(Amended by the State Committee on May 9, 2000)
(Amended by the State Committee on October 25, 2003)
(Amended by the State Committee on November 19, 2005)
(Amended by the State Committee on April 22, 2006)
(Amended by the State Committee on September 26, 2014)
(Amended by the State Committee on August 14, 2019)
(Amended by the State Committee on November 25, 2019)
(Amended by the State Committee on April 11, 2020)
(Amended by the State Committee on 23 February 2023)
Article I: Name
- The Libertarian Party of Vermont is the name of the Vermont State Affiliate of the Libertarian National Party.
Article II: Purpose
- To recruit and run candidates for local, state, and federal offices in Vermont under the Libertarian Party banner.
- To promote libertarian ideas and policies in Vermont
- To recruit members and donors for the Libertarian Party of Vermont
Article III: Members
1. Membership
a. Membership shall be limited to individuals that are:
i. In agreement with the purpose
ii. A resident of the State of Vermont
iii. Affirm the following statement: “I hereby certify that I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force to achieve political, social, or economic goals.”
iv. Notified the Secretary of their desire to become a member of the state party. The Membership Committee is chaired by the Secretary and should receive all attestations, both online and paper. Completing the attestation via the website link or written document, the name and contact information of members will be stored by the State Chair and the Secretary of the Party.
b. Membership in the Party begins on the date of the attestation, and dues are received or on the date the town and county are organized.
c. Membership in the party ends:
i. On the date a member organizes or caucuses with another party
ii. Upon expulsion from the party as part of a decision of the Judicial Committee. The member expelled may rejoin the party after a period of five years, or after a shorter period of time set by the Judicial Committee. The member may appeal to the convention, which may reduce or reverse the penalty by a two-thirds vote.
d. Dues-paying members of the State Party shall be all members who are current in their payment of annual membership dues, plus all Life Members.
e. All Executive Committee members, delegations, candidacies, and other roles within the party and its affiliates shall be occupied only by party members.
2. Dues
a. Each member shall be responsible for annual dues as determined by the state committee.
Article IV: Structure
1. The Libertarian Party of Vermont shall be composed of:
a. Town Committees
b. County Committees
c. State Committee
d. Executive Committee
e. Judicial Committee
2. TownCommittees
a. The purpose of a Town Committee is to provide for the local organization of libertarian members.
b. The Town committee is composed of at least three voters in each organized town who wish to serve on the Libertarian town committee. The town chair must be a registered voter in the town they are organizing. If a town has been previously unorganized, all three town committee members must be registered to vote in the town they are organizing.
c. Each Town Committee shall:
i. Hold a biennial caucus at a date set by the State Committee chair in accordance with state statute.
ii. Select town committee officers.
iii. Select delegates to the county committee caucus.
iv. Submit nominees for municipal offices to the state committee for approval.
3. County Committees
a. The purpose of a county committee is to organize and support town committees in accordance with Vermont statutes regarding the organization of political parties and provide leadership for each county.
b. If a county does not have a town organized, for the purpose of organizing the county for the State Committee, three voters from any town within the county may organize it and represent said county in the State Committee.
c. Each County Committee shall:
i. Hold a biennial county caucus at a date set by the state committee chair in accordance with state statute.
ii. Select county committee officers.
iii. Select two members in addition to the chair to represent the county on the state committee.
iv. Select nominees for county and general assembly offices to the state committee for approval.
4. The State Committee
a. The State Committee is the ruling body of the Libertarian Party of Vermont.
b. The State Committee is composed of:
i. The chair and two additional members of each county committee, elected by the same. County committee members may give a proxy to another member of the party that is a resident of that county.
ii. One member from each organized town committee.
iii. The delegates and alternative delegates to the National Libertarian Party Convention elected at the prior biennial Libertarian Party of Vermont convention.
iv. The members of the Executive Committee.
v. Any Libertarian Party of Vermont member holding statewide office, the Office of Vermont Representative or Senator, or the office of US Representative or US Senator.
vi. The State Committee shall have the authority to undertake the following duties:
- Approve and/or amend an annual budget submitted by the
financial and executive committees.
- Assist the chair in preparation of setting the date and time of a
biennial state convention and to set the agenda for said
convention.
- Establish appropriate dues for membership.
- Establish committees in accordance with Section 7 of these
bylaws.
