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» Libertarian Party of Nevada Bylaws

INDEX

• Foreword
• Preamble
• Article I: The Libertarian Party of Nevada
• Article II: Purposes
• Article III: Membership
• Article IV: Executive Committee
• Article V: Judicial Committee
• Article VI: Annual State Convention
• Article VII: Candidates for Partisan Public Office
• Article VIII: Meetings
• Article IX: County Affiliates
• Article X: Amendments
• Article XI: Parliamentary Authority

Bylaws of the Libertarian Party of Nevada
Last Modified in Convention, February 18, 2006

FOREWORD

As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives, and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others.

We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that fraud and the initiation of force must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized.

Consequently, we defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power.

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PREAMBLE

We, the members of the Libertarian Party of Nevada, uphold the principles of liberty, especially of thought and action. We believe that all individuals have the right to live their lives in any manner they choose so long as they do not violate the same rights of others. Therefore, we do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving personal, political, economic, or social goals.

We affirm the Libertarian Party 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 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, arid 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.

The objective of the Libertarian Party of Nevada is to reduce and limit the size and scope of government at all levels to its proper purpose: The protection of the rights of the individual to life, liberty, and property.

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Article I: The Libertarian Party of Nevada

1. The name of this organization shall be the Libertarian Party of Nevada, hereinafter referred to as "LPN".
2. The Preamble affirms that philosophy upon which the LPN is founded, by which it shall be sustained, and through which liberty shall prevail. The Preamble shall be "the principles and policies" referred to by all Libertarian political candidates for public office in Nevada.

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Article II: Purposes

The purpose of the LPN is to proclaim and implement its Statement ofPrinciples, by:

1. Nominating, running, and supporting candidates for public office within the State of Nevada.
2. Working with Libertarian public officials at all levels to achieve the objectives of the Libertarian Party.

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Article III: Membership

1. All members of an affiliate county party in Nevada are members of the LPN, provided that county has joined the Local Membership Program [hereafter referred to as "LMP"].
2. All residents of Nevada who reside in counties which have not joined the LMP are members of the LPN provided,
   1. They have been registered Libertarian in Nevada for 60 days
   2. They have paid current annual dues of $25 to the LPN
3. All members of the LPN Shall be eligible to be delegates to all LPN conventions, provided that they are LPN members 30 days prior to the date of the Annual State Convention [hereafter referred to as "the Convention"]
4. Local Membership Program:
   1. A recognized county affiliate may join the LMP with the permission of the Executive Committee.
   2. Under the LMP, a county affiliate may define its membership at its sole discretion, but may not include persons legally residing outside of its county as members.
   3. An LMP county shall forward $10 to the Executive Committee of the LPN from a qualified account for each member of that County Party.
   4. No one residing within an LMP county may join the LPN except by joining their county party.

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Article IV: Executive Committee

1. There shall be an Executive Committee of the LPN to be responsible for handling the affairs and business of the LPN.
2. The Executive Committee shall consist of eight (8) members:
   1. There shall be four (4) officers of the LPN, as follows: Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. If the position of Chair becomes vacant, the line of succession will follow the order listed in the first sentence of this Section.
   2. There shall be three Regional Representatives to the Executive Committee, one each for the Northern, Central, and Southern regions of the State.
   3. There shall be an At-Large Representative to the Executive Committee.
3. The Executive Committee members shall be elected by a majority vote of the Convention, by the manner prescribed in Article VI, Sections 6 and 7, and shall serve until the end of the Convention at which their successors are elected. The officers and the representatives shall be elected in odd numbered years.
4. The Executive Committee members must be members of the LPN. No member shall hold more than one office at a time within the LPN. The Executive Committee members shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the LPN. These duties shall include the following:
   1. The Chair shall preside at all LPN Executive Committee meetings and conventions. The Chair shall be an ex-officio nonvoting member of all standing committees. The Chair may, by and with the consent of the Executive Committee, appoint Positions or Committees for such functions as Outreach, Campaigns, Fundraising, the Convention, or others deemed necessary to assist in the performance of the Chair's duties. In the event of a vacancy in an Executive Committee position, the Chair shall, with advice and consent of the Executive Committee, fill the vacancy by Pro Tem appointment, until the next Convention.
   2. The Vice Chair shall assist the Chair in the performance of the Chair's duties. At meetings of the Executive Committee the Vice Chair shall preside in the absence of the Chair.
   3. The Secretary shall record and maintain Minutes of party meetings and conventions, and all non-financial records of the LPN including but not limited to these bylaws and all committee reports. The Secretary shall send out membership notices of meetings and conventions.
   4. The Treasurer shall maintain the LPN's bank accounts, deposit all revenues, and pay all bills. A formal Treasurer's Report shall be presented annually, at the Convention. The Treasurer shall maintain the LPN's financial records in accordance with the law and generally accepted accounting principles.
   5. The Northern Regional Representative shall represent and reside in one of the Counties of Washoe, Carson City, Story, and Douglas.
   6. The Central Regional Representative shall represent and reside in one of the Counties of Humboldt, Elko, Pershing, Churchill, Lander, Eureka, White Pine, Lyon, Mineral, Esmeralda, Nye, and Lincoln.
   7. The Southern Regional Representatives shall represent and reside in the County of Clark.
   8. The At-Large Representative shall represent the State of Nevada as a whole.

