Token votes and standardizing committees

[Secretary LNC]

I am intending upon formally writing this up but wanted to give an opportunity for comment.

RULE 4: DEBATING AND VOTING -- BYLAWS AND RULES

The Chair of the Bylaws and Rules Committee shall report each recommendation of the committee to the convention separately and shall have two minutes to explain the intent or purpose of the proposed amendment(s). The Convention Chair shall open each recommendation to discussion without amendment from the floor. Each recommendation shall be considered and adopted separately, with a maximum of eight minutes discussion on any recommendation. After the discussion, the Convention Chair shall bring the recommendation to a vote. If the recommendation fails, the Convention Chair shall open the recommendation to amendment for an additional 10 minutes.

RULE 5: DEBATING AND VOTING – BYLAWS AND RULES AND PLATFORM

1. After the adoption of the convention agenda, At each regular convention, the convention will vote whether to delete planks from the existing platform. This will be accomplished as follows:
1. The Credentials Committee shall issue five signature tokens to each delegate.
2. Tokens shall only be issued to delegates. Delegates are responsible for transferring possession of unused tokens to their alternates if necessary.
3. Each delegate may cast each token as a recommendation for deletion of one plank by noting on the token the plank to be deleted and signing the token.
4. A delegate may cumulate recommendations by casting any number of tokens for deletion of the same plank.
5. Delegates will be given until one hour prior to the scheduled start of the platform report to mark their tokens and deliver them to the Secretary.
6. Prior to the scheduled start of the platform report, the Secretary shall review the tokens received and tabulate and report the tokens submitted for deletion of each plank. 
7. As its first item of platform business, the convention shall vote whether to delete each of those planks that received a number of tokens for deletion equal to 20% 1/3 or more of the number of credentialed delegates.  Such votes shall be cast without amendment or debate.
2. The Bylaws and Rules and Platform Committees shall meet before each regular convention and prepare a reports containing its their recommendations. At the convention, the Platform Committee's these recommendations shall be reported to the floor and debated and voted upon separately. The Platform Committees shall set forth the order in which each recommendation shall be considered.
3. Recommendations for which there is no minority report shall be debated and voted upon in the following manner:
1. The Platform Committee Chair, or some other person designated by him or her their designee, shall read the proposed recommendation and shall have up to two minutes to explain the recommendation.
2. The Convention Chair shall then open the recommendation to debate without amendment for a period of up to 15 minutes before bringing the matter to a vote.  If the recommendation fails, the Convention Chair shall inquire if any amendments are proposed from the floor.  If there are such proposals, the Convention Chair shall request a vote on whether to consider amendments, and with majority approval may consider amendments for a period of up to 10 minutes.
4. Recommendations for which there is a minority report shall be debated and voted upon in the following manner:
1. Spokespersons for both the majority and minority positions shall each have two minutes each to present their views.
2. The Chair shall then open consideration of both positions for five minutes during which time any delegates may express their views without offering amendments. After five minutes, there will be a vote on which of the two reports shall be considered for purposes of adopting a recommendation. The report receiving the greater number of votes shall then be discussed and voted upon in the manner described in Section 3b.
5. After all committee recommendations have received initial consideration, any delegate may propose amendments to the bylaws and rules or the platform. The delegate may take up to two minutes to state and explain the proposal, with debating and voting to proceed as described in Section 3b.
6. Finally, if time permits, proposals which were considered by the Platform Committee but which received an unfavorable vote from a majority of the committee, may be considered, with a spokesperson for the minority position giving the reasons in favor and the Platform Committee Chair or other representative of the majority position giving the reasons why it was voted down, before the proposal is taken to the floor for debate.
7. Challenges of adopted Party planks believed by 10% of the delegates to be in conflict with the Statement of Principles shall be referred in writing, during the convention, to the Judicial Committee by the delegates requesting action for consideration. The challenge shall specify in what manner the plank is believed to be in conflict. The Judicial Committee shall consider the challenge, decide whether the Statement of Principles is conformed to and report their findings and reasons to the convention. If the plank is vetoed by the Judicial Committee, it will be declared null and void but can be reinstated by a 3/4 vote of the convention.
8. Should changes to the bylaws or platform result in a grammatical error in accordance with the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, the National Committee presiding at the time of that discovery is authorized to make those grammatical corrections provided it does not change the meaning or intent of the item edited. 

