Bylaws -- North Carolina Green Party

Bylaws of the North Carolina Green Party

Revision N, amended May 30, 2020

I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the North Carolina Green Party. It may also be referred to as the NCGP.

II. Mission, Vision, and Purpose

a. The North Carolina Green Party is a political party in support of a national and global movement of values that include Ecological Wisdom, Grassroots Democracy, Social Justice, and Nonviolence. The North Carolina Green Party is an affiliate state of the Green Party of the United States (GPUS).

b. The North Carolina Green Party will work to facilitate communication and support between regional Green chapters, will work to support and grow the party at the local level, will work to gain statewide ballot access and support statewide candidates, will elect delegates to national committees of the Green Party of the United States, will support statewide grassroots efforts for peace, social justice, democracy, and ecological wisdom, and will work to communicate Green ideas and values with its members and with the public.

III. Membership

a. The North Carolina Green Party is an individual membership organization, open to all North Carolina residents who subscribe to the following Ten Key Values of the Greens:

Ecological Wisdom
Grassroots Democracy
Social Justice
Nonviolence
Decentralization
Community-based Economics
Feminism
Respect for Diversity
Personal and Global Responsibility
Future Focus / Sustainability

b. Any North Carolina resident may become a member of the party, except as specifically stated in the party's bylaws.

c. Dues: Membership in the NCGP requires yearly or monthly payment of dues, as well as keeping the party’s membership chair informed of your current mailing address. All members shall pay dues that they can reasonably afford.

i. All NCGP members shall pay at least $12 per year ($1/month) in dues.

ii. If a member belongs to a regional chapter or caucus that also requires dues, the member must still pay a minimum of $12 per year ($1/month) in dues to the NCGP.

iii. Any changes to dues shall be determined by a vote of the membership at statewide meetings of the NCGP but can be set by the Coordinating Committee, subject to approval by the membership at statewide meetings. Dues requirements will be displayed on the party’s website, www.ncgreenparty.org.

d. The NCGP will direct new members to regional chapters in their area when available.

e. All registered members are encouraged to become active members by attending meetings, joining committees, working toward party growth, and taking on administrative duties at the local, state, and national levels. Members must join the current NCGP Actions online group to receive timely notifications of party business and to participate in decision-making. Members unable to attend meetings or without an Internet connection should notify the secretary of their interest in participating so accommodation can be arranged.

f. In the presence of a Green Party ballot line, membership in the NCGP requires that one must register to vote as a Green Party member (except where prohibited by the state, as specified in section “h” below), in addition to other membership criteria in Section III of these bylaws.

g. In the absence of a Green Party ballot line, membership in the NCGP requires that one must register as “Other: Green Party” or “Unaffiliated” (except where prohibited by the state, as specified in section “h” below), in addition to other membership criteria in Section III of these bylaws.

h. In cases where the state prohibits a person from registering to vote: Those who reside in North Carolina who are ineligible to vote due to various state disenfranchisement—including but not limited to noncitizens such as undocumented workers, refugees, and other noncitizens; youth age 14 and up; and people whose felony records make them ineligible to vote—may also become NCGP members. Youth age 14 and older and people with felony records ineligible to vote must pay dues as described in this section above to become NCGP members. Noncitizens may not donate money to the NCGP or pay dues per political finance laws, and thus their dues requirements are hereby waived. People ineligible to vote as mentioned here must still meet other NCGP membership requirements as established by the NCGP Coordinating Committee.

i. NCGP is affiliated with the Green Party of the United States, which is an association of state Green Parties. Individual membership does not exist at the national level—membership resides with the state parties.

j. Procedure for suspension and expulsion of a member

i. The North Carolina Green Party shall be an inclusive body, which respects its members' right to disagree with each other. It is vital that members not be suspended or expelled merely over personal conflicts or antagonisms, lifestyle choices, or differences of opinion.