- Call an ad-hoc state nominating convention at the request of a
candidate for state or local office provided that the request is
made 30 days prior to the filing deadline for candidates.
- Delegate to the Executive Committee any other functions that aredeemed by the State Committee to be necessary for the day-to-day function of the Libertarian Party of Vermont.
5. Executive Committee
a. The Executive Committee is composed of the officers of the State Committee.
b. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to undertake the following duties:
i. Call and set the date and time of state committee meetings.
ii. Propose a date and place for a biennial state convention.
iii. Request or delegate news releases, policy statements, and commentary to the press.
iv. Request newsletters or delegate this task to a newsletter editor and/or media committee.
v. Undertake any other functions that are deemed by the state committee or state convention to be necessary for the day-to-day function of the Libertarian Party of Vermont.
6. Removal of Members of Committees of State Party
a. Except as provided for vacancies, the State committee shall have the sole power to remove any member of the committees of state party officers from office for the misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance of duty. Removing any member of any of the committees of the state party shall require at least a two-thirds vote of the State Committee voting at a special State Committee meeting, called and notified for that specific purpose. However, before a vote is taken to remove a member from office, the disciplinary procedures chapters of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall be followed in order to examine whether they have been derelict in their duty.
7. Judicial Committee
a. The Judicial Committee shall consist of six members.
i. One member of the committee shall be appointed provost marshal and cannot vote on judicial proceedings.
b. Members of the Judicial Committee shall have been:
i. a member of the Libertarian Party of Vermont for at least three years, and
be a current member, or
ii. have been a member for at least one year and have been a member of
the national party or a party affiliate in a different state or country for at
least two years, or
iii. a member in good standing at the time of adoption of these bylaws, not counting any period of overlap.
c. No member of the Judicial Committee shall be a member of the State Committee or its subcommittees, except the platform and bylaws committee.
d. Committee Operations
i. It shall establish and publish rules for its own operation.
ii. It shall hold hearings and render decisions on any official action of the party, officers, or committee, whenever requested by three or more members, and on disciplinary matters as provided in these bylaws.
Article V: Officers
1. Officer Titles
a. The elected officers of the party shall be:
i. Chair
ii. Vice Chair
iii. Secretary
iv. Treasurer
v. Assistant Treasurer
b. They will be elected by the State Committee from among its membership.
2. Term of Office
a. Term of office shall begin at the close of the biennial organizational meeting and run until the close of the next biennial organizational meeting, or until their successors are selected, but not to exceed two years.
3. Nominations an Elections
a. Nominations shall be made from the floor at the organizational meeting of the state committee.
4. Eligibility
a. Membership in the Libertarian Party of Vermont for at least thirty (30) days prior to election, and
b. Maintain membership in good standing throughout the entire term.
5. Chairperson
a. Duties
i. To coordinate with town and county committees and assist in earnest with their organization, following state statute.
ii. To call special or extraordinary meetings as needed to fulfill party objectives.
iii. To drive membership to the party.
b. Vacancy
i. In the event of vacancy, the vice chair shall assume these duties as acting chair, following the provisions of the line of succession.
ii. In the event of a permanent vacancy, the acting chair shall notify and call an extraordinary meeting of the state committee for the purpose of electing a new chair.
iii. An acting chair has all of the duties and privileges of a sitting chair.
iv. The chair shall be considered vacant, temporarily or permanently, under
the following circumstances:
- Injury or illness of the chair that prevents the chair from fulfilling
duties.
- Failure to fulfill the duties of chair for more than thirty (30) days for any reason.
- Voluntary resignation of the chair.
- Voluntary temporary leave by the chair due to temporary life
circumstances.
a. Temporary leave should be notified as well in advance as possible.
b. The chair must give the acting chair 7 days notice before returning from leave.
c. Exclusive Offices
i. The party chair may not hold any party treasurer position at any level within the state.
6. Vice-Chair
a. Duties
i. The vice chair organizes and supports activism by party affiliates and members.
ii. To help organize and direct fundraising as directed by the financial committee.
b. Vacancy
i. In the event of a vacancy of the vice chair, the chair may appoint a vice chair pro-tempore until the next state committee meeting, at which point a vote for a new vice chair shall automatically be added to the business of the meeting.
