EMAIL BALLOT 20220813-01 IDHAO RESOLUTION

[Secretary LNC]

We have an email ballot.  Votes are due to the LNC Business List on this email thread by 11:59 pm Pacific Time on August 20, 2022.

RESOLUTION:  

Whereas, The Libertarian National Committee has found no convincing evidence that the regularly scheduled annual convention of the Libertarian Party of Idaho (LPID) which took place on April 2, 2022, was invalid; 

Whereas, The delegates at the April 2, 2022, LPID annual convention interpreted their own Bylaws and recognized the convention and its business as valid; 

Whereas, LPID leadership elections were conducted at the April 2, 2022, LPID annual convention; and

Whereas, The LPID Judicial Committee determined that “The convention held on April 2, 2022, was a legitimate, valid, and effective Convention of the Libertarian Party of Idaho,” and that the officers and their successors, including Jayson Sorensen as the interim Chair, are the legitimate officers of the LPID;

Resolved, That the Libertarian National Committee recognizes the leadership elected at the April 2, 2022, LPID annual convention and their successors in the ordinary course of business as the legitimate representatives of the recognized Idaho affiliate, including interim Chair Jayson Sorensen.

Co-Sponsors:  Benner, Bowen, Harlos, Smith

Vote Threshold Required:  Majority

You can track the progress of votes here:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NeIxdaskmLVPsnHpAtfMpa8aQpmy0c1gbn4WjYxXl6I/edit#gid=167874843

Please advise me of any discrepancies.

___________________________________________________

In Liberty, Caryn Ann Harlos

LNC Secretary and LP Historical Preservation Committee Chair ~ 561.523.2250

[Secretary LNC]

Yes.

___________________________________________________

In Liberty, Caryn Ann Harlos

LNC Secretary and LP Historical Preservation Committee Chair ~ 561.523.2250

[Rich Bowen]

I vote Yes.

Rich

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Rich Bowen

Libertarian National Committee

At Large Representative

Audit Committee Member

Ballot Access Committee Member

Convention Oversight Committee Member

Executive Committee Member

[Joshua Smith]

Yes

Joshua Smith, LNC Vice Chair
Joshua...@LP.org
   

[Pat Ford]

I vote Yes! #EndTheFBI

--

Regards

Pat Ford

Libertarian National Committee

Region 8 Representative 

(Maine/New Hampshire/Vermont/Massachusetts/Connecticut/Rhode Island/New York/New Jersey)

Cell: 617.835.1899

www.lp.org

A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.  LLAP-Leonard Nimoy

[Andrew Watkins]

Yes

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Andrew Watkins | Region 5 Rep.

[Linnea Gabbard]

Yes

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Linnea Gabbard
Region 7 Representative
LNC

[Bryan Elliott]

Yes

--

Bryan C. Elliott

LNC At-Large 

LNC Executive Committee

404-734-7656

[Mike Rufo]

Yes

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Respectfully,
Mike Rufo

LNC At-Large Representative 

[Joseph Ecklund]

Yes.

Joseph Clark Ecklund

Libertarian National Committee

Region 6 Representative

608-618-6313

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 “You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
― Buckminster Fuller  

[Dustin Blankenship]

Yes. 

[miguel...@lp.org]

Yes.

Miguel Duque, R1 Rep

[Dave Benner]

I vote yes. 

I view this vote as an affirmation of that which should be the default from national - that we respect the results of state affiliate conventions notwithstanding any definitive violation of that state's bylaws. After reading the materials given to the LNC, and witnessing the special meeting, nothing within that framework, or even any of the state statutes presented lead me to believe this convention was invalid. Furthermore, if one believes the convention valid I think one also has to respect the Libertarian Party of Idaho Judicial Committee's opinion on the matters involved, given that they are empowered to resolve disputes between members, and also to authorize/validate expulsions per Article VIII, Section 5 of their bylaws, However, I take no stance on the latter subject because I believe it to be outside of our purview. 

[Carrie Eiler]

Mr. Benner has expressed important reasons for a yes vote, however Region 4 will officially ABSTAIN to avoid any hint of bias since some of the parties involved had their membership in the LPCA suspended for cause.

[Dustin Nanna]

Abstain. I don't see this as necessary as I believe it is the default position as eluded to. I do not want to get into a habit of doing this every time there is a convention that is contested.

Dustin Nanna

Region 3 Representative, Libertarian National Committee

740-816-9805

[Secretary LNC]

It’s necessary to clear up confusion to the average member in Idaho who has now received a second convention call for 8/27.  It’s further necessary so that the no prevailing side has national appeal rights.

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[Secretary LNC]

(To be clear I don’t believe the other side has merit- I do want them though to have full appeal rights - that’s what’s fair-I welcome a JC review if they can meet the burden)

[Steven Nekhaila]

I vote yes.

However, I want to make it clear that I believe that affiliates should avoid schisms as duly as possible and know that this is not a fun road for any side, including the LNC, to be involved in.

This is a case I view as highly avoidable and I encourage the LP Idaho to harden their bylaws and constitution so that there are no further issues in the future. We have had multiple instances of divisions due to poor bylaws and all states should look at theirs very thoroughly moving forward.

Sincerely,

Steven Nekhaila

[Angela McArdle]

I am voting an expressed abstention on this matter. 

Angela McArdle, Chair

Libertarian National Committee

[Todd Hagopian]

I will be abstaining

I am on record saying that the LP should either disaffiliate, or stay out of state matters, unless members are being purged or their member rights are being trampled on.  I don't believe either to be the case here.  I was barely on board sending the NM affiliate a letter, but signed on after the Parliamentarian issued his opinion.  I believe that this resolution takes LNC power one step further.

It is my understanding that we were asked to review this matter by the affiliate, and their JC, to ensure that their actions were above board.  The evidence presented clearly showed that the convention was deemed valid by the delegates (without objection), and the later actions of the committee, regarding the members who tried to seize leadership, were upheld by the JC.  As such, I do not see the need for the LNC action outlined in the resolution, as the board recognized by the LNC is the one recognized by the Idaho party, governed by its bylaws.  If the resolution/motion was aimed at securing the party's assets, I would probably feel (and vote) differently.  

I am very wary of the LNC making it a habit to determine which state convention is, or is not, valid.  We have now done this twice in two months.  It is not hard to imagine a scenario where this new power, wielded by an irresponsible future LNC, may cause conventions, delegate slates, and affiliate leadership across dozens of states to be questioned (or even changed) in the runup to important national conventions.  We always need to think about how our actions today will have consequences tomorrow.

I apologize for the long-winded explanation, I typically try to keep my opinions brief and to the point.  Here, I believe every word in this motion to be true.  However, I do not believe it is the right of the LNC to pass this specific resolution, so I will be abstaining.

Todd Hagopian

LNC Treasurer
todd.h...@lp.org

[Secretary LNC]

Voting has ended for Email Ballot 20220813-01 IDAHO RESOLUTION

The Motion PASSED  with a vote count of 13-0-4-0.

Voting Aye: Benner, Blankenship, Bowen, Duque, Ecklund,  Elliott, Ford, Gabbard, Harlos, Nekhaila, Rufo, Smith, Watkins

Voting No: None

Express Abstentions:  Eiler, Hagopian, McArdle

No Vote Recorded: None

___________________________________________________

In Liberty, Caryn Ann Harlos

LNC Secretary and LP Historical Preservation Committee Chair ~ 561.523.2250

[Secretary LNC]

Somehow Nanna got deleted from the abstention list but he should be included, apologies.