ii. North Carolina Green Party members may only be expelled at a statewide gathering/convention. However, the Coordinating Committee may suspend a member upon vote of a 2/3 majority of the Committee, if and only if the Committee is convinced that 1) the member has engaged in activities that expose the party to duly warranted prosecution or 2) the member is working for an openly racist or physically hostile organization or one that persecutes persons or groups for their political beliefs or activities or 3) the member is deemed to pose a threat to the safety and personal security of the party or its members or 4) the member has taken action that the Coordinating Committee deems is egregiously contrary to the NCGP’s principles or is egregiously harmful to its reputation.

iii. Any verbal attack of a racist, homophobic, xenophobic, ageist, sexist, genderist, classist, or personally derogatory nature by one member against another, either on the various NC Green Party listservs or in the context of any NCGP meeting, will be cause for the NCGP CC to suspend the perpetrator of such attack from the moderated groups or from NCGP meetings (except for the provision in the following paragraphs, whereby a suspended member may attend any meeting at which their final expulsion from the NCGP would be brought to a vote) until such time as the offending member has resolved the issue either to the satisfaction of the offended member or to the satisfaction of the NCGP CC.

iv. Upon making any such decision to suspend a member, the Coordinating Committee must notify the suspended member of the action and the reason for it, by registered mail, within 10 days. The Committee shall either recommend expulsion of the suspended member at the next gathering, meeting, or convention with a suitable quorum, or reinstate the member by that time. A suspended member recommended for expulsion shall have full opportunity to make their case to the membership, and the decision shall be treated in accordance with Section II of the bylaws. A suspended member who does not show up to defend themselves shall be deemed to be accepting the action of the party without contest.

v. Suspended members may not vote or attend NCGP functions, except as required to defend themselves as described above, in which case the suspended member may attend and speak, and may vote only on the question of his own and others' expulsions. Suspension or expulsion shall not be deemed cause for any refund of dues or contributions.

vi. Suspended members are considered to be in poor standing and may not serve as NCGP officers, as members of the NCGP’s delegations to the GPUS National Committee or Presidential Nominating Convention, or as members of any GPUS committee, working group, or caucus.

IV. Statewide Gatherings / Conventions

a. The North Carolina Green Party shall have at least one statewide gathering/convention per year.

b. The Coordinating Committee of the North Carolina Green Party shall be the body charged with organizing the statewide gatherings/conventions.

c. All members of the North Carolina Green Party must be sent notification of the date and location of the statewide gathering no less than twenty-one days prior to the event.

d. While statewide gatherings are open to all Greens, only members in good standing are entitled to vote.

e. Elections for the NCGP Coordinating Committee, delegates to the GPUS National Committee, and other relevant statewide business shall take place at statewide gatherings/conventions.

V. Decision-Making Process / Consensus

a. For decisions involving a “yes” or “no” vote, the North Carolina Green Party shall attempt to reach consensus before moving to other modes of decision-making. Consensus for purposes of this organization is defined as approval by "aye" vote of not less than 80% of eligible persons, with a maximum of 20% abstentions and no "nay" votes. After a minimum of ten minutes of effort to reach consensus, and upon a motion to proceed without consensus and upon a second of that motion, the proposal under consideration may be decided by a simple majority vote. The presiding officer shall have the power to break a tie vote.

b. The votes of delegates to the GPUS Presidential Nominating Convention (PNC) shall be assigned proportionately based on rules adopted by NCGP members at the statewide gathering prior to the PNC.

c. Voting shall not be compulsory.

d. Quorum requirements

For decisions involving expenditure of funds above spending limits as stated in the yearly budget as approved by the general membership at the annual gathering, meeting, or convention; expulsion of members; election of officers; or revision of bylaws or platform, any meeting or convention must have a registered attendance of at least 10% of the total active statewide membership, and at least 2/3 of all registered member attendees at the event must be present when the decision is made. If quorum is not met at a statewide meeting, decisions on proposals requiring quorum shall take place by poll posted to the current NCGP Actions online group by the NCGP Coordinating Committee. Discussion periods and amount of time allowed for voting shall be determined by the NCGP CC.

