Organization
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Bylaws of the Prairie Greens
ARTICLE I: Name and Purpose
A. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Prairie Green Party of East Central Illinois.B. Purpose
The purpose of the Prairie Green Party is to advance the green movement/party in East Central Illinois through political and nonpolitical means based on the Ten Key Values which are: Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice & Equal Opportunity, Grassroots Democracy, Nonviolence, Decentralization, Communitybased Economics, Gender Equity & Cooperative Values, Respect for Diversity, Personal & Global Responsibility, and Future Focus.ARTICLE II: Membership
A. Members
The Prairie Green Party shall be composed of individual members who reside within East Central Illinois.B. Application
All members must submit a membership form to the Prairie Green Party.C. Dues
All members must pay dues or request a waiver.ARTICLE III: Party Affiliation
A. Affiliation with Regional, State, and/or National Parties
The membership may affiliate or disaffiliate with any regional, state, or national party.B. Representation
If the Prairie Green Party has affiliated with a regional, state, and/or national party, it shall participate as provided by the rules of the party with which it has affiliated itself.ARTICLE IV: Membership Meetings
A. Significance
The highest decisionmaking body of the Prairie Green Party shall be the membership meeting. All decisions made at a membership meeting shall be binding upon all committees and officers including the Coordinating Committee.B. Logistics and Procedures
1. Meeting Times
The Prairie Green Party shall have at least one membership meeting per month. The date and time is to be set by the membership.2. Participation
Discussions at membership meetings of the Prairie Green Party shall be open to all members and visitors present.3. Decisionmaking Process
Decisions shall be made by consensus of all members and nonmembers present at membership meetings. If a consensus cannot be reached by the members and nonmembers then decisions shall be made by consensus of all members present. If a consensus of members cannot be reached, decisions shall be made by a 2/3 vote of the members present (nonmembers may not vote).4. Quorum
Decisions cannot be made unless there is a quorum of seven members present at a membership meeting.C. Powers of the membership
1. Bylaws
These bylaws may be modified only by the members of the party, and the modification must be approved at two consecutive membership meetings.2. Platform
The platform of the Prairie Green Party may be modified only by the members of the party, and only at a membership meeting.3. Candidates
Until such time as the Prairie Green Party is recognized as an official party in Illinois and is entitled to participate in primaries run by the state or local government, candidates for local office may be nominated only by the members of the party and only at a membership meeting.4. Annual Budget
An annual budget shall be prepared by the treasurer and must be approved by the membership.5. Ad hoc Committees
The membership may form ad hoc committees as it deems necessary.6. Other Business
The membership may conduct any other business at the membership meeting.ARTICLE V: The Coordinating Committee
A. Definition
The Coordinating Committee (CC) is made up of all officers, committee chairs, and one representative from any local campus Green Party which has been recognized as an official student organization. Any other member may also choose to participate in CC meetings.B. Purpose
The CC shall carry out the policies of the Prairie Green Party between membership meetings.C. Procedures and Logistics
1. Quorum
Coordinating Committee meetings shall require a quorum of five CC members to make decisions.2. DecisionMaking
Coordinating Committee decisions shall be made by consensus or, failing that, must be approved by 2/3 of the CC members present at the meeting.3. Coordinating Committee Meetings
Coordinating Committee members shall schedule and hold at least 6 CC meetings per year.D. Duties
1.