7. Secretary
a. Duties
i. To publish minutes or otherwise distribute copies to the membership within 14 days of such meetings.
b. Deputies
i. A secretary may appoint deputy secretaries to assist in their duties.
ii. Deputies are not executive committee members, may not be appointed from the executive committee, and are chosen from the general membership.
8. Treasurer
a. Duties
i. To record and publish quarterly financial reports to be presented to the State committee.
ii. To record and publish the annual report at the end of the fiscal year.
iii. To act as the chair of the financial committee.
b. Fiduciary Duty
i. The treasurer has a fiduciary responsibility to the party and shall always act in accordance with the fiduciary rule.
ii. Should an expense break the fiduciary rule, or a state committee vote to expend funds in a manner that violates the fiduciary rule, the treasurer has authority to veto the expenditure. The treasurer’s veto may be overridden by a 2/3rds vote of the state committee.
c. Deputies
i. The treasurer may appoint deputies to assist in the completion of duties.
ii. Deputies follow the provisions of Section V.7.b.ii
d. Vacancy
i. In the event of a temporary vacancy, the Assistant Treasurer shall become acting treasurer.
ii. In the event of a permanent vacancy, the Assistant Treasurer shall become Treasurer.
9. Assistant Treasurer
a. Duties
i. To serve as the vice chair of the financial committee.
ii. To assist the treasurer in completing their duties.
iii. To assist the vice chair in fundraising and activism for the organization.
iv. To learn the position of treasurer as to be prepared in the event of a
vacancy.
b. Fiduciary Duty
i. The assistant treasurer is subject to the provisions of Section V.8.b.i c.
c. Vacancy
i. In the event of a vacancy, the treasurer emeritus shall serve as assistant treasurer until a new assistant treasurer can be elected.
ii. In the absence of a treasurer emeritus, a deputy treasurer shall serve in this capacity as appointed by the treasurer.
10. General Duties
a. In addition to the duties specified in these bylaws, officers shall perform those duties specified for the officers listed in the parliamentary authority.
11. Removal of Members of Committees of the State Party
a. The State Committee shall have the sole power to remove any member of the committees of state party officers from office for misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance of duty. Removing any member of any of the committees of the state party shall require at least a two-thirds vote of the entire state committee voting at a state committee meeting, with thirty (30) days’ notice for that purpose. The process used shall be the trial procedure specified in the parliamentary authority.
12. Vacancies
a. Vacancies in officer positions shall be filled at the next state committee meeting, or at a special state committee meeting called for the purpose of filling the vacancy.
Article VI: Meetings
1. Convention
a. The party shall hold a biennial state convention in the even-numbered years in accordance with state statutes, at a time and place proposed by the state committee and properly notified by the state chair.
b. The purpose of the convention is to:
i. Approve a party platform for the next general election.
ii. Elect delegates to the next National Libertarian Party convention.
iii. Nominate statewide and federal candidates for the next general election.
iv. Delegates to the state convention shall be members of the Libertarian Party of Vermont in good standing as of the day of the convention.
2. Reorganization Meeting
a. The Chair of the State Committee shall name an hour and place for a State Committee meeting. The chair must notify all members-elect in writing at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting day.
b. Within ten days of the meeting of the State Committee, the Chair and Secretary shall file the following with the Secretary of State:
i. A certificate of party organization
ii. The names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, and emails of the officers and members of the State Committee (including the Counties they represent).
iii. A listing of the towns and counties that have organized.
iv. The name by which the party will be identified on any Austrailian ballot
(not more than three (3) words).
c. This meeting must take place before the end of the year.
d. The Chair and/or Executive Committee must communicate with the Secretary of State office for any changes pertinent to the reorganization process and share with State Committee members as soon as feasible to maximize coordination and clarity for state organization.
e. If the state reorganization meeting has not been called by November 15th, the Executive Committee and/or State Committee are empowered to take steps to ensure state reorganization happens prior to the end of the year, in accordance with state statute and Secretary of State guidelines that have been sent in writing to State Committee members.
f. Town committee reorganization shall follow state statutes and/or Secretary of State guidelines, including ensuring the Town Chair is registered to vote in the town being organized, and all three (3) voters registered if the town has not been previously organized.
i. The State Chair shall set the date for the Town Caucus. The date must be between September 10th and September 30th.
ii. At least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the caucus, the State Chair must notify (by mail or e-mail) town clerks, and town and county chairs of the date and purpose for the caucus.
iii. If the town caucus date has not been called by August 31st, succession of the Executive Committee shall apply and is empowered to take steps within seventy-two (72) hours to get the town caucus date set.
g. Selection of Judicial Committee members shall be part of the agenda of hte state reorganization meeting.
