Articles of Association and Bylaws of the Libertarian Party of Delaware

Declaration of Rights We, the members of the Libertarian Party of Delaware, declare that (1) all individuals are endowed by nature with certain inalienable Rights; and among these are the Rights to life, liberty, privacy, and the products of their labor, that (2) these Rights are the basis of justice and the only source of moral legitimacy for Laws among the People, and (3) that any and all Systems of Government, therefore, should be strictly limited to the preservation of these inalienable Rights.

As specific consequences of the Rights espoused in this Declaration, the Libertarian Party of Delaware calls for:

1. The immediate abolition of any and all forms of involuntary taxation;
2. The repeal of all civil and criminal laws penalizing voluntary, peaceful activities among consenting adults;
3. An end to governmental interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain; and
4. Dramatic reductions in the size and scope of government at all levels, from municipal to Federal.

Articles of Association

Article I These articles shall govern the association known as the "Libertarian Party of Delaware," hereinafter referred to as the "Party."

Article II The purpose of the Party is to implement and give voice to the ideas expressed in the above Declaration of Rights by (1) nominating candidates for public office, (2) entering into public-information activities, and (3) building the membership of the Party.

Article III A Member of the Party shall be any resident of the State of Delaware who (1) wishes to declare himself or herself "Libertarian" and act as a Party member under the provisions of this charter, and (2) has certified in writing that they oppose the initiation of force or fraud to achieve political or social goals. A Member In Good Standing shall be any member of the party who does not owe any outstanding fees or dues. Members in good standing may attend, speak, and vote at any meeting of the general membership. The Party may create additional levels or ranks of membership as needed.

Article IV The Party may charge membership Dues or other Fees, if necessary, to help defray the cost of its activities. The annual sum of such Dues and/or Fees necessary to remain a Member In Good Standing shall not exceed the value of One Twentieth of an Ounce of Gold (0.05oz AU). The Dues and/or Fees, if any, charged by County or other subsidiary Party organizations shall not exceed the value of One Fiftieth of an Ounce of Gold (0.02oz AU).

Article V Each County in the State shall have a Party organization consisting of the members residing in that county. Each County Party shall elect Officers according to its Bylaws, which must include a County Chair and a Secretary. The Party may establish bylaws creating additional subsidiary party organizations, such as City, District, or Precinct organizations as needed.

Article VI A State Board shall conduct the business and secure the assets of the Party, and shall be fully accountable and subsidiary to the general membership. This board shall consist of an Executive Committee elected by the membership at large, and a number of Representatives chosen by the County and/or other subsidiary organizations as specified in the bylaws. The Executive Committee shall consist of a Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and any other Offices established by bylaws.

Article VII The Party will schedule regular meetings at times and places to be determined by the Executive Committee.

Article VIII When formally called to order, Meetings of the Party shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order except in cases where they are inconsistent with the Articles of Association or Bylaws of this Party.

Article IX An Annual Convention will be held at a time and place to be determined by the Executive Committee for the purpose of (1) nominating Candidates for Public Office, (2) holding Elections of Party Officers and Delegates to the National Libertarian Convention, and (3) conducting other party business.

Article X Election of party officers and nominations of candidates for public office shall require a majority of those voting. "None of the Above" shall always be a candidate.

Article XI Amendments to these Articles of Association and Bylaws may be adopted in two ways: (1) by a vote of all members in good standing present at the annual Convention after the entire membership has been given at least 30 days' notice of the proposed changes; or (2) by a vote of all members in good standing present at a regular meeting, after the proposed changes shall have been announced at least 7 days prior to introduction, and read in their final form at two consecutive meetings before the vote. By either method a change to the Articles of Association shall require a two-thirds majority to pass, but a change to the Bylaws may be adopted by simple majority.

Bylaws

Section 1 - Officers

1. The members of the Executive Committee shall be elected in odd years by the membership at large for two-year terms.

2. The Chair shall have the power to fill vacancies on the Executive Committee by appointment. Such appointments shall last until the next election of party officers.

3. If the Office of Chair is vacated, it shall pass to the Vice Chair. If there is no Vice Chair, the Chair shall next pass to the Chair of the County with the greatest number of members.

4. Each County shall have one Representative to the State Board, plus an additional Representative for every twenty five members in good standing or fraction thereof. No County shall have more than five Representatives. Representatives to the State Board shall serve until they are replaced by the organization they represent.

Section 2 - Meetings

1. At meetings of the Party, a quorum shall consist of 4 tenths of the members of the State Board, rounded up.

2. Each member of the State Board shall have the right to appoint a proxy to attend meetings in his or her stead. In order to uphold the interests of the membership, the proxy shall come from the region represented by that officer (i.e., the proxy for a county representative shall come from that countys membership, while the proxy for an Executive Committee member shall come from the statewide membership). The proxy shall possess all powers, rights, duties, and responsibilities held by the appointing member of the State Board. The proxy and all powers, rights, duties, and responsibilities inherent therein shall expire at the termination of the meeting for which the proxy was appointed. Proxies notwithstanding, no member of the State Board shall have more than one vote.

3. Meetings will be conducted informally except in situations where the Chair deems it necessary to call the meeting to formal order.

Section 3 - Elections

1. If there is not a majority in any vote for election or nomination, the candidate (including None of the Above) with the least number of votes shall be dropped and a new vote shall be taken. If there is a tie vote for the last two candidates, there shall be a ten-minute recess and the vote shall be repeated. This procedure shall continue until the tie is broken. If "None of the Above" wins a nomination, no one shall be nominated for the public office. If "None of the Above" wins a party election, the office shall be vacated for the next year, unless the office is required by state election law, in which case there shall be a ten minute recess followed by a new election, from which the previous candidates are disqualified.

Section 4 - Miscellaneous

1. For the purposes of Article ___, Notice or Announcement shall consist of Publication on the official website of the party and/or sending by email or other electronic communication methods to every member for whom we have contact info. Other methods may be employed as well, but the above is considered sufficient.

2. For the purposes of Article ___, Reading shall consist of reading aloud before a quorum the paragraph(s) in which the changes are to be made, followed by a description of the proposed changes, followed by reading aloud the paragraph(s) as after the alterations.

3. "No information about any member may be disclosed without that member's explicit written permission.

Proposed New Version; March 25, 2009

[County Bylaws

Each county's membership shall designate a county representative to the State Board, a County Chair and a County Secretary. Separate individuals must be Chair and Secretary. It is permissible, but not required, for either the Chair or the Secretary to concurrently serve as the county representative to the State Board, provided such individual does not concurrently hold office as Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer or Secretary of the Libertarian Party of Delaware. Election may be by vote at an announced county membership meeting, with at least 30 days' notice; by vote at a county caucus at the annual state convention, with at least 30 days' notice; or by mail ballot, with a ballot to be sent to all members as described in Article III of the State Party Bylaws whose residence address is in the county concerned, with at least 30 days to return ballots. Designation of the officeholder may be by consensus if no one wishes to contest an election when only one person volunteers to assume the office.]