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

Section 1. The Party shall hold a Regular Convention every odd­ numbered year, at a time and place selected by the National Committee. Non-Regular Conventions may be held at the discre­ tion of the National Committee.

Section 2. Conventions held in odd-numbered years shall be designated Regular Conventions and held sometime during the period July through October of that year; those held in the even-numbered years shall be designated Non-Regular Conventions. All businesss required to be conducted at Regular Conventions shall be conducted at Regular Conventions only.

Section 3. At all Non-Regular Conventions, any person who wishes to attend may do so, and upon registering, any party member shall be a delegate.

Section 4. At all Regular Conventions, delegates shall be those so accredited who have registered at the Convention.

Section 5. Each affiliated party shall be entitled to send delegates to each Regular Convention on the following basis:

* one additional delegate from each affiliated party for each one quarter of one per cent (0.25%) (rounded) of the total national membership residing in that state, district or territory, as determined by the Secretary as of the last day of February of the Regular Convention year; plus

* one additional delegate from each affiliated party for each one per cent (1%) (rounded) of the total vote cast for President in that state or district which was received by the Party's most recent candidate for President.

In addition, the following persons shall automatically be entitled to delegate status: national officers, National Committee members, and all former Party nominees for the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of the United States, plus each state governor, U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator who is a Party member and not affiliated with any other party.

Section 6. In order to be counted for delegate allocation, membership applications must be sent to the National Headquarters by either the individual member or affiliated party and received or postmarked no later than the last day of February of the Regular Convention year. The Secretary shall make a count of members qualified under the requirements set forth here, and shall compute the delegate allocations for the affiliated parties. Notification of the membership totals and allocation totals shall be sent by the Secretary to the Chairperson of each affiliated party no later than April 1 of the year of the Regular Convention.

A list of the names and addresss of all delegates and alternates chosen by each affiliated party shall be sent to the Secretary no later than one month prior to the start (first general session) of the Regular Convention. Amendments to such lists may be made by the affiliated parties until the close of the Credentials Committee meeting preceding the Convention.

Section 7. Duly selected alternates may be freely substituted for any members of their delegation, except for those delegates referred to in the last sentence of Section 5 of this Article, who are temporarily or permanently absent from the floor, pro­ vided the procedure has been clearly specified by the affiliated party in advance of the convention, and the Secretary has been provided with lists of the affiliated party's delegates and alternates, as well as a copy of the affiliated party's rules governing substitutions.

Section 8. Delegates shall be required to be members of either the Party or an affiliate party.

Section 1. The Chair of the Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee and of the Platform Committee shall be the presiding officer of his or her respective Committee.

Section 2. A majority vote of those of the Committee members present is necessary for a "do-pass" recommendation, and in the case of the Platform Committee, a majority must approve each specific Plank separately.

Section 3. The Committees shall report their recommendations to the floor of the Convention in accordance with the Convention Rules.

Section 4. Four or more members of the Platform Committee may join together to issue a minority report regarding any plank to the floor of the convention. Two or more members of the Consti­ tution, Bylaws and Rules Committee or of the Credentials Commit­ tee may join together to issue a minority report regarding their business.

Section 5. A member must be present in Committee to vote.

Section 6. More than one-half of the membership of each Committee shall constitute a quorum.

There shall be a Platform Committee, a Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee, and a Credentials Committee for each Regular Convention. There shall be a standing Judicial Committee.

Section 1. The Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee shall consist of ten Party members appointed by the National Committee no later than three months before a Regular Convention.

Section 2. The Platform Committee shall consist of twenty members, selected as follows:

a. One member from each of ten affiliated parties having the largest memberships (as determined by the National Committee, according to Articles V and XII); these shall be selected by the ten respective parties no later than one month prior to the convention.

b. Ten members appointed by the National Committee, including no less than five members from states other than the ten having the largest party memberships; these members shall be appointed no later than three months prior to the Regular Convention.

If a vacancy shall occur on the Platform Committee, it may be filled by action of the body which originally chose the former occupant of the vacant seat; in the case of Platform Committee members chosen by affiliate parties, vacancies may be filled by a vote of the state's delegation to the Regular Convention, if necessary.

Section 3. A Credentials Committee, composed of ten members, shall be selected as follows:

a. Five members chosen by the National Committee.

b. One member from each of the five affiliated parties having the largest memberships (as determined according to Article VI); these shall be elected by the five respective parties no later than one month prior to the Convention.

Section 4. The Judicial Committee shall be appointed by and exclusive of the National Committee for the same term as the National Committee and shall be composed of nine members; any five members shall constitute a quorum. The National Committee shall designate a Chair, to whom all notice of appeals shall be sent.