3. Special Meetings
a. Special meetings may be called by the chair, or 2/3rds of the State Committee, or by 20% of the membership. Such special party meetings may undertake any function authorized under the provisions of these bylaws. Special meetings require seventy-two (72) hour written notice to all state committee members.
4. Remote Meetings
a. Attendance via conference telephone or similar communications equipment.
i. A member may attend and participate in a meeting of members via a conference telephone, computer “chat room” or similar communications equipment by which all persons participating in the meeting may communicate with each other provided that:
-
- All participants are advised of the communications equipment and
- The names of the participants in the conference are divulged to all participants.
ii. Such participation by a member in a meeting shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.
5. State Committee
a. State Committee meetings shall be held at least once per calendar quarter with all committee members advised of the time, place, and agenda, determined by the Executive Committee.
b. State Committee meetings may be conducted in any manner chosen by the state committee, to include:
i. Physical meetings
ii. Telephone Conferences
iii. Online Formats
c. It is the responsibility of the presiding officer to ensure that a quorum is present, and to sufficiently ensure the identity of each participant.
6. Convention/State Reorganization Notice
a. Notice of all meetings shall be provided to each member at least ten (10) days prior to the meeting.
b. The State Committee will determine the method of notification.
c. No commitments shall be made that were not included in the notice of a special meeting.
7. Attendance Records
a. The secretary shall maintain a record of attendance of all meetings.
8. Observers
a. Observers (non-members) may attend any party meeting or convention, but they may participate in discussion on if:
i. Requested by the Chair in advance and
ii. With the permission of the members present.
b. Observers may be excluded from any committee meetings if one-third of its members so voted.
9. Quorums
a. A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be 4?5.
b. A quorum of the State Committee shall be five members, two (2) of which are
also not members of the Executive Committee.
c. A quorum for the convention shall be one-fifth (1?5) of the total membership of the party.
d. A quorum for the Judicial Committee shall be a majority of the voting members.
Article VII: Committees
1. Standing Committees
a. Committees may be established for particular functions by either the State Committee or the party at a state convention or special meeting.
i. Such committees shall be answerable to the body which established it.
ii. Each committee must be composed of at least two members.
b. Standing Committees include:
i. Bylaws and platform committee
ii. IT Committee
iii. Finance Committee
iv. Media Committee
v. Membership Committee
2. Bylaws and Platform Committee
a. The Bylaws and Platform committee shall be authorized to propose appropriate amendments to these bylaws and the party platform to be presented to the state committee.
3. IT Committee
a. The IT Committee shall be charged with
i. Managing the information technology of the party
ii. Updating and maintaining the official website
iii. Any other customer relationship management system the state committee authorizes.
4. Finance Committee
a. The Finance committee shall be tasked with fundraising and cost controls necessary to party operation pursuant to these bylaws.
b. Membership
i. The Financial Committee shall consist of the following persons:
- The Treasurer as Chair
- The Assistant Treasurer as Vice Chair
- The Chair of the State Committee
- Deputy Treasurers, if any.
- No less than three, but no more than six other party members.
a. At least one member shall not be a member of the State Committee, if possible.
c. Meetings
i. The Finance Committee must meet at least once per fiscal quarter to
- Review and approve the quarterly financial report
- Review receipts for refunds
- Approve or decline expense requests.
ii. Meetings shall be notified at least seven days in advance of the meeting, and the meeting shall be held at least three days before the quarter’s State Committee meeting.
d. Fiduciary Responsibility
i. All members of the committee are expected to adhere to the fiduciary rule when conducting committee business.
ii. The financial committee will be responsible for sourcing, or creating, educational materials for town and county committee members regarding this rule.
