2026 Membership Drive

Help Us Reach Our Goal of 25 New Members in 2026 and Pledge to Become a Member!

Beginning on Friday June 26th we are running our 2026 "Money Bomb" until September 1st. Help us help you as a Republican voter in Lake County by becoming a sustaining member of Vernon Township Republicans at our Founder's Club level of $250 annually.

Why Join?

Your membership subscription to the Vernon Township Republicans supports our volunteer army.

We run ourselves like a business - incorporating systems, goals and accountability.

Our Precinct Committeemen do their work for free but they need the tools to do it well.

You are probably being asked constantly to give to Republican causes - but have you ever been told exactly where and how your donations are going to be spent?

Where Does Your Membership Go?

Vernon Township has 43 precincts - one of the largest territories in Lake County. Restoring balance to our local government requires breaking down this territory into bite-sized pieces and making sure that they are managed by people who are trained to educate and empower voters and get them to the polls.

Each precinct has anywhere from 100 to 300 households occupied with registered voters. When we have at least one well-trained precinct committeeman (PC) to cover each of these precincts - we make sure that:

• Voters are contacted 4-6 times a year - every year - to be made aware of local issues and upcoming races
• A PC builds one-on-one relationships with these voters, making it easier for state candidates and their campaigns to reach these voters and secure their votes
• We build a farm team of volunteers and future candidates so that every office on the ballot has a Republican candidate 

When we manage our territory consistently and efficiently - the end result will be:

• Greater turnout at the polls
• A robust bench of local candidates
• Strengthening of coalitions and causes that are Pro-America, Pro-Family and Pro-Business here in Lake County

Our Precinct Committeemen rely on state of the art technology that assists them to not just "knock doors" during a few weeks of canvassing - but to build and sustain relationships with the voters in their precincts.

VTR manages our territory holistically - because we use a CRM (client relationship manager) and treat voters as prospects - our goal is to not only get them to the polls but to convert them into "clients". Our community outreach meetings and events are where we find most of our volunteers who become PCs or members of our volunteer team.  And believe it or not - we are one of the few Republican organizations in the state that operates this way.

Also, because of the structure of our organization and our goals - the system continues uninterrupted as our manpower ebbs and flows. The records of interaction are kept in tact, the attendance of our voters not only at the polls but at our events are logged into our system - and if someone on the VTR team has to step away, another can pick up right where they left off with those critical relationship building tasks.

Over the past several years, a core group of VTR Precinct Committeemen have been able to increase the presence of our organization in our community, recruit more PCs and volunteers, and manage relationships with the voters in our precincts who genuinely care about the issues and want to vote and effect change in Lake County. We are using technology to build a community organically - bringing people together with shared values and passion.

Our 2026 Membership Drive ensures we will have the tools to continue to do this work:

• Integrated CRM (Client Relationship Manager)
  • Integrated with our website
  • Integrated with our canvassing app (used on PC smartphones)
  • Integrated with our comms (email, text blasts)
• Funds for "old school" (and still effective) outreach
  • Stamps
  • Printing 
    • Letters/Post Cards
• Meetings
  • Because we do not have a brick and mortar location, we rent space for our monthly meetings
• Events
  • Educational programming where we bring in guests - no speaking fees, but refreshments for participants is always appreciated
  • Parades, tents at festivals to inform, engage and empower voters and assist candidates
• Candidate Support
  • VTR would like to be able to assist our local candidates - school board, park district board, library board, etc... with resources that will help their campaigns 
• Social Media
  • VTR would like to optimize our social media presence which will include verification and paid for levels of service in some cases, as well as running paid ads

Below is a small portion of prior work VTR has done to educate, empower and inform voters (click on hyperlinks):

Digital Presence

VTR has grown in the digital space and will continue to do so with your membership. All of our communications are handled by volunteers. Your donation will ensure that we can continue to do this work with the digital tools that are required to get the job done.

Social Media (Facebook)

VTR has established a following on Facebook. The next step will be to start running targeted marketing campaigns to broadcast our events and increase our volunteer army.

Social Media (X)

VTR will continue exploring this "space" and be able to use the tools available to verified accounts, as well as a premium Grok account which will help our volunteers to message when you become a member.

Text Blast Sample

VTR uses targeted text blasts to alert voters to our elections and events. Your membership will help us sustain this service.

Voter Education Sample

For years VTR has understood that one of our responsibilities is to educate our voters. Your membership supports our volunteers by giving them the tools they need to meet the voters where they're at - on paper, over the phone, via email or text, or on a website or social media platform.

Local Matters

With your membership, VTR can continue the work of building the bench of local candidates and giving them the support they need to run for office.

Special Programming

VTR makes it a point to bring important programming to the voters in our communities. Your membership allows us to bring these presentations to the public free of charge.

Candidate Recruitment Sample

The first step to recruiting local candidates is making sure the public is aware of the process and deadlines it takes to get on the ballot. As long as we have members willing to fund our efforts, VTR will be able to continue this critical outreach.

Issues - Pritzker's Taxes

All of our communications are done in house by volunteers. Making sure we stay on message and target the voters who are fed up with Illinois' super Democrat majority rule is a top priority. Your membership allows us to keep up this work and increase our outreach.

$250 for America's 250th

Pledge $250 below to be a Founder's Club level member of Vernon Township Republicans, and we will deliver some tokens of appreciation once we receive payment. Enjoy a VTR coffee mug, a copy of J.D. Vance's "Hillbilly Elegy" and an American flag lapel pin - while supplies last.

OTHER LEVELS OF SUPPORT

$600 BUSINESS LEVEL/$50 Month

The Republican Party has always been pro-business and we want to partner with you. The work we do to educate and empower voters on public policy is critical to our local businesses - your pledge of support is a no-brainer.

• Promotion in our Fall Fundraiser program
• Mention at every monthly business meeting
• Special feature 2X a year in our email blasts

$1200 PRESIDENTIAL LEVEL/$100 Month

If you have generously supported Republican candidates and causes in the past, here in Illinois and beyond at a high level - it makes sense for you to lend the same support to a local Republican organization in the critical territory of Lake County. Dollar for dollar your generosity will make a huge impact right here in your own back yard - directly impacting your day to day life.

• 2 Tickets to our Fall Fundraiser
• Admission for 2 to all social mixers
• Spotlight recognition in our Fall Fundraiser program