VI. Political Independence from Corporate Parties

a. The NCGP shall be politically and economically independent of the big banks and corporations and their political representatives in the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and similarly corporate parties.

b. In the presence of a Green Party ballot line, NCGP-designated candidates and candidates designated by regional chapters shall be registered members of the NCGP (or shall be the GPUS presidential nominees) unless otherwise provided for in this section. In the absence of a Green Party ballot line, the NCGP shall encourage registered NCGP members to run as independent or nonpartisan candidates.

c. The NCGP and its regional chapters may nominate, designate, endorse, and/or authorize a candidate for independent or nonpartisan election who exhibits ample (per the body’s determination) Green values and who has chosen to remain registered in no party.

d. The NCGP and its regional chapters shall not nominate, designate, endorse, and/or authorize the candidates of the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, or similarly corporate parties. Further, the NCGP and its regional chapters shall not nominate, designate, endorse, and/or authorize candidates who are registered to vote with the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, or similarly corporate parties.

e. The NCGP and its regional chapters may nominate, designate, endorse, and/or authorize candidates of other political parties or independent bodies that share Green Party principles and goals and that are politically and financially independent of the big banks and corporations and their political representatives in the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and similarly corporate parties.

f. Members of the NCGP shall not run for office on the ballot lines of the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, or similarly corporate parties, including primary ballot lines. Members who do shall have their membership in the NCGP revoked.

VII. North Carolina Green Party Coordinating Committee

a. The Coordinating Committee of the North Carolina Green Party (hereafter referred to as NCGP CC), shall be the decision-making body of the North Carolina Green Party in between statewide gatherings/conventions. To be eligible to serve on the NCGP CC, one must be a registered member of the North Carolina Green Party. Further, to be eligible to serve on the NCGP CC, one must be registered to vote as a Green, or in the event that state law prohibits Green voter registration, must be registered as an unaffiliated voter. Persons registered to vote with the Democratic, Republican, or Libertarian parties are not eligible to serve on the NCGP CC.

b. The voting members of the NCGP CC shall consist of six at-large elected officers: two gender-balanced co-chairs, a vice-chair, a treasurer, a secretary, and a membership officer. Each accredited regional chapter and identity caucus of the North Carolina Green Party is entitled to up to two voting delegates on the NCGP CC.

c. The NCGP CC shall also have an assistant treasurer and assistant secretary who will take over the functions of the elected secretary and treasurer in the event that they can no longer perform those duties. These are nonvoting members of the Coordinating Committee except when they are attending meetings in the place of the treasurer or secretary.

d. The NCGP CC is charged with ratifying a yearly fiscal budget by January 31 of that budget year. The NCGP fiscal year begins January 1 and ends December 31.

e. The NCGP CC shall make every practical effort to communicate with and serve the will of the general membership, consistent with the Ten Key Values.

f. NCGP CC decisions can be overruled by a 2/3 vote of membership at the following statewide meeting or convention.

g. The NCGP CC may create ad hoc committees to address specific issues, tasks, or

concerns, as the need may arise.

h. All decisions by the NCGP CC require a simple majority vote of CC members in attendance, and at least three at-large voting members of the NCGP CC must be in attendance.

VIII. Officers of the North Carolina Green Party Coordinating Committee

The NCGP makes a distinction between "Elected Officers" and "Appointed Officers."

NCGP's elected officers are elected by the general membership at any duly convened statewide gathering/convention. In the event that these positions are vacant between gatherings, the NCGP CC has the power to appoint interim officers to fill these positions. Interim officers must then be elected by the general membership at the following statewide gathering/convention. The term for an elected office is two years.

Appointed officers shall be selected by the NCGP CC as indicated below. Appointed officers must hold a specific skill set and report directly to the CC. The term for an appointed office is one year.

