Fw: Bylaws problem

[Paul Darr]

Hello everyone,

I recieved this question concerning National Membership Affiliation that I never considered before. What are your thoughts?

Respectfully,

Paul Darr

Vice Chair, Libertarian National Committee

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From: June Genis <june...@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 5, 2025 11:22 AM
To: Paul Darr <paul...@lp.org>
Subject: Bylaws problem

 

Hi Paul, 

Hannah suggested I contact you with regard to a concern I have about tracking national memberships. 

I recently learned that the only way that the National LP determines a member's state affiliation is by their mailing address but this is not sufficient in all cases. Some states allow members who reside in other states to become a member in that state. Most do not require that the member ONLY be a member of that state. Thus someone could be a member of more than one state, Since National only attributes membership based on mailing address there is currently no way that a member can indicate that they want their national membership to be attributed to a state other than the one they reside in.

There are several reasons that someone might want to be affiliated with a different state and I see nothing in the bylaws that requires that a national member only be affiliated with the state they live in. This problem is most likely to arise with life members who might have to leave the state in which they lived when they became a life member but still feel connected to that state rather than the one they have moved to. This could occur if some has to move, temporarily or permanently, to another state for work or because they have to care for a family member. It's also possible that someone simply might not wish to be associated with the state they live in. I can think of several states where if I had to move there I would not wish to be considered a member of that state.

I realize that the current system is an easy way to ensure that a member will only be counted as a member of one state. It is not an unreasonable default assumption to assume someone wants to be a member of the state where they live, but I think there needs to be a way for a member to specify that their membership be changed to a different state by requesting such a change in writing to the national secretary.

As I said, I currently see no bylaw requirement that a person only be affiliated with their state of residence so I'm not sure if this is a bylaw issue or not. Since the bylaws don't forbid it perhaps this only needs to be a procedural issue. It seems safer though, to have the bylaws explicitly authorize it, designate who is responsible for tracking it and make it clear that a person can only be a member of one state for the purpose of national affiliation. It might also require a new field in the national database to track affiliation to ensure that members only count toward their state of choice for delegate allocation rather than their state of residence. 

So what do you suggest I do to find a resolution for this situation?

June Genis, life member of CA and National

[Mike Seebeck]

Initial thoughts:

1. State affiliates are moving more to residence requirements for their state memberships. The solution is probably best at that level and ~70% of the States have residency requirements now, with more heading that direction. I don't think this really a national Bylaws problem.

2. We would have to amend A5S3, specifically the second sentence "Each state-level affiliate party shall, in accordance with its own bylaws and these bylaws, determine who shall be its delegates to all regular conventions." to include a single- residency requirement, but that could only apply to being a national convention delegate/alternate. One currently does not have to be a national member to be a state member, either, unless the states require it.

4. If we were to propose something like this, it wouldn't pass because a lot of states would go apeshit over it.

Best to leave this be and let the states sort it out.

MWS 

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