The CC is empowered to conduct the business of the Prairie Green Party as needed between monthly membership meetings.2. Expenditures
The CC may authorize expenditures from the Prairie Green Party treasury in accordance with the budget.3. Annual Audit
The CC shall conduct an annual audit of Prairie Green Party finances.ARTICLE VI: Officers
A. General
1. Requirements
All officers must be members of the Prairie Green Party.2. Accountability
All officers must report to those present at membership meetings and at CC meetings if called upon to do so.3. Offices
The offices of the Prairie Green Party shall be: Convener, Treasurer, Secretary, Press Officer, Membership Steward, Web Site Manager, and State Party Delegate(s).4. Elections
Candidates for office shall be nominated in April to be elected in May. The officers of the Prairie Green Party shall be elected by straight runoff vote at the May membership meeting for a oneyear term of office. The straight runoff vote shall proceed as follows: The membership shall vote on candidates. If no candidate receives 50% of the vote, then the candidate with the fewest votes shall be dropped from the ballot. The membership will then vote again. This process is repeated until a candidate has received at least 50% of the vote, at which point that candidate is declared the winner of the election. If a candidate is unopposed, that candidate may be put in office by consensus. All elections of officers shall be conducted by means of secret ballot, straight runoff voting.5. Removal
An officer may be removed from office by a 2/3 vote of the members at a membership meeting.6. Replacement
If it becomes necessary to replace an officer, the membership may elect a new officer to finish out the vacant term. The Convener shall conduct the election as noted above in VI(A)(4), Elections. In the event that the office of Convener is vacant, the Secretary shall conduct the election.7. Officer Assistance
All officers may enlist the assistance of other members to help in the performance of their duties. All officers may create a subcommittee to assist them in their duties.B. Offices
1. Convener
a. Description
The Convener facilitates membership and CC meetings, and is responsible for a fair and orderly meeting.b. Meeting Agendas
The Convener shall organize the agendas for the general membership and CC meetings.2. Treasurer
a. Description
The Treasurer shall manage all of the financial affairs of the Prairie Green Party.b. Reports
The Treasurer shall prepare reports on the finances of the Party for CC and membership meetings.c. Annual Budget
The Treasurer shall prepare an annual budget to start July 1.d. Legal Issues
The treasurer shall submit the financial records of party operations to the local, state, and federal governments as required by law. The Treasurer shall file all documents necessary to ensure that the Prairie Green Party can endorse candidates and ballot initiatives supported by the Prairie Green Party. The Treasurer shall ensure that legally required records are maintained for all funds collected.e. Disbursement of Funds
The Treasurer shall disburse and manage the Prairie Green Party funds based on the direction of the membership or CC.f. Open Books
The treasurer shall make available the financial records of the Prairie Green Party to any member who requests to examine the financial records of the Prairie Green Party.3. Secretary
a. Description
The Secretary shall be responsible for all records and correspondence of the Prairie Green Party.b. Meeting Minutes
The Secretary shall record and maintain the minutes of all CC and membership meetings, and distribute them to the listserve and to the Web Site Manager.c. Communications
The Secretary shall handle the mail, email, and phone calls on behalf of the Prairie Green Party. The Secretary shall forward pressrelated inquiries to the Press Officer.4. Press Officer
a. Description
The Press Officer is the official spokesperson for the Prairie Green Party. The Press Officer shall be responsible for attending and/or coordinating press interviews and public speaking events. The Press Officer may refer inquiries or speaking events to other people if the Press Officer deems it appropriate. The Press Officer shall also issue press releases on behalf of the membership, the CC, or other committees. The Press Officer shall coordinate with the membership, CC, and committees in order to accurately represent the Prairie Green Party.5. Membership Steward
a. Description
The Membership Steward will handle all business related to the administration of the membership of the Prairie Green Party.b. Membership forms
The Membership Steward shall, with the assistance of the various officers of the party, design and distribute membership forms and encourage new members to join.c. Membership list
The Membership Steward shall maintain the official membership list for the Prairie Green Party. The Steward shall inform the Secretary and the Newsletter Committee of any changes to the membership list, and shall forward any dues or other donations to the Treasurer.d. Renewal
The Membership Steward shall announce or send reminders to members when they need to renew their membership.e. Credentialing
The Membership Steward shall be in charge of verifying membership status.g. Mailing List
The Membership Steward shall maintain a contact list of people who are interested in but not members of the Prairie Green Party.6. Web Site Manager
a. Description
The Web Site Manager shall be responsible for maintaining the Prairie Green Party web site and email discussion groups.b. Web Site
(1) Content
The web site should provide, at a minimum, the following information: the bylaws and platform of the party, information on candidates, current activities, contact information, and minutes from membership meetings.(2) Editorials
The web site is not to be used as an editorial forum for the Web Site Manager. While the page may contain official positions of the state and local parties, as well as essays written by individual members, the Web Site Manager should not utilize the web site to promote his or her own viewpoint. Essays shall represent the views of the Prairie Green Party and shall be approved by the membership.(3) Legal Issues
The web site shall not operate in violation of any applicable laws. In particular, no copyrighted material shall be posted without permission from the copyright holder. This includes copyrighted newspaper and magazine articles.(4) Ownership
The Prairie Green Party is the owner of the web site and all materials posted there. The Web Site Manager and any assistants are entitled to keep copies of any materials they have created for the web site.7. State Party Delegate(s)
a. Duties
When the Prairie Green Party is associated with a state party, the State Party Delegate or Delegates will promote the Prairie Green Party to the state party. The Delegates are to report all state activities to the membership and CC. Delegates are to bring all state issues to the membership (or, if a decision must be made before the next membership meeting, to the CC), for instruction from the membership or CC as to how to properly represent the Prairie Green Party to the state party.b. Representation
The exact nature, number, and method of selection of Delegates shall be in compliance with state party guidelines.c. Binding Authority
All decisions of the membership and CC bind the Delegates to act on these decisions as directed by the membership or CC.d. Alternate Delegates
Alternate Delegates may be appointed from CC members if needed.ARTICLE VII: Committees
A. General
1. Types of Committees
In addition to the CC, the Prairie Green Party shall have two types of committees: standing committees, and ad hoc committees created by the membership or CC.2. Composition
Membership on committees is open to any member. A member may be on more than one committee.3. Chair
Each committee shall choose a chair, who therefore becomes a member of the CC. The chair is responsible for facilitating the activities of the committee, and reporting those activities to the membership.4. Oversight
The membership and CC shall oversee the actions of all committees.5. Reports
Each committee shall submit periodic reports of its activities to the general membership meeting. Between membership meetings, the CC may require that reports be submitted.6. Financial Commitments
No committee shall make any financial commitment on behalf of the Prairie Green Party without the prior consent of the membership or CC, unless financial powers have been specifically delegated to it, or unless specific arrangements have been made for the committee's independent financial authority.7. Removal
a. Chairs: Any committee chair may be removed from her or his position by a 2/3 vote of the members at a membership meeting, or a 2/3 vote of the CC at a CC meeting.
