2024 Bylaws & Rules – Proposal 2: Moving Convention Procedure from Standing Rules to Bylaws
– Proposed by Evan McMahon
BOLD = NEW WORDS
STRIKE = REMOVED WORDS
CURRENT:
STANDING RULES
CHAPTER IV – ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING
Section 1. Order of Business. The order of business of the Annual Business Meeting shall be as follows. After the Call to Order, the first item of business is to credential and seat Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting. The second item of business is the reading and approval of the minutes of the first preceding Annual Business Meeting. The third item of business is to adopt rules for the Annual Business Meeting. The fourth item of business is to adopt an agenda for the Annual Business Meeting. The State Central Committee, or a committee appointed thereby, shall submit proposed rules and an agenda for initial consideration. The Delegates shall adopt rules and an agenda for the Annual Business Meeting by majority vote. The fifth item of business is the financial report by the State Central Committee, including a statement of the business conducted since the preceding Annual Business Meeting.
Section 2. Motions in Writing. All motions to amend the rules and/or the agenda proposed by the State Central Committee, to amend these bylaws, and/or to adopt or amend a platform shall be in writing, submitted to the Chairperson sixty (60) days prior to the beginning of the Annual Business Meeting.
All motions to amend the Standing Rules or bylaws shall be presented to the Bylaws Committee for any technical or conforming corrections. The Bylaws Committee shall present a written report to the SCC at least thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of the Annual Business Meeting. The report shall include all proposed and duly made motions, presented in the order in which the Committee feels the motions should be presented. Each motion may also include a summary of the motion, along with any further proposed amendments or concerns that were not addressed prior to the Annual Business Meeting. The SCC shall only be empowered to approve or amend the presentation order and summary of any proposed motion to amend the Standing Rules or bylaws and shall not prevent motions from being considered at the Annual Business Meeting. The written report from the Committee shall be made available for the membership’s review with other LPIN Annual Convention materials.
The Bylaws Committee shall serve a term of 1 year, with the term ending immediately following the Annual Business Meeting. The SCC shall appoint members to the Bylaws committee with a minimum of at least one LPIN officer, SCC board member, and one LPIN member.
Section 3. Membership Required. All Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting at the State Convention shall be Members of the LPIN for not less than twenty (20) continuous days as of the starting date of the State Convention and currently in good standing as of the starting date, subject to verification by the Credentials Committee, and must inhabit the counties for which County Organizations they serve as Delegate or Alternate Delegate. In case a Member of the LPIN inhabits more than one county, such Member shall choose one (1) county from which to serve as a Delegate or Alternate Delegate to the Annual Business Meeting, and no Member shall claim to inhabit more than one (1) county in the same ninety (90) day period.
Section 4. Selection of Delegates by County Organizations. Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting at the State Convention shall be selected by affiliated County Organizations according to their bylaws. Each affiliated County Organization shall be allocated one (1) Delegate for every ten (10) Members of the LPIN, or fraction thereof, who inhabit said county as of December 31st of the preceding year, plus one (1) Delegate for every thousand (1,000) votes cast, or fraction thereof, in said county for the Libertarian Party candidate in the last Secretary of State race. The Credentials Committee shall fill county Delegate vacancies with Members of the LPIN from said counties who have been appointed by the highest ranking county officer in attendance and are in attendance at the Annual Business Meeting, such approval by the Annual Business Meeting not to be unreasonably withheld. If an affiliated county cannot seat their allotted delegates from within their own county membership, they may seat an alternate from another affiliated county with that other county’s consent. The LPIN Officers, Directors, SCC Members, County Chairpersons, Temporary County Chairpersons, Libertarian Party National Committee Officers, LNC Regional Representatives, and LNC Regional Representative Alternates are automatically considered delegates, with voting and speaking privileges, and do not count against their home county’s delegate allocation.
Section 5. Selection of Other Delegates. Members of the LPIN attending the Annual Business Meeting from counties with no County Organization shall be allocated one (1) Delegate for every thousand (1,000) votes cast, or fraction thereof, in said county for the Libertarian Party candidate in the last Secretary of State race. Such members may submit to the Credentials Committee their request to be seated as Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting. The Credentials Committee shall bring the request to the full Annual Business Meeting during the meeting’s first item of business, approval of which should not be unreasonably withheld. After all Affiliated and Unaffiliated County Delegates have been seated, the Delegates may, by two/thirds vote, allow all properly submitted Alternate Delegates who have checked in and been verified by the Credentials Committee to be seated as full Delegates, provided they meet all other requirements.
