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Official Eballot -
Make your rules #1 Election starts on 4/20/2006 and goes to 8/5/2006 Directions to Voters
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“eballot” ---------------------------------------
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and snip the above ballot----- and email to vvc@usparliament.org
Questionnaire Rules
Alternative
a
Keep
same rules in Charter, by Steven
Alternative
b
Jimmy’s system, the
alternative would be to implement the top questions, and to leave the #1
question blank, in a
“make your question #1”
promotion, as a recruiting tool.
All Rules
Phil’s Approved Rules (as of 4/15/2006)
1) How shall a quorum be measured? A sign-in poll to be completed bythe end of the meeting2) How many constitute a quorum? Participation is mandatory;followup calls will be made to absent members. Polls:3) How shall votes be conducted? Polls on this site, with runoffswhere needed.4) How shall runoffs be conducted? Drop lowest choice repeatedlyuntil only two remain.5) Shall NOTA (None of the above) be added to all multiple-choicepolls? Yes.6) Shall an "abstain" option be added to polls? Yes to all polls.7) Abstentions: What effect shall an abstentionbe considered to have?" has achieved the 13 votes for thechoice "Removal from question (i.e. reduces number of votes requiredto pass)"
Jimmy’s Best Rules “Lite”
1) HOW THE VOTE-COUNT WORKS: Majority Preference
Voting (MPV) for the rules and other single-winner elections. Everyone's vote
goes initially to his or her 1st choice. If no alternative has a majority, then
the alternative with fewest votes is eliminated, and each of its ballots goes
to voter’s next choice. This process of elimination & re-distribution
continues until 1 alternative has a majority of the ballots, 50% plus one or
more votes cast.
2) THE SAINTE-LAGUE parliamentary seat allocation. 1. Divide the election's
total number of votes cast by number of seats. This is the 1st quota. 2. Divide
this quota into each candidate's votes, and round off to the nearest whole
number. That's that candidate's seat allocation. 3. If, due to rounding, this
awards a number of seats different from the desired number seats, then adjust
the quota slightly up or down, till, when paragraph 2 is carried out, it will
award exactly all available seats.
3) ENDORSEMENT OF US PRESIDENT and US Vice
President in the national election, and Governor and Lt. Governor in state
elections, the Sainte-Lague parliamentary method as in rule #2 will be used,
where the number of seats being awarded is two. Additionally, the ruling
coalition may help guide a series of eliminations, such as endorsees
voluntarily standing down and other parliamentary maneuvers until at one
qualified candidate for each of the two posts is endorsed, the first one
receiving 33.33%, plus one vote, is Governor or President, the second receiving
33.33%, plus one vote, being Lt. Governor or Vice President, under the ranked
balloting.
* * *
Jimmy’s US Parliament Rules
Rules
1. VOTER MUST reside in the United States of America, or a US citizen residing outside the US. Violation of this or any other rule will automatically cause a spoiled ballot.
2. VOTER may vote only once during each USA Parliament (USP) election cycle. In cases where a second ballot is cast, only the latter of the two ballots will be counted.
3. BALLOT VERIFICATION requires only a name of the voter, or a witness when no name is used.
4. “EBALLOTS” are ballots cast via email. EBALLOTS must be sent to vvc@usparliament.org, a private email address used by the secretary and other observers, for receiving eballots. No reply email will be sent to voters who cast eballots, unless the voter indicates that he/she wishes to be self-appointed to the USP, or unless a question regarding verification is raised by a volunteer vote counter.
5. ARCHIVES of all records of every ballot cast since the USP was founded on August 5th, 1995 when recognized by the US Federal Elections Commission, are to be kept as proof in the USP’s archives.
6. COMPLETE NAME of the members, nominees and seconders will be used, as specified by the member, nominee and seconder, for each election (national, state, county and city), and will be made public and will be available through the USA Parliament's secretary's office. No person may nominate or second more than one person. Nominations and secondings mailed through US Mail or email, must be postmarked and received between February 1st and April 1st in each election cycle. Pacific Standard Time (PST) shall apply in all time-relevant cases on all elections. First and last names are preferred, however most submitted names requested will be permitted on the ballot (no titles). A nominee's name may appear on the ballot once, so fusion voting is not allowed.
