Libertarian Platform

Libertarian Platform

Preamble

As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.

We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.

Consequently, we defend each person’s right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power.

In the following pages we have set forth our basic principles and enumerated various policy stands derived from those principles.

These specific policies are not our goal, however. Our goal is nothing more nor less than a world set free in our lifetime, and it is to this end that we take these stands.

1.0 Personal Liberty

Individuals should be free to make choices for themselves and to accept responsibility for the consequences of the choices they make. No individual, group, or government may initiate force against any other individual, group, or government. Our support of an individual’s right to make choices in life does not mean that we necessarily approve or disapprove of those choices.

1.1 Expression and Communication

We support full freedom of expression and oppose government censorship, regulation or control of communications media and technology. We favor the freedom to engage in or abstain from any religious activities that do not violate the rights of others. We oppose government actions which either aid or attack any religion.

1.2 Personal Privacy

Libertarians support the rights recognized by the Fourth Amendment to be secure in our persons,
homes, and property. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure should include records held
by third parties, such as email, medical, and library records. Only actions that infringe on the rights
of others can properly be termed crimes. We favor the repeal of all laws creating “crimes” without
victims, such as the use of drugs for medicinal or recreational purposes.

1.3 Personal Relationships

Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the
government’s treatment of individuals, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption,
immigration or military service laws. Government does not have the authority to define, license or
restrict personal relationships. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices
and personal relationships.

1.4 Abortion

Recognizing that abortion is a sensitive issue and that people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.

1.5 Crime and Justice

Government exists to protect the rights of every individual including life, liberty and property. Criminal laws should be limited to violation of the rights of others through force or fraud, or deliberate actions that place others involuntarily at significant risk of harm. Individuals retain the right to voluntarily assume risk of harm to themselves. We support restitution of the victim to the fullest degree possible at the expense of the criminal or the negligent wrongdoer. We oppose reduction of constitutional safeguards of the rights of the criminally accused. The rights of due process, a speedy trial, legal counsel, trial by jury, and the legal presumption of innocence until proven guilty, must not be denied. We assert the common-law right of juries to judge not only the facts but also the justice of the law.

1.6 Self-Defense

The only legitimate use of force is in defense of individual rights — life, liberty, and justly acquired
property — against aggression. This right inheres in the individual, who may agree to be aided by
any other individual or group. We affirm the individual right recognized by the Second Amendment
to keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense.
We oppose all laws at any level of government requiring registration of, or restricting, the
ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or ammunition.

2.0 Economic Liberty

Libertarians want all members of society to have abundant opportunities to achieve economic
success. A free and competitive market allocates resources in the most efficient manner. Each
person has the right to offer goods and services to others on the free market. The only proper role of
government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a
legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute
wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.

2.1 Property and Contract

Property rights are entitled to the same protection as all other human rights. The owners of property have the full right to control, use, dispose of, or in any manner enjoy, their property without interference, until and unless the exercise of their control infringes the valid rights of others. We oppose all controls on wages, prices, rents, profits, production, and interest rates. We advocate the repeal of all laws banning or restricting the advertising of prices, products, or services. We oppose all violations of the right to private property, liberty of contract, and freedom of trade. The right to trade includes the right not to trade — for any reasons whatsoever. Where property, including land, has been taken from its rightful owners by the government or private action in violation of individual rights, we favor restitution to the rightful owners.

2.2 Environment

We support a clean and healthy environment and sensible use of our natural resources. Private landowners and conservation groups have a vested interest in maintaining natural resources. Pollution and misuse of resources cause damage to our ecosystem. Governments, unlike private businesses, are unaccountable for such damage done to our environment and have a terrible track record when it comes to environmental protection. Protecting the environment requires a clear definition and enforcement of individual rights in resources like land, water, air, and wildlife. Free markets and property rights stimulate the technological innovations and behavioral changes required to protect our environment and ecosystems. We realize that our planet’s climate is constantly changing, but environmental advocates and social pressure are the most effective means of changing public behavior.