Section 6. List of Delegates. At least two (2) weeks prior to the Annual Business Meeting, each Chairperson of an affiliated County Organization shall submit to the Credentials Committee of the State Central Committee a list of Delegates and Alternate Delegates who have been selected in accordance with the County Organization’s bylaws. The Credentials Committee shall be responsible for verifying the membership of each such delegate. No voting by proxy shall be permitted.
Section 7. Nomination of Candidates. The nominee for any race shall be chosen by majority vote. If no candidate has attained a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes and any candidates with less than 5% shall be struck from subsequent ballots. This procedure shall be repeated after every ballot in which no candidate has received a majority vote, until one candidate attains a majority. None of the above shall always be an option on these ballots. A completed Candidate Application form is required before any candidate will be considered for nomination by the Annual Business Meeting or the State Central Committee.
Section 8. Delegates to National Convention. In years when a national Libertarian Party convention is to be held, the Annual Business Meeting shall elect Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the national Libertarian Party convention. Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the national convention must be a current LPIN member and a Bylaws Sustaining Member (BSM) of the national Libertarian Party, and shall be elected in order of the number of votes they receive. Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the national convention of the Libertarian Party, not otherwise elected at the Annual Business Meeting, may be appointed at the national convention by the highest ranking Officer of the LPIN in attendance at the national convention.
Section 9. Remote Attendance. The State Central Committee may, by a ¾ vote, determine that any number of delegates, up to and including all delegates, may participate in the Annual Business Meeting by means of remote communication. Participation by remote communication in such cases shall constitute presence in person at the meeting for all purposes, including quorum and voting. During a full or partial virtual meeting, reasonable technology must be used to authenticate each delegate who attends.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE VI – CONVENTIONS AND MEETINGS
Section 1. State Convention. The LPIN shall hold a State Convention during March, April or May of each calendar year. The agenda and format of the annual business meeting will be conducted according to the standing rules.
Section 2. Annual Business Meeting. The State Convention will include the Annual Business Meeting. The Annual Business Meeting shall be used to elect Officers of the LPIN; nominate candidates; elect Delegates and Alternate Delegates to national Libertarian Party conventions; amend these bylaws; take action on matters placed on the meeting’s agenda; formulate policy; adopt or amend standing rules and platform planks; receive and/or act upon reports; report on the business affairs of the LPIN; and exercise all other lawful powers not specifically delegated to the Officers or the State Central Committee by these bylaws.
Section 3. Attendance and Participation. Attendance at the Annual Business Meeting is open to all and free of charge. The State Central Committee may charge a fee for other State Convention activities and services. Only Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting may speak and vote at the Annual Business Meeting.
Section 4. Notice. The dates of the State Convention and Annual Business Meeting shall be published no later than September 30th of the preceding year. The times, locations, proposed rules and the proposed agenda of the Annual Business Meeting and State Convention shall be published no later than forty-five (45) days before the Annual Business Meeting.
Section 5. Quorum. A quorum of the Annual Business Meeting at the State Convention shall be met with a minimum of (35) thirty-five seated delegates in attendance who represent a minimum of 10 different counties.
Section 6. Nomination of Candidates. The Annual Business Meeting shall nominate candidates for statewide offices, state legislative offices, U.S. Congressional offices, county prosecutor offices, county judicial offices, unaffiliated county offices, and any other office allowed under the law. Any candidate so nominated must be a current member of the Libertarian Party of Indiana as defined in Article III of these bylaws.
Section 7. Delegates to National Committees. When the LPIN is notified by the national Libertarian Party of entitlement to national Libertarian Party committee and subcommittee-delegates, the Chairperson shall cause their election at the Annual Business Meeting when possible. Nominations for each position will be taken from the floor and must be seconded. The Member of the LPIN receiving the highest number of Delegate votes in each race shall be selected as the committee delegate.