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Article V: Judicial Committee

1. There shall be a Judicial Committee of the LPN to be responsible for:
   1. Handling appeals by LPN members of procedural rulings made by the Executive Committee.
   2. Ruling on disputes and complaints between LPN members.
   3. Hearing disciplinary cases in accordance with the Robert's Rules of Order disciplinary procedure.
2. There shall be six (6) members of the Judicial Committee.
3. Two (2) Judicial Committee members shall be elected at each Convention, and they shall serve for three (3) years, until the end of the Convention at which their successors are elected. Election shall be by a majority vote at each Convention, by the manner prescribed in Article VI, Sections 6 and 7.
4. No member of the Executive Committee shall be elected to the Judicial Committee.
5. After each Convention, the Judicial Committee shall meet at a time and place of their choosing to select their Chair.
6. In the event of a vacancy in a Judicial Committee position, the Judicial Committee Chair shall, with advice and consent of the Judicial Committee, fill the vacancy by Pro Tem appointment, until the next Convention.

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Article VI: Annual State Convention

The LPN shall hold a Convention in even numbered years for the purpose of choosing Candidates for Public Office, electing the Representatives to the Executive Committee, and whatever business shall be deemed necessary and proper, including but not limited to amending these bylaws, choosing delegates to the National Convention, and filling vacancies in the Executive Committee or Judicial Committee. Vacancies in the list of delegates to the National Convention can be filled by the Executive Committee before the National Convention, or by a vote of the delegates at the National Convention.

1. The LPN shall hold a Convention in odd numbered years for the purpose of electing of LPN officers, amending these bylaws, filling vacancies in the Executive Committee, and whatever business may deemed necessary and proper.
2. All LPN members are qualified to be delegates to the Convention provided that they are LPN members 90 days prior to the date of the Convention.
3. All LPN members shall be notified by mail of the Convention date and location, at least 30 Calendar days in advance. Inclusion of the notice in a publication received by the membership shall be deemed sufficient notice.
4. All elections for officers and candidates shall be by a majority vote by secret ballot, with the exception that an unopposed candidate may be elected by acclimation.
5. A nomination for "None of the Above" (NOTA) shall be considered valid. Should NOTA receive a majority of the vote in the balloting for any office or candidacy, the names of all nominees shall be kept on the ballot but the nominations for that office shall be reopened for additional nominees and another ballot taken.
   1. In an officer election, successive votes shall be taken until the position is filled by majority vote.
   2. In a nomination for public office, should NOTA receive a majority on two successive ballots, then no candidate shall be nominated for that office.
6. The Executive Committee shall publish the agenda and program of the Convention by mail and/or on the State Website no later than 30 days in advance of the convention. The agenda and program may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the Convention. The agenda and program may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the Convention.
7. In even numbered years, the Convention may remove any Executive Committee member or Judicial Committee member by a two-thirds vote. The vacancy shall be filled in the manner described in Article VI sections 4 and 5.

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Article VII: Candidates for Partisan Public Office

1. The LPN may nominate Candidates for Public Office by ballot of the Convention during an even numbered year, by the manner prescribed in Article VI, Sections 5 and 6.
2. Candidates for President and Vice President shall be nominated by the National Convention of the Libertarian Party. Candidates for United States Senator, all statewide offices, and any office for which the district lies within more than one county shall be nominated at the Convention of the Libertarian Party of Nevada.
3. County affiliates may nominate candidates for any office for which the district lies entirely within that county. The Secretary of the county affiliate shall file a list of its nominated candidates with the Secretary of the LPN by the start of the Convention.
4. The LPN may nominate a candidate for any office for which there has been no candidate selected by a county affiliate.
5. No more than one candidate may be elected to be the nominee of the Libertarian Party for any partisan office.
6. The LPN may form committees to continue to add to the list of nominated candidates until it is filed with the Secretary of State of Nevada.
7. The Secretary of the LPN or the Secretary's representative shall file a list of the nominated candidates with the Secretary of State of Nevada, in accordance with Nevada law.

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Article VIII: Meetings

1. Meetings of the LPN Executive Committee shall be held at least quarterly, either in person or by electronic means.
2. Executive Committee Meetings shall be open to all LPN members.
3. A majority of the members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of normal business.

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Article IX: County Affiliates

1. One (1) affiliate organization of the LPN may be recognized in each county in Nevada.
2. The LPN may revoke affiliate status with a two-thirds vote of the LPN Executive Committee for cause (malfeasance).

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Article X. Amendments

1. These bylaws may be amended by two-thirds vote, at any convention, provided that notice of the proposed amendments is given.
2. Language of proposed amendments shall be given, in writing, to the Secretary at least 30 days prior to the convention.
3. Notice shall include a brief summary of the proposed amendments, and instruction for receiving the full language thereof, and shall be given no later than the notice for the convention required in Article VI, Section 4.
4. The Secretary shall make all proposed amendments available, upon request, to any LPN member. Availability may include electronic publishing via the Internet, or in writing by mail, or other reasonable means.

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Article XI: Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the LPN in all cases to which they apply, and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws, any special rules of order the LPN may adopt, and any statutes applicable to the LPN. The causes for disciplinary as outlined in Robert's Rules of Order shall be in effect.

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Paid for by the Libertarian Party of Nevada and not authorized by any federal candidate.