It has been several years since the WakeLP Plan of Organization has been significantly revised, and in the main it’s served well. However, this year there are two significant proposed changes: [a] changing the term for elected officers from one year to two and [b] adding a fifth member to the executive committee.

The purpose of expanding the term of office from one year to two is to improve continuity and effectiveness by enabling the same team of officers to manage a complete North Carolina General Assembly election cycle.

The purpose of adding a fifth member to the executive committee is both to take better advantage of the relatively deep talent pool in Wake County—about 10% of all registered Libertarians in NC reside in Wake—and practically to make it easier to convene a quorum of the executive committee (getting three out of five to be present is easier than getting three out of four). 

The entire text of the proposed revision is below. If you are interested in a more detailed discussion of the proposed changes, please check out the archived Hangout on Air (38 minutes) we conducted on the topic: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFEQP8slpW4

Plan of Organization [Proposed 2017 Update]

Article I. Name

The name of this organization as filed with the North Carolina State Board of Elections is Libertarian Party of Wake County, and this name is and will remain until such time its Members elect to change it as part of an update to this document. Accepted abbreviations of the organization’s name are as follows: LP of Wake County, LPWC, Wake County Libertarian Party, WakeLP, and Wake LP.

Article II. Purpose

The Wake LP serves the following purposes:

• Serving as a local affiliate of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina (LPNC)
• Maintaining a statement of key issues in Wake County and a Wake LP stance on those issues as a guide for Libertarian political candidates and office-holders within Wake County
• Disseminating libertarian ideas by entering into political information activities
• Encouraging Members to seek political offices throughout Wake County, and supporting candidates during elections for those offices
• Recognizing, coordinating with, and promoting local organizations throughout Wake County that support libertarian policies and principles

Article III. Membership

The following individuals are automatically recognized as members of the Wake LP, referred to as Members throughout this document:

• Libertarian Party of North Carolina (LPNC) members who are residents of Wake County
• Libertarian Party (LP) members who are residents of Wake County
• Maintaining current membership dues with the Wake LP as defined by the executive committee

Article IV. Officers

The officers for the Wake LP must be Members as defined in Article III, and must not be registered with the State of North Carolina with any recognized political party other than the Libertarian Party of North Carolina. Officers are elected bi-annually in odd-numbered years at the Wake LP Convention as defined in Article V, referred to as the County Convention throughout this document. The officers serve as executives both for the next County Convention and for regular business meetings as defined in Article VI, referred to as Business Meetings throughout this document. The Wake LP Officers are titled and defined as follows:

• Chair – The Chair serves as the chief executive officer of the Wake LP and will preside at the County Convention and at Business Meetings. The Chair leads or delegates the scheduling and announcement of all Business Meetings to ensure the Wake LP has at least one (1) Business Meeting per month. The Chair must provide the Secretary with a meeting agenda in sufficient time for the Secretary to distribute that agenda to Members prior to the each Business Meeting.
• Vice Chair – The Vice Chair serves to assist the Chair and presides on occasion when the Chair is absent from a County Convention or a Business Meeting. When there is a vacancy in the position of Chair, the Vice Chair assumes the office of chair.
• Treasurer – The Wake LP Treasurer serves to receive, disperse, and account for the funds of the Wake LP. The Treasurer ensures funds and accounts are managed as described in Article VII.
• Secretary – The Wake LP Secretary serves as the recording officer at the County Convention and at Business Meetings. Additionally, the Secretary serving at the beginning of the County Convention is responsible for publishing the minutes of that convention.

Article V. Executive Committee

Section 1. Purpose

The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the control and management of all of the affairs, properties, and funds of the Party consistent with this Plan of Organization and any pertinent resolutions that may have been adopted by the County Convention.

Section 2. Composition

The Executive Committee of shall be composed of the following members: the elected officers of the Party and one At-Large member, elected at the County Convention.

Section 3. Directors and Committees 

Where it is deemed desirable to have a countywide Party official with designated responsibilities and authorities beyond the Party offices, the Executive Committee may create a position of Director for any area of activity not handled by a Party officer. In each case, the position of Director must be assigned specific duties and a specific title.

1. All Directors will be appointed by the Executive Committee, serve at the pleasure of the Executive Committee, and answer directly to the Chair, other officer, or another director, as determined by the Executive Committee.

2. An officer of the Party may not also serve in a Director’s position. The At-Large member of the Executive Committee may also serve in one, but not more than one, Director’s position.

3. Each Director shall have all privileges of membership on the Executive Committee except the power to vote.

Similarly, the Executive Committee may create a committee to serve supplemental purposes or to perform delegated tasks, and they may appoint Members to serve in those committees. The title and responsibilities of any such committee must be defined and published to inform other Members.

Directors and committees serve at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. 

Section 4. Election

1. Executive Committee members shall be elected every two years in odd-numbered years at the annual WakeLP Convention. Elections to fill any vacancies will be conducted in even-numbered years.

2. If no qualified candidates are nominated for any position on the Executive Committee at the Convention, then that position shall be considered vacant.