Section 8. Special Conventions and Special Business Meetings. Special Conventions and Special Business Meetings may be convened by the State Central Committee on its own initiative, or shall be convened by the State Central Committee upon written request or petition of over one-quarter (1/4) of all current Members of the LPIN. The State Central Committee shall provide notice of the dates, times, and location of Special Convention and Special Business Meetings to all Members of the LPIN at least fifteen (15) days prior to the events. Notice shall also set forth the subjects to be considered at such Special Conventions and Special Business Meetings. Such Special Conventions and Special Business Meetings shall otherwise be run in accordance with, and have the same authority as that set forth in, these bylaws for the annual State Convention and Annual Business Meeting.
PROPOSED AMEDNMENTS:
STANDING RULES
CHAPTER IV – ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING
Section 1. Order of Business. The order of business of the Annual Business Meeting shall be as follows. After the Call to Order, the first item of business is to credential and seat Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting. The second item of business is the reading and approval of the minutes of the first preceding Annual Business Meeting. The third item of business is to adopt rules for the Annual Business Meeting. The fourth item of business is to adopt an agenda for the Annual Business Meeting. The State Central Committee, or a committee appointed thereby, shall submit proposed rules and an agenda for initial consideration. The Delegates shall adopt rules and an agenda for the Annual Business Meeting by majority vote. The fifth item of business is the financial report by the State Central Committee, including a statement of the business conducted since the preceding Annual Business Meeting.
Section 2. Motions in Writing. All motions to amend the rules and/or the agenda proposed by the State Central Committee, to amend these bylaws, and/or to adopt or amend a platform shall be in writing, submitted to the Chairperson sixty (60) days prior to the beginning of the Annual Business Meeting.
All motions to amend the Standing Rules or bylaws shall be presented to the Bylaws Committee for any technical or conforming corrections. The Bylaws Committee shall present a written report to the SCC at least thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of the Annual Business Meeting. The report shall include all proposed and duly made motions, presented in the order in which the Committee feels the motions should be presented. Each motion may also include a summary of the motion, along with any further proposed amendments or concerns that were not addressed prior to the Annual Business Meeting. The SCC shall only be empowered to approve or amend the presentation order and summary of any proposed motion to amend the Standing Rules or bylaws and shall not prevent motions from being considered at the Annual Business Meeting. The written report from the Committee shall be made available for the membership’s review with other LPIN Annual Convention materials.
The Bylaws Committee shall serve a term of 1 year, with the term ending immediately following the Annual Business Meeting. The SCC shall appoint members to the Bylaws committee with a minimum of at least one LPIN officer, SCC board member, and one LPIN member.
Section 3. Membership Required. All Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting at the State Convention shall be Members of the LPIN for not less than twenty (20) continuous days as of the starting date of the State Convention and currently in good standing as of the starting date, subject to verification by the Credentials Committee, and must inhabit the counties for which County Organizations they serve as Delegate or Alternate Delegate. In case a Member of the LPIN inhabits more than one county, such Member shall choose one (1) county from which to serve as a Delegate or Alternate Delegate to the Annual Business Meeting, and no Member shall claim to inhabit more than one (1) county in the same ninety (90) day period.
Section 4. Selection of Delegates by County Organizations. Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting at the State Convention shall be selected by affiliated County Organizations according to their bylaws. Each affiliated County Organization shall be allocated one (1) Delegate for every ten (10) Members of the LPIN, or fraction thereof, who inhabit said county as of December 31st of the preceding year, plus one (1) Delegate for every thousand (1,000) votes cast, or fraction thereof, in said county for the Libertarian Party candidate in the last Secretary of State race. The Credentials Committee shall fill county Delegate vacancies with Members of the LPIN from said counties who have been appointed by the highest ranking county officer in attendance and are in attendance at the Annual Business Meeting, such approval by the Annual Business Meeting not to be unreasonably withheld. If an affiliated county cannot seat their allotted delegates from within their own county membership, they may seat an alternate from another affiliated county with that other county’s consent. The LPIN Officers, Directors, SCC Members, County Chairpersons, Temporary County Chairpersons, Libertarian Party National Committee Officers, LNC Regional Representatives, and LNC Regional Representative Alternates are automatically considered delegates, with voting and speaking privileges, and do not count against their home county’s delegate allocation.
