Document:National Bylaws and Convention Rules 1981: Difference between revisions

==RULE 6: DEBATING AND VOTING-BYLAWS AND RULES==

Section 1. The Chair of the Bylaws and Rules Committee shall report each recommendation of the Committee to the Convention separately and may explain the intent or purpose of the proposed amendment(s). The Convention Chair shall open each recommendation to discussion and amendment from the floor. Each recommendation shall be considered and adopted separately, with a maximum of ten minutes discussion on any recommendation.

 

 

2. The Platform Committee shall meet at least two months prior to the Convention to consider proposed amendments. After consultation with the Platform Committee members and state convention committees, the Platform Committee Interim Chair shall decide the time and place of the Platform Committee Meeting.

 

The Platform Committee's report shall be mailed by the Party no later than 30 days prior to the Convention to all national delegates, state chairs and state newsletters editors.  At the convention, the platform committee's recommendations shall be reported to the floor on a plank-by-plank basis and each shall be debated and voted upon separately.  The Platform Committee shall set forth the order in which planks shall be considered.

 

 

 

b.  The Convention Chair shall then open the recommendation to discussion and amendment for a period of 15 minutes.  At the end of 15 minutes, a vote will be taken on whether to bring the recommendation (as amended, if this is the case) to a final vote. If a majority vote is in favor or immediate consideration, the vote to accept or reject the recommendation must follow immediately. If a majority vote is against immediate consideration, the proposed recommendation shall be tabled for later consideration after all other recommendations receiving a favorable majority vote from the Platform Committee have been considered.

 

4.  When all recommendations having no minority report have received at least initial consideration, those for which there is a minority report shall be considered in the following manner:

 

a.  Spokespersons for both the majority and minority positions shall each have two minutes to present their views.

 

b.  The chair shall then open consideration of both positions for five minutes, during which time any delegates may express their views without offering amendment.  After five minutes, there will be a vote on which of the two reports shall be considered for purposes of adopting a recommendation.  The report receiving the greater number of votes shall then be discussed and voted upon in the manner described in section 3b.

 

5. After all Committee recommendations have received initial consideration, any delegate may propose amendments to the Platform.  The delegate may take up to two minutes to state and explain the proposal, with debating and voting to proceed described in section 3b.

 

6. Finally, if time permits, proposals which were considered by the Platform Committee but which received an unfavorable vote from a majority of the Committee, may be considered, with a spokesperson for the minority position giving the reasons in favor and the Platform Committee Chair or other representative of the majority position giving the reasons why it was voted down, before the proposal is taken to the floor for debate.

 

7. Challenges of adopted Party planks believed by 10% of the delegates to be in conflict with the Statement of Principles shall be referred in writing, during the Convention, to the Judicial Committee by the delegates requesting action for consideration.  The challenge shall specify in what manner the plank is believed to be in conflict.  The Judicial Committee shall consider the challenge, decide whether the Statement of Principles is conformed to and report their findings and reasons to the Convention.  If the plank is vetoed by the Judicial Committee, it will be declared null and void but can be reinstated by a 3/4 vote of the Convention.

Section 2. Resolutions must not be in conflict with the Statement of Principles. Challenges of such adopted resolutions believed by ten per cent (10%) of the delegates to be in conflict with the Statement of Principles shall be referred in writing, during the Regular Convention, to the Judicial Committee by the delegates requesting action for consideration. The challenge shall specify in what manner the resolution is believed to be in conflict. The Judicial Committee shall consider the challenge, decide whether the Statement of Principles is conformed to, and report their findings and reasons to the Convention.  If the resolution is vetoed by the Judicial Committee, it will be declared null and void, but can be reinstated by a three­ fourths (3/4) vote of the Convention.

Section 1.  Presidential and Vice-Presidential nominations shall be from the floor. Each delegation shall tabulate its total vote, and the delegation chair shall deliver a written total to the Secretary.  When all delegations have submitted their votes, the Secretary shall declare the voting closed.  AT this point, an announcement of each delegation's vote total shall be made by delegation chairs in alphabetical order beginning with a randomly selected delegation.

Section 2. The Party's nominee for President shall be chosen by majority vote.  If, after four ballots, no candidate has attained a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes on the latest ballot shall be struck from subsequent ballots. This procedures shall be repeated after each even-numbered ballot in which no candidate has received a majority vote, until one candidate attains a majority.

Section 1. Nominations for Party offices shall be from the floor, with any national or affiliated Party member eligible to run for any office. The election shall be conducted in the following manner:

 

a.  For each office, a majority vote will be necessary for election.

 

 

c.  At this point, an announcement of each delegation's vote total shall be made by delegation chairs in alphabetical order beginning with a randomly selected delegation.

 

d.  In cases where no candidate receives a majority, runoff votes will be held, dropping the candidate with the fewest votes after each ballot.

 

 

 

 

 

d.  Those seven candidates receiving the highest vote totals shall be declared elected.  If a tie vote affecting the outcome of the election occurs, another ballot for the remaining offices shall be held with each delegate allowed to cast as many votes as there are office to fill.

Section 3. Nominations and elections for members of the Judicial Committee shall be conducted in the same manner as specified for at-large members of the National Committee.

Section 4. Nominations for each candidate may be made by any delegate present on the floor, provided he or she has the candidate's permission. Nominating speeches shall be limited in duration as follows:

a. Chair: five minute nominating speech, two three-minutes seconding speeches;

b. All others: two minute nominating speech, two one-minute seconding speeches.

Section 5. The National Committee members from each of the Regions shall be elected by the delegates from that region, provided there are at least five such delegates present, in caucus, after the election of the Officers and at-large members of the National Committee. If a Region is represented by fewer than five delegates, the incumbent Regional Representative will remain in office until a new Regional Representative is elected at a Regional caucus to be held within ninety days of the last day of the Convention. The incumbent representative shall call said caucus and preside over it. Each Region's delegates may elect their representative by whatever manner they choose, provided all delegates present from that region are given equal voice in the selection.

==ARTICLE 11: NONE OF THE ABOVE==