Ideally all of these offices should be filled by different NCGP members; however, we recognize that may not always be possible. While the NCGP will strive to fill these offices with unique members, members are not prohibited from serving multiple offices simultaneously. However, the treasurer and assistant treasurer must be two distinct individuals, as must the secretary and the assistant secretary. If an officer holds more than one voting office, that officer may vote only once per proposal on the NCGP CC.

a. Coordinating Committee Elected Officers

i. NCGP members shall be eligible for election to offices that carry a Coordinating Committee vote after they have been active dues-paying members for 6 continuous months. Until such time, new members may be elected and serve in an interim, non-voting capacity with the approval of the Coordinating Committee, particularly for offices that need to be filled. Once the 6-month requirement has been met, they may be confirmed as voting members.

ii. The Co-chairs of the North Carolina Green Party shall be gender-balanced and shall be the main interface between the North Carolina Green Party and all other persons and organizations; shall train new NCGP CC members; shall organize meetings of the NCGP CC; shall be sensitive to the needs of all NCGP members; shall work to grow and build the NCGP and ensure its long-term viability; shall work on issues of statewide ballot access; shall oversee the accreditation process for Green regional chapters and identity caucuses. The co-chairs shall be voting members of the NCGP CC.

iii. The Vice-chair shall fulfill the duties of the chairs or secretary in their absence and shall act as the political and legislative affairs coordinator for the NCGP. The vice-chair shall be a voting member of the NCGP CC.

iv. The Treasurer shall maintain the financial records of the party; shall receive and disburse funds in accordance with the party's bylaws and all relevant legal requirements; shall keep the membership and other officers informed of the party's financial condition and affairs; and shall comply with all reporting requirements of the Federal Election Commission, the State of North Carolina, and any other government entities having jurisdiction over the NCGP. The treasurer shall be a voting member of the NCGP CC.

v. The Assistant Treasurer shall assist the treasurer as the treasurer may require, and shall serve in the treasurer's place if the treasurer is absent or is incapacitated.

vi. The Secretary shall take notes and prepare minutes of meetings, and circulate minutes to the membership following meetings; shall be familiar with the bylaws’ rules of governance and decision-making and strive to enforce those rules; shall keep lists of past and current NCGP members; shall maintain current revisions and history files of all bylaws, resolutions, position papers, brochures, flyers, and other nonfinancial documents of the party; and shall convey these files to the next Secretary when the position changes hands; and shall announce all NCGP CC meetings and statewide gatherings/conventions to the membership. The secretary shall be a voting member of the NCGP CC.

vii. The Assistant Secretary shall assist the secretary as the secretary may require, and shall serve in the secretary's place if the secretary is absent or is incapacitated. The assistant secretary shall attend at least one CC meeting quarterly.

viii. The Membership Officer shall maintain a database of contacts and members; shall give updated documents to the secretary quarterly; shall keep an updated list of dues-paid members; and shall work independently with regional chapters and caucuses to increase the membership of the NCGP. The membership officer shall be a voting member of the NCGP CC.

ix. The Assistant Membership Officer shall assist the membership officer as the membership officer may require, and shall serve in the place of the membership officer if the membership officer is absent or is incapacitated. The assistant membership officer shall attend at least one CC meeting quarterly.

x. The Delegates (elected) to the GPUS National Committee shall be nonvoting associate members of the NCGP CC. Alternate Delegates (elected), and Observers (appointed) to the GPUS National Committee shall be nonvoting associate members of the NCGP CC. NCGP members shall be eligible for election to delegate or alternate delegate after they have been active dues-paying members for 6 continuous months. NCGP members shall be eligible, by appointment of the CC, to be observers to the GPUS National Committee after they have been active dues-paying members for 6 continuous months.

b. Coordinating Committee Appointed Officers

i. The Fundraising Officer shall maintain lists of donors and give quarterly updated documents to the treasurer; shall raise money for the NCGP in an ethical manner; must fully comply with all North Carolina campaign finance and reporting laws.

ii. The Newsletter Editor shall be responsible for composition, production, and distribution of an NCGP newsletter no less than twice per year.

iii. The Website Manager shall solicit content for the NCGP website and update it at least monthly, shall maintain comprehensive online archives.

iv. The Media Officers shall keep an up-to-date database of state and local media contacts; shall send out GPUS press releases to state and local media outlets; shall send a press release whenever the NCGP passes a resolution or joins a coalition; shall send a minimum of one relevant issue-based press release per month; and shall identify and work with a Green media contact in each NCGP regional chapter and caucus.

