The Libertarian Party of Wake County is the official county affiliate of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina and the national Libertarian Party.

Since its inception in 2002, WakeLP has been the strongest advocate for personal and economic liberty in Wake County. Through the support of Libertarian candidates for elected office, partnering with advocacy groups on issues concerning personal freedom, providing insightful analysis of current events, and organizing our constituency to advance the cause of liberty, the WakeLP has been an active and consistent champion for responsible, effective and principled public policy.

As an affiliate of one of three political parties officially recognized by the N.C. Board of Elections for over three decades, WakeLP has also been the fastest-growing. Since 1993, the number of registered Libertarian voters in Wake County has grown at an annual rate of +12.8% compared to +2.4% for Democrats and +2.5% for Republicans.

Statement of Principles

We, the members of the Libertarian Party, challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual.

We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.

Governments throughout history have regularly operated on the opposite principle, that the State has the right to dispose of the lives of individuals and the fruits of their labor. Even within the United States, all political parties other than our own grant to government the right to regulate the lives of individuals and seize the fruits of their labor without their consent.

We, on the contrary, deny the right of any government to do these things, and hold that where governments exist, they must not violate the rights of any individual: namely, (1) the right to life — accordingly we support the prohibition of the initiation of physical force against others; (2) the right to liberty of speech and action — accordingly we oppose all attempts by government to abridge the freedom of speech and press, as well as government censorship in any form; and (3) the right to property — accordingly we oppose all government interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain, and support the prohibition of robbery, trespass, fraud, and misrepresentation.

Since governments, when instituted, must not violate individual rights, we oppose all interference by government in the areas of voluntary and contractual relations among individuals. People should not be forced to sacrifice their lives and property for the benefit of others. They should be left free by government to deal with one another as free traders; and the resultant economic system, the only one compatible with the protection of individual rights, is the free market.

Media Inquiries

Please direct all media inquiries and requests for comment to the Press Secretary.

Social Media and Events

As an organization embracing the principles of individual sovereignty and free association, we welcome people of all viewpoints to engage with us via social media or at WakeLP-sponsored events. We can be reached on Facebook, on Twitter, and via the Meetup.com group we share with the Durham-Orange Libertarian Party. Coming WakeLP events are also listed on the LPNC website.

Plan of Organization

Article I. Name

The name of this organization, as filed with the North Carolina State Board of Elections, is Libertarian Party of Wake County, hereinafter referred to as WakeLP, and this name is and will remain until such time its members elect to change it as part of an update to this document.

Article II. Purpose

The purpose of WakeLP is to:

1. Serve as a local affiliate of the Libertarian Party of North Carolina (LPNC)
2. Maintain a statement of key issues in Wake County and a WakeLP stance on those issues as a guide for Libertarian political candidates and office-holders within Wake County
3. Disseminate libertarian ideas by entering into political information activities
4. Encourage members to seek political offices throughout Wake County and support candidates during elections for those offices.
5. Recognize, coordinate with and promote local organizations throughout Wake County that support libertarian policies and principles.

Article III. Membership

A resident of Wake County may become a member of WakeLP—provided he/she/they are not a registered voter affiliated with another political party—by fulfilling at least one of the following criteria:

a) maintaining voter registration as a Libertarian, as long as the party is recognized by the State of North Carolina, or;
b) maintaining current membership with the Libertarian National Committee, or;
c) maintaining current membership with the LPNC, or;
d) donating $25 or more to WakeLP during the prior 12 months, or;
e) submitting a written or electronic affirmation to the LPNC Secretary that they do not advocate the initiation of force to achieve social or political goals.

Article IV. Officers

The officers of the Party shall be the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary, and Treasurer. The Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary will be elected in odd-numbered years by the County Convention. The elected officers serve as executives for the next County Convention and for regular business meetings as defined in Article VII, referred to as Business Meetings throughout this document. The Treasurer shall be appointed by the Chair, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, and serve until a new Treasurer is appointed. The WakeLP Officers are titled and defined as follows:

1. Chair. The Chair serves as the WakeLP chief executive officer of 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 WakeLP 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 each Business Meeting.
2. 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.
3. Treasurer. The Treasurer serves to receive, disperse, and account for WakeLP funds. The Treasurer ensures funds and accounts are managed as described in Article VIII. The Treasurer will also fulfill the legal obligations required by N.C. General Statutes for an individual acting as treasurer of a political party.
4. Secretary. The 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

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 1. Composition

The Executive Committee shall be composed of the elected officers of the Party (or any duly appointed replacements for those elected officers per Section 7), two At-Large members, and the Treasurer, who shall serve as a non-voting member.