8. Meetings
Each committee shall meet at least four times a year.B. Standing Committees
1. Platform and Electoral Committee
a. Platform Duties
(1) The Platform and Electoral Committee shall propose updates to the Prairie Green Party platform. The committee shall maintain the official copy of the platform, and make the platform available to all members.
(2) The committee will investigate candidates from other parties who are running for office, and will present this information to the membership for the membership to decide on endorsement.
b. Modifying the Platform
The Platform and Electoral Committee may make any formatting, spelling, grammatical, or organizational changes to the platform. These changes must be approved by the membership. The platform and electoral committee may not make any substantive changes to the platform.c. Electoral Duties
The Platform and Electoral Committee will facilitate running candidates and endorsing candidates for political offices. It will assist in encouraging members to run for office and assist them in their campaign. It will coordinate efforts to assist endorsed candidates in their campaign.d. Electoral Issues
The Platform and Electoral Committee will assist members in understanding local and state electoral laws. This committee will work to ensure that the Prairie Green Party acts in compliance with local, state, and federal law, particularly with regard to elections and fundraising.e. Meetings
The Platform and Electoral Committee shall meet at least three months prior to the start of petitioning for a Prairie Green Party candidate.f. Neutrality in Member Elections/Primaries
When more than one member of the Prairie Green Party wishes to run for the same political office, the Platform and Electoral Committee shall not endorse or unfairly assist one member over another before the membership votes to choose a candidate for this office. Then it will assist the candidate elected by the membership2. Outreach Committee
a. Duties
(1) The Outreach Committee will promote the Prairie Green Party, the Ten Key Values, and Green issues among the general public. Activities that the committee may pursue include but are not limited to "Green Tea" readings, discussions, booths at local events, and issue discussion forums.
(2) The Outreach Committee shall be responsible for coordinating the fundraising efforts of the Prairie Green Party.
(3) The Outreach Committee shall create the Prairie Green Party newsletter. The committee gathers and edits articles and makes editorial decisions for the Prairie Green Party newsletter. The newsletter is to be distributed twice a year or more as determined by the committee.
ARTICLE VIII: Political Office Candidate Nomination or Endorsement Procedures
A. Timing of Nominations
1. Description
Prairie Green Party candidates shall be selected to run for political office in a timely manner, in accordance with applicable election laws. For example (based on the laws in force as of 2001), for a new party state candidate the following would be suggested: A candidate would be selected at least 6 months prior to the scheduled date of the election for that office. Petitions would be circulated for these candidates. Petitioning would begin 90 days before the last day of filing. Petitions would be filed 7871 days before the election.2. Writein Nomination
There may be circumstances where a writein candidate may be desirable. In such cases, the membership may approve running a writein campaign, or running a candidate after the nomination and petitioning deadlines.B. Selection Method
Candidates for these offices shall be selected using straight runoff voting in a secret ballot. Only members of the Prairie Green Party may vote in the nomination elections.C. None of the Above Option
A binding "None of the Above" option shall be used for all nominating elections. Uncontested nominees shall be voted on running against "None of the Above."D. Replacement of Candidates
If for some reason a candidate is nominated for an office, but is later unable to run for that office, the membership may designate a replacement candidate by a 2/3 vote of the membership, provided that a quorum is present at that meeting.ARTICLE IX: Location of Official Prairie Green Party Bylaws
A.
Current copies of the official bylaws of the Prairie Green Party, as adopted by the membership and from time to time amended, shall be maintained by the Prairie Green Party Secretary, and displayed on the Prairie Green Party web site.