2.3 Energy and Resources

While energy is needed to fuel a modern society, government should not be subsidizing any particular form of energy. We oppose all government control of energy pricing, allocation, and production.

2.4 Government Finance and Spending

All persons are entitled to keep the fruits of their labor. We call for the repeal of the income tax, the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs and services not required under the U.S. Constitution. We oppose any legal requirements forcing employers to serve as tax collectors. Government should not incur debt, which burdens future generations without their consent. We support the passage of a “Balanced Budget Amendment” to the U.S. Constitution, provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes.

2.5 Money and Financial Markets

We favor free-market banking, with unrestricted competition among banks and depository
institutions of all types. Individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should be free to use as money
any mutually agreeable commodity or item. We support a halt to inflationary monetary policies and
unconstitutional legal tender laws.

2.6 Monopolies and Corporations

We defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies based on voluntary association. We seek to divest government of all functions that can be provided by non-governmental organizations or private individuals. We oppose government subsidies to business, labor, or any other special interest. Industries should be governed by free markets.

2.7 Labor Markets

We support repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find employment. We oppose government-fostered forced retirement. We support the right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions, and an employer should have the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union. We oppose government interference in bargaining, such as compulsory arbitration or imposing an obligation to bargain.

2.8 Education

Education, like any other service, is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality and efficiency with more diversity of choice. Schools should be managed locally to achieve greater accountability and parental involvement. Recognizing that the education of children is inextricably linked to moral values, we would return authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government. In particular, parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children’s education.

2.9 Health Care

We favor restoring and reviving a free market health care system. We recognize the freedom of
individuals to determine the level of health insurance they want, the level of health care they want,
the care providers they want, the medicines and treatments they will use and all other aspects of
their medical care, including end-of-life decisions. People should be free to purchase health
insurance across state lines.

2.10 Retirement and Income Security

Retirement planning is the responsibility of the individual, not the government. Libertarians would
phase out the current government-sponsored Social Security system and transition to a private
voluntary system. The proper and most effective source of help for the poor is the voluntary efforts
of private groups and individuals. We believe members of society will become more charitable and
civil society will be strengthened as government reduces its activity in this realm.

3.0 Securing Liberty

The protection of individual rights is the only proper purpose of government. Government is constitutionally limited so as to prevent the infringement of individual rights by the government itself. The principle of non-initiation of force should guide the relationships between governments.

3.1 National Defense

We support the maintenance of a sufficient military to defend the United States against aggression.
The United States should both avoid entangling alliances and abandon its attempts to act as
policeman for the world. We oppose any form of compulsory national service.

3.2 Internal Security and Individual Rights

The defense of the country requires that we have adequate intelligence to detect and to counter
threats to domestic security. This requirement must not take priority over maintaining the civil
liberties of our citizens. The Constitution and Bill of Rights shall not be suspended even during time
of war. Intelligence agencies that legitimately seek to preserve the security of the nation must be
subject to oversight and transparency. We oppose the government’s use of secret classifications to
keep from the public information that it should have, especially that which shows that the
government has violated the law.

3.3 International Affairs

American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world. Our foreign policy should
emphasize defense against attack from abroad and enhance the likelihood of peace by avoiding
foreign entanglements. We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention,
including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and
defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of
terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by
political or revolutionary groups.

3.4 Free Trade and Migration

We support the removal of governmental impediments to free trade. Political freedom and escape
from tyranny demand that individuals not be unreasonably constrained by government in the
crossing of political boundaries. Economic freedom demands the unrestricted movement of human
as well as financial capital across national borders. However, we support control over the entry into
our country of foreign nationals who pose a credible threat to security, health or property.

3.5 Rights and Discrimination

We condemn bigotry as irrational and repugnant. Government should not deny or abridge any individual’s rights based on sex, wealth, race, color, creed, age, national origin, personal habits, political preference or sexual orientation. Parents, or other guardians, have the right to raise their children according to their own standards and beliefs.

