Green Party of the United States - National Committee Voting

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Proposal Details

Proposal ID	741
Proposal	Bylaws Amendment - Steering Committee Eligibility
Presenter	Steering Committee
Floor Manager	Tamar Yager
Phase	Closed
Discussion	04/28/2014 - 05/18/2014
Voting	05/19/2014 - 05/25/2014
Result	Adopted
Presens Quorum	30 0.6666
Consens Quorum	40 0.6666 of Yes and No Votes

Background

Given the multiple responsibilities of the Steering Committee, it is in the interest of the GPUS to draw upon qualified candidates to select its members.

Current GPUS Bylaws 4-3.2 (http://www.gp.org/documents/bylaws.shtml#04-03) provide that current - and only current - GPUS National Committee delegates (but not alternates) are eligible to be elected as Steering Committee co-chairs.

While the number of appointed National Committee members is generally over 120, given the responsibilities and time commitment to serve on the Steering Committee, and given competing party responsibilities at all levels/and/or inexperience/and/or lack of interest of many National Committee members, the de facto group from within Steering Committee members are drawn, is actually a small subset of the National Committee at any one time.

The result has been a small number of candidates each year. Once elected, many Steering Committee members also don't finish their term, attend the meetings and/or do the work.

One of the principles behind the current bylaws requirement that Steering Committee members also be National Committee delegates at the time of nomination and election, is that they would be directly connected to, and experienced with, the body that elected them, to which they will have their primary obligations.

However, since the passage of proposal #126 in March 2005 (http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=126), and incorporated today in 4-3.2, "Once elected, National Committee membership is no longer a condition of serving until the end of the term" - meaning, ongoing National Committee membership is actually not an absolute to be on the Steering Committee.

Therefore, if ongoing National Committee membership is not an absolute to be on the Steering Committee, but experience as a National Committee delegate is, then this proposal would expand eligibility to include present and former National Committee delegates, because both groups have National Committee experience.

A second proposed expansion would be to expand eligibility to include National Committee current alternates as well as past and former delegates.

Article VIII "National Committee Size and Apportionment" of the GPUS Rules and Procedures defines (in 8-1.4) the number of alternates each state party or caucus may appoint. Article IX "National Committee Listserve Protocols and Politics governing the National Committee Votes list", gives equal access and participation rights to delegates and alternates
http://www.gp.org/rules-and-procedures-of-the-green-party-of-the-united-states#09

And perhaps most significantly, alternates may vote in National Committee votes.

Given these similar experiences in the decision-making process to those of delegates, an argument can be made on the basis of this consistency for also expanding eligibility to include National Committee alternates. However, in anticipation of potential concerns about the inclusion of alternates, as well as potential difficulties in verifying past alternates, this proposal would include current alternates, but not past alternates.

In summary, to increase the pool of eligible, experienced Greens for the Steering Committee, this proposal would expand the base to include present and past National Committee Delegates and Alternates.

In all cases, all Steering Committee members would be required to be subscribed to the National Committee Votes List while serving on the Steering Committee, as at present, so that regardless of when someone served on the National Committee, they would have a direct connection to the current National Committee through the Votes List .

Proposal

That GPUS Bylaws 4-3.2 be amended from its current language

4-3.2 To be eligible to be elected Co-chair, one must be a current member of the National Committee at the time of nomination and election. Once elected, National Committee membership is no longer a condition of serving until the end of the term. However, all Co-chairs must be subscribed to the National Committee Votes List while serving on the Steering Committee.

to read as follows:

4-3.2 To be eligible to be elected Co-chair, one must be a current or past delegate, or CURRENT alternate of the National Committee at the time of nomination and election. All Co-chairs must be subscribed to the National Committee Votes List while serving on the Steering Committee.

Resources

Implementation/Timeline: To be effective upon conclusion of vote, if approved.

References

GPUS Bylaws 4-3.2 http://www.gp.org/documents/bylaws.shtml#04-03

Questions about this system?
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The Green Party of the United States voting system is free software, licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
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