This page was last updated on December 01, 2004
BYLAWS of the Libertarian Party of Fresno County As amended 8 January 2004
Bylaw 1. NAME § 1. This organization shall be known as the “Libertarian Party of Fresno County”. The organization, especially when doing business with the State of California, may be known as the Fresno County Libertarian Central Committee, and shall hereinafter be referred to as the “LPFC” in these Bylaws.
§ 2. These Bylaws shall constitute the rules under which the LPFC and LPFC members conducting LPFC business shall be governed.
Bylaw 2. PURPOSE The LPFC shall engage in the following activities: (A) Recruiting, nominating and promoting candidates for elective and appointive political offices having all or part of Fresno County within their jurisdictions who are committed to libertarian principles; (B) Influencing presently constituted governments having all or part of Fresno County within their jurisdictions to conduct their activities in conformance to libertarian principles; (C) Acquiring financial resources for use by the LPFC in this and the other activities outlined in this Bylaw; (D) Managing the tangible resources of the LPFC and enforcing rules of the LPFC to help ensure efficient, effective, and fair conduct of this and the other activities outlined in this Bylaw; (E) Recruitment and retention of persons as members of the LPFC; and, (F) Persuading persons that are eligible to vote in Fresno County of the merits of libertarian philosophies.
Bylaw 3. MEMBERSHIP § 1. All eligible voters registered with the Fresno County Elections Division as Libertarians are either associate members or voting members of the LPFC.
§ 2. Individuals may become voting members (i.e., members eligible to vote on LPFC business and hold office in the LPFC) of the LPFC by: (A) Election to the Fresno County Libertarian Central Committee in a primary election pursuant to the relevant parts of the Election Code of the State of California; or (B) Making application, paying dues as prescribed by the LPC, and signing the following statement: “I hereby certify that I do not believe in nor advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals.”
§ 3. Persons in other counties who meet the criteria described in § 2 (B) of this Bylaw, may become voting members of the LPFC by written notification of such desire to the Secretaries of the LPFC and the LPC.
§ 4. LPFC membership lists shall be provided to LPFC officers and Directors and LP candidates running in districts that include all or part of Fresno County, as well as others with approval of two elected LPFC officers, for any of the purposes outlined in Bylaw 2.
§ 5. No LPFC voting member shall be a registrant of nor hold office in any political party other than the Libertarian Party. Members of other political parties living in Fresno County may become associate members of the LPFC by written notification of such desire to the Secretary of the LPFC.
§ 6. If an LPFC member violates an LPFC or LPC bylaw, the LPFC reserves the right to recommend suspension of that individual’s membership to the LPC Executive Committee.
Bylaw 4. MEETINGS § 1. Meetings of the LPFC membership may be called: (A) By the LPFC Chair; (B) By a written notification of five members, each of whom is either an elected officer and a Director, collectively to the LPFC Secretary, or; (C) By written notification of 20% of the LPFC voting membership to the LPFC Secretary.
§ 2. All LPFC voting members shall be notified of the date, time, and place of an LPFC Meeting at least 10 days prior to its scheduled occurrence.
§ 3. All decisions made by the LPFC voting membership require a majority of those LPFC voting members casting votes at an LPFC Meeting. Decisions made from these votes can only take effect if the winning majority in these votes constitutes at least 5% of the LPFC voting membership.
§ 4. All voting and associate members of the LPFC are allowed to attend and observe an LPFC Meeting. Only voting members are allowed to vote at LPFC Meetings. The LPFC reserves the right to restrict the attendance and observance of LPFC Meetings by non-members.
Bylaw 5. FINANCES § 1. The LPFC voting membership shall be responsible for the control and management of all the affairs, properties, and funds of the LPFC. Any money received from the LPC by the LPFC shall be used as determined by the LPFC voting membership at an LPFC Meeting.
§ 2. LPFC funds shall not be used to finance individual campaigns, but may be used as an independent expenditure to promote Libertarian candidates collectively.
§ 3. The fiscal year of the LPFC shall commence on January 1 of each calendar year.
§ 4. No person shall enter into any contract for the LPFC, nor incur expenses greater than 1% of the annual budget per expenditure or cumulative expenditures greater than 2% of the annual budget per month without the approval of the LPFC voting membership at an LPFC Meeting. Anyone incurring such financial liability without said approval shall be personally liable therefor.
Bylaw 6. OFFICERS § 1. Only voting members of the LPFC shall be elected officers and Directors. Nor shall an LPFC elected officer or Director endorse, give money to, or help raise money for any candidate of another political party in an election in which a registered Libertarian is also running.
