Platform-Related Bylaws & Convention Rules

Bylaws

ARTICLE 3: PURPOSES

The Party is organized to implement and give voice to the principles embodied in the Statement of Principles by: functioning as a libertarian political entity separate and distinct from all other political parties or movements; moving public policy in a libertarian direction by building a political party that elects Libertarians to public office; chartering affiliate parties throughout the United States and promoting their growth and activities; nominating candidates for President and Vice-President of the United States, and supporting Party and affiliate party candidates for political office; and, entering into public information activities.

ARTICLE 4: STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES AND PLATFORM

  1. The Statement of Principles affirms that philosophy upon which the Libertarian Party is founded, by which it shall be sustained, and through which liberty shall prevail. The enduring importance of the Statement of Principles requires that it may be amended only by a vote of 7/8 of all registered delegates at a Regular Convention.
  2. The Party Platform shall include, but not be limited to, the Statement of Principles and the implementation of those principles in the form of planks.

ARTICLE 6: AFFILIATE PARTIES

4. No affiliate party shall endorse any candidate who is a member of another party for public office in any partisan election. No affiliate party shall take any action inconsistent with the Statement of Principles or these Bylaws.
5. The autonomy of the affiliate parties shall not be abridged by the National Committee or any other committee of the Party, except as provided by these Bylaws.

ARTICLE 11: CONVENTIONS

7. Convention Committees:

There shall be a Platform Committee, a Bylaws and Rules Committee and a Credentials Committee for each Regular Convention. The National Committee shall appoint a temporary chair of each committee to serve until each committee selects its own chair.

  1. The Bylaws and Rules Committee shall consist of ten Party members appointed by the National Committee no later than three months before a Regular Convention. No more than five of these members shall be members of the current National Committee.
  2. The Platform Committee shall consist of 20 members selected as follows:
    • One member by each of the ten affiliate parties having the largest sustaining memberships as determined for Convention delegate allocations. These members shall be selected no later than the last day of the fifth month prior to the Regular Convention.
    • 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 the last day of the fifth month prior to the Regular Convention.
  3. The Credentials Committee, composed of ten members, shall be selected as follows:
    • Five members chosen by the National Committee.
    • One member by each of the five affiliate parties having the largest sustaining memberships as determined for Convention delegate allocations. These shall be selected by each of the affiliate parties no later than one month prior to the Regular Convention.
  4. Ranked alternates may be named by the appointing bodies to fill any vacancies in the Convention Committees.

ARTICLE 14: AMENDMENT

  1. These Bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the delegates at any Regular Convention.
  2. Article 4, Section 1, shall not be amended by a vote of less than 7/8 of all registered delegates at a Regular Convention.

Convention Rules

RULE 1: ORDER OF BUSINESS

The standing order of business for a Regular Convention shall be as follows:

  1. Call to order
  2. Credentials Committee report
  3. Adoption of agenda
  4. Deletion of planks from the previous platform
  5. Treasurer's report
  6. Bylaws and Rules Committee report
  7. Platform Committee report
  8. Nomination of Party candidates for President and Vice-President (in appropriate years)
  9. Election of Party Officers and at-large members of the National Committee
  10. Election of Judicial Committee
  11. Resolutions
  12. Other business

RULE 3: VOTING PROCEDURE AND MOTIONS

  1. On all matters, except the retention and final retention of platform planks, the election of Party Officers and at-large members of the National Committee, and the nomination of Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates, voting will be by voice vote. If 20 or more delegates object to the Chair's ruling on the outcome of a voice vote, a counted vote will be held.
  2. The Chair may require any motion offered from the Convention floor to be in writing, signed by the mover and submitted to the Secretary.

RULE 5: COMMITTEE PROCEDURES

  1. A majority vote of those 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.
  2. Four or more members of the Platform Committee may join together to issue a minority report regarding any plank reported to the floor of the Convention. Two or more members of the Bylaws and Rules Committee or of the Credentials Committee may join together to issue a minority report regarding their business.
  3. A member must be present in Committee to vote.
  4. More than 1/2 of the membership of each committee shall constitute a quorum.

