2014 LP Bylaws Committee

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Proposal #14d: Single-Transferable Voting for for At-Large Members of the National Committee

DRAFT This is a draft proposal which has not yet been voted on by the committee.

Proposed by Rob Latham.

Problem: Libertarians advocate for alternative voting systems that are more representative. However, internal elections of the Libertarian Party do not follow these methods. The current voting system for At-Large allows a plurality of the delegates to elect all of the At-Large LNC members.
Solution: Practice what we preach. Use single-transferable voting for LNC At-Large elections.
Benefits:
1. Harmonizes Libertarian Party practices with our message.
2. Familiarizes LP delegates with the STV process so they can more effectively explain it to others.
3. Allows organized minorities of the delegates to have proportional representation on the LNC without overvoting or undervoting for a particular candidate.
4. Implements the voting method that mirrors voter desires most accurately.

Convention Special Rules of Order of the Libertarian Party

RULE 8: ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND NATIONAL COMMITTEE

Nominations for the at-large members of the National Committee shall be from the floor.
The election shall be conducted in the following manner:

Each delegate may cast up to five votes, but no more than one vote for any one candidate.

Each delegation shall tabulate its total vote, and the delegation chair shall deliver a written total to the Secretary. When all delegations have submitted their votes, the Secretary shall declare the voting closed.

At this point, an announcement of each delegation's vote total shall be made by delegation chairs in alphabetical order beginning with a randomly selected delegation.

Those five candidates receiving the highest vote totals shall be declared elected. If a tie vote affecting the outcome of the election occurs, another ballot for the remaining offices shall be held with each delegate allowed to cast as many votes as there are offices to fill.
The winners shall be determined by single-transferable voting.

Voting for each election shall take place in one round. Delegates may rank up to ten candidates on their ballots in order of preference. Only nominated candidates shall be valid options on the ranked ballots.

Each delegation chair shall deliver the delegation’s ballots to the Secretary. When all delegations have submitted their votes, the Secretary shall declare voting closed.

Convention business shall continue while the votes are counted by the Secretary or his designees. Tabulation for multiple elections may be conducted simultaneously.

Tabulation shall take place in multiple rounds. Each round the full or fractional votes for the highest ranking preferences shall be summed and recorded.

If the vote count for any candidate exceeds the droop quota [(droop quota) = (ballots submitted)/(seats up for election + 1) + 1], the candidate shall be considered a winner.

In that case, any excess votes shall be allocated to the next highest ranking preference: each ballot for the candidate shall have its weight reduced to a fractional vote [(end fractional vote) = (begin fractional vote)x(votes for candidate – droop quota)/(votes for candidate)].

Otherwise (if no candidates are elected in a round), the candidate (or candidates in the case of a tie) with the fewest votes shall be considered out of the race.

In that case, the remaining fractional vote for each ballot shall be allocated to the remaining candidates marked as the next highest ranking preference on those ballots.

The process shall be repeated until either all positions are filled or one candidate remains and that candidate fails to achieve the droop quota.

If some seats are left unfilled, none of the above (NOTA) shall be considered to have won those seats and another election shall be held for those seats with the candidates who ran previously ineligible to be nominated.

The Secretary shall retain the record of all voting rounds and make it available to delegates upon reasonable request.

The Secretary shall announce the winners of the election after votes have been fully tabulated.

Key

removed - ~~red, strikethrough~~
added - blue, underline, italic

Proposal #14c: Cumulative Voting for At-Large Members of the National Committee

DRAFT This is a draft proposal which has not yet been voted on by the committee.

Proposed by Chuck Moulton.

Problem: Libertarians advocate for alternative voting systems that are more representative. However, internal elections of the Libertarian Party do not follow these methods. The current voting system for At-Large allows a plurality of the delegates to elect all of the At-Large LNC members.
Solution: Practice what we preach. Use cumulative voting for LNC At-Large elections.
Benefits:
1. Harmonizes Libertarian Party practices with our message.
2. Familiarizes LP delegates with the cumulative voting process so they can more effectively explain it.
3. Allows organized minorities of to have representation by casting all 5 votes for a particular candidate.

Convention Special Rules of Order of the Libertarian Party

RULE 8: ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND NATIONAL COMMITTEE

Nominations for the at-large members of the National Committee shall be from the floor.
The election shall be conducted in the following manner:
1. Each delegate may cast up to five votes~~, but no more than one vote for any one candidate~~ using cumulative voting.
2. Each delegation shall tabulate its total vote, and the delegation chair shall deliver a written total to the Secretary. When all delegations have submitted their votes, the Secretary shall declare the voting closed.
3. At this point, an announcement of each delegation's vote total shall be made by delegation chairs in alphabetical order beginning with a randomly selected delegation.
4. Those five candidates receiving the highest vote totals shall be declared elected. If a tie vote affecting the outcome of the election occurs, another ballot for the remaining offices shall be held with each delegate allowed to cast as many votes as there are offices to fill.

