Bylaws

Bylaws of the Libertarian Party of Harris County
Adopted March 19, 2023

Article I: Name and Purpose

A. Name

The name of the organization is the Libertarian Party of Harris County (hereinafter referred to as “LPHarris”). The organization may also be referred to by the alternate name “Harris County Libertarian Party” (hereinafter referred to as “HCLP”). These two terms refer to the same organization.

B. Purpose

The purpose of LPHarris is to

1. arrange and hold precinct and county conventions in Harris County, Texas and,
2. when appropriate, district conventions and report the results thereof;
3. to support nominees of LPHarris and the Libertarian Party of Texas (hereinafter referred to as “LPTexas”) and help elect those nominees to public office;
4. to educate the Texas voting public about LPTexas and its principles;
5. to lobby government officials in Harris County, Texas in order to influence local and state governance, advocate for more libertarian public policy;
6. and generally grow the Libertarian Party in Harris County, nearby counties, and throughout Texas.

Article II: LPHarris Voting Membership

A. A person is eligible to become a Voting Member of LPHarris if they are:

1. a qualified Texas voter registered to vote in Harris County, and
2. a resident of Harris County, and
3. generally supports the LPTexas Statement of Principles, and
4. is not affiliated with any other political party, and
5. during an election year:
   1. affiliates with LPTexas through an LPHarris precinct convention making them a voting member and a delegate to county convention, or
   2. after the precinct convention, affiliates with LPTexas through any LPHarris County Executive Committee member (hereinafter referred to as the “CEC”) making them a voting member and eligible to be a delegate. (Delegate status must be moved and approved by a majority vote of the county convention body.)
6. during non-election years, affiliates with LPTexas through any LPHarris CEC member making them a voting member and eligible to be a delegate to any county special convention. (Delegate status must be moved and approved by a majority vote of the County Special Convention body.)

B. A person’s Voting Membership terminates if they:

1. cease to be eligible as defined by II. A. 1.-4. above,
2. fail to affiliate at the next Precinct Convention, or
3. are Removed under Article XII: Removal for Cause.

C. No dues shall be required to become a Voting Member of LPHarris. However, the CEC may establish other categories of membership that require dues.

Article III: The County Executive Committee

A. Officers of the CEC are: Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer (all member-elected), and Director At Large (elected by the CEC). All officers must be Voting Members of LPHarris in good standing.

B. The four (4) member-elected positions of the CEC shall be elected at the County Convention by a majority vote of the duly credentialed qualified delegates to the County Convention; provided, however, that the CEC has the right and authority to fill any vacant position pursuant to these Rules.

C. Director At Large

1. Eligibility: A candidate must be a former member of the CEC of LPHarris (or HCLP), not removed for cause by LPHarris under these bylaws, and eligible to be a Voting Member of LPHarris.
2. Election: The CEC shall hold a vote to elect a Director At Large within 31 days of the County Convention.

D. The term of the four member-elected positions of the CEC is from adjournment of the County Convention that elected them until the final adjournment of the following County Convention.

E. The term of the Director At Large lasts from their election by the CEC until the final adjournment of the following County Convention.

F. Duties:

1. Chair: Arrange and hold precinct, county, and district conventions in election years, call and chair business meetings, chair county conventions, and perform other duties usually pertaining to the office of chair.
2. Vice Chair: Assist the Chair and perform the Chair’s duties when the Chair is absent or unable to do so and perform other duties usually pertaining to the office of vice chair. The Vice Chair may also be called upon by the Chair to fulfill the duties of the Treasurer or Secretary in the absence of either officer or in the event of a vacancy in the offices of Treasurer or Secretary.
3. Secretary: Maintain accurate minutes of official meetings, records of meetings and conventions, act as secretary for county conventions, and maintain other records including mailing lists and a roster of LPHarris Voting Members, and perform other duties usually pertaining to the office of secretary.
4. Treasurer: Manage funds, deposit monies, report to the Texas Ethics Commission, and handle other financial duties. The Treasurer may add the Chair as an additional signatory on the LPHarris bank account.
5. Director At Large: Assist the CEC and chair business meetings as directed.
6. If any officer is absent for two successive regular Business Meetings, their position may be declared vacant and filled by the CEC as per these Rules.

