Party Bylaws

ARTICLE I: General

A. Name: The name of this organization is “McLennan County Libertarian Party” or the “Libertarian Party of McLennan County, Texas”. (Hereinafter “McLennan LP”)

B. Purpose: The purpose of these Bylaws are to define goals, general membership, executive committee membership, officer election procedures, officer duties, and to provide guidelines for conducting regular meetings and conventions.

ARTICLE II: Goals

McLennan LP is organized in order to promote and implement the principles embodied in the Platform of the Libertarian Party and the Platform of the Libertarian Party of Texas. (Hereinafter “Platform”) In particular, McLennan LP organization shall work toward the following goals:

1. Recruit, nominate, promote, and support the election of Libertarian candidates to public office,
2. Perform the duties as specified in the Texas Election Code, and
3. Cooperate with the Libertarian Party of Texas and the national Libertarian Party in activities that support the goals of the Libertarian Party generally, and
4. Organize party meetings and conventions.

a. Precincts: McLennan LP shall assist and develop Libertarian Party (LP) Precincts in McLennan County Texas so they can organize and hold Precinct Conventions in election years to elect delegates to the County Convention and introduce resolutions to help shape the Platform.

b. Counties: McLennan LP shall organize and hold a County-wide Convention in election years to elect delegates to the State and District conventions, nominate candidates for County-wide races, and introduce resolutions to help shape the Platform.

c. Districts: McLennan LP shall work with adjacent counties and their LP leadership to organize District Conventions for those political Districts that overlap into their counties. The purpose of the District Conventions is to nominate candidates for specific District-wide races.

d. General Meetings: Between election-year conventions, McLennan LP may hold periodic meetings of the body to plan conventions, organize party functions and events, promote or assist candidates for office, and any other business of McLennan LP organization.

e. Executive Committee Meetings: Between election-year conventions and general meetings, the officers and executive committee of McLennan LP may hold periodic meetings in order to facilitate McLennan LP business or general administration of McLennan LP organization.

ARTICLE III: Membership

A. General Qualification

Members of McLennan LP shall have voting rights at all meetings of the general assembly (hereinafter, in part, “General Meetings”). Membership in McLennan LP is open to anyone who meets the following requirements:

1. Is a resident of McLennan County, Texas, and
2. Is a registered voter, and
3. Is affiliated with the Libertarian Party.

B. Affiliation

Affiliation with the Libertarian Party is certified through an Oath of Affiliation per Title 10 Chapter 162 of the Texas Election Code. The Oath may be administered by any Precinct Chair, County Chair, or McLennan LP officer. The Oath must be taken by all delegates prior to participation in any party convention, and may be taken by anyone who wishes to be a voting member of the McLennan LP body at any time. Any person wishing to become a voting member must be given an opportunity to take the oath prior to votes at any meeting.

For the purposes of political party conventions and primaries, the Oath of Affiliation survives and is binding for the duration of the current voting year in which the Oath was given and certified per Title 10 Chapter 162 of the Texas Election Code. The Oath of Affiliation must be renewed prior to participation in the party convention process for each convention cycle and voting year. A person is prohibited from participating in the convention, primary, or nominations process of a political party for which he or she is not affiliated in the current year, and only one party affiliation per year is allowed.

For the purposes of McLennan LP membership and voting rights at General Meetings, a Certificate of Affiliation once on record with McLennan LP Secretary shall be considered permanent until the next election year convention to convey membership unless the membership is terminated per section D below.

C. Non-discrimination

No person shall be denied membership in the organization on the basis of gender, ethnicity, sexual preference, religion, economic status, or any other reason not related to the qualifications listed above.

D. Removal

Members may be automatically removed from the official membership if:

1. The member sends written notice to the County Chair resigning membership, or
2. The member participates in the convention or primary election of a different political party, or
3. The member signs or gives an oath of affiliation to a different political party,

Members may be removed from the official membership upon a three-fourths (3/4) affirmative vote of the entire membership, a quorum being present.

E. Reinstatement

Members who have been previously removed from the membership either automatically or by a vote of the party may be reinstated after thirty (30) days if they qualify for membership under Article III of these bylaws and upon a majority vote of the General Assembly, a quorum being present. Officers or Executive Committee members who lost their position as a result of losing membership in the party are not automatically returned to their positions, even if those positions are vacant, but must be confirmed to those positions separately and per the normal process in Article IV of these bylaws.

ARTICLE IV: Governance

A. Executive Committee

McLennan LP shall form an Executive Committee for the purposes of general administration and governance of the organization. The Executive Committee shall be comprised of four (4) Officers plus three (3) at-large committee members for a total of seven (7) voting members. The four executive Offices are as follows from greatest to least in authority: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer.

B. Function of Officers

1. Chair: The Chair shall perform all statutorily required duties, call the meetings of the general assembly and the Executive Committee, preside over meetings, oversee all activities of McLennan LP, perform duties necessary to maintain the legal status of the local political party, and work with the Libertarian Party of Texas on any State party initiatives. The Chair may, at his or her discretion, break all ties in voting of the general assembly or the Executive Committee. Should an Executive Committee position be vacant, it is the role of the Chair to ensure the duties of any vacant positions are fulfilled. Failure to fulfill these duties shall result in removal from the position of Chair and the Executive Committee.

2. Vice Chair: The Vice Chair shall assist the Chair and call the meetings of the general assembly and the Executive Committee. In the case that the position of Chair is vacant, the Vice Chair shall be authorized to perform all the duties of the Chair until such time as a new Chair is elected to fill the vacancy. Should an Executive Committee position be vacant, it is the role of the Vice Chair to assist the Chair in fulfilling the duties of any vacant positions. Failure to fulfill these duties shall result in removal from the position of Vice Chair and the Executive Committee.

