Party By-Laws
WilliamsonCounty Libertarian Party
Rules and Bylaws
As Adopted on April 23rd, 2018.
Table of Contents
Article
I.Name of the Organization 2
Article
II.Definitions for body of Williamson County Libertarian Party
By-laws 2
Article
III.Purpose of the Organization and Mission Statement 2
Section
IV.1Voting Membership Eligibility 4
(1.a)Is
a qualified Texas Voter 4
(1.b)Generally
supports the Party’s Statement of Principles 4
(1.c)Is
not affiliated with any other political party 4
(1.d)Resides
in Williamson County 4
Section
IV.2Voting Membership 4
Section
IV.3Termination of Voting Membership 4
(3.a)Ceases
to be eligible for Voting Membership under section 4.1 or 4
(3.b)Fails
to affiliate with the Party on the date of the next Precinct or
County Conventions. 4
Section
IV.4No Dues for Voting Members 4
Section
IV.6Membership in General 4
Section
IV.7Nondiscrimination 4
Section
V.1County Executive Committee 5
(1.a)The
County Executive Committee of the Party shall be composed of: 5
(1.f)Vacancies
and Removal from office for Absences 6
Article
VI.Executive Committee Business Meetings 7
Article
VII.County/Precinct Conventions 8
Article
VIII.Parliamentary Authority 8
Article I.Name of the Organization
The name
of this organization shall be the Williamson County Libertarian
Party, hereinafter referred to as the WCLP. The WCLP is an affiliate
of LPTexas.
Article II.Definitions for body of Williamson County Libertarian
Party By-laws
This
chapter and the definitions will apply to the entirety of the
Williamson County Libertarian Party By-laws unless explicitly stated
after the word in a comma limited definition.
Section II.1Large Precincts
The
four (4) precincts of Williamson County as drawn by the County
Commissioners and designated as the geographic boundaries for the
County Commissioner, Constable, and Justice of the Peace elections.
Large precincts should not be confused with the much smaller “voting
precinctsâ€.
Section II.2WCLPEC
Is
the Williamson County Libertarian Party Executive Committee as
defined by Artical V.
Article III.Purpose of the Organization and Mission Statement
The WCLP
is the official county party affiliate of LPTexas, and the national
Libertarian Party.
Our goal
is to move public policy in a Libertarian direction by electing
candidates to public office and advocating for Libertarian issues.
This means more respect for our natural rights as citizens, many of
which are listed in the Texas Constitution and the US Constitution.
This means a smaller government that is focused on protecting our
lives, liberty, and property without wasteful distraction. And this
also means more respect for our personal freedom and responsibility
to take care of ourselves, family, friends, and neighbors without
government interference.
The WCLP
also aims to create alliances with other organizations and work with
the citizens of Williamson County, but we do not officially endorse
candidates from other political parties.
Article IV.Membership
Section IV.1Voting Membership Eligibility
A
person is eligible to become a Voting Member of the Party if the
person:
(1.a)Is a qualified Texas Voter
(1.b)Generally supports the Party’s Statement of Principles
(1.c)Is not affiliated with any other political party
(1.d)Resides in Williamson County
Section IV.2Voting Membership
(2.a)During a voting year, on or after the date of the Precinct
Conventions, an eligible person may become a Voting Member by
affiliating with the Party.
(2.b)During any other period of time, an eligible person may become a
Voting Member by being accepted as a Voting Member by the State
Executive Committee, or by the Williamson County Executive Committee.
Section IV.3Termination of Voting Membership
A
person’s Voting Membership shall terminate if the person:
(3.a)Ceases
to be eligible for Voting Membership under section 4.1 or
(3.b)Fails
to affiliate with the Party on the date of the next Precinct or
County Conventions.
Section IV.4No Dues for Voting Members
Section IV.5No
dues shall be required for a person to become a Voting Member.Other
Classes of Members
The
Williamson County Executive Committee may create, eliminate or modify
other classes of Membership. Such classes may or may not require
Voting Membership and may or may not require payment of such
contributions or dues as the respective committee shall deem proper.
Such classes shall not grant any preference or privilege regarding
the strength of votes or the manner of voting, or in election or
appointment to office.
Section IV.6Membership in General
All
Voting Members, and all Members of other classes created by the State
or County Executive Committee, shall be considered Members of the
Party.
Section IV.7Nondiscrimination
No
eligible persons’ rights of Membership and participation shall
be denied or restricted.
Article V.Organization
Section V.1County Executive Committee
(1.a)The County Executive Committee of the Party shall be composed
of:
(1.a.i)A Chair
(1.a.ii)A Vice Chair
(1.a.iii)A Secretary
(1.a.iv)A Treasurer
(1.a.v)Two (2) Representatives from each of
Williamson county’s four (4) large (county commissioner)
precincts.