7. NOMINEES' STATEMENTS for the "7th USA Parliament Election" must be post-marked and received before 4/15/2008. State, county and city parliament elections are not expected to include candidate statements. Late statements shall be included when possible.
8. SPACE FOR THREE OR MORE WRITE-IN choices must be provided on each ballot, in all elections.
9. BALLOTS MUST be post-marked and received between April 20th and August 5th. Any US resident, nominee and/or proxy may observe the counting of the ballots. Volunteer counters will conduct the vote counting.
10. STATE PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS will have the same rules and dates as the national parliament election, but will fall on even years between the US Presidential Election cycles every four years.
11. COUNTY PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS will have the same rules and dates as the national parliament election, but countywide activities will fall on odd years.
12. ALL NOMINEES and write-ins that win 1/100ths of the total votes cast may vote as a member of parliament (MP), or member of state parliament (MSP), or member of county parliament (MCP).
13. PARTY LEADER within the USP is a label for the highest ranked name categorized under each party. Party leaders are responsible for the distribution of all ballots and rules to the members of their party/category and lists.
14. CATEGORIZATION AND PARTY NAMES The first and most important criterion in determining the nominee's party/category is the nominee's requested party/category in USA Parliament matters. The second most important criterion in determining the nominee's party/category is determined by the nominee's state's records, as written by the member while registering to vote. Appointed members may be categorized with any party/category that they wish, but the party/category of all members must be the true one. Elected members may decide to change or switch their party/categorization at any time. Members automatically qualify for the ballot in the next election cycle under the party/category of their choice The third most important criterion for determining the nominee's party/category will be set by the party/category of the person who the nominee voted for Taoiseach.
15. PAPER BALLOTS must be mailed to USA PAR, PO Box 970, Paradise, California, 95967. Choices marked on paper ballots are guaranteed to be confidential.
16. FOR SINGLE-WINNER ELECTIONS, such as election of a secretary and Prime Minister or Taoiseach, treasurer and judges, the single-transferable vote system (STV, Droop) will be used through preference voting.
17. TIE VOTES will be broken by calling new elections.
18. VOTES OF CONFIDENCE for the PM or Taoiseach and/or secretary and/or rules, may be taken at any time, by any member of the USA Parliament, and subsidiary parliaments.
19. MINISTERS The USA Parliament's national committee shall also consist of "Cabinet Ministers" who shall be appointed by consensus agreement between the elected Prime Minister(s) and the elected Secretary(s).
20. RESIGNATIONS. When any elected stands down, resigns, retires, or dies - the single-transfer of 1st preference votes from the voters' ballots that had elected the departing member, will be used to elect the 2nd preferred choice on the same voters' ballots (STV) for every election.
21. UNMARKED BALLOTS AND EBALLOTS may be reproduced, copied, re-type set or reduced for distribution. Each ballot must include all nominees' correct party affiliation (or lack of), a detachable voter registration form (paper ballots only), USA Parliament contact information, and initiative(s) of the ballot maintained by the USP’s elected secretary(s). All ballots released to the public from the USA Parliament's elected secretary shall count as a legitimate ballot, even after the ballot had been updated to reflect party switching, withdrawal or any other corrected errors and changes.
22. CONFIDENTIALITY OF CHOICES made by all voters is guaranteed by the elected parliament secretary, except on eballots
23. ELECTION OF THE USA PARLIAMENT will be based on the Sainte-Lague party list system (STV, Hare) through preference voting (PrV) or instant runoff voting (IRV).
24. ORDER OF NOMINEES on the ballot of the USA Parliament ballot, and of all subsidiary parliament and their ballots, will be determined by the results caused by the voters’ ranking of the nominees on the ballots. Ties will be broken through alphabetizing the names. New nominees will be placed on the ballot in the order that they were nominated, below higher ranked elected members. Seconds do not apply to the order of placement on the ballot, only the date of the original nomination. If elected members switch party/categories at any time, they will be placed in the new party/category below all other nominees already listed. Parties and categories will be listed on the ballot in alphabetical order.