§ 2. The LPFC officers, whose duties are also described, shall be: (A) Chair, who shall be the chief executive officer of the LPFC. The Chair shall call for and preside over all meetings of the membership at-large. The Chair shall coordinate interactions between and among Standing Committees and shall be a member of all Standing Committees. The Chair shall also be the primary spokesperson for the LPFC to persons outside the LPFC; (B) Vice Chair, who shall be acting Chair when requested by the Chair and immediately assume the Chair upon the vacancy of that office, either temporarily or permanently, prior to the end of the Chair’s official term of office. The Vice Chair shall be a Director of a Standing Committee; (C) Secretary, who shall be responsible for the maintenance of official LPFC documents and for recording the minutes of all meetings of the membership at-large. The LPFC Secretary shall be a member of the Internal Operations Committee; and (D) Treasurer, who shall be responsible for receiving, disbursing, and accounting for the financial assets of the LPFC. The Treasurer shall be a member of the Internal Operations Committee. The Treasurer shall compile a balance sheet and a cash-flow statement describing the LPFC finances for the calendar-year-to-date periods ending with the end of March, June, September, and December. These statements shall consist of a balance sheet and a profit-and-loss statement, and shall be available to any LPFC voting member upon written request to the Treasurer.
§ 3. Each of these officers shall be elected at an LPFC Convention to serve a one-year term starting on February 1 of each year.
§ 4. The Chair shall appoint an LPFC voting member to complete the unexpired term of any office that becomes vacant except Chair. The appointee shall be confirmed by a yes-or-no vote of the voting membership at an LPFC meeting before taking office.
Bylaw 7. COMMITTEES § 1. There shall be the following Standing Committees of the LPFC: (A) The Elections Committee, whose functions are described in by Bylaw 2 (A); (B) The Activism Committee, whose functions are described in by Bylaw 2 (B); (C) The Fundraising Committee, whose functions are described in Bylaw 2 (C); (D) The Internal Operations Committee, whose functions are described in Bylaw 2 (D); (E) The Membership Committee, whose functions are described in Bylaw 2 (E); and, (F) The Outreach Committee, whose functions are described in Bylaw 2 (F).
§ 2. Each of the LPFC Standing Committees shall have a Director, who shall be the chief operating officer of the Committee. The Directors shall be nominated by the Chair, and confirmed by a yes-or-no vote of the voting membership at an LPFC meeting. A Director may be replaced at any time by the Chair, except: (A) If overruled by five LPFC members, each of whom is either an elected officer or a Director, (B) If overruled by a majority LPFC voting members casting votes at an LPFC Meeting, and the winning majority comprises at least 20% of the LPFC voting membership; (C) For a Director who is the LPFC Vice Chair. Such a Director removed from one Standing Committee shall be simultaneously appointed to be Director of another Standing Committee. The removal is subject to overrule, as in § 2 (A) and (B) of this Bylaw. The reappointment to the new Committee is governed by the same confirmation procedure as in § 2 (A) and (B) of this Bylaw.
§ 3. Standing Committees may form ad hoc committees as they see fit to assist in carrying out their official functions.
§ 4. Standing Committees can only spend LPFC funds with the permission of the LPFC voting membership at an LPFC Meeting.
§ 5. Any voting or associate member of the LPFC may serve on any, all, or none of the Standing Committees, except: (A) Those Committee assignments mandated in Bylaw 6, § 2; and (B) The Directors, who may only serve on the Committee for which he or she is Director.
Bylaw 8. CONVENTION § 1. A convention of the LPFC shall convene in the January of each year to serve the following purposes: (A) Elect LPFC officers; (B) Select delegates to the LPC Convention of the following year; (C) Revise the LPFC bylaws and convention rules; (D) Revise the LPFC platform; and (E) Elect nominees to serve as candidates of the Libertarian Party in elections having part or all of Fresno County in its jurisdiction when the Convention date coincides with the date set by the LPC for district caucuses and Fresno County is chosen by the LPC to organize such caucuses.
§ 2. All voting and associate members of the LPFC are eligible to attend and observe the Convention. Only voting members are allowed to vote at the Convention. Associate members are allowed to address the convention only with the permission of a majority of voting members credentialed at the Convention.
§ 3. All votes for officers, delegates, and nominees for district caucuses made by the LPFC Convention require a majority of those LPFC voting members casting votes. Decisions made from bylaw and platform changes can only take effect if the winning majority in these votes constitutes at least 10% of the LPFC voting membership.
Bylaw 9. CONFLICTING AUTHORITIES § 1. Robert’s Rules of Order, as newly revised, shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters of procedure not specifically covered by these Bylaws.
§ 2. Any matter not specifically covered by these Bylaws shall be governed by the Bylaws of the LPC.
§ 3. In the event of any conflict between these Bylaws and the California Election Code, the Federal Election Code, or any other law or regulation, these Bylaws shall govern the LPFC and its affairs.
§ 4. In the event that any authority should declare any portion of these Bylaws void or invalid, the remainder shall remain in full force and effect.