Article IV: Subordinate Committees and Coordinators

A. The CEC may establish such committees as it deems appropriate to assist it in carrying out its non-statutory duties and may appoint to such committees persons who are not members of the CEC. Any such committee shall have at least one CEC member sponsor as a committee member.

B. No action of a subcommittee or of any standing committee created by the CEC shall replace or supersede the actions or authority of the CEC.

C. Coordinators may be appointed by the CEC to act on behalf of these committees. They must be Voting Members of LPHarris.

D. Expenditures of a committee are governed by the same rules as all other expenditures of the organization.

Article V: Meetings

A. There shall be fourteen (14) days notice of regular Business Meetings of the CEC, which shall be open to the public. Public notice shall be given on the official LPHarris website. Notice shall also be given through any electronic distribution list if any is actively maintained by LPHarris as a means to contact members.

B. If no CEC member objects, the Chair may call an online meeting of the CEC at which votes may be taken and business transacted just as in an in-person, public meeting. Online meetings of the CEC require 24 hours notice. Meeting notice and a link to the online meeting platform shall be made available to the public on the LPHarris website and all official social media platforms. Minutes of an online meeting shall be published to the LPHarris website within seven (7) days of such meeting. Special Conventions may not be held online.

C. At regular Business Meetings, agenda time shall be allowed for public comment.

D. Unless otherwise stated in these rules, only members of the CEC may cast votes at regular Business Meetings. However, polls of the attendees and/or Voting Members may be conducted at meetings to inform the CEC prior to voting. Such polls may be called for by any CEC member, and do not require majority approval of the CEC.

E. At LPHarris meetings including a County Convention or a Special Convention, motions can be passed by a simple majority vote, unless otherwise provided by these rules and bylaws. At the option of the Chair or acting chair of the meeting, votes can be by acclamation, voice, show of hands, standing, or other common method including written secret ballot, unless otherwise provided by these rules and bylaws. “None of the Above” shall be an available option in all elections involving one or more nominees.

F. Electronic Mail Voting. Any member of the CEC can present a motion to be voted on by electronic mail (Email) or another electronic method acceptable to the CEC provided the subject is not of an emergency nature, but the Chair deems it necessary to dispose of it in a timely manner. Motions must be seconded, and the CEC shall have 72 hours from that event to vote.

Article VI: Conventions

A. LPHarris shall hold county conventions in accordance with the Texas Election Code. The Convention agenda must include at least: a call to order, credentials report, election of the CEC, election of local candidates for public office, and election of delegates to State and District Conventions.

B. Precinct Conventions shall be held in accordance with applicable election law. Delegates to the County Convention shall be elected at the Precinct Conventions.

C. Notice of the County Convention shall be posted in accordance with applicable law.

D. The primary purposes of the County Convention are to nominate persons for elected office, elect the member-elected Officers of the CEC, and to choose delegates for the district and state conventions.

E. The method of voting shall be selected by the CEC prior to the County Convention. Electronic Voting is allowed so long as accommodations are planned for any Voting Member without access to an appropriate device. The Method of Voting shall be posted to the LPHarris website no later than 4 days prior to the Convention.

F. The Convention Chair and Convention Secretary shall be the current Chair and Secretary of LPHarris, respectively, unless those officers choose to defer their duties; a replacement must be approved by the CEC.

G. Elections for member-elected Officers of the CEC shall occur prior to election of delegates. Election of such Officers shall be conducted by secret ballot.

H. Delegate Election. The election of delegates to district and state conventions shall be done separately.
1. District: Election of delegates to district conventions shall be voted upon by the body of the County Convention.
2. State: A person otherwise qualified need not be present at the County Convention to be elected a primary delegate or alternate to the State Conventions. When the number of primary delegates running for the state convention exceeds the number of delegates granted to the county, the following process shall be used: The County Chair, the Vice Chair, the Secretary, and the Treasurer shall automatically have first selection in that order to the state convention. All others shall be by vote at the County Convention.
3. When alternate delegates are allowed, alternates will be assigned a numerical order of precedence for attendance to district and/or state conventions.