25. THESE RULES will not change once approved by majority vote by the 7th USA Parliament. These rules shall apply to the 7th USA Parliament's Election, and the subsidiary state, and county parliaments' elections, unless they are voted down by a majority vote of the 7th USA Parliament's voting MPs before release of the ballot for the "7th USA Parliament Election" on 4/20/2008
26. NO PERSON MAY BE CENSORED, and no limits may be placed on free speech by/of any other person or nominee, including USA Parliament elected members and staff, at any time. Party/category's names may not be used in such a way that mimics or libels names of other party/categories or individuals. Those that refuse to comply, by continuing to libel others through their choice of party name, will be categorized as members of the Anarchist Party.
27. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY shall include overseeing the communication link between members. The secretary shall approve the verification methods that are used for internal and external parliamentary voting, to call for new elections when ties occur, and to oversee convening and recessing of each parliament assembly.
28. THE TRIPLE PRIME MINISTER/DUAL SECRETARY SYSTEM will be implemented in the 7th USA Parliament, and executive decisions will be made by the five, in a majority rule vote, or at least 3/5ths. Only three of the five executive members are needed to implement actions by the executive. Rule 30 will be the voting system used for election of the three prime ministers and the two secretaries, with three and two being the desired number of seats to be filled.
29. HOW THE VOTE-COUNT WORKS: Majority Preference Voting (MPV) for the rules and other single-winner elections. Everyone's vote goes initially to his or her 1st choice. If no alternative has a majority, then the alternative with fewest votes is eliminated, and each of its ballots goes to voter’s next choice. This process of elimination & re-distribution continues until 1 alternative has a majority of the ballots.
30. THE SAINTE-LAGUE seat allocation for the USA Parliament. 1. Divide the election's total number of votes by 100 (number of seats). This is the 1st quota. 2. Divide this quota into each candidate's votes, and round off to the nearest whole number. That's that candidate's seat allocation. 3. If, due to rounding, this awards a number of seats different from the desired number of 100 seats, then adjust the quota slightly up or down, till, when paragraph 2 is carried out, it will award exactly 100 seats.
31. ENDORSEMENT OF US
PRESIDENT US and Vice President in the national election, and Governor and Lt.
Governor in state elections, the Sainte-Lague method as in rule #30 will be
used, where the number of seats being awarded is two. Additionally,
the ruling coalition may help guide a series of eliminations, such as endorsees
voluntarily standing down and other parliamentary maneuvers until at one
qualified candidate for each of the two posts is endorsed, the first one
receiving 33.33% plus one vote is Governor or President, the second receiving
33.33% plus one vote being Lt. Governor or Vice President, under the ranked
balloting.
* * *
Steven’s We the People
Coalition Rules
This Charter was unanimously ratified by the 900 plus general membership of the WTPC Yahoo group at 12:01 A.M. Eastern Standard Time on January 9, 2006
PREAMBLE
Article I - Our Vision
Article II - Our Mission
Article III - Definitions
Article IV - The General Membership
Article V - The Assembly of Affiliates (AoA)
Article VI - Board of Directors (BoD)
Article VII - Council of Arbitrators
Article VIII - Advisory Board
Article IX - Communications Committee
Article X - Independents Chapters
Article XI - Impeachment and Removal Procedures
Article XII - The Questionnaire
Article XIII - Terms of Coalition
Article XIV - Amendments
PREAMBLE
We, the People of the United States of America, do hereby call for all Patriots of America to set aside minor and major differences of opinion and work together for the common good of our Nation. There is no doubt in our minds that the stewardship of these United States no longer belongs to its people, but rather to corruption. The problems that we currently face will only get worse if we do not stop them. It is now that we are calling together, with all of our strength, voice and might, all of those willing to stand with us and realize what the Founders of America once dreamed.