Key

removed - ~~red, strikethrough~~
added - blue, underline, italic

Proposal #14b: Range Voting for At-Large Members of the National Committee

DRAFT This is a draft proposal which has not yet been voted on by the committee.

Proposed by Adrien Monteleone and Dan Wiener.

Problem:
Solution:
Benefits:

Convention Special Rules of Order of the Libertarian Party

RULE 8: ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND NATIONAL COMMITTEE

Nominations for the at-large members of the National Committee shall be from the floor. The election shall be conducted in the following manner:

Each delegate may cast up to five votes, but no more than one vote for any one candidate.

Each delegation shall tabulate its total vote, and the delegation chair shall deliver a written total to the Secretary. When all delegations have submitted their votes, the Secretary shall declare the voting closed.

At this point, an announcement of each delegation's vote total shall be made by delegation chairs in alphabetical order beginning with a randomly selected delegation.

Those five candidates receiving the highest vote totals shall be declared elected. If a tie vote affecting the outcome of the election occurs, another ballot for the remaining offices shall be held with each delegate allowed to cast as many votes as there are offices to fill.
Each delegate vote for each candidate by marking their approval of the candidate on a range from 0 to 100. A mark of "no-opinion" for that candidate shall not count as a vote and shall not affect the calculation of average approval.

Each delegation shall tabulate its total approval and number of votes for each candidate. The number of votes for NOTA shall also be tabulated. The delegation chair shall deliver a written total to the Secretary, along with the ballots cast.

When all delegations have submitted their votes, the Chair shall declare the voting closed. The candidates receiving the five highest average approval ratings shall be elected, after excluding any candidates who have not received at least half the votes as the candidate with the highest number of votes and more votes than NOTA. Tie votes affecting the outcome shall be decided by lot.

Proviso: This amendment shall take effect immediately upon adoption.

Key

removed - ~~red, strikethrough~~
added - blue, underline, italic

Proposal #14a: Approval Voting for At-Large Members of the National Committee

DRAFT This is a draft proposal which has not yet been voted on by the committee.

Proposed by Aaron Starr.

Problem: Our current method of selecting at-large members of the National Committee is known as plurality voting. Delegates may vote for only as many candidates as there are seats to fill (in this case five) and the top ranking candidates, sometimes with less than majority support, win the seats.

With plurality voting, if there are many good candidates, delegates that would otherwise enjoy the support of a majority of delegates can be defeated by candidates that enjoy less support.

So, for example, let’s say there are 20 people running for five at-large seats and 15 of those individuals enjoy the support of 60% of the delegates, and the remaining five enjoy the support of the other 40%.

With our current method of plurality voting, none of the individuals who have majority support win a seat and all of those who have less than majority support get on the committee.

Also, with plurality voting delegates are subject to the “wasted vote” argument, in that they may feel compelled to vote for a candidate that has a chance of winning, rather than a “dark-horse” candidate they believe in.
Solution: Allow delegates to vote for as many candidates as they approve of (aka approval voting) for selecting at-large members of the National Committee.
Benefits:
1. This method of voting is simple to explain, understand, implement and tabulate.
2. It allows delegates to be able to vote their conscience.
3. It assures that the candidates that enjoy the most support will fill the seats.
4. It is in keeping with our Platform, where we advocate our support of election systems that are more representative of the electorate.

Convention Special Rules of Order of the Libertarian Party

RULE 8: ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND NATIONAL COMMITTEE

Nominations for the at-large members of the National Committee shall be from the floor. The election shall be conducted in the following manner:

Each delegate may cast up to five votes, but no more than one vote for any one candidate.

Each delegation shall tabulate its total vote, and the delegation chair shall deliver a written total to the Secretary. When all delegations have submitted their votes, the Secretary shall declare the voting closed.

At this point, an announcement of each delegation's vote total shall be made by delegation chairs in alphabetical order beginning with a randomly selected delegation.

Those five candidates receiving the highest vote totals shall be declared elected. If a tie vote affecting the outcome of the election occurs, another ballot for the remaining offices shall be held with each delegate allowed to cast as many votes as there are offices to fill.
Each delegate may cast one vote per candidate for any number of candidates. Every ballot with a vote for one or more candidates is counted as one vote cast.

Each delegation shall tabulate its total vote, and the delegation chair shall deliver a written total to the Secretary, along with the ballots cast.

When all delegations have submitted their votes, the Chair shall declare the voting closed. The top five candidates receiving a majority vote shall be elected. Tie votes affecting the outcome shall be decided by lot.

Proviso: This amendment shall take effect upon the close of the convention at which it is adopted.