I. Adjournment. A motion to adjourn a County Convention is not allowed until after the voting on member-elected CEC officers and primary delegates for state and district conventions.

Article VII: Special Conventions

A. A Special Convention may be called to conduct non‐routine business such as change of bylaws, removal of a member for cause, to nominate candidates for special elections, or for the CEC to receive direction from the Voting Membership.

1. A Special Convention may be called by:
   1. the Chair, or
   2. three other members of the CEC, or
   3. by written petition signed by Voting Members of an amount greater than 25% of the current Voting Member roll maintained by the Secretary, plus one CEC member.
2. If such petition succeeds, the CEC shall hold the Special Convention within 31 days of certifying such petition.

B. A Special Convention may come to order no earlier than 6:00pm on a weeknight (including Friday); or no earlier than 8:00am on a weekend and shall be scheduled for a time period of no less than 2 hours.

C. There shall be fourteen (14) days notice of any Special Convention, which shall be open to the public. Public notice shall be given on the official LPHarris website. Notice shall also be given through any electronic distribution list if any is actively maintained by LPHarris as a means to contact members.

D. At a Special Convention, any LPHarris Voting Member is eligible to be a delegate, and a quorum to conduct business shall be 25% of Voting Members, based upon the most recent count of Voting Members conducted by the Secretary.

E. The convention chair of the Special Convention shall be the Chair of LPHarris. If the Chair is unable or unwilling to chair the convention, then a member of the CEC selected by the Voting Members present shall serve as convention chair.

Article VIII: Donations, Finances, and Expenditures

A. Donations to LPHarris shall be deposited into an organization-owned bank account, with the Treasurer as a required signatory.

B. Funds donated may be used to conduct official party business and activities aligned with the organization’s purpose.

C. All funds donated to LPHarris shall be presumed for general use by LPHarris.

D. All donations and expenditures must be reported to the Treasurer, who is responsible for regular reports to the CEC.

E. The Chair may approve expenditures up to the lesser of $1500 or 25% of the bank account balance specifically for convention, special convention, business meeting cost, or legal cost, at their discretion. The CEC may approve any other expenditures by a majority vote. All expenditures shall be reported to the entire CEC within 7 days of being spent, unless previously approved by the CEC.

F. The CEC, by 3/5’s majority vote, may establish temporary special fundraising campaigns to raise funds for a specific purpose. These shall be Voluntary Targeted Donation Campaigns (VTD’s). This vote may take place outside of Business Meetings, but if approved, a record of the results of said vote shall be included in the notice prescribed below.

1. A VTD may only be established for a purpose included in the stated purpose of the organization.
2. The time period of a VTD fundraising campaign shall be specified by the CEC when the VTD is established and shall not exceed six months. All VTD’s shall end no later than the date of the next County Convention.
3. Notice of the VTD, including duration and purpose, shall be posted to the LPHarris website for the duration of the time period.
4. A ledger of donations made to a VTD shall be maintained by the Treasurer, but a separate bank account is not required.
5. If funds remain unspent for the stated purpose during the campaign, these funds shall then be eligible for the general use of LPHarris. Notice of this change in eligibility shall be included in the Treasurer’s report at the next Business Meeting.

Article IX: Amending These Rules and Bylaws

A. These rules and bylaws may only be amended at a County Convention or Special Convention. To be placed on the agenda of a County Convention, proposed amendments must be approved by the CEC and the text of approved changes published fourteen (14) days prior. In order to be placed on the agenda of a Special Convention, proposed amendments must be approved by the CEC and the text of approved amendments provided along with the notice of the meeting. In either event, publication can be by mail or email to Voting Members, in a newsletter, or on the website.

B. A two-thirds vote is required at any County Convention or Special Convention to adopt any amendments and permanently change these rules and bylaws.