Article
I - Our Vision:
1.1 We envision a US Citizenry enjoying renewed greatness as a nation,
resulting from our return to first principles as contained in our Declaration
of Independence and in our written Constitution. A United States nation that
has Restored Lawful Government, Reestablished Justice, Restored Domestic
Tranquility, and that is Providing for the Common Defense, Promoting the
General Welfare, and Securing Blessings of Liberty for Ourselves and our
Posterity.
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Article
II - Our Mission:
2.1 The Mission of the We the People Coalition (hereafter referred to
as WTPC) is to bring together the fragmented Independents, groups and Parties
who stand in opposition to the two-party system into a Coalition working
together for mutual benefit. We believe that there is room for more than two
influential Parties in politics in the USA, and will work together to insure
that all our voices are heard. We also aim to foster cooperation among
freedom-oriented, non-incumbent ("third") parties, Independents and
to motivate existing parties to
cooperate on any and all issues that are identified as being of common
interest in each party platform.
2.2
Our Goals:
A. To replace incumbent Republicans and Democrats with 'third'
Party and Independent Candidates who generally accept or agree with our
Principles, as expressed on the WTPC web pages at
http://www.WeThePeopleCoalition.org/Principles.html . The candidates responses to
the questions in the WTPC Candidate Endorsement Questionnaire, along with any
general statements they wish to include, will determine where they stand on
these Principles. Complete agreement with all the questions posed is not
realistic, of course, but a 'weighted' evaluation by the Board of Examiners
will rely heavily on the answers submitted.
B. To motivate existing parties to cooperate on any and all issues
identified as being of common interest in each party platform.
C. To reform election laws and neutralize the current two-party system
in which a vote for either Republicans or Democrats is tantamount to a vote for
the lesser of two evils.
D. To promote Third Party Electoral Reform, such as clean elections,
fair campaign laws, and fair ballot and media access, so that non-incumbent
parties can more effectively compete in elections; to coordinate efforts
between them to promote non-competition and to eliminate divisive issues from
their respective platforms, so that all freedom-oriented party platforms focus
on the following core scope: To return government to its Constitutional limits
resulting in restoring liberty and justice for all regardless of race, creed or
color.
2.3 Our plan:
We
propose to screen local, state, and national candidates who apply for our
endorsement on the basis of their answers to a Questionnaire developed by the
WTPC. Independent and alternative party candidates and those whose political
views are consistent with those of WTPC will receive our endorsement. By
combining individual initiatives through the collective might of a coalition
united in purpose, we can generate together a wave of enthusiasm and support
for this endeavor that will soon sweep the country. We know that this plan will
grow into something powerful, and hope to end the stagnation that has gone on
under the "two-party system".
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Article
III - Definitions:
3.1 AoA: Association of Affiliates.
3.2 BoD: Board of Directors.
3.3 CoA: Council of Arbitrators will be the "Supreme Court" and have the authority to settle disputes among member parties.
3.4 AB: Advisory Board
3.5 Party: A "Party", as used in this document, is understood to mean an organized group of individual American citizens of voting age, joined together politically under a common Platform of issues (`planks'), with stated aims/goals/purposes/Principles, all in writing; they may or may not be recognized as a political Party by the State Secretary of State where they are organized, but if they claim to be such (a political Party), then for the purposes of this Coalition, they are.
Article
IV - The General Membership
4.1 Who may become a member: Anyone who is not a Republican or a
Democrat or who does not belong to a party that advocates the violent overthrow
of our government may become a member of the WTPC. Anyone who
is not a Republican or a Democrat or who does not belong to a party that
advocates the violent overthrow of our government may become a member of the
WTPC.