3.6 Representative Government

We support electoral systems that are more representative of the electorate at the federal, state and local levels. As private voluntary groups, political parties should be allowed to establish their own rules for nomination procedures, primaries and conventions. We call for an end to any tax-financed subsidies to candidates or parties and the repeal of all laws which restrict voluntary financing of election campaigns. We oppose laws that effectively exclude alternative candidates and parties, deny ballot access, gerrymander districts, or deny the voters their right to consider all legitimate alternatives.

3.7 Self-Determination

Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty.

4.0 Omissions

Our silence about any other particular government law, regulation, ordinance, directive, edict, control, regulatory agency, activity, or machination should not be construed to imply approval.


Constitution
As amended, April 29, 2006
Article I — NameThe name of the organization shall be the Libertarian Party of Kansas (LPKS), or alternatively the Kansas Libertarian Party (KSLP), hereinafter referred to as the “Party”.
Article II — Purpose
The purpose for which the Party is organized is to implement and give voice to the principles embodied in the Statement of Principles by:
a. Entering into political information and educational activities;
b. Nominating and supporting candidates for political office;
c. Other activities consistent with operating and maintaining the Party.
Article III — Officers and Members

Section 1. Officers
The officers of the Party shall be the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and four (4) Congressional District Coordinators. Such officers constitute the voting members of the Executive Committee of the Party and shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of the Party in each odd-numbered year. The newly elected officers take office immediately upon the close of such Annual Meeting, and serve for a period of two years, or until their successors take office.

Section 2. Party Members Defined
Party Members shall be defined as those persons who are Registered to vote with Libertarian listed as their Party Affiliation and who have not been expelled and are not currently under suspension pursuant to these Articles.
Officers, Auxiliaries, Delegates to National Conventions, and LPKS candidates for public office that seek endorsement beyond Nomination, i.e., financial and other official support from the LPKS, must certify in writing that they do not advocate the initiation of force to promote political or social goals prior to taking office as a Party Officer, Auxiliary, or Delegate to a National Convention, or, if an LPKS candidate for public office, prior to receiving any official endorsement, financial assistance or other support from the LPKS.
Section 3. Chair
The Chair shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Party and shall preside over all meetings and conventions. The Chair, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee, shall appoint Party members to fill any vacancies which occur among the Officers of the Executive Committee and vacancies which occur in any Delegation to a National Convention.
The Chair, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee, shall also make appointments to fill any auxiliary positions created by this Constitution or the Executive Committee, or any vacancies in national, state, or local partisan electoral offices.
Section 4. Vice Chair
The Vice-Chair shall assume the authority of the Chair and preside at all meetings and conventions in the event of the absence, resignation, or removal of the Chair.
In the event of a permanent disability or absence due to the death, resignation or removal of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall succeed to Chair the Party, with all powers of that office devolving upon him or her for the remainder of the former Chair’s term.
Section 5. Secretary
The Secretary shall be the recording officer of the Party. The Secretary shall also keep complete and accurate records of Party memberships, contributors, and others indicating an interest in the Party Principles and policies. The Secretary, with the advice and assistance of the Chair, shall be responsible for certifying all Party nominations to the Secretary of State or appropriate election officer in the district in which the nomination appears. The Secretary shall advise the Kansas Secretary of State of the names, addresses and titles of all elected Party officers and any changes of such as they occur.

Section 6. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall receive, expend, and account for the funds of the Party under the supervision and direction of the Chair.
Section 7. District Coordinators
The District Coordinators must reside in the U.S. Congressional district they represent and shall coordinate the educational, organizational, outreach and publicity programs in their district with the Executive Committee.
Section 8. Deputy District Coordinators
For each Congressional District the Chair may appoint one or more Deputy District Coordinators, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee.
Deputy District Coordinators may not vote on Executive Committee matters unless a District Coordinator, to expedite business at an in-person Executive Committee Meeting which he or she is unable to attend, gives authority to a Deputy District Coordinator to act as his or her Alternate. In order for this grant of authority to be exercised it must be communicated to the members of the Executive Committee at least three days before the meeting.