(1.b)Terms of Office
(1.b.i)The terms of office of all members of the
Committee shall be from the final adjournment of the County
Convention at which they are elected until the final adjournment of
the next County Convention.
(1.b.ii)The terms of Committee members appointed
after a regular convention shall expire at the final adjournment of
the next regular county convention.
(1.c)Eligibility
(1.c.i)Candidates for county officer positions
must have been a voting member for at least one year prior to
assuming office by either election or appointment, and legally reside
within the county.
(1.c.ii)Candidates for Precinct Representative
must be a voting member at the time of assuming office by either
election or appointment, and legally reside within the precinct.
(1.c.iii)No person shall hold more than one
Executive Committee office. An Officer may serve as a Precinct
Representative, but that officer’s vote shall not be counted
more than once.
(1.c.iv)If, during a county convention, no member
eligible for an officer position under these rules accepts nomination
for permanent chair, the convention chair may choose to open
nominations to any delegate to the county convention.
(1.d)Method of Selection
(1.d.i)The Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and
Treasurer shall be elected by a majority vote of all the delegates at
each regular County Convention by secret ballot.
(1.d.ii)The delegates present at each County
Convention from each large precinct shall meet and elect in large
precinct caucuses up to two representatives from large precinct.
(1.d.iii)If a large precinct caucus fails to
elect a Precinct Representative to the Committee, or should a large
precinct fail to be represented by delegates at the County
Convention, the office of Precinct Representative for that precinct
may be filled by the County Executive Committee.
(1.e)Duties
(1.e.i)The Chair shall be the principal and
presiding officer of the Committee and the chief executive officer of
the Party. The Chair of the WCLP shall issue an annual report of the
progress of the WCLP at the February meeting of the WCLP.
(1.e.ii)The Vice Chair shall be the Chief
Operating Officer of the Party, shall perform the duties of Chair
whenever the Chair is unable to do so, and shall assist the Chair.
(1.e.iii)The Secretary shall keep such minutes
and records as are necessary; shall conduct mail balloting; shall
give all notices required by these rules; shall maintain and certify
the official copies of the Rules and Platform; shall maintain a
roster of names, addresses and telephone numbers of members of the
County Executive Committee, of Precinct Chairs, and of candidates for
the Party’s nomination for public office; shall cause the
minutes or transcripts of meetings of the County Executive Committee
to be furnished to the members of the committee as specified in these
rules; and perform such other duties as the Chair directs.
(1.e.iv)The Treasurer shall be the Chief
Financial Officer of the Party, shall maintain Party bank accounts
and other financial assets, shall ensure that the County Executive
Committee is aware of the financial condition of the Party, shall
issue financial statements to the County Executive Committee at least
quarterly, shall ensure that Party funds are disbursed only according
to these rules and state or federal law, and shall perform all other
duties required of this office by applicable federal or state law, or
by action of the County Committee or by these bylaws.
(1.e.v)The Precinct Representatives shall
actively further the growth of the Party within their Precinct and
shall make all reasonable efforts to establish and promote local
Party organizations therein. The recruitment of “voting
precinct†chairs and the promotion of Libertarian candidates
and issues should be considered a high priority. Precinct
Representatives are encouraged to schedule regular Precinct meetings
in their area of responsibility.
(1.e.vi)All members of the Committee shall
further have all other authority and duties implied by their title
and expressed or implied by these bylaws, or assigned by the Chair or
the Committee.
(1.f)Vacancies and Removal from office for Absences
(1.f.i)Vacancies
1.f.i.1)Should a vacancy occur in the office of
Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, or District Representative,
the County Executive Committee shall elect a successor to fill the
vacancy for the remainder of the term.
1.f.i.2)If the office of the chair becomes
vacant, and the County Executive Committee does not meet for more
than three (3) consecutive months, the State Chair may appoint at
County Chair in accordance with State Party Rules.
(1.f.ii)Removal from office for absences
1.f.ii.1)If an officer to district representative
is absent from two consecutive regular business meetings of the
Committee, then at the call to order of the next subsequent meeting,
that position shall be declared vacant by the chair.
1.f.ii.2)Whenever the County Executive Committee
removes a member of the Committee, the Secretary shall officially
notify that member of their removal.
(1.f.iii)Removal from office
1.f.iii.1)A vote by two-thirds (2/3) of the
Executive Committee whereby the motion is to remove a particular
member.