4.2 Who is a WTPC general member: ALL members of the WTPC, including the Assembly of Affiliates, Board of Directors, Board of Arbitrators or any other officers who consider themselves to be Independents or third party members
4.3
How an Individual joins the WTPC:
A. Via the WTPC Website
B. By joining the main WTPC Yahoo group or
C. By joining a state WTPC Yahoo group or
D. By joining an Independents Yahoo Groups or
E. By joining the We The People Coalition EZBoard forums
F. By sending a letter or post card to the WTPC mailing address.
4.4
How a political state or national party joins the WTPC:
Any Party wishing to join the Coalition must understand, agree to, and
sign the terms of Coalition. (See Article XIII)
A. An email to the one or more of the following email addresses would
suffice:
Secretary@WeThePeopleCoalition.org
Webmaster@WeThePeopleCoalition.org
WeThePeopleCoalition-owner@yahoogroups.com
B. By joining the group and posting to the list:
WeThePeopleCoalition@yahoogroups.com/group/WeThePeopleCoalition
C. By sending a letter or post card to the WTPC mailing address.
4.5
No new political party created after November 24th 2005 may
become a member party of this coalition (This is to prevent one person/one
web page Internet "parties" Chairs from being added to the WTPC Board
of Directors).
Article V - The Assembly of Affiliates (AoA):
5.1
Who is a member?:
A. All national party Chairs
B. All state party Chairs and one delegate per state party Chair.
C. All Independents Chapter Chairs and one delegate per
Independents Chapter Chair (delegates are also the Chairs' nominees to
the BoD).
D. One county party Chair and one delegate per state party until their
state party joins the WTPC (delegates are also the Chairs' nominees to the
BoD).
5.2
Duties:
A. Promote the WTPC vision and seek out Candidates.
B. Ratify any amendments to the WTPC charter and by-laws they are in
agreement with.
C. Monitor the BoD activities and ensure that the BoD stays true to the
Mission and Vision of the WTPC.
D. Develop strategies for the WTPC to achieve it's goals
E. Hold Yearly Summits of the Coalition Affiliates and Partners.
F. Report ideas and requests formally to the BoD.
G. Implement Action Plans as delegated by the BoD.
5.3 Authority:
A. The AoA is the voice of the member parties and independents.
B. Is over the Board of Directors (as we the people are above the
government)
5.4 Limitations:
A. Only state party chairs may work on the development of or contribute
to the WTPC Endorsement Questionnaire.
B. AoA decisions must be made be a 80% majority.
5.5 Term limits:
A. As long as they are chairs of their parties or chapters. Chairs may
change their own delegates at any time without notice, but must do so in
writing to the BoD.
B. Independent Chapter Chairs will serve 2 year terms. They may be eligible
again after a term passes, but cannot serve consecutive terms.
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Article
VI - Board of Directors (BoD):
6.1 Membership:
A. 80% consists of two members from each national party and three
Independents.
B. 20% consists of members nominated and elected by the general
membership whose state or party must not be a member of the WTPC.
6.2 Method of BoD selection:
A. Method of selecting from the state parties:
1. All party chairs will make available to all other party chairs
within their national party a list of nominees to the BoD as well as the
nominees' qualifications, bio, resume (yet to be determined info). (why they
are the best for the job) The nominees may be from their own state party or
another state party of the same national party or both but must be from state
parties who are WTPC members unless the national party is a WTPC member party
then they may chose anyone within the party. The nominees may include the
chairperson him/her self, members of his/her state party, members or chairs of
other state parties and/or the national party chair.
2. All state party Chairs vote for two members of all the nominees.
He/she may only vote for one from his/her own state party but may vote for two
from other states and even two from the same state if he/she/ chooses to. A
chairperson may vote for him/her self instead of another nominee from his/her
state but must vote for one nominee from another state OR vote for the national
party chair, IF the national party chair wants to be on the BoD
3. National party Chairs may also present a list of nominees and
participate in the voting process if they are not also state party Chairs. They
may nominate whoever they choose in their national party or themselves and must
vote for at least one nominee from a state in which he does not reside.
4. The two nominees receiving the highest number of votes shall be on
the BoD representing their respective national parties.
5. State party chairs are free to consult with each other and try to
find some unanimous consensus on which two members to members should represent
their national party on the WTPC BoD (keeping in mind that these two members
should be the best activists they have and are best suited for directing the
WTPC in it's mission and toward it's goals). If consensus is not reached by the
state party chairs then vote, according to the method described above. Those
two state party candidates receiving the two highest number of votes are
elected to the BoD. The national party Chairs also may present a
list of nominees and vote if he/she is not also a state party chair.