5. Media Committee
a. The Medial Committee shall:
i. Be the public relations arm of the party and
ii. Shall manage official social media accounts of the party.
b. The Chair of the State Committee is the chair of the media committee ex officio
6. Membership committee
a. The Membership Committee is authorized to:
i. Receive membership requests via attestations submitted via online or physical document.
ii. Maintain membership records and
iii. Organize membership drives on behalf of the party.
b. At State Conventions, the membership committee shall serve as the delegate credentialing committee.
c. The Secretary of the State Committee is the chairperson of this committee ex officio.
7. Ad Hoc Organizations
a. Ad Hoc organizations are recognized as a valuable function and may be organized on a regional basis or for any other purpose consistent with these bylaws providing:
i. There is a full and free exchange of ideas, discussions and projects with the state committee.
8. Parliamentary Authority
a. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the party:
i. in all cases to which they are applicable and
ii. In which they are not inconsistent with Vermont State and Federal Law or
iii. These bylaws, any standing rules, and
iv. Any special rules of order the State Committee may adopt.
9. Bylaw Amendments
a. The bylaws may be amended in a properly notified State Convention, after recommendation and presentation by the Bylaw Committee.
b. All members of the party shall be notified in writing:
i. The proposed amendment, precisely worded,
ii. The current bylaw
iii. The bylaw as it will read if the amendment is adopted.
iv. Proposer’s names and rational for proposing the amendment.
v. Any endorsement or opposition to the amendment by existing committees shall also be included.
c. Notice shall be given no less than ten (10) days prior to the meeting
1o. State Law
a. If Vermont statutes regarding the organization of political parties are amended, the chair shall call for a special meeting where the Bylaws and Platform Committee shall propose amendments to the appropriate articles or structures to comply with the amended statute.
b. Where these bylaws conflict with State Law, State Law shall supercede these bylaws until they may be amended to conform to State Law.
11. The Emergency Meeting of 4 February 2022
a. The meeting called on 4 February, 2022, shall be considered a properly called meeting,
b. Any actions taken during said meeting as appropriate to such meeting.
c. No action taken at this meeting shall be subject to a point of order on the grounds that the meeting was not properly called.
Article VIII: Convention Rules of Order
1. Agenda
a. The proposed agenda shall be established by the State Committee and included in the notification of the Convention.
b. The Agenda shall consist of at least the following items
i. Reading or distribution of approved minutes of the previous convention.
ii. Treasurer’s Report
iii. Selection of Delegates to the National Convention
iv. Nominations of candidates for Federal and Statewide Offices
2. Delegates
a. Any voting member of the Libertarian Party of Vermont shall be a delegate provided that:
i. They are a dues paying member in good standing at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting and
ii. They register with the Secretary of the Convention as a delegate, either in advance or at the Convention.
3. Voting
a. Nominations for delegates or alternates to the national convention, and
candidates for federal or statewide office shall be from the floor.
b. Nominations for each candidate may be made by any delegate present on the
floor provided he or she has the candidate’s permission.
c. Nominating speeches shall be limited to ten (10) minutes.
i. This may be split in any manner between the nominating person, the candidate, and any additional speakers desired by the candidate.
d. Each delegate may cast one ballot ranking any number of candidates in order of preference.
i. For any election with only one seat, the counting of ballots shall be instant runoff voting.
ii. For elections with multiple seats, the counting shall be by proportional, single, transferable vote.
4. Bylaw Amendments
a. Bylaws may be amended one section at a time in accordance with Article VII, Section 9 of these bylaws.
5, Platform
a. The platform may be amended at the convention by a two-thirds (2?3) vote:
i. upon recommendation of the Bylaws and Platform Committee or
ii. By a motion from the floor.
6. Rescinding Actions
a. Any Actions of the state committee may be rescinded or modified by a two-thirds (2?3) vote upon a motion from the floor.
7. Minutes
a. The Convention Chair shall appoint a meeting minutes approval committee, to consist of three (3) members that
i. Were all present at the Convention
ii. One shall be the secretary of the convention
iii. The remaining of which shall be secretaries of County or Town committees, or
iv. deputized secretaries for this purpose.
b. The Committee shall approve the convention minutes within thirty (30) days of the close of the convention.
c. Approved minutes shall be posted to the website.
Article IX: Compilers Resolution
- Resolved, that the committee or officer designated to prepare the true copy of these bylaws as amended at this meeting, be authorized to correct article and section designations, spelling, punctuation, and cross-referencing, and to make other technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to reflect the intent of this meeting in connection with this bylaw revision.