v. The Local Growth Chair shall help newly forming regional chapters with accreditation, shall provide support and mentoring for new chapters.

vi. The party Spokesperson shall represent the NCGP in speeches, discussions, panels, interviews, and other engagements, as coordinated by the NCGP CC. The spokesperson shall present Green positions and also educate about Green values, ideology, and so forth as needed. The spokesperson shall also coordinate a Green Speakers Bureau and shall be the contact person for entities requesting Green speakers or representatives, shall maintain a current list of NCGP members who can speak and otherwise represent the party on various topics, and shall attempt to match speaking requests with NCGP speakers when the party spokesperson is not able to for any reason or when a different speaker is desired.

c. Term of Elected Officers

Elected officers shall be elected at an annual gathering, meeting, or convention of the NCGP, if a quorum is achieved. Once elected, the officer shall serve for two years. (See Section V.d., “Quorum Requirements.”) Method of choosing officers shall be in keeping with general decision-making procedure as specified in the party's bylaws.

d. Resignations

NCGP CC officers will be considered resigned from office by giving notice to other CC members of their resignation or after their failing to attend three consecutive CC meetings without explanation or after failing to perform clearly defined duties of their position for more than two consecutive months. At this point, the remaining CC members shall appoint an interim officer who will serve until the next state-wide gathering where a new officer will be elected, unless the gathering chooses to reinstate the resigned officer, at their request.

e. Responsibilities of NCGP's Delegates to the GPUS National Committee

The NCGP's delegates and alternate delegates to the GPUS National Committee, either as individuals or as a group, shall consult with and provide regular reports to the NCGP CC and shall make a good-faith effort to represent the will of the membership of the NCGP in an ethical and professional manner. The NCGP CC shall have the authority to direct the delegation in their actions as needed, as shall the NCGP’s general membership via a decision at a membership meeting.

f. Responsibilities of NCGP’s Representatives on GPUS Committees, Caucuses, or Working Groups

While not officers of the NCGP CC, the NCGP's representatives on any other GPUS committee, caucus, or working group shall make a good-faith effort to represent the will of the membership of the NCGP in an ethical and professional manner. These representatives shall report to the NCGP upon request. The NCGP CC shall have the authority to direct such representatives in their actions as needed, as shall the NCGP’s general membership via a decision at a membership meeting.

IX. Accreditation of NCGP Regional Chapters and Identity Caucuses

a. The definition of a Green regional chapter is a green-identifying organization whose boundaries are defined by a specific geographic location encompassing an area of at least three counties. To be a member of a regional chapter, one must be a member of the NCGP.

b. Conditions of accreditation for NCGP chapters

i. Shall hold at least two publicly announced meetings in a 6-month period

ii. Shall commit to supporting and upholding Green principles

iii. Shall adopt bylaws that define membership, principles of governance, and its decision-making process, and those bylaws must stipulate that chapter members must also be NCGP members

iv. Shall have at least five members of the NCGP as defined by its bylaws

v. Shall, if the chapter wishes to become a legal political committee in the eyes of the state,

1. have a treasurer who is familiar with North Carolina laws and filing requirements for political parties. It is recommended that the treasurer attend one of the free training sessions provided by the North Carolina Board of Elections and

2. complete all paperwork with the state of North Carolina to become an official political committee of the North Carolina Green Party.

vi. Is not required to register as a legal political committee in the eyes of the state if the chapter opts to not collect any monies and to instead have its activities directly funded by the state party.

c. Regional chapters may include local branches that function under the bylaws and structure of the regional chapter.

d. The definition of an identity caucus is an organization of self-identified individuals who share common experiences or characteristics. The purpose of identity caucuses is to give representation to groups who have been historically underrepresented, marginalized, and oppressed in order that individuals can better work together across the state to support struggles against injustice and the institutional privilege that exists in our society. To be a member of an identity caucus, one must be a member of the NCGP.