3. Attending delegates to the Convention may vote for “None of the Above” for any position on the Executive Committee. If “None of the Above” is elected, that position shall remain unfilled until the next County Convention, at which time the attending delegates may hold a special election to fill that position for the remainder of the term. The Executive Committee may assign the duties of that position to any Party member, but the person filling that position will not have a vote on the Executive Committee.

Section 5. Qualifications

Each member of the Executive Committee must maintain membership with the Party as defined in Article III. Executive Committee members must not be registered with the State of North Carolina with any political party other than the Libertarian Party of North Carolina. 

Section 6. Term 

The term of the members of the Executive Committee shall run for two years, expiring at the end of the County Convention two years at which their successors are elected (or they are re-elected). If the member was elected in an even-numbered year or appointed in the interim, then her or his term expires at the end of the next County Convention.

Section 7. Resignation 

Executive Committee members may resign by supplying notice in writing to the Chair or Vice Chair. Additionally, any member of the Executive Committee who fails to attend three consecutive business—or five business meetings overall— shall be considered to have tendered an automatic resignation. The Executive Committee may accept or refuse an automatic resignation by majority vote. Also: see Article V for a potential limitation on the circumstances under which the resignation of a Treasurer can be accepted and made effective.

Section 8. Vacancies

The Executive Committee may appoint new members, if vacancies or suspensions occur, such members to serve until the next State Convention, where a regular election (in odd years) or a special election (in even years) shall be held to fill such position(s). If the appointed new member fails to be elected, the Executive Committee cannot reappoint that person to the same position during that term of office. Note: an unfilled position—per ¶V.4.3—is not considered “vacant” and cannot be filled by Executive Committee appointment.

Section 9. Quorum

A majority of the filled voting positions on the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at all meetings.

Article V. County Convention

As an affiliate of the LPNC, the Wake LP holds a county convention annually a minimum of one month prior to the LPNC convention that corresponds to the same year. The primary purposes of the County Convention are as follows:

• Elect Wake LP officers and an at-large member (in odd-numbered years)
• Fill any vacancies or unfilled offices (in even-numbered years)
• Elect delegates to represent Wake County at the LPNC convention
• Adopt resolutions or changes to this document to better meet the needs of the Wake LP

The Convention Chair is the currently-serving Wake LP Chair. Delegates at a County Convention consist of all current Members in attendance at that convention.

The Wake LP Officers of a given convention year shall set the date and location of the next County Convention no less than 4 weeks prior to the event. In no less than 3 weeks prior to the convention, the same officers shall announce the convention to the Membership in a reasonable combination of media with a concerted effort to reach all of the Membership.

The nomination and election of each Wake LP office, as defined in Article IV, will take place at the County Convention. Any Member may nominate any Member including him- or herself without the requirement for a second. Officers are elected by a majority vote of Members present and voting, and newly elected officers take office immediately upon the close of the convention.

“None of the Above” is automatically considered a candidate on for all WakeLP votes, including for each office. Should “None of the Above” win any election, that office will remain unfilled for the convention term. Exception: the office of Treasurer cannot remain unfilled and a Treasurer may be appointed by the other elected Executive Committee members or, in the event there are none, the outgoing Treasurer must appoint one before her/his term is considered to have expired. Similarly if the Treasurer is the only currently serving member of the Executive Committee, s/he must appoint a successor before her/his resignation can be accepted and made effective.

Voting on other matters will require the following:

• Resolutions may be adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of Members present and voting
• Updates to this document may only be adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of Members present and voting

Other orders of business at the County Convention are conducted under the leadership of the Convention Chair in accordance with the provided agenda and following an ordered procedure in accordance with Democratic Rules of Order (Francis & Francis, 9th ed.).

Article VI. Business Meetings

For the purpose of conducting its business, the Wake LP holds regular business meetings led by the Wake LP Officers. The primary purposes of a Business Meeting are as follows:

• To provide reports from the Wake LP Officers to the Membership of the regular business conducted since the last meeting
• To inform the Membership where it can be of service to Wake County on behalf of the Wake LP
• To collect and allocate funds as described in Article VII Other orders of business at a Business Meeting are conducted under the leadership of the presiding officer in accordance with the provided agenda and following an ordered procedure.

Article VII. Provisions for Handling Funds

The Wake LP Officers under the guidance of the Treasurer are responsible for ensuring that funds are collected, dispersed, and accounted for under the following provisions:

• Contributions will be used for their expressed or designated purpose when applicable.
• Unallocated funds may be allocated for a specific purpose by a majority attending Membership vote at the County Convention or a Business Meeting. Remaining unallocated funds, not yet purposed by a Membership vote, may be allocated by the Wake LP Officers for a purpose necessary to conduct business.
• The Treasurer must complete and submit an accurate financial disclosure reports to the North Carolina State Board of Elections as required by law for the Libertarian Party of Wake County to remain a recognized party organization.
• Should the Wake LP ever dissolve, any monetary assets will be used to pay all Wake LP liabilities. If any assets remain thereafter, they will be donated to the LPNC or its successor.