Section 5. Selection of Other Delegates. Members of the LPIN attending the Annual Business Meeting from counties with no County Organization shall be allocated one (1) Delegate for every thousand (1,000) votes cast, or fraction thereof, in said county for the Libertarian Party candidate in the last Secretary of State race. Such members may submit to the Credentials Committee their request to be seated as Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting. The Credentials Committee shall bring the request to the full Annual Business Meeting during the meeting’s first item of business, approval of which should not be unreasonably withheld. After all Affiliated and Unaffiliated County Delegates have been seated, the Delegates may, by two/thirds vote, allow all properly submitted Alternate Delegates who have checked in and been verified by the Credentials Committee to be seated as full Delegates, provided they meet all other requirements.
Section 61. List of Delegates. At least two (2) weeks prior to the Annual Business Meeting, each Chairperson of an affiliated County Organization shall submit to the Credentials Committee of the State Central Committee a list of Delegates and Alternate Delegates who have been selected in accordance with the County Organization’s bylaws. The Credentials Committee shall be responsible for verifying the membership of each such delegate. No voting by proxy shall be permitted.
Section 7. Nomination of Candidates. The nominee for any race shall be chosen by majority vote. If no candidate has attained a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes and any candidates with less than 5% shall be struck from subsequent ballots. This procedure shall be repeated after every ballot in which no candidate has received a majority vote, until one candidate attains a majority. None of the above shall always be an option on these ballots. A completed Candidate Application form is required before any candidate will be considered for nomination by the Annual Business Meeting or the State Central Committee.
Section 8. Delegates to National Convention. In years when a national Libertarian Party convention is to be held, the Annual Business Meeting shall elect Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the national Libertarian Party convention. Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the national convention must be a current LPIN member and a Bylaws Sustaining Member (BSM) of the national Libertarian Party, and shall be elected in order of the number of votes they receive. Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the national convention of the Libertarian Party, not otherwise elected at the Annual Business Meeting, may be appointed at the national convention by the highest ranking Officer of the LPIN in attendance at the national convention.
Section 92. Remote Attendance. The State Central Committee may, by a ¾ vote, determine that any number of delegates, up to and including all delegates, may participate in the Annual Business Meeting by means of remote communication. Participation by remote communication in such cases shall constitute presence in person at the meeting for all purposes, including quorum and voting. During a full or partial virtual meeting, reasonable technology must be used to authenticate each delegate who attends.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE VI – CONVENTIONS AND MEETINGS
Section 1. State Convention. The LPIN shall hold a State Convention during March, April or May of each calendar year. The agenda and format of the annual business meeting will be conducted according to the standing rules these bylaws.
Section 2. Annual Business Meeting. The State Convention will include the Annual Business Meeting. The Annual Business Meeting shall be used to elect Officers of the LPIN; nominate candidates; elect Delegates and Alternate Delegates to national Libertarian Party conventions; amend these bylaws; take action on matters placed on the meeting’s agenda; formulate policy; adopt or amend standing rules and platform planks; receive and/or act upon reports; report on the business affairs of the LPIN; and exercise all other lawful powers not specifically delegated to the Officers or the State Central Committee by these bylaws.
Section 3. Notice. The dates of the State Convention and Annual Business Meeting shall be published no later than September 30th of the preceding year. The times, locations, proposed rules and the proposed agenda of the Annual Business Meeting and State Convention shall be published no later than forty-five (45) days before the Annual Business Meeting.
Section 4. Order of Business. The order of business of the Annual Business Meeting shall be as follows. After the Call to Order, the first item of business is to credential and seat Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting. The second item of business is the reading and approval of the minutes of the first preceding Annual Business Meeting. The third item of business is to adopt rules for the Annual Business Meeting. The fourth item of business is to adopt an agenda for the Annual Business Meeting. The State Central Committee, or a committee appointed thereby, shall submit proposed rules and an agenda for initial consideration. The Delegates shall adopt rules and an agenda for the Annual Business Meeting by majority vote. The fifth item of business is the financial report by the State Central Committee, including a statement of the business conducted since the preceding Annual Business Meeting.
Section 5. Quorum. A quorum of the Annual Business Meeting at the State Convention shall be met with a minimum of (35) thirty-five seated delegates in attendance who represent a minimum of 10 different counties.