6. The WTPC election process for BoD members NOT elected by the general membership will begin the Monday following the US Presidential elections (every four years) in November and be completed by the following Monday.
7. The WTPC election process for BoD members who ARE elected by the general membership will begin as soon as it has been determined how many will be elected by the general membership, which will be equal to 20% of the number elected by the state party Chairs plus the two Independents.
A poll will be taken on the last Monday in November of Presidential election years and run for one week. Voters may vote for more than one nominee. The nominees receiving the highest number of votes equal to 20% of the BoD members elected by the state party Chairs shall be on the WTPC Board of Directors. The days and duration of the polls may be determined by the first BoD and changed by Amendment. Nominees may be presented immediately following the US Presidential election. Any debating between nominees may also begin immediately after the election. Voters may vote for more than one nominee.
B.
Method of selecting from among the state Independents chapters:
1. All state Independents chapter Chairs nominate two members from the
state Independents chapters OR him/her self (the state Independents chair) AND
nominate one member from one other state Independents chapters OR the national
Independents chapter Chair (if there is one) if he/she desires to be on the BoD
and another Independent delegate from the Assembly of Affiliates.
2. The two nominees receiving the two highest number of votes shall be
on the BoD representing the Independents. (one other Independent, who is part
of the 20% elected by the general membership will be the tie breaker since
there will always be an even number of party members on the BoD)
3. A national Independent chapter chair may participate in the
nomination and election process same as a national party chair National Chairs
of Independent chapters (If any) may also present a list of nominees and
participate in the voting process if they are not also state Independent
chapter Chairs. They may nominate whoever they choose among all independents or
themselves and must vote for at least one nominee from a state in which he does
not reside.
C. Method of selecting the BoD from among the general membership:
1. An equal number to 20% of those elected to the BoD consisting of
state (or national) and Independents chapters Chairs shall be elected by the
general membership via the main WTPC Yahoo group polls. Anyone considering
themselves to be a WTPC member may nominate or vote for anyone who is NOT a
member of a Party that is a member of the AoA.
2. Any members from the general membership who would desire to be on
the BoD or are nominated to be on the BoD, must meet the following
qualifications:
a. They must gather 12 signatures from the WTPC general membership and
present them before a certain deadline.
b. Must not belong to a party that advocates the violent overthrow of
our government or that promotes racism. (Communists, neo-nazis, KKK)
c. Independent nominees must be registered as Independents
d. All other nominees must be registered to a party that is not a WTPC
Member party.
3. After two weeks of debating and hearing recommendations from other
members, a poll will be conducted and the candidates receiving the highest
number of votes, up unto 20% of those elected to the BoD of the Parties and
Independents chapters. (the BoD members from the parties and Independents
obviously must be elected at least a few days prior to this poll)
4. The WTPC election process will begin the Monday following the US Presidential elections (every four years) in November and be completed by the end of November.
6.3
Duties:
A. Coordinating ALL WTPC Activities, especially in regard to finding
candidates for WTPC endorsement.
B. Receive feedback and ideas from the AoA.
C. Arranging "Round Table" meetings for state party leaders
D. Working together with other organizations for election
related reforms.
E. Create Action Plans to implement decisions, based on feedback and
ideas from the AoA.
F. Delegate Action Plans to the AoA for implementation.
G. Track and monitor Action Plan implementation.
H. Select and oversee Newsletter Committee to distribute a Newsletter
to members, and the general public.
6.4 Authority:
A. The BoD is the supreme governing body of the WTPC
B. Is under the authority of the Assembly of Affiliates who may by a
80% majority vote (of those who do vote) remove any BoD member if the BoD
doesn't remove that member by what ever method they decide.
C. BoD has the decision making ability, and will be monitored by the
AoA.
6.5 Limitations:
A. Must direct the WTPC in accordance with the mission and goals of the
WTPC Charter.
