resolutions must have been submitted to the
Secretary by April 9, 2018.

B. On any resolution for a separate vote by the Convention, the time for debate shall be limited
to five (5) minutes in the aggregate for persons speaking in favor and five (5) minutes in the
aggregate for persons speaking in opposition and as further limited in Section 4A below.

4. DEBATE and SPEECHES

A. Except as otherwise provided in these rules, debate on any motion or question that may come
before this Convention is limited to five (5) minutes in the aggregate for and five (5) minutes
in the aggregate against any such motion or question. Each speaker shall be limited to one (1)
minute, with no person allowed to speak twice, until all participants wishing to speak have an
opportunity to speak once.
 B. Each candidate on the official Convention ballot will speak in the order as determined by
random lot by the Elections Committee. Speeches will be limited to five (5) minutes for
candidates for District Chairman, three (3) minutes for candidates for Regional Vice
Chairman, and six (6) minutes for candidates for Congressional Nominee. Candidates may
use this time as they wish (i.e., nomination speeches and candidate speeches). The time limit
includes and applies to any transitions between speakers, if a candidate elects to have more
than one speech on his or her behalf.

C. During tabulation and at other times when the business of the Convention is not proceeding
on the floor, the Convention Chairman may recognize individuals (including, without
limitation, Republican candidates or their representatives, officials of the Republican Party of
Virginia, and Republican office holders, but not including candidates for offices or
nominations to be determined by the convention) to speak. The length of such speeches shall
be subject to the discretion of the Chair, provided that all candidates for nomination to the
same office shall be granted the same amount of time to speak.

5. NOMINATIONS

A. All candidates for offices elected at this convention shall meet the filing requirements
contained in the Call for this convention and sign a statement of their intent to support the
nominees of the Republican Party in the 2018 elections. No nominations are allowed from
the floor except upon a two-thirds vote of the Delegates.

B. The Nominations Committee shall prepare and report those candidates who qualified based
only on the parameters set forth in the Call.

C. The Nominations Committee shall report to the Convention, before balloting, the names of all
candidates who meet the requirements for nomination. The Nominations Committee Report
shall be voted on as presented.

D. In any contest where there is only one qualified candidate, the Nominations Committee may
certify, on behalf of the Convention, that the one qualified candidate is deemed to have been
nominated or elected, as the case may be, and the Convention can otherwise dispense with
consideration of that contest.

E. For each office, the order of speeches shall be determined by lot by the Elections Committee.

6. VOTING

A. All votes shall be conducted on the basis of weighted votes, and can be by voice vote,
standing vote, roll call vote, or by ballot, in each case as further and more specifically
provided and/or required in these rules.

B. To cast a ballot, a delegate must present valid delegate credentials and a valid form of photo
identification or another identification approved by the Credentials Committee.

C. Each county or city delegation shall have the number of votes specified in the Call and
certified by the Credentials Committee.

D. Prior to voting, the Chairman of the Elections Committee shall report to the Convention the
procedures for balloting.

E. No delegate may change his vote after it has been collected.

F. The weighted vote of all delegations shall be calculated and reported by rounding to the
nearest one-hundredth (1/100) decimal (e.g., 0.01). For purposes of these rules, majority shall
 mean more than 50% of the weighted votes, as calculated and reported pursuant to this
paragraph.

G. Blanks, abstentions and invalid votes (i.e., votes for an eliminated candidate or a candidate
who withdraws from the contest, provided such withdrawal is announced by the Chairman to
the Convention prior to the voting or balloting) shall be excluded in calculating the total vote
reported by each delegation.

H. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in these rules, all resolutions shall be passed on the
affirmative vote of a majority of total weighted votes.

I. If more than one person stands for Temporary Chairman, voting for Temporary Chairman
shall be by a recorded vote. If one person stands for Temporary Chairman, voting for
Temporary Chairman may be by voice vote.

J. Voting for District Chairman, Regional Vice-Chairmen and Congressional Nominee shall be
by secret ballot and conducted after completion of all candidate speeches for all offices.

K. The names of the candidates for election or nomination shall appear on the ballot in an order
determined by lot by the Chairmen of the Elections and Rules Committees at the meeting of
the 6th District Congressional Committee on April 28, 2018..

L. Elections and nominations shall be by a majority of the total Convention weighted votes as
certified by the Credentials Committee, provided that if in any particular vote a unit records
no raw delegate votes (i.e., no delegate actually participates in such vote), no weighted votes
shall be cast for such unit, and for purposes of determining the result of such vote, the total
Convention weighted votes shall not include the weighted votes for such unit. When a
candidate for election or nomination receives such a majority on any ballot or vote, the
election or nomination is decided and balloting or voting ceases for that position.

M. For the offices of Chairman and Regional Vice Chairman, in the event that (i) there are more
than two candidates and (ii) a ballot is taken in which no candidate receives a majority of the
valid votes cast, then in the all subsequent ballots the candidate that received the lowest
number of votes shall be ineligible to receive votes and all votes cast for such candidate in
subsequent ballots shall be invalid.