Section 36. Attendance and Participation. Attendance at the Annual Business Meeting is open to all and free of charge. The State Central Committee may charge a fee for other State Convention activities and services. Only Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting may speak and vote at the Annual Business Meeting.
MOVED Section 4. Notice. The dates of the State Convention and Annual Business Meeting shall be published no later than September 30th of the preceding year. The times, locations, proposed rules and the proposed agenda of the Annual Business Meeting and State Convention shall be published no later than forty-five (45) days before the Annual Business Meeting.
MOVED Section 5. Quorum. A quorum of the Annual Business Meeting at the State Convention shall be met with a minimum of (35) thirty-five seated delegates in attendance who represent a minimum of 10 different counties.
Section 7. Membership Required. All Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting at the State Convention shall be Members of the LPIN for not less than twenty (20) continuous days as of the starting date of the State Convention and currently in good standing as of the starting date, subject to verification by the Credentials Committee, and must inhabit the counties for which County Organizations they serve as Delegate or Alternate Delegate. In case a Member of the LPIN inhabits more than one county, such Member shall choose one (1) county from which to serve as a Delegate or Alternate Delegate to the Annual Business Meeting, and no Member shall claim to inhabit more than one (1) county in the same ninety (90) day period.
Section 8. Selection of Delegates by County Organizations. Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting at the State Convention shall be selected by affiliated County Organizations according to their bylaws. Each affiliated County Organization shall be allocated one (1) Delegate for every ten (10) Members of the LPIN, or fraction thereof, who inhabit said county as of December 31st of the preceding year, plus one (1) Delegate for every thousand (1,000) votes cast, or fraction thereof, in said county for the Libertarian Party candidate in the last Secretary of State race. The Credentials Committee shall fill county Delegate vacancies with Members of the LPIN from said counties who have been appointed by the highest ranking county officer in attendance and are in attendance at the Annual Business Meeting, such approval by the Annual Business Meeting not to be unreasonably withheld. If an affiliated county cannot seat their allotted delegates from within their own county membership, they may seat an alternate from another affiliated county with that other county’s consent. The LPIN Officers, Directors, SCC Members, County Chairpersons, Temporary County Chairpersons, Libertarian Party National Committee Officers, LNC Regional Representatives, and LNC Regional Representative Alternates are automatically considered delegates, with voting and speaking privileges, and do not count against their home county’s delegate allocation.
Section 9. Selection of Other Delegates. Members of the LPIN attending the Annual Business Meeting from counties with no County Organization shall be allocated one (1) Delegate for every thousand (1,000) votes cast, or fraction thereof, in said county for the Libertarian Party candidate in the last Secretary of State race. Such members may submit to the Credentials Committee their request to be seated as Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting. The Credentials Committee shall bring the request to the full Annual Business Meeting during the meeting’s first item of business, approval of which should not be unreasonably withheld. After all Affiliated and Unaffiliated County Delegates have been seated, the Delegates may, by two/thirds vote, allow all properly submitted Alternate Delegates who have checked in and been verified by the Credentials Committee to be seated as full Delegates, provided they meet all other requirements.
Section 610. Nomination of Candidates. The Annual Business Meeting shall nominate candidates for statewide offices, state legislative offices, U.S. Congressional offices, county prosecutor offices, county judicial offices, unaffiliated county offices, and any other office allowed under the law. Any candidate so nominated must be a current member of the Libertarian Party of Indiana as defined in Article III of these bylaws.
The nominee for any race shall be chosen by majority vote. If no candidate has attained a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes and any candidates with less than 5% shall be struck from subsequent ballots. This procedure shall be repeated after every ballot in which no candidate has received a majority vote, until one candidate attains a majority. None Of The Above shall always be an option on these ballots. A completed Candidate Application form is required before any candidate will be considered for nomination by the Annual Business Meeting or the State Central Committee.
Section 7. Delegates to National Committees. When the LPIN is notified by the national Libertarian Party of entitlement to national Libertarian Party committee and subcommittee-delegates, the Chairperson shall cause their election at the Annual Business Meeting when possible. Nominations for each position will be taken from the floor and must be seconded. The Member of the LPIN receiving the highest number of Delegate votes in each race shall be selected as the committee delegate.
