Green Party of the United States - National Committee Voting

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Proposal Details

Proposal ID	187
Proposal	National Committee Support of Steering Committee
Presenter	Illinois Green Party
Floor Manager	Steve Kramer
Phase	Closed
Discussion	10/13/2005 - 10/16/2005
Voting	10/17/2005 - 10/23/2005
Result	Adopted
Presens Quorum	32 0.6666
Consens Quorum	41 A Majority of Yes and No Votes

Background

As of September 11, 2005, the Steering Committee has been operating below
full strength, with no clear directive from the National Committee. Three
proposals - 170, 173, and 174 - which would have provided a solution based
on a specified rationale were all defeated by the National
Committee. Although a subsequent proposal has been introduced, there has
been no clear indication that it would be approved, and the Steering
Committee remains below full strength.

GPUS bylaws and rules specifically provide that the Steering Committee is
to declare a vacancy within its ranks when one exists. The Steering
Committee, by a 5-2-1 vote, determined that due to the failure of the three
aformentioned proposals, thereby leaving the fate of one seat
undertermined, and thereby continuing to leave the Steering Committee below
full strength, that they were bound by the bylaws to declare a vacancy.

It has been argued that this decision directly contradicts a prior decision
of the National Committee because of the NC vote against Proposal 174,
which called for the same action. However, Proposal 174 specifically
declared that a vacancy existed on the grounds that the originally reported
results from Tulsa, that the election did not fill all open seats, should
be accepted. The Steering Committee decision is not based on the same
argument, but is instead based on the reality that the National Committee
has been unable to vote to approve an alternative solution due to a
requirement of a 2/3 vote approval threshold, which has resulted in a
vacant steering committee seat.

Since the Steering Committee's decision to declare a vacancy, Steering
Committee members have been subjected to numerous attacks and even the
opening of impeachment proceedings. The rationale underlying the
impeachment proceedings appears to completely ignore the explanations given
by the Steering Committee for their decision to declare a vacancy, and
indeed, the proceedings appear to be entirely politically motivated.

The purpose of this proposal, therefore, is for the National Committee to
declare its support for its Steering Committee, to acknowledge the
properness of the Steering Committee action under the given circumstances,
and to call for the immediate withdrawal of impeachment filings.

Proposal

1. The GPUS National Committee declares a vote of confidence in its
democratically elected Steering Committee.

2. The GPUS National Committee affirms that the Steering Committee
decision to call for a vacancy in the seat of co-chair was conducted within
the context of existing bylaws and rules, and that this decision did not
overturn any previous decision of the National Committee, and that the
vacancy election should proceed as planned, unless the National Committee
approves a different course of action regarding the handling of the
Steering Committee seat in question.

3. The GPUS National Committee believes that the current impeachment
proceedings against Steering Committee members is ill-founded and without
merit and calls for the immediate withdrawal of all such complaints and charges.

Resources

None

References

Phil Huckelberry, phil@mcgreens.org

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