RULE 7: DEBATING AND VOTING — PLATFORM

  1. The current Platform shall serve as the basis of all future platforms. At Regular Conventions, the existing Platform may be amended. Additional planks, or additions to planks, must be approved by 2/3 vote. A platform plank may be deleted by majority vote.
  2. After the adoption of the convention agenda, the convention will vote whether to delete planks from the existing platform. This will be accomplished as follows:
    1. The Credentials Committee shall issue five signature tokens to each delegate.
    2. Tokens shall only be issued to delegates. Delegates are responsible for transferring possession of unused tokens to their alternates if necessary.
    3. Each delegate may cast each token as a recommendation for deletion of one plank by noting on the token the plank to be deleted and signing the token.
    4. A delegate may cumulate recommendations by casting any number of tokens for deletion of the same plank.
    5. Delegates will be given until one hour prior to the scheduled start of the platform report to mark their tokens and deliver them to the Secretary.
    6. Prior to the scheduled start of the platform report, the Secretary shall review the tokens received and tabulate and report the tokens submitted for deletion of each plank.
    7. As its first item of platform business, the convention shall vote whether to delete each of those planks that received a number of tokens for deletion equal to 20% or more of the number of credentialed delegates. Such votes shall be cast without amendment or debate.
  3. The Platform Committee shall meet before each Regular Convention and prepare a report containing its recommendations. At the convention, the Platform Committee's recommendations shall be reported to the floor and debated and voted upon separately. The Platform Committee shall set forth the order in which each recommendation shall be considered.
  4. Recommendations for which there is no minority report shall be debated and voted upon in the following manner:
    1. The Platform Committee Chair, or some other person designated by him or her, shall read the proposed recommendation and shall have up to two minutes to explain the recommendation.
    2. The Convention Chair shall then open the recommendation to discussion and amendment for a period of 15 minutes. At the end of 15 minutes, a vote will be taken on whether to bring the recommendation (as amended, if this is the case) to a final vote. If a majority vote is in favor of immediate consideration, the vote to accept or reject the recommendation must follow immediately. If a majority vote is against immediate consideration, the proposed recommendation shall be tabled for later consideration after all other recommendations receiving a favorable majority vote from the Platform Committee have been considered.
  5. Recommendations for which there is a minority report shall be debated and voted upon in the following manner:
    1. Spokespersons for both the majority and minority positions shall each have two minutes to present their views.
    2. The Chair shall then open consideration of both positions for five minutes during which time any delegates may express their views without offering amendments. After five minutes, there will be a vote on which of the two reports shall be considered for purposes of adopting a recommendation. The report receiving the greater number of votes shall then be discussed and voted upon in the manner described in Section 4b.
  6. After all Committee recommendations have received initial consideration, any delegate may propose amendments to the Platform. The delegate may take up to two minutes to state and explain the proposal, with debating and voting to proceed as described in Section 4b.
  7. Finally, if time permits, proposals which were considered by the Platform Committee but which received an unfavorable vote from a majority of the Committee, may be considered, with a spokesperson for the minority position giving the reasons in favor and the Platform Committee Chair or other representative of the majority position giving the reasons why it was voted down, before the proposal is taken to the floor for debate.
  8. Challenges of adopted Party planks believed by 10% of the delegates to be in conflict with the Statement of Principles shall be referred in writing, during the Convention, to the Judicial Committee by the delegates requesting action for consideration. The challenge shall specify in what manner the plank is believed to be in conflict. The Judicial Committee shall consider the challenge, decide whether the Statement of Principles is conformed to and report their findings and reasons to the Convention. If the plank is vetoed by the Judicial Committee, it will be declared null and void but can be reinstated by a 3/4 vote of the Convention.

RULE 8: RESOLUTIONS

  1. Resolutions must be approved by a 2/3 vote.
  2. Resolutions must not be in conflict with the Statement of Principles. Challenges of such adopted Resolutions believed by 10% of the delegates to be in conflict with the Statement of Principles shall be referred in writing, during the Convention, to the Judicial Committee by the delegates requesting action for consideration. The challenge shall specify in what manner the Resolution is believed to be in conflict. The Judicial Committee shall consider the challenge, decide whether the Statement of Principles is conformed to, and report their findings and reasons to the Convention. If the Resolution is vetoed by the Judicial Committee, it will be declared null and void but can be reinstated by a 3/4 vote of the Convention.
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