This is the first part in a multi-part series focusing on the Republican primary for Board of County Supervisors chairman.

Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart (R) said Monday that he is calling for a primary election for the Republican nomination for chairman instead of a convention.

That comes less than two months after Stewart derided the state GOP for choosing a primary over a convention to determine the Republican nominee in the 2012 U.S. Senate race. Stewart is actively considering for the GOP nod there too but said he will not make any decisions about that until either late 2011 or early 2012. He faces Haymarket Town Council member Bob Weir in the Republican primary, with other potential candidates possibly still considering the race.

"Here, in a county nomination process, it's too easy for a candidate to get a (relatively small) number of people. They could be Democrats, they could be pro-illegal immigrant activists. Any of these organizations that I have angered... it is too easy to stack a convention with those convention goers. So I want to avoid any squirrely business with that."

He added that statewide, "it would be extraordinarily hard to get enough Democrats to swing the process one way or another" and that "the most conservative candidate wins" in state conventions.

On November 29, Stewart said on News Channel 8 that, "I care very much" about the Virginia GOP choosing a nominating convention instead of a primary "and the reason is a convention tends to yield a more conservative candidate out of it."

Stewart said that "primaries tend to benefit the more established politician," such as former Sen. George Allen (R), who Stewart also called "the more moderate politician" weighing a Senate race. Allen is expected to announce his candidacy for his old seat, which he lost to Sen. Jim Webb (D) in 2006.

Back in November, Stewart also said, "And I'll just tell you straight out for my own reasons ... I wanted a convention." He explained that "only the most dedicated people are going to come to a convention" while "on the other side of that, in a primary, there's nothing to stop a Democrat or a non-Republican from coming and voting in a Republican primary."

Locally, "it's very easy for an insurgent candidate to get just enough people to throw the results one way or another." Stewart openly admitted that a county-wide primary "favors the candidate with the most name recognition," which would be him. When asked if he chose a primary because it helped his chances of winning more than a convention, Stewart replied, "Yeah, absolutely. There's no question about it. A primary helps me... I've got the most recognition." He added, "a convention carries risks with it." Stewart first won office in 2006 by winning a nominating convention against certified public accountant John Gray (I), who is now running for chairman as an independent. He then beat former county attorney Sharon Pandak (D) in the general election to fill out the remaining year for former chairman Sean Connaughton's (R) term, as he had been appointed to a position within the Bush administration. Connaughton is now the commonwealth's secretary of transportation.

In Prince William County, incumbent office holders are able to choose nominating conventions or primaries to determine their party's pick for elected office when partisan identity plays a role in the selection process. Sheriff Glen Hill (R) opted for a primary in 2007; Stewart ran unopposed until he defeated Pandak again in the general election.

Primaries are funded by taxpayers while conventions are funded by political parties. The catch, however, is that it is considerably easier for any registered voter to vote in a primary than a convention. Conventions take hours out to complete and delegates must sign up in advance, often signing loyalty oaths to support the party's nominee in the general election. Primary voting in Virginia, however, is generally light in non-presidential years, so a typical voter can be in and out of a polling station in a matter of minutes.

Virginia voters do not register by party, which means that anyone that wants to vote in a primary can vote in a primary, regardless of political ideology. That allows Democrats to vote in Republican primaries and Republicans to vote in Democratic primaries, essentially allowing opposite parties to create havoc on each other, especially when the other side does not have a competitive primary of their own. So far, planning commissioner Gary Friedman (D) is the only announced Democrat seeking the chairmanship.

If multiple Democrats do not run for sheriff, the only other county-wide position subject to a primary in this year's election, then that would free Democrats and independents up to vote in the GOP primary for chairman if they wanted to do so.

As for how that could sway the contest, Stewart said, "I'm not as concerned about that on the local level. I think it's unlikely that enough Democrats would show up in a primary to sway it in favor of one of my opponents."