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In Liberty, Caryn Ann Harlos

LNC Secretary and LP Historical Preservation Committee Chair ~ 561.523.2250

[Paul Bracco]

• Not really something that's substantive but the opening words of 5.2 read a little bit awkwardly, at least to me. Do you think "The Bylaws and Rules Committee and the Platform Committee..." would work better?
• Same concern for the title of the rule "... BYLAWS AND RULES, PLATFORM"
• I think it's worth discussing if we want to give the committee chair the unilateral authority to designate someone. I don't think I'm against the designee concept in theory, I just think it's worthwhile discussing what, if any, ways it could potentially be abused.
• While I wouldn't personally object to it, changing the threshold set by 5.1.g seems a bit out of place with the theme (standardization of rules) found throughout the rest of the proposal. I think including that could lead to additional discussion and potential dissent which might not occur if that section was left as-is. 
• Is the intention for this proposal to go into effect immediately or would a proviso be included to delay it until after the close of the convention? If the idea is that it'd take effect immediately we'll need to think about that when we're setting the order of the report.
• We'd need to make sure that 5, 5.7, and 5.8 get re-numbered, either as part of this proposal or in some other way.

Paul Bracco

Vice Chair - Libertarian Party of Virginia

------- Original Message -------

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[Secretary LNC]

The token change will be a separate proposal.  It is separate from the standardization, I just put it all up there but when formally submitted it will separate.  I am amenable to that title change and changing the opening words of 5.2 - will change that before submitting.

I really don't care about the designee thing, but it is simpler than trying something else, and it has never been abused.  But if someone has other language, I really do not mind, I just want it the same for both committees, right now it is not.  I intend it to go into effect immediately and would want to move it first if there are bylaws minority reports, since right now the bylaws committee has no right to have minority reports heard.

Renumbering is automatic per RONR. 

___________________________________________________

In Liberty, Caryn Ann Harlos

LNC Secretary and LP Historical Preservation Committee Chair ~ 561.523.2250

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/lp.org/d/msgid/bylaws-committee-2024/BWCegxlksyoP9kbo7tyHE2EiuYs7tqoIeS-7vqy3qVobSl1203I55x2dmAXJQGIswNj_43wjT3yhwdqyGQsUS-BmT1LWnjtQ2eZNtA3PuxY%3D%40protonmail.com.

[Secretary LNC]

See 57:19.... "For example, if an assembly adopts a motion "to insert after Article III a new Article IV reading as follows...." the secretary or a committee of course would, of course, raise the numerical designation of each of the later articles by one, even if the enacting motion made no reference to doing so."

It would not be out of order to propose a compiler's resolution as well, but I honestly don't find that necessary.  Also see Rule 5.8 which would authorize the Secretary to do so upon approval of the LNC.

___________________________________________________

In Liberty, Caryn Ann Harlos

LNC Secretary and LP Historical Preservation Committee Chair ~ 561.523.2250

[Secretary LNC]

So everyone can be clear these are two separate proposals, here are the proposal forms, with the name clarification suggested by Mr. Bracco.

___________________________________________________

In Liberty, Caryn Ann Harlos

LNC Secretary and LP Historical Preservation Committee Chair ~ 561.523.2250

[Secretary LNC]

And if anyone else would like to take over sponsorship of these, I would be glad to cede them to someone else.  That goes for everything I propose, I would prefer someone else take ownership of them if they agree.

___________________________________________________

In Liberty, Caryn Ann Harlos

LNC Secretary and LP Historical Preservation Committee Chair ~ 561.523.2250