e. Conditions of accreditation of NCGP identity caucuses

i. Shall have membership from at least 50% of accredited regional chapters

ii. Shall commit to supporting and upholding Green principles

iii. Shall adopt bylaws that define membership, principles of governance, and its decision-making process, and those bylaws must stipulate that caucus members must also be NCGP members

iv. Shall have at least five members of the NCGP as defined by its bylaws

v. Shall, if the caucus wishes to become a legal political committee in the eyes of the state,

2. complete all paperwork with the state of North Carolina to become an official political committee of the North Carolina Green Party.

vi. Is not required to register as a legal political committee in the eyes of the state if the caucus opts to not collect any monies and to instead have its activities directly funded by the state party.

X. Delegates to the Green Party of the United States Presidential Nominating Convention

NCGP delegates to the Green Party of the United States (GPUS) Presidential Nominating Convention (PNC) shall be elected by a membership vote at an NCGP statewide convention in the spring or summer preceding the general election for president of the United States.

a. Delegates to the GPUS PNC must be members of the NCGP.

b. In the presence of a Green Party ballot line, delegates to the PNC must be registered to vote as Green in the state of North Carolina.

c. In the absence of a Green Party ballot line, delegates to the PNC must be registered to vote as Unaffiliated or as Other – Green in the state of North Carolina.

d. Delegates are bound to cast votes for a presidential candidate according to rules adopted by members at a statewide gathering.

XI. Ratification and Revision of Bylaws

a. Initial ratification

The attendees admitted to the first party gathering shall have the power to vote on ratification of the first three sections of these bylaws. This decision shall be made in accordance with procedures outlined in Section II.

b. Revision

i. Additions or changes to the bylaws shall be incorporated into the body of the Bylaws document, not added as a list of amendments at the end.

ii. Additions or changes to the bylaws may only be made at a meeting or convention of the general membership, where a quorum for this purpose is present. However, small edits to correct misspellings, punctuation, capitalization, and other non-content issues may be made by the co-chairs, vice chair, or secretary at approval at an NCGP CC meeting.

iii. All proposed bylaw amendments must be submitted in writing to the secretary at least fourteen days in advance of any statewide gathering/convention and must be signed by at least three NCGP members in good standing to be considered.

iv. Ratification of changes shall be in accordance with decision-making procedures outlined in Section II.

v. The bylaws shall carry a revision level designation and date, positioned in the header, which shall appear on pages. The revision level shall be part of the bylaws document's title for filing purposes. Unratified proposed versions of the bylaws shall carry numeric revision levels, starting at 0, or no revision level at all. Portions of the bylaws with proposed revisions may be written up for purposes of discussion by any member, with no need for revision designation or control. Ratified and released versions of the bylaws document shall carry alphabetical revision levels, starting at A.

vi. The Secretary shall incorporate into the bylaws document all ratified revisions at the conclusion of any meeting or convention where revisions have been ratified. The secretary shall roll the revision level one increment, re-file the document with the new revision level, and send copies of the new revision to all members. The secretary shall maintain a history file of all past revisions, and shall convey this file to the new secretary when the position changes hands.

XII. Revision of Platform

a. Additions or changes to the platform may be made only at a meeting or convention of the general membership, where a quorum for this purpose is present. However, small edits to correct misspellings, punctuation, capitalization, and other non-content issues may be made by the co-chairs, vice chair, or secretary at approval at an NCGP CC meeting.

b. All proposed platform amendments must be submitted in writing to the secretary at least fourteen days in advance of any statewide gathering/convention and must be signed by at least three NCGP members in good standing to be considered.

c. Ratification of changes shall be in accordance with decision-making procedures outlined in Section II.

d. The Secretary shall incorporate into the platform document all ratified revisions at the conclusion of any meeting or convention where revisions have been ratified. The secretary shall send copies of the new revision to all members. The secretary shall maintain a history file of all past revisions, and shall convey this file to the new secretary when the position changes hands.

XIII. Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of this organization, all assets shall be disbursed to another Green organization, to be determined by majority vote of the NCGP CC members who were elected at the last duly convened statewide gathering/convention.

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