B. Must Use the AoA as the means of accomplishing the Action Plans that
the BoD develops.
6.6 Term of Office:
Two years this first time and 4 years thereafter starting November
2007, after the presidential election and every following US presidential election
on such date as the 1st WTPC BoD shall determine.
6.6.a.
Term Limits:
1. Party Chairs will term limits will be decided by the Parties
themselves.
2. Independents will serve 4 year terms, and may be eligible to serve
again after two years have passed, if positions become available.
6.7 Meetings:
Meetings
of the Board of Directors shall be held at such places, and at such times
as the Board may determine. Anything regarding meetings will be decided
by the first BoD and entered into the charter by amendment without need for
ratification by the assembly but no alterations may be made to the Charter by
the first BoD unless they are elected in 2007 and then any amendments must be
ratified by the Assembly of Affiliates as prescribed in Article 14.
6.8 Resignation:
Any
director may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Board
of Directors. Any such resignation is effective when the notice is
delivered, unless the notice specifies a later effective date.
6.9 Vacancies: In case of any vacancy in the Board of Directors.
a.
If the member was elected by the general membership then a new election will be
held to fill the vacancy in the manner described in the method of selecting
members via the polls in Article 6. 2.C
b. If the member was of a party elected by the state party chairs,
then the state chairs of that party, who are also WTPC member parties, well
decide, either by consensus or by the method the state parties use to vote for
the BoD as described in Article 6.2.A
c. If the member was a national party Chair, the same method would
be used as in b, above.
d. A "Special Notice" would be sent out to ALL members
announcing the news and the date of the poll and asking for nominees'
e. A "Special Notice" would also be sent out to all members
notifying them of any changes in the BoD Membership.
Article VII - Council of Arbitrators:
7.1 Membership: The Council of Arbitrators will consist of ALL national party Chairs who are WTPC members
7.2
The Council will be the "Supreme Court" of the WTPC and have the
authority to hear and settle disputes.
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Article VIII - Advisory Board:
8.1
Membership: composed of WTPC co-founders and who they unanimously agree to add
at any time.
8.2 Duties: Give advice when asked for or not.
8.3 Authority: None (except as members of another office)
8.4 Term limits: None
8.5 An Advisor may be removed by unanimous consent of the other Advisors.
Article IX - Communications Committee:
9.1 To be created and elected by the Board of Directors
9.2 Communications assets - ownership and management determined by the BoD.
a. Domain names WeThePeopleCoalition.org ; WTPC.org
b. Website http://www.WeThePeopleCoalition.org
c.
Yahoo groups:
(1)http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WeThePeopleCoalition
(2)http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WeThePeopleCoalition_Business
(3)http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WeThePeopleCoalition_chitchat
(4)http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WeThePeopleCoalition_fullstatename
(5) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WeThePeopleCoalition_DC
d. EZ forums http://p105.ezboard.com/bwethepeoplecoalition
e. Newsletter - A newsletter committee will be selected by the BOD.
f. Any Independent groups will be owned by whoever they themselves decide.
Article X - Independents Chapters:
10.1 Status: The State Chapters of Independents will have the same rights as a State affiliate of a Member Party. They will be entitled to the same representation within the WTPC.
Article XI - Impeachment and Removal Procedures:
11.1
Impeachable Offences:
A. Embezzlement
B. Inactivity
C. Actions contrary to the Mission/Vision of the WTPC
D. Others to be determined by the BoD and added by amendment
11.2.
The CoA must serve as a court in any impeachment proceedings.
11.3. The AoA should vote about removal of a BoD member after a
hearing.
11.4 The BoD may also vote to remove a member of the AoA, after a
hearing.
11.5 Both BoD and AoA must vote after a hearing to remove CoA members
11.6 Hearing minutes must be distributed to members of the respective
branches.