Article IV — Executive Committee

Section 1. Management of Party
The Executive Committee of the Party shall have control and management of all affairs, properties, and funds of the Party consistent with this Constitution. The Executive Committee shall also make provision for legal services to the Party as needed. All vacancies not provided for in this Constitution may be filled by the Executive Committee, including, but not limited to, the vacancies created by illness, death, withdrawal, or disqualification of any Party candidate for office.
No Party funds shall be disbursed without a majority vote of the Executive Committee members present, if such number present constitutes a quorum. If less than a quorum no Party funds shall be disbursed until ratification by electronic or other means by a majority of the current members of the Executive Committee.

Section 2. Auxiliary Positions
The Chair, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee, shall appoint, to serve at the pleasure of the Executive Committee; a Newsletter Editor to publish the Free Kansan; a Database Manager to assist the in keeping records; Deputy District Coordinators to assist the District Coordinators; a Web Administrator to design, maintain and update the LPKS website; additional Webmasters as necessary to assist the Web Administrator; a Campus Organization Coordinator to encourage and assist the formation and development of Campus Affiliate Organizations, programs, and activities at Colleges in the State; and a Media Spokesperson, to exercise responsibility for encouraging, initiating, and/or responding to communications with representatives of print and electronic media regarding Party affairs, candidates, positions and initiatives.
Section 3. Meetings
The Executive Committee shall convene at such times and places as may be determined by the action of the Committee, by call of the Chair, or by a written request from a majority of the Committee. All Committee members shall be given one-week notice of the time and place of the meetings. All members are encouraged to participate in the discussions at such meetings but only officers of the Executive Committee may vote.
Section 4. Quorum
One-half of the current membership of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at committee meetings. Any members of the Committee may participate in such a meeting by means of telephone or other conferencing equipment, or by post-meeting ratification.
Article V — Membership Meetings and Nominating Conventions
Section 1. Robert’s Rules
Unless otherwise stated, Robert’s Rules of Order will be used in all Party meetings.

Section 2. Classes of Meetings
There will be two classes of Party meetings, the Annual Meeting and Called Meetings.
Section 3. Annual Meetings
The Annual Meeting shall be held in March or April and shall be the primary business and official meeting of the Party each year: and it shall be at that meeting the membership shall vote on the various issues mentioned in these articles. In each odd-numbered year the agenda shall include, but not be limited to, changes in these Articles and By-Laws and the election of Party officers. Items of business may be proposed by any member or by the Executive Committee.
Section 4. Called Meetings

Called Meetings are for the transaction of any business that is determined to be of such importance and urgency as to not wait until the next scheduled meeting. The Chair with a majority of the entire Executive Committee or one tenth of the Party membership may call such a meeting by giving two weeks written or telephone notice to the Party membership. No changes in the Constitution or By-Laws may be considered at a Called Meeting, nor may other matters be decided except those having been specifically stated in the meeting notice to the membership.

Section 5. Candidate Nominating Conventions
A Candidate Nominating Convention shall be held each even-numbered year in conjunction with the Annual Meeting, at a time and place established by the Executive Committee. The agenda shall be limited to revision and adoption of the Party platform, nomination of candidates for Federal, State and local office, and the election of delegates to the National Libertarian Party Convention.
All members and registered Libertarians may attend and vote. However, all persons selected as delegates to a National Party Convention shall be members as defined in Article III, Section 2 of this Constitution.

Section 6. Registered Libertarians Defined
A registered Libertarian shall be defined as a person registered as Libertarian with the Elections Officer in the County of his or her residence. The validity of such registration shall be confirmed by the Party Secretary from a list of all such registrations supplied to the Party by the Secretary of State. If such a list is not available, or is incomplete, each person seeking to vote shall affirm by their signature that he or she is so registered.
Article VI — Statement of Principles

Section 1. Affirmation
The Statement of Principles of the Party affirms that philosophy upon which the Libertarian Party is founded, by which it shall be sustained and through which liberty shall prevail. The Statement of Principles is attached to the Constitution and By-Laws and is made a part thereof.