Key

removed - ~~red, strikethrough~~
added - blue, underline, italic

Proposal #13: Creation of a Style Committee

DRAFT This is a draft proposal which has not yet been voted on by the committee.

Proposed by Aaron Starr.

Problem: A proposal quickly crafted on the floor at the 2010 convention added Convention Rule 5.8, which authorizes the National Committee with only a majority vote to amend thePlatform and Bylaws (but not the Convention Special Rules of Order) for non-substantive stylistic changes.

The enacted change is more in the nature of a Bylaw, rather than a Convention Special Rule of Order, which is normally intended to address how we conduct business during the convention.
Solution: Require such changes receive a super-majority (rather than a simple majority) of the National Committee after providing advance notice on the Party’s website, and that such changes be proposed by a separate Style Committee, a majority of who are other than National Committee members. Move it from the Convention Rules to the Bylaws, where it belongs.
Benefits:
1) Increases the requirement for a modification from a simple majority of the National Committee to a two-thirds vote.
2) Assures that the National Committee may not propose such a change, and that majority of those who are proposing a style change are not also serving on the National Committee.

Convention Special Rules of Order of the Libertarian Party

RULE 5: DEBATING AND VOTING - PLATFORM

Should changes to the bylaws or platform result in a grammatical error in accordance with the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, the LNC presiding at the time of that discovery is authorized to make those grammatical corrections provided it does not change the meaning or intent of the item edited.

Bylaws of the Libertarian Party

ARTICLE 17: AMENDMENT

The National Committee shall appoint a Style Committee composed of three members: the Secretary and two individuals who are not members of the National Committee. The Style Committee may propose stylistic changes to the Platform, Bylaws, and Convention Rules that are non-substantive in nature, such as corrections to spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, active versus passive voice, breaking up run-on sentences, correcting references, reordering, and renumbering. Proposed changes shall be posted on the Party’s website at least 30 days prior to being submitted to the National Committee for ratification by a two-thirds vote.

Key

removed - ~~red, strikethrough~~
added - blue, underline, italic

Proposal #12: Seconding Procedure for Motions

DRAFT This is a draft proposal which has not yet been voted on by the committee.

Proposed by Aaron Starr.

Problem: In groups of 12 to 50 or so, requiring a single second is usually effective to prevent frivolous motions from wasting everyone's time. However, in a group of 500 to 1000, one person invariably seconds every frivolous motion -- no matter how absurd.
Solution: Require a small number of the body to second a motion.
Benefits: Saves everyone time at each convention.

Footnote: "The requirement of a second is for the chair's guidance as to whether he should state the question on the motion, thus placing it before the assembly. Its purpose is to prevent time from being consumed by the assembly's having to dispose of a motion that only one person wants to see introduced." -- RONR (11th ed.) p. 36.

Convention Special Rules of Order of the Libertarian Party

RULE 2: VOTING PROCEDURE AND MOTIONS

On all matters, except the retention of platform planks, the election of Party Officers and at-large members of the National Committee, and the nomination of Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates, voting will be by either voice vote or rising vote. If any delegate objects to the Chair's ruling on the outcome of a voice vote, a rising vote shall be conducted. If 20 or more delegates object to the Chair's ruling on the outcome of a rising vote, a counted vote will be held.

Any motion from the floor shall be considered seconded only if 20 or more delegates second the motion.

[re-number subsequent clauses]

Key

removed - ~~red, strikethrough~~
added - blue, underline, italic

Proposal #11: Approval of Convention Minutes

DRAFT This is a draft proposal which has not yet been voted on by the committee.

Proposed by Alicia Mattson.

Problem: Our conventions are usually rushed for time by the end, and in recent memory they have never taken the time to approve the convention minutes. Due to the fast pace of our elections, oftentimes with overlapping ballots, the minutes can take a substantial amount of time to assemble into a presentable format after the convention is over. From a practical standpoint it is asking a lot to have the Secretary prepare minutes in final form during the convention on top of all the other Secretarial duties. But there should be more eyes reviewing our official records beyond just the Secretary as a single individual. Additionally, should a Secretary not actually produce convention minutes (as has happened in the past), some other body needs to be able to produce a set of minutes. Robert's Rules (11th edition, p. 628) suggests an alternative of delegating this task to either the board or to a separately appointed committee.
Solution: Empower the LNC to approve convention minutes. This proposal includes a 60 day deadline for production of draft minutes. This gives a Secretary a reasonable time in which to perform, and it also gives the LNC a specific time at which they should start looking for someone else to assemble a draft, should a Convention Secretary not complete the job.
Benefits:

Bylaws of the Libertarian Party

ARTICLE 11: CONVENTIONS

The Convention Secretary shall within 60 days of the adjournment of the Convention produce draft Convention minutes and present them to the National Committee. The National Committee is authorized to approve Convention minutes.

Key

removed - ~~red, strikethrough~~
added - blue, underline, italic