Article XII - The Questionnaire:
12.1 Method of constructing the questionnaire and method of endorsing candidates etc. per David Repko's plan as described on the We the People Coalition website at http://wethepeoplecoalition.org/Questionnaire.html and is incorporated into this charter be reference (The complete method of endorsing candidates via the Questionnaire process is still under revision at the time this charter is being presented for ratification by the WTPC General Membership).
Article XIII - Terms of Coalition:
13.1
Party chairs will create and submit to the WTPC group Moderators /Webmaster,
ONE series of questions. The number of questions and their content are entirely
the prerogative of their `creator'. The `creator' (or creators) MUST be the
State Party Chair, and two named Alternates. It is strongly suggested that the
questions be created from the Party's published aims/goals/mission/purposes,
and in such a way that they could, theoretically, be used by Party officers to
evaluate a hypothetical Candidate seeking the Party's nomination/endorsement.
Once the list of State Party Questions is received, and checked for grammar,
spelling, clarity of understanding, and Netiquette-acceptable, it will be
posted in the Files section of WTPC Yahoo groups. At the NEXT stage, ALL OTHER
STATE Party Chairs will copy and paste that latest list of Party questions to
an e-mail; then, they will simply delete whichever questions they wish, for
whatever reasons they wish --- or no reason at all. Only those Party
Chairs/Alternates authorized to create their own `questions' can `edit' the
questions lists of other Party Affiliates. Those lists of questions so edited
will be separated into two `virtual' piles: "Approved" Questions
"Tabled" Questions Those Party Questions that are
"Approved" immediately become a part of the current WTPC Candidate
Questionnaire, to be used to evaluate Candidates applying for Endorsement by
the Coalition (not the individual State Parties), since it is reasonable to
assume that if none of them were rejected by any current Party Affiliate, they
are "Approved" for all future applicants. "Tabled"
questions will be reviewed from time to time. They may be edited by their
original `creators' for grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. They may be
re-worded to improve clarity of expression, or to improve their acceptance by
ALL members of the Board of Directors. If such improvements/editing do NOT
render them "Approved", they will be returned to the
"Tabled" pile for whatever interval or number of rejections the BoD
decides is a fair consideration. (They may stay "tabled" forever;
they may be permanently rejected after a third or fourth review, whatever the
BoD decides.)
Return to top
Article XIV - Amendments:
1. Amendments to this charter must be favored by a 80% vote of the Board of Directors, and ratified by a 65% majority consent of the Assembly of Affiliates OF THOSE WHO DO VOTE.
2. Amendments may not alter or supplant the stated mission and vision of this Charter nor the purpose, goals and description of the We The People Coalition.
http://members.cox.net/leendebi/wtpcpages/index.htm * * *
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Parliamentary Procedures at a Glance
I.
Parliamentary
Procedure-Its Purpose and Use
II.
General Principles of
Parliamentary Procedure
III.
Parliamentary Terms
V.
Transacting Business at a
Meeting
VI.
Summary of Steps in
Handling a Motion
VII.
Types of Motions-Definitions
and Examples
VIII.
Precedence of Motions
IX.
Other Rules Governing the
Consideration of Motions
X.
Tips on Parliamentary
Procedure
XI.
Committees
XII.
Elections
I. PARLIAMENTARY
PROCEDURE-ITS PURPOSE AND USE
Parliamentary law is a system of maintaining order in organizations. It
provides an approved and uniform method of conducting meetings in a fair,
orderly, and expeditious manner.
Respect for law is a basic characteristic of democratic government. This
respect is clearly shown by a willingness to practice an orderly method of
procedure in organizations so as to follow the will of the majority, to protect
the rights of the minority, and to protect the interests of those absent.
The use of parliamentary procedure in itself, however, does not insure that
these ideals will be met. Everyone involved with an organization must also work
to create an atmosphere of trust, mutual respect, and shared purpose.
Robert's Rules of Order was written by General Henry M. Robert, a U.S. Army
engineer, and published in 1876. His work is still regarded as the basic
authority on the subject of parliamentary law. The most recent edition of the
work, Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (l970), is the accepted authority
for almost all organizations today. This pamphlet, Fundamentals of
Parliamentary Procedure, is based on that book.