Section 2. Amendment
The enduring importance of the Statement of Principles requires that it shall not be amended by a vote of less than 7/8′s of members present and voting at an Annual meeting.
Article VII — Nomination of Candidates

Section 1. Qualifications
No person shall be entitled to run as a candidate for office on the Libertarian line of the ballot in a partisan election of the State of Kansas unless nominated at the Nominating Convention of the Party; or designated by the Executive Committee to fill a vacancy created by illness, death, withdrawal, or disqualification; or unless under State Law such nomination shall have been determined by primary election.
Any candidate in a partisan election as a Libertarian shall be nominated at the Nominating Convention of the Party. Such a candidate must be registered Libertarian on the voting lists in the State of Kansas and sign a pledge in support of the Party’s Statement of Principles.
Section 2. Nominations
Nomination of candidates for partisan local, state and federal offices shall be by majority vote of Party members and Registered Libertarians present and voting.

Section 3. Election
Where there is a single candidate for a nomination, election may be by voice. Where there are two or more candidates for a nomination election shall be by written ballot. In the event that there is no majority the candidate receiving the least votes shall be eliminated and another vote shall be taken. This process shall be repeated until a majority of votes cast shall elect.
Article VIII — Discipline
Section 1. Disciplinary Actions
Disciplinary actions against any Party member shall be in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, except as otherwise provided herein by the Party Constitution or By-Laws. Disciplinary action against any member shall consist of either reprimand, suspension, or expulsion from the Party.
Section 2. Reasons
A member shall be subject to disciplinary action for the following reason[s]: a. Committing the Party to financial obligations without the consent of the Executive Committee or: b. making statements to the public in the name of the Libertarian Party which are in direct violation of the Statement of Principles and which are ruled objectionable or harmful to the interests of the Party by two-thirds of the members present and voting on the proposed disciplinary action.
Section 3. Validity
A reprimand, suspension, or expulsion against any member requires approval by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at any Annual or Called Meeting. The offender must be given two weeks notice of the charges for the disciplinary action to be valid. Notice shall be by certified, return receipt requested mail, sent to the offender’s last known address.
Article IX — By-Laws

Section 1. Promulgation
The Executive Committee shall promulgate the By-Laws in accordance with the applicable law.

Section 2. Amendment
The By-Laws of the Party may only be amended by a two-thirds vote of members present and voting at the Annual Meeting of the Party in an odd-numbered year.

Section 3. Conformity with Kansas Law
The membership may not amend the By-Laws of this organization to be in violation of the prevailing laws of the State of Kansas or the United States. All votes by the membership shall be by voice. Thereafter any member may ask for a division of the body.
Article X — Election and Removal of Officers
Section 1. General
The Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected by nomination and majority vote of members present at the Annual Meeting during each odd-numbered year.
Where there is a single candidate for an office election may be by voice. Where there are two or more candidates for an office election shall be by written ballot. In the event that there is no majority the candidate receiving the least votes shall be eliminated and another vote shall be taken. This process shall be repeated until a majority of votes cast shall elect.
Section 2. District Coordinators
A District Coordinator shall be a resident of, and represent members from, the U.S. Congressional District in which he or she resides. District Coordinators shall be elected by members present and voting who reside in each respective Congressional District at the Annual Meeting during each odd-numbered year.

Section 3. Limitations
No person may be elected to concurrently hold more than one Party office. Any Executive Committee officer appointed to one or more additional Executive Committee offices shall have only a single vote.
Section 4. Removal
An elected officer may be removed from office for disciplinary reasons as stated in Article VIII above, or for non-performance or negligent performance of official duties.
Article XI — Amendments to the Constitution
This Constitution may be adopted by a majority vote or amended by a two-thirds vote of members present and voting at any Annual Meeting in an odd-numbered year, except Article VI, the Statement Of Principles, shall not be amended by a vote of less than 7/8′s of members present and voting at such Annual meeting.

