The birth of the Branch Club system 40 years ago was an innovation and a departure from established political procedures. It came about because Republican leaders recognized the need to expand the base of the Party and to bring the Party closer to the precinct level.
The plan they developed, which was approved by the 1958 County Caucus, divided the county into eight areas, each of which was authorized to organize a semi-autonomous Republican Branch Committee. The first to be organized was Lake Country (now North Central). Five more were organized by the 1960 election and all eight units were in operation by 1962. The Branch areas remained unchanged until 1973 when the New Berlin/Muskego/Vernon clubs were merged. More changes were made in 1975. The number of Branches was reduced to six and renamed to reflect their geographic location. The reorganization was designed to strengthen the system and provide a sounder structure and more leadership for the less active parts of the county. The map shows the current Branch alignment.
The Branch Clubs are chartered by the Republican Party of Waukesha County and each adopts a standard constitution. They elect their own officers and the chairmen automatically become members of the Republican Party of Waukesha County Executive Board. The Branch Committees are responsible for all activities in their area, including the recruitment and election of Precinct Committeemen, membership drives and the annual Neighbor to Neighbor fund drive. Each Branch is encouraged to have at least two functions a year, one being the annual meeting which is held every January. Theater parties, roasts, voter forums, dances, Reagan film festival, annual dinners, and a county inaugural ball are examples of the functions, stemming from the Branch Clubs in Waukesha County.
Membership and fund raising quotas are assigned each year and performance in attaining quota is part of the formula used to determine the number of Delegates and Alternates from each area to the 4th and 9th district caucuses and the Republican Party state convention. Trophies are presented to the Branch Club that attains the highest percentage of its quota.