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Bylaws
of the Libertarian Party of Tennessee Last Amended in Convention, April 25, 2009 Article I: NAME The name of this organization shall be the Libertarian Party of Tennessee, hereinafter abbreviated as LPTN. Article II: PURPOSE The Primary Purpose of the Libertarian Party is to help restore the Libertarian Principles of Free Enterprise, Property Rights, Individual Freedom coupled with Individual Responsibility and Small Limited Government in whatever Entrepreneurial Fashion we can. It is the purpose of these bylaws to limit the party officers and not the party members. Article III: MEMBERSHIP A.
In addition to being a resident of the
state of Tennessee, membership in the LPTN shall consist of any of the following: 1.
National, and therefore State,
Libertarian Party membership as defined by the National Libertarian Party by-laws; or 2.
Certification as an eligible
voting delegate at any previous LPTN convention; or 3.
Membership in good standing of
an LPTN affiliated county or LPTN affiliated regional party, as certified by the
respective county or regional chair. County parties and the LPTN Secretary shall maintain
a list of non-national members who are certified as LPTN members. This list shall be
perpetual and updated as necessary; or 4.
Membership in good standing of
the state party as certified by a Tennessee Regional Coordinator or elected officer of the
LPTN. B.
No state dues will be charged.
Voluntary contributions are welcome. Article IV: OFFICERS A.
Elected officers shall consist of
Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary. Officers shall take office at the close of
the convention in which they are elected, and they shall serve until their successors are
elected or confirmed. B.
Any officer of the LPTN can be
recalled by either: 1.
A request for such a recall by a
simple majority of the County and Regional Chairs, which is confirmed by a 2/3 majority of
the members qualified to vote in convention; or 2.
A request for such recall from a
simple majority of the members which is then confirmed by 2/3 of the County and Regional
chairs. C.
Duties of Officers: 1.
Chair: It is the responsibility
of the State Chair to find, develop, and assist coordinators, county chairs, and/or
regional chairs. The Chair shall also chair meetings and request special meetings. The
Chair shall also efficiently represent the LPTN as a spokesperson to the National
Libertarian Party, the media, the State, and all others. Additionally, the Chair may
recognize and assist Coordinators from time to time for temporary and or ongoing projects,
who once so recognized shall serve at the discretion of the Chair. Finally, the Chair
shall appoint a Tennessee Regional Coordinator for each of the four geographic regions of
the state, whose duties shall consist of assisting counties with organizing and other
needs. All appointed Tennessee regional coordinators shall reside in their respective
regions, and no Tennessee Regional Coordinator may be a currently elected state officer. 2.
Vice Chair: It is the
responsibility of the Vice Chair to replace the Chair in the event the Chair is unable to
serve. The Vice Chair shall also be responsible for maintaining a communications program
with and among the county and regional chairs and the state officers. 3. Treasurer: It is the responsibility of the Treasurer to account for funds and disburse those funds for their intended use. The Treasurer shall also present a detailed accounting of the expenditures for the previous year. The Treasurer shall also propose new budgets to the membership in convention. 4. Secretary: It is the responsibility of the Secretary to handle correspondence, keep and disseminate the membership roster to appropriate persons, and make such reports and filings as are helpful and required to our purpose and the help co-ordinate our activities with the National Libertarian Party or other groups. D. In the event that an elected Officer is unable to complete a term of office, that Officer shall have the right to appoint a successor. This choice must be confirmed by the consent of two-thirds of the county chairs. If that confirmation fails, the chair shall appoint the successor, with same two-thirds approval from the county chairs. The appointment shall be termed as "Interim" until the next regularly scheduled state convention, at which point the convention shall either confirm the appointment or vote a new person into office. Article V: CONVENTIONS A.
Conventions will be held annually.
Business conventions for the election of officers will be held in the years without
statewide public elections. Conventions held in years with statewide elections will be for
LPTN candidates for public office. Party business (Other than the annual budget and
approval, as required in Article VII, and election of delegates to the national
convention) may only be conducted if a bylaw amendment meeting the requirements as stated
in Article VI has been presented with the proper advance notification. B.
To be eligible to vote at an LPTN
convention, one must either: 1.
be a member, as defined in
Article III, Sections A.1 and/or A.2; or 2.
be certified as a member of the
LPTN as defined in Article III, Section A.3 and/or A.4, and accepted by the convention by
majority vote. C. The Convention will, by majority vote, certify all candidates who will be eligible to have "Libertarian" next to their names on the ballot. D.
Delegates to National Libertarian
Party conventions, and Presidential Electors in Presidential election years, are elected
at the previous state convention, by a majority vote of that convention, along with
alternates. In the event that a delegate cannot attend, that delegate shall select an
alternate, or the duty will fall upon the state chair to select the replacement from among
the previously elected alternates. The Chair shall be designated as the Head of the
Delegation; in the event (s)he is unable to attend, (s)he shall be entitled to appoint a
replacement from among the delegates attending. In the event that additional LPTN members
in good standing are able to attend a National Convention, they shall be named as
Alternates at the discretion of the Head of the Delegation. Presidential elector positions
unfilled at convention may be named by the chair at a later date. Article VI: AMENDMENTS A. It shall require a 3/4 (75%) majority of members attending the Convention, who are eligible to vote as defined by Article V, to amend these bylaws. It shall require a 1/3 vote to close debate on a bylaw amendment. B. Bylaws may only be changed during an LPTN business Convention, with at least 60 days written notice to the Secretary, and with publication in the pre-convention issue of Voice of Freedom, distributed to all members. C. All bylaws and amendments shall take effect at the close of the convention during which they are adopted. Article VII: BUDGETS A. The Treasurer will request from the delegates that the LPTN shall spend money in the same general manner for operations as the previous year, and shall set the following year's budget at an amount not to exceed the balance of LPTN funds in the bank at the time of the Convention. The budget shall be approved by a majority vote at the convention. B.
The budget shall include a Chair’s
Discretionary Fund and a Reserve Fund. 1. The Chair's Discretionary Fund shall not exceed 10% of the total budget or $2500, whichever is less. The Chair shall have discretionary authority to disburse these funds for LPTN purposes. 2. Reserve Fund monies may only be disbursed after approval of 6 or more of the following people: LPTN Chair, LPTN Vice-Chair, LPTN Secretary, LPTN Treasurer, and the four LPTN Tennessee Regional Coordinators. LPTN County or Regional Chairs may submit a written request for Reserve Funds to the Secretary for consideration. Submitted requests shall contain a specified amount and purpose for the funds. C. The books of the LPTN shall be open to the membership upon request. |
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