Section 2. Committees and Additional Affiliate Positions

1. The Chair, with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall appoint an assistant treasurer and may establish or disestablish committees, and create or terminate additional positions to serve supplemental purposes or perform delegated tasks and to advise the Executive Committee.
2. WakeLP members appointed by the Executive Committee to additional positions serve at the pleasure of the Executive Committee.
3. No Executive Committee member shall be appointed to these positions.

Section 3. 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 and may be filled by the Executive Committee.
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 4. 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 5. Term

The term of the members of the Executive Committee shall run for two years, expiring at the end of the County Convention 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 6. 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.

Section 7. Vacancies

The Executive Committee may appoint new members if vacancies or suspensions occur. Those appointed shall serve until the next State Convention, where an election 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.

Section 8. 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 VI. County Convention

1.  As an affiliate of the LPNC, WakeLP holds a county convention annually prior to the LPNC convention that corresponds to the same year. The primary purposes of the County Convention are to:

• Elect WakeLP 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 WakeLP

2.  The Convention Chair is the currently-serving WakeLP Chair. Delegates at a County Convention consist of all current members in attendance at that convention.

3.  The Executive Committee shall set the date and location of the next County Convention no less than four weeks prior to the event. No less than three weeks prior to the convention, they shall announce the convention to the membership in a reasonable combination of media with a concerted effort to reach all of the membership.

4.  The nomination and election of WakeLP officers and At-Large Executive Committee member will take place at the County Convention. Any member may nominate any member including him or herself without the requirement for a second.

5.  If more than two (2) members are nominated for any Executive Committee position (not including NOTA) the election shall be conducted using a ranked-choice ballot. The ballot shall allow voters to rank a number of choices in order of preference equal to the total number of candidates for each office.

• For the purposes of this section: (1) a candidate shall be deemed "continuing" if the candidate has not been eliminated; (2) a ballot shall be deemed "continuing" if it is not exhausted; and (3) a ballot shall be deemed "exhausted," and not counted in further stages of the tabulation, if all of the choices have been eliminated or there are no more choices indicated on the ballot. If a ranked-choice ballot gives equal rank to two or more candidates, the ballot shall be declared exhausted when such multiple rankings are reached. If a voter casts a ranked-choice ballot but skips a rank, the voter's vote shall be transferred to that voter's next ranked choice.
• If a candidate receives a majority of the first choices, that candidate shall be declared elected. If no candidate receives a majority, the candidate who received the fewest first choices shall be eliminated and each vote cast for that candidate shall be transferred to the next ranked candidate on that voter's ballot. If, after this transfer of votes, any candidate has a majority of the votes from the continuing ballots, that candidate shall be declared elected.
• If no candidate receives a majority of votes from the continuing ballots after a candidate has been eliminated and his or her votes have been transferred to the next ranked candidate, the continuing candidate with the fewest votes from the continuing ballots shall be eliminated. All votes cast for that candidate shall be transferred to the next-ranked continuing candidate on each voter's ballot. This process of eliminating candidates and transferring their votes to the next-ranked continuing candidates shall be repeated until a candidate receives a majority of the votes from the continuing ballots.

6.  “None of the Above” is automatically considered a candidate in all WakeLP elections. Should “None of the Above” win any election, that office will remain unfilled for the convention term. However, the office of Treasurer cannot remain unfilled. If NOTA  wins the election for Treasurer, the Chair must appoint a Treasurer before the close of the Convention. 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

7.  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;
• Any such adopted updates take effect immediately, and;
• Other orders of business at the County Convention are conducted in accordance with the approved agenda. The Democratic Rules of Order (Francis & Francis, 10th ed.) shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters of procedure not specifically covered by this Plan of Organization.

Article VII. Business Meetings

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

1. To provide reports from the WakeLP officers to the Membership of the regular business conducted since the last meeting
2. To inform the Membership where it can be of service to Wake County on behalf of the WakeLP
3. To allocate funds as described in Article VIII. 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 VIII. Provisions for Handling Funds

Under the guidance of the treasurer and/or assistant treasurer, EC members are responsible for ensuring that funds are collected, dispersed, and accounted in congruence with the following provisions:

1. Contributions will be used for their expressed or designated purpose when applicable.
2. Unallocated funds may be allocated for a specific purpose by a majority 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 WakeLP officers for a purpose necessary to conduct business.
3. The Treasurer and/or assistant treasurer must complete and submit accurate quarterly or semi-annual 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.
4. Should WakeLP ever dissolve, any monetary assets will be used to pay all WakeLP liabilities. If any assets remain thereafter, they will be donated to the LPNC or its successor.

Amended March 1st, 2023