Article XII — Organizational Conformance With the Kansas Election Code
The requirements of the Kansas Election Code and any other pertinent statute shall constitute a part of this Constitution and shall supersede any conflicting provisions hereof.
Article XIII — Affiliate Organizations
Section 1. Requirements
The Executive Committee may charter as Affiliate Organizations (“Affiliate”) those organizations requesting such status to organize and operate within the state. Affiliate status shall be granted only to those organizations which adopt the Statement of Principles and file a copy of their Constitution and By-Laws with the Party Secretary.
Section 2. Affiliate Representative
Each Affiliate so chartered shall declare an Affiliate Representative for the purpose of liaison between the Party and the Affiliate.


By Laws
Paragraph I — Duties of OfficersThe duties of the officers shall be as per this Constitution.Paragraph II — Executive Committee
Section 1. Duties
The duties of the Executive Committee shall be as per this Constitution.

Section 2. Voting
Except as otherwise provided in the Constitution, a majority vote of those Executive Committee officers present and at the Executive Committee Meetings shall prevail.

Section 3. Requirement of Email Address
Because Kansas is such a large state and many Executive Committee meetings and various communications are held over the Internet, it is necessary that Executive Committee members have and maintain an email address.
Paragraph III — Meeting and Quorums
Section 1. Meetings
Meetings shall be as defined in the Constitution.

Section 2. Management
The Executive Committee shall have supervision and management of all meetings and conventions and shall fix the official program and order of business.
Section 3. Quorum
A quorum at an Annual or Called Meeting shall be a majority of those members having registered as in attendance. A quorum for consideration of disciplinary action at a called meeting shall not be less than 10 percent of the members of the Party as defined in Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution.

Paragraph IV — Finances and Accounting
Section 1. Fiscal Year
The fiscal term of the Party shall begin on the first day of September.
Section 2. System of Accounts
The Executive Committee shall establish and maintain an efficient system of accounts for which all the members of the Executive Committee shall be held responsible.
Section 3. Disbursements
All dispersments exceeding $20 shall be made solely by check.
Section 4. Depository and Withdrawal
The Executive Committee shall designate the depository of all funds of the Party, and shall appoint such officers as in its judgment may seem advisable to deposit and withdraw funds from said depository.

Paragraph V — Parliamentary Authority
The current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters of procedure not specifically covered by the Constitution and/or By-Laws of the Party.

Paragraph VI — Candidate Endorsements

Section 1. National LP Nominees

Any candidate who has been nominated by the National Libertarian Party shall have the endorsement of the Libertarian Party of Kansas.
Section 2. Party Endorsements to a Non-Libertarian
With the exception of Libertarian Party candidates no candidate running for public office may be endorsed by the Kansas Libertarian Party, except as follows:
a. Such candidate is duly registered Libertarian or non-affiliated as a voter with the lawful election officer of his home county; and
b. Such candidate appears in person at the nominating convention and receives the affirmative endorsement of two thirds of the members and registered Libertarians present and voting.
Section 3. Official Endorsement Versus Private Endorsement
All members of this Party are, of course, at all times free to speak in their own behalf in endorsement of any political candidate, but must not state the official endorsement of the Party, except where such endorsement has been approved by the Executive Committee.

Paragraph VII — Amendments to the By-Laws
Amendments to the By-Laws shall not be amended by less than a two-thirds vote of members present and voting at any Annual Meeting in an odd-numbered year.
Paragraph VII — Affiliate Organizations
Section 1. Petition
Organizations applying for charter as Affiliates shall make such applications to the Executive Committee. The petition shall include a copy of the Affiliate Constitution and By-Laws, which shall adopt the Party Statement of Principles. The petition shall be signed by no less than five (5) Affiliate petitioners.
Section 2. Membership Required for Certain Positions
Affiliates shall make known to the Secretary the Affiliate Representative to whose attention all party business shall be directed and who shall report on the activities of the Affiliate when requested by the Executive Committee. Membership in the Party shall be a requirement for the Chair, the Vice Chair and the Affiliate Representative.

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