LARNED — The Pawnee County Democratic Party will hold a special convention on Saturday, Feb. 17, to fill the unexpired term of the late District 1 Pawnee County Commissioner Gary Caplinger.  

The convention will start at 1:30 p.m. in the courthouse lounge on the main floor of the Pawnee County Courthouse, 715 Broadway. Those attending are asked to enter through the west door. 

Any candidate wishing to be considered for the position is required to be a registered Pawnee County Democrat and reside in Ward 2, Ward 3 or Larned Township. Candidates will need proper ID and will need to be nominated by a registered Democrat of Ward 2, Ward 3 or Larned Township.  

Nomination speeches will be limited to one minute. Once nominations have ceased, all nominees will have three minutes to present their qualifications and reasons for seeking the position to the voting members of the Pawnee County Democratic Central Committee. 

All voting will be by secret ballot and will continue until a nominee receives a majority of the votes cast by committee members present.

Once a nominee is selected, his or her name and information will be sent to the office of the governor for approval.

The convention was necessitated by the Jan. 29 death of 71-year-old Caplinger. Caplinger was a Democrat so the job to replace him fell to the Pawnee County committee which called the gathering to nominate a successor.

For more information, contact committee chairman Steven Lewis at 620-285-1609 or email pawneecodemocrats@gmail.com.