Section 11. Motions in Writing. All motions to amend the rules and/or the agenda proposed by the State Central Committee, to amend these bylaws, and/or to adopt or amend a platform shall be in writing, submitted to the Chairperson sixty (60) days prior to the beginning of the Annual Business Meeting.
All motions to amend the Standing Rules or bylaws shall be presented to the Bylaws Committee for any technical or conforming corrections. The Bylaws Committee shall present a written report to the SCC at least thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of the Annual Business Meeting. The report shall include all proposed and duly made motions, presented in the order in which the Committee feels the motions should be presented. Each motion may also include a summary of the motion, along with any further proposed amendments or concerns that were not addressed prior to the Annual Business Meeting. The SCC shall only be empowered to approve or amend the presentation order and summary of any proposed motion to amend the Standing Rules or bylaws and shall not prevent motions from being considered at the Annual Business Meeting. The written report from the Committee shall be made available for the membership’s review with other LPIN Annual Convention materials.
The Bylaws Committee shall serve a term of 1 year, with the term ending immediately following the Annual Business Meeting. The SCC shall appoint members to the Bylaws committee with a minimum of at least one LPIN officer, SCC board member, and one LPIN member.
Section 12. Delegates to National Convention. In years when a national Libertarian Party convention is to be held, the Annual Business Meeting shall elect Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the national Libertarian Party convention. Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the national convention must be a current LPIN member and a Bylaws Sustaining Member (BSM) of the national Libertarian Party, and shall be elected in order of the number of votes they receive. Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the national convention of the Libertarian Party, not otherwise elected at the Annual Business Meeting but having met all other requirements, may be appointed by the LPIN Chair to fill any vacancies after the close of the Annual Business Meeting.
Section 813. Special Conventions and Special Business Meetings. Special Conventions and Special Business Meetings may be convened by the State Central Committee on its own initiative, or shall be convened by the State Central Committee upon written request or petition of over one-quarter (1/4) of all current Members of the LPIN. The State Central Committee shall provide notice of the dates, times, and location of Special Convention and Special Business Meetings to all Members of the LPIN at least fifteen (15) days prior to the events. Notice shall also set forth the subjects to be considered at such Special Conventions and Special Business Meetings. Such Special Conventions and Special Business Meetings shall otherwise be run in accordance with, and have the same authority as that set forth in, these bylaws for the annual State Convention and Annual Business Meeting.
AS AMENDED:
STANDING RULES
CHAPTER IV – ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING
Section 1. List of Delegates. At least two (2) weeks prior to the Annual Business Meeting, each Chairperson of an affiliated County Organization shall submit to the Credentials Committee of the State Central Committee a list of Delegates and Alternate Delegates who have been selected in accordance with the County Organization’s bylaws. The Credentials Committee shall be responsible for verifying the membership of each such delegate. No voting by proxy shall be permitted.
Section 2. Remote Attendance. The State Central Committee may, by a ¾ vote, determine that any number of delegates, up to and including all delegates, may participate in the Annual Business Meeting by means of remote communication. Participation by remote communication in such cases shall constitute presence in person at the meeting for all purposes, including quorum and voting. During a full or partial virtual meeting, reasonable technology must be used to authenticate each delegate who attends.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE VI – CONVENTIONS AND MEETINGS
Section 1. State Convention. The LPIN shall hold a State Convention during March, April or May of each calendar year. The agenda and format of the annual business meeting will be conducted according to these bylaws.
Section 2. Annual Business Meeting. The State Convention will include the Annual Business Meeting. The Annual Business Meeting shall be used to elect Officers of the LPIN; nominate candidates; elect Delegates and Alternate Delegates to national Libertarian Party conventions; amend these bylaws; take action on matters placed on the meeting’s agenda; formulate policy; adopt or amend standing rules and platform planks; receive and/or act upon reports; report on the business affairs of the LPIN; and exercise all other lawful powers not specifically delegated to the Officers or the State Central Committee by these bylaws.
Section 3. Notice. The dates of the State Convention and Annual Business Meeting shall be published no later than September 30th of the preceding year. The times, locations, proposed rules and the proposed agenda of the Annual Business Meeting and State Convention shall be published no later than forty-five (45) days before the Annual Business Meeting.