1.f.iii.2)A motion of “no confidenceâ€
which can be made by any voting member of WCLP. Such a motion shall
supersede and take priority over all other motions on the floor at
such time with the exclusion of any points of order, points of
inquiry, and adjournment. If this motion receives two-thirds (2/3) of
the vote in favor of “no confidence,†from the WCLP body
of voting members, the Executive Committee member named in this
motion shall be removed from the WCLP Executive Committee.
1.f.iii.3)If a Committee member is determined by
the Executive Committee to no longer be a voting member or a legal
resident of the county for officers, or the precinct for
representatives, the Chair shall declare that position vacant.
(1.g)Subordinate Committees
(1.g.i)Establishment: The Executive Committee may
establish such committees as it deems appropriate to assist it in
carrying out its non-statutory duties and may appoint to such
committees persons who are not Officers of the County Executive
Committee.
(1.g.ii)Scope: No action of a subcommittee or of
any standing committee created by the County Executive Committee
shall replace or supersede the actions or authority of the County
Executive Committee at its subsequent meetings.
Section V.2
The
Executive Committee shall perform the duties prescribed by these
bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the WCLP,
exercising full authority over the affairs of the WCLP between the
regular Conventions.
Article VI.Executive Committee Business Meetings
Section VI.1
Regular business meetings of the
WCLP Executive Committee shall be held quarterly as scheduled by the
chairman indefinitely, unless otherwise ordered by the WCLP Executive
Committee. Special sessions of the Executive Committee may be
arranged if the Chair so decides, or if two-thirds (2/3) of the
Executive Committee submits a written request. As a courtesy, regular
meetings or special sessions will be held between the hours of 6 pm
and 10 pm on weekdays (Monday through Friday) or 11am to 9pm on
weekends.
Section VI.2
A quorum is required to hold an
Executive Committee Meeting and is achieved when a majority of the
Executive Committee is in attendance to the regular or special
meeting.
Section VI.3
WCLP Executive Committee meetings
shall be open to the public, but voting on items of the meeting shall
be limited to members of the WCLP Executive Committee (WCLPEC). If
someone outside the WCLPEC wishes to address the body of the WCLP at
a regular meeting the individual must first be recognized by a member
of the WCLPEC.
Section VI.4
An Executive Committee Member may
cast only one (1) vote on matters before the WCLP Executive
Committee. There is no vote by proxy.
Article VII.County/Precinct Conventions
Section VII.1
A regular County Convention of the
WCLP shall be held every general election voting year; this being
every two years.
Section VII.2
To qualify as a delegate in order to
participate in the regular WCLP county convention, one must reside in
Williamson County and be affiliated solely with the Libertarian Party
for the voting year in which the particular election is being held.
Section VII.3
The Secretary of the WCLP shall keep
a roster on file of the delegates that will include the delegate’s
name and address and this roster will be kept for two years. The
roster shall be final upon adjournment of the convention and
subsequent additions to this roster are not permitted.
Section VII.4
Events that would invalidate an
affiliation and address changes are required to be recorded and the
Secretary is responsible for making these changes on the roster once
notified of these changes.
Section VII.5
Election of delegates to district
conventions shall be voted upon by the County Convention.
Section VII.6
Primary delegates for state
conventions must be elected at the county convention.
Section VII.7
When alternate delegates are
allowed, alternates will be assigned a numerical order of precedence
for attendance to district and/or state conventions.
Section VII.8
A motion to adjourn a county
convention is out of order without the convention first voting to
select party officers to the county Executive Committee and primary
delegates for state and district conventions.
Article VIII.Parliamentary Authority
Section VIII.1
The preceding text creates the
bylaws of the WCLP organization and constitutes the rules of the
WCLP. All other matters are governed by the Texas LP.
Section VIII.2
For any rules not mentioned on any
pages of this document or the Rules published by the Texas LP, the
10th Edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall
have authority over the proceedings of the meetings held by the WCLP
and the WCLP Executive Committee.
Article IX.Amendment of WCLP Bylaws
Section IX.1
These bylaws of the WCLP stated in
this document are subject to amendment.
Section IX.2
Any proposed amendments shall be
made at a regular county convention or a special session of the WCLP
Executive Committee. In order for the WCLP bylaws to be successfully
amended, there must be a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote in favor of
the amendment in the convention/session by the WCLP Executive
Committee/members present respectively.
Section IX.3
To facilitate understanding of these
bylaws, amendments approved by the body shall be inserted directly
into the body of the document where appropriate. Minor punctuation
and spelling errors may be edited with a simple majority vote of the
County Executive Committee.
Section IX.4
The Secretary shall keep records of
all previous bylaws, and amendments made to bylaws for historical
purposes. The records shall be available to the public upon request.
Article X.Severability
If
any portion of these Bylaws is held to be invalid or void by court or
action of LPTexas, the remaining portions shall remain in
effect.