C. Changes to these rules and bylaws limited to typographical corrections, spelling corrections, format, and numbering corrections, and not of a material or substantive nature, may be made at a regular Business Meeting upon unanimous approval of the CEC.

Article X: Vacancy and Succession

A. The CEC may fill a vacancy in the office of Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, or Treasurer by a majority vote. The CEC shall hold a vote within 31 days of such vacancy. Any person selected to fill a vacancy must be a Voting Member of LPHarris.

B. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chair, the Vice Chair shall perform the duties of Chair until a successor is elected. If for any reason there is no Vice Chair or he or she is unable to perform this role, the Director At Large shall do so.

C. If the elected Director At Large resigns, is removed, or is no longer a Voting Member of LPHarris, the office shall be declared vacant. The CEC shall hold a vote to elect a Director At Large within 31 days of such vacancy.

D. If the CEC fails to elect a Director At Large, that office shall be vacant. Notice of the vacancy of the office and the eligibility requirements shall be posted on the LPHarris website and on all official LPHarris social media accounts quarterly. Until such time that the Director At Large office is filled, the matter shall automatically be added to the agenda of every business meeting.

E. In the event that a chair is appointed or recognized by the State Chair or Executive Committee, the appointed chair shall call a Special Convention no earlier than 14 and no later than 60 days after appointment for the purpose of electing all member-elected County Executive Committee members. If another person is elected Chair, the appointed chair shall be eligible for the office of Director At Large.

F. Should a vacancy exist in a State Libertarian Executive Committee (SLEC) Senate District Representative seat that is wholly or partially contained within Harris County, then the CEC may act to fill the vacancy according to the following process:

1. Minimum requirements set by LPTexas bylaws for recording and submitting any nominations and votes shall be followed.
2. A person eligible to be a Voting Member of LPHarris may be nominated for a vacant District Representative seat by a 3/5 majority of the CEC.
3. Upon LPTexas providing the list of nominated candidates, a 3/5 vote of the CEC shall determine LPHarris’s vote cast for or against each nominee. A vote, for or against, may be cast for each nominated candidate.

Article XI: Communications and Accounts

A. Members of the CEC are authorized to make statements to government officials on behalf of LPHarris.

B. No other Voting Member shall make any statement to government officials or any media organization on behalf of LPHarris without the prior explicit consent of a member of the CEC. Voting Members are free to mention their membership in LPHarris in their statements but shall not purport to speak on behalf of LPHarris without the prior explicit consent of the CEC. Willful violation of this rule may be cause for Removal for Cause or lesser sanction.

C. All press releases from LPHarris shall be approved by the Chair prior to release.

D. All official social media accounts of LPHarris require prior approval of the CEC.

E. All social media accounts shall use an official LPHarris email address, not a personal email address.

F. All members of the CEC shall be given admin access to all official LPHarris social media accounts.

G. All members of the CEC shall be given admin access to the LPHarris website.

Article XII: Removal for Cause or Lesser Sanction

A. Any member of the CEC may be removed for good cause by a two-thirds vote of the CEC, or a 2/3 vote of the Voting Members, provided that it does not conflict with any procedures set forth in the State Rules for the State Executive Committee for removal for cause.

B. Removal for cause by Voting Members shall only take place at a Special Convention or County Convention, and the subject of the proceeding shall:

1. Be sent notification no less than 7 days in advance of the proceeding. Notification shall be given via the email on record with LPHarris and include the nature of the proceeding.
2. Be offered no less than 10 minutes of agenda time to give a statement in their defense.

C. This proceeding is not a criminal or civil legal proceeding.

D. The duration of the Removal for Cause shall not exceed four (4) years from the date of Removal.

E. The CEC shall also have the right to enact a less severe penalty than Removal as a sanction, either at a regular Business Meeting or at a convention.

If these rules and bylaws conflict in any material respect with a provision of the Texas Election Code, the inconsistent rule or bylaw shall yield only to the extent necessary to resolve the conflict, but all other provisions of these rules shall remain and prevail.

In any matter not covered by these rules and bylaws and which is covered by the latest edition of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised, Robert Rules shall apply.