N. For the office of Congressional Nominee, voting shall proceed as follows. If on the first ballot
no candidate receives a majority of the valid votes cast, the three candidates who received the
lowest vote totals in such ballot shall be eliminated from all subsequent ballots and all votes
cast for such candidates in subsequent ballots shall be invalid. If on the second ballot no
candidate receives a majority of the valid votes cast, the two candidates who received the
lowest vote totals in such ballot shall be eliminated from all subsequent ballots and all votes
cast for such candidates in subsequent ballots shall be invalid. If on the third and subsequent
ballot no candidate receives a majority of the valid votes cast, the candidate who received the
lowest vote total in such ballot shall be eliminated from all subsequent ballots and all votes
cast for such candidate in subsequent ballots shall be invalid.

O. If there is a mathematical tie between two candidates, one of whom would otherwise be
declared ineligible pursuant to 6.,M. or N, above (i.e., on the first ballot for Congressional
nominee, two candidates tie for 5th place, as the votes are calculated and reported pursuant to
6.F., above), then such candidates’ votes shall be calculated and reported without rounding,
and the candidate that received the lower number of unrounded votes shall be the candidate
declared ineligible. If upon recalculation without rounding such candidates’ votes are equal,
the Elections Committee shall draw lots to determine which candidate shall be declared
ineligible, provided, however, that both such candidates or their representatives shall be
permitted to observe the drawing of lots. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to
 permit the election of a candidate or the selection of a nominee by a majority, as that term is
defined in 6.F., above.

P. During the balloting for elections and nominations, each candidate contesting that race, or his
designee, may designate at least one observer for each unit and up to two observers for the
tally of votes by the Elections Committee. The observers shall not be entitled to participate in
the ballot tallying, but shall otherwise be entitled to observe every facet of the vote collection
and counting. Nothing in these rules shall be construed to deny a candidate for nomination to
public office or a candidate for party office a right to serve as his own observer in any unit.
Such observers may be delegates or may be non-delegate staffers who receive credentials
pursuant to 1.F., above. Such observers may not engage in electioneering or campaigning
while serving as observers to the vote collection and counting by a unit or by the Elections
Committee.

Q. Results for a ballot must be announced and posted before a new ballot begins. All
announcements and postings shall proceed in order from the candidate who received the
highest number of votes to the candidate who received the lowest number of votes on such
ballot.

R. If there are only two candidates for a particular office or nomination, once a ballot for such
office or nomination has been cast and tabulated, but prior to its result being announced, it
shall be in order for any candidate for such office or nomination to withdraw and move to
elect or nominate by acclamation, provided that the tabulated results of the latest completed
ballot for such office or nomination shall be announced to the full convention.

S. A request for a standing or roll call vote on a resolution or election (other than the election of
the Chairman, Regional Vice-Chairmen and Congressional nominee) shall be taken on the
motion of any delegate, if supported by two-fifths of the total weighted votes of the delegates.

T. In the case of standing votes or roll call votes, including standing or roll call votes for
Temporary Chairman and Temporary Secretary, the reports of the Rules Committee and the
Credentials Committee, and any other matters other than balloting for elections and
nominations, the Chair of each respective Unit Committee, or his designee, shall report to the
Chair and the Chair of the Elections Committee the number of votes of the Delegates of such
Unit Committee in favor of and votes opposed to the matter in question Based on such
reported totals the Elections Committee shall determine the weighted votes of such Unit
Committee in favor of and opposed to such matter.

7. CAMPAIGN MATERIALS

A. Posters, placards, and banners shall be held by hand only and not affixed to stakes, walls or
other surfaces (other than tables designated for the purpose). Materials not complying shall be
subject to confiscation by the Sergeant-at-Arms.

B. Candidates, or their representatives, are responsible for collecting their literature that remains
following the conclusion of the Convention.

8. ORDER OF BUSINESS

A. The order of business shall be as set forth below, provided, however, that upon a majority
vote of the Convention, an item may be omitted or added. Unless otherwise specified in these
rules, the Chairman of the Convention may interrupt the order as he deems appropriate and in
keeping with the intent to facilitate the selection of the party nominees and party officers.
B. On Saturday, May 19, 2018, the Convention will be called to order promptly at 10:00 a.m.
No votes on nominations or elections (other than Temporary Chairman and Temporary
Secretary) shall begin prior to 10:30 a.m.

1. Call to Order
2. Posting of the Colors
3. Invocation
4. Pledge of Allegiance
5. National Anthem
6. Reading of the Creed of the Republican Party of Virginia
7. Welcoming Remarks by 6th District Committee Chairman
8. Election of Temporary Chairman (Upon adoption of these rules this office becomes
permanent.)
9. Election of Temporary Secretary (Upon adoption of these rules this office becomes
permanent.)
10. Reading of the Call (Unless dispensed with)
11. Appointment of Temporary Parliamentarian, Timekeeper, and Sergeant-At-Arms (Upon
adoption of these rules these offices become permanent.)
12. Appointment of Committees
13. Meetings of Committees
14. Initial Report of Credentials Committee
15. Vote on Adoption of Initial Report of Credentials Committee
16. Report of Rules Committee
17. Adoption of Report of Rules Committee
18. Report of Nominations Committee.
19. Speeches by candidates for Regional Vice-Chairman
20. Speeches by candidates for District Chairman
21. Speeches by candidates for Congressional Nominee
22. Final Report of Credentials Committee
23. Vote on Adoption of Final Report of Credentials Committee
24. Report of Elections Committee
25. Adoption of Report of Elections Committee
26. Balloting for all offices
27. Speeches from guests and elected officials
28. Report of the Resolutions Committee
29. Vote on Report of Resolutions Committee
30. Announcement of Results of Elections
31. Other Business
32. Adjournment