Section 4. Order of Business. The order of business of the Annual Business Meeting shall be as follows. After the Call to Order, the first item of business is to credential and seat Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting. The second item of business is the reading and approval of the minutes of the first preceding Annual Business Meeting. The third item of business is to adopt rules for the Annual Business Meeting. The fourth item of business is to adopt an agenda for the Annual Business Meeting. The State Central Committee, or a committee appointed thereby, shall submit proposed rules and an agenda for initial consideration. The Delegates shall adopt rules and an agenda for the Annual Business Meeting by majority vote. The fifth item of business is the financial report by the State Central Committee, including a statement of the business conducted since the preceding Annual Business Meeting.
Section 5. Quorum. A quorum of the Annual Business Meeting at the State Convention shall be met with a minimum of (35) thirty-five seated delegates in attendance who represent a minimum of 10 different counties.
Section 6. Attendance and Participation. Attendance at the Annual Business Meeting is open to all and free of charge. The State Central Committee may charge a fee for other State Convention activities and services. Only Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting may speak and vote at the Annual Business Meeting.
Section 7. Membership Required. All Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting at the State Convention shall be Members of the LPIN for not less than twenty (20) continuous days as of the starting date of the State Convention and currently in good standing as of the starting date, subject to verification by the Credentials Committee, and must inhabit the counties for which County Organizations they serve as Delegate or Alternate Delegate. In case a Member of the LPIN inhabits more than one county, such Member shall choose one (1) county from which to serve as a Delegate or Alternate Delegate to the Annual Business Meeting, and no Member shall claim to inhabit more than one (1) county in the same ninety (90) day period.
Section 8. Selection of Delegates by County Organizations. Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting at the State Convention shall be selected by affiliated County Organizations according to their bylaws. Each affiliated County Organization shall be allocated one (1) Delegate for every ten (10) Members of the LPIN, or fraction thereof, who inhabit said county as of December 31st of the preceding year, plus one (1) Delegate for every thousand (1,000) votes cast, or fraction thereof, in said county for the Libertarian Party candidate in the last Secretary of State race. The Credentials Committee shall fill county Delegate vacancies with Members of the LPIN from said counties who have been appointed by the highest ranking county officer in attendance and are in attendance at the Annual Business Meeting, such approval by the Annual Business Meeting not to be unreasonably withheld. If an affiliated county cannot seat their allotted delegates from within their own county membership, they may seat an alternate from another affiliated county with that other county’s consent. The LPIN Officers, Directors, SCC Members, County Chairpersons, Temporary County Chairpersons, Libertarian Party National Committee Officers, LNC Regional Representatives, and LNC Regional Representative Alternates are automatically considered delegates, with voting and speaking privileges, and do not count against their home county’s delegate allocation.
Section 9. Selection of Other Delegates. Members of the LPIN attending the Annual Business Meeting from counties with no County Organization shall be allocated one (1) Delegate for every thousand (1,000) votes cast, or fraction thereof, in said county for the Libertarian Party candidate in the last Secretary of State race. Such members may submit to the Credentials Committee their request to be seated as Delegates to the Annual Business Meeting. The Credentials Committee shall bring the request to the full Annual Business Meeting during the meeting’s first item of business, approval of which should not be unreasonably withheld. After all Affiliated and Unaffiliated County Delegates have been seated, the Delegates may, by two/thirds vote, allow all properly submitted Alternate Delegates who have checked in and been verified by the Credentials Committee to be seated as full Delegates, provided they meet all other requirements.
Section 10. Nomination of Candidates. The Annual Business Meeting shall nominate candidates for statewide offices, state legislative offices, U.S. Congressional offices, county prosecutor offices, county judicial offices, unaffiliated county offices, and any other office allowed under the law. Any candidate so nominated must be a current member of the Libertarian Party of Indiana as defined in Article III of these bylaws.
The nominee for any race shall be chosen by majority vote. If no candidate has attained a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes and any candidates with less than 5% shall be struck from subsequent ballots. This procedure shall be repeated after every ballot in which no candidate has received a majority vote, until one candidate attains a majority. None Of The Above shall always be an option on these ballots. A completed Candidate Application form is required before any candidate will be considered for nomination by the Annual Business Meeting or the State Central Committee.