3. Secretary: The Secretary shall keep an accurate roll and record (minutes) of the proceedings of all official meetings and shall keep those records up to date and in order in a master file. The Secretary shall also keep an accurate list of the current Officers and Members of McLennan LP as well as their Certificates of Party Affiliation with dates of said affiliation as required by law and perform other duties assigned by Executive Committee. All documents shall be available to Members of the McLennan LP and must be provided within five (5) business days. Failure to comply with document requests within the prescribed time frame shall result in removal from the position of Secretary and removal from the Executive Committee. In the case of a vacancy of both the Chair and the Vice Chair, the Secretary shall be authorized to perform all the duties of the Chair until such time as a new Chair or Vice Chair is elected to fill the vacancy.

4. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall receive, hold, disburse, and account for McLennan LP funds under the direction of majority vote of the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall publicly account for McLennan LP funds upon request of any member not more than five (5) business days after the request. Failure to comply with financial requests within the prescribed time frame shall result in removal from the position of Treasurer and removal from the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall keep records up to date and in order in a master file on a monthly basis and perform other duties assigned by Executive Committee. In order to pay necessary bills and expenditures, checks may be signed by the Treasurer, or in the event that the Treasurer is not available, the Chair.

C. Function of At-Large Committee Members

At-large committee members shall attend Business Meetings and meetings of the Executive Committee, vote on questions before the Executive Committee, and perform other duties assigned by the Executive Committee.

D. Voting rights of Executive Committee and At-Large Committee Members

Any elected member of the Executive Committee and At-Large Committee shall have the right to call for a vote on any matter during an Executive Committee Meeting and General Business Meeting..

ARTICLE V: Election of Executive Committee

A. Regular Elections: Officers and At-large Committee Members shall be elected at McLennan LP convention by a three-fifths (3/5) vote of the members in attendance. Their terms shall begin immediately upon winning election and shall last until the next convention (special conventions excluded). Outgoing Officers shall have ten (10) business days to turn over all McLennan LP and Libertarian Party of Texas records, both paper and electronic, to the new Officers.

B. Special Elections: In the event of vacancies of Officers, a three-fifths (3/5) vote of the members in attendance may elect to fill the vacancies during any Business Meeting with a quorum being present. In the event of vacancies of the At-large Committee Members, a three-fifths (3/5) vote of the members in attendance may elect to fill the vacancies during any Business Meeting with a quorum being present. Notice must be given for all special elections not less than fourteen (14) days prior to a meeting.

C. Appointments: In the event that less than four (4) of the Executive Committee positions are currently filled, the County Chair may temporarily appoint County Officers (but not At-large members) at his or her discretion to fill any vacancies for a period of thirty (30) days, during which time a special election must be held. Appointed County Officers shall not have Executive Committee voting rights until they are elected at a Business Meeting.

D. Removal: Any Officer or Executive Committee member may be removed if that person no longer qualifies as a regular member of the McLennan LP per Article III of these bylaws, is recorded absent for three consecutive Executive Committee meetings, or by a four-fifths (4/5) affirmative vote of the members in attendance during any Business Meeting, a quorum being present. Notice must be given for all removal votes not less than fourteen (14) days prior to a meeting.

ARTICLE VI: Meetings

A. The Executive Committee shall meet at such times as required but at least one Business Meeting shall be held each quarter of the year. Executive Committee meetings shall be open in full to general members of McLennan LP.

B. General meetings shall be called by the County Chair or Vice Chair. Business Meetings of the Executive Committee or the General Assembly may be called by the County Chair or Vice Chair. In addition, Business Meetings of the General Assembly may be called by any McLennan LP member upon written petition of one-half (1/2) of the total membership to the Chair or Vice Chair 20 days or more before the desired meeting date. The purpose and order of business of the meeting shall be stated in the call of the meeting.

C. Notice of Business Meetings may be sent by postal mail, e-mail, website, or social media no later than 14 days prior to a called meeting. A minimum of two of the aforementioned methods, one being email to current members, must be used in giving notice of meetings. Notice of Executive Committee Meetings may be sent by postal mail, e-mail, website, or social media no later than 7 days prior to a called meeting. Notice of General Meetings may be sent by postal mail, e-mail, website, or social media no later than 7 days prior to a called meeting. The Chair may call an emergency Executive Committee Meeting at his or her discretion, however an emergency Executive Committee Meeting shall not count towards an absence.

D. A quorum for the conduct of business at any Business Meeting shall be 30% of the entire Voting Affiliate membership, that includes at least 1 CEC officer, shall constitute a quorum. For meetings of the Executive Committee, a quorum shall be not less than 50% of the total members of the Executive Committee plus one (1) member, counting the presiding Chair.

E. All meetings must be held at a physical location, with the exception of an emergency Executive Committee Meeting.

F. Voting shall be by personal attendance only. The method of Approval Voting shall be available for all votes by request of any member, with a choice of “None of the Above” given as an option. Results of all votes shall be publicly available.

ARTICLE VII: Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern all meetings and in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws, and applicable law.

ARTICLE VIII: Disbursement of Funds

Disbursement of McLennan LP funds may be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Committee OR 3/4 vote during a General Business Meeting.

ARTICLE IX: Amendment of Bylaws

A. Amendments to these Bylaws may be made by a four-fifths (4/5) vote of the members in attendance during any Business Meeting with a quorum being present. Public notice must be given of any amendments, and all current members must be notified of any proposed amendment through email.

B. Any person desiring to propose amendments to these Bylaws shall submit a written copy thereof to the Secretary not less than 14 days prior to a Business Meeting at which such proposed amendments shall be considered.

ARTICLE X: Severability

If any portion of these Bylaws is held to be invalid or void by court, the remaining portions shall remain in effect.