Section 11. Motions in Writing. All motions to amend the rules and/or the agenda proposed by the State Central Committee, to amend these bylaws, and/or to adopt or amend a platform shall be in writing, submitted to the Chairperson sixty (60) days prior to the beginning of the Annual Business Meeting.
All motions to amend the Standing Rules or bylaws shall be presented to the Bylaws Committee for any technical or conforming corrections. The Bylaws Committee shall present a written report to the SCC at least thirty (30) days prior to the beginning of the Annual Business Meeting. The report shall include all proposed and duly made motions, presented in the order in which the Committee feels the motions should be presented. Each motion may also include a summary of the motion, along with any further proposed amendments or concerns that were not addressed prior to the Annual Business Meeting. The SCC shall only be empowered to approve or amend the presentation order and summary of any proposed motion to amend the Standing Rules or bylaws and shall not prevent motions from being considered at the Annual Business Meeting. The written report from the Committee shall be made available for the membership’s review with other LPIN Annual Convention materials.
The Bylaws Committee shall serve a term of 1 year, with the term ending immediately following the Annual Business Meeting. The SCC shall appoint members to the Bylaws committee with a minimum of at least one LPIN officer, SCC board member, and one LPIN member.
Section 12. Delegates to National Convention. In years when a national Libertarian Party convention is to be held, the Annual Business Meeting shall elect Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the national Libertarian Party convention. Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the national convention must be a current LPIN member and a Bylaws Sustaining Member (BSM) of the national Libertarian Party, and shall be elected in order of the number of votes they receive. Delegates and Alternate Delegates to the national convention of the Libertarian Party, not otherwise elected at the Annual Business Meeting but having met all other requirements, may be appointed by the LPIN Chair to fill any vacancies after the close of the Annual Business Meeting.
Section 13. Special Conventions and Special Business Meetings. Special Conventions and Special Business Meetings may be convened by the State Central Committee on its own initiative, or shall be convened by the State Central Committee upon written request or petition of over one-quarter (1/4) of all current Members of the LPIN. The State Central Committee shall provide notice of the dates, times, and location of Special Convention and Special Business Meetings to all Members of the LPIN at least fifteen (15) days prior to the events. Notice shall also set forth the subjects to be considered at such Special Conventions and Special Business Meetings. Such Special Conventions and Special Business Meetings shall otherwise be run in accordance with, and have the same authority as that set forth in, these bylaws for the annual State Convention and Annual Business Meeting.
LPIN Bylaws Committee Report –
Summary:
This proposal moves any Standing Rules regarding convention rights and procedures to the appropriate place in the Bylaws. The author’s intent was to make it more difficult to change the convention procedure by the SCC before a convention begins. The Standing Rules can be changed relatively easily by the SCC, which provides flexibility, but leaves the potential for abuse.
Three minor changes were made along with the movement from Standing Rules to Bylaws. The first is the deletion of Bylaws Article VI Section 7 -Delegates to National Committees since this point is now moot as appointments to LNC committees must be made prior to the Annual Business Meeting.
The second is combining what were previously Standing Rules Chapter IV Section 7 and Bylaws Article VI Section 6, both regarding Nomination of Candidates, into the new Bylaws Article VI Section 10.
Third is clarification and update on what used to be Standing Rules Chapter IV Section 8, what would become the new Bylaws Article VI Section 12 on appointing delegates to the national convention. The current practice is that the LPIN chair fills vacancies to the national convention after the Business Meeting ends; it is impractical to wait until the national convention to do so. Proposed wording indicates that the LPIN can appoint delegates after the close of the annual business meeting only if the individuals meet all other requirements and clarifies that it can only be done to fill vacancies.
Notes:
The committee indicated that procedural matters are normally listed in Standing Rules, not Bylaws. The author understood but offered the reasoning listed in the summary about preventing manipulation from the SCC and noted that putting them in the Bylaws would also conform with how the LNC handles it.
The author’s original submission contained the first two changes listed in the summary, and the committee recommended the third change to limit the powers of the officer appointing delegates. The author agreed and further proposed the change about it being done by the chair after the Business Meeting to conform with current practice, rather than an officer at the national convention.