Constitution of the Lake County Libertarian Party
Article I: Name and Object
Section I
The name of this organization shall be the Lake County Libertarian Party, hereinafter referred to as the LakeLP.
Section II
The object and purpose of the LakeLP as a “political party” includes but is not limited to:
(a) Seek qualified Libertarians to become candidates for local, county, state, and federal offices;
(b) Support election to office of qualified Libertarian individuals;
(c) Increase Libertarian registration;
(d) Support the political activities of the Libertarian Party of Florida in Lake County;
(e) Promote and uphold the principles of limited government and free markets throughout Lake County.
Article II: Membership and Dues
Section I
Requirements for regular membership in the LakeLP are as follows:
(a) Individuals must sign the pledge “I hereby certify that I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force or coercion as a means of achieving political or social goals”. Registered membership in the Libertarian Party of Florida is sufficient to qualify as signing this pledge.
(b) Individuals must support Libertarian principles.
Section II
Active membership shall be defined as any individual who attends 6 of the previous 12, or 4 of the previous 6 meetings and meets the requirements in Section I of this article.
Section III
In the American heritage of Self-Reliance and autonomy, the LakeLP shall collect no membership dues or fees. The LakeLP shall rely solely on donations, contributions, and proceeds from fundraising activities.
Article III: Officers and Executive Committee
Section I
The officers of the LakeLP shall be a Chair, a Vice Chair, a Secretary, a Communications Director, and a Treasurer. These persons will be the members of the Executive Committee.
Section II
Committee Chairs whether, elected or appointed, will also be members of the Executive Committee.
Section III
Officers shall be elected to a term of one year. The Chair and Secretary shall be elected by a majority of active members at the first business meeting of each year. The Vice Chair, Communications Director and Treasurer shall be elected by a majority of active members at the June business meeting each year. If the June meeting is canceled, this election will take place the following business meeting.
Section IV
Officers must be an active member of the LakeLP, a registered member of the Libertarian Party of Florida, and reside in Lake County.
Section V
The Chair shall preside over business meetings.
Section VI
The Vice Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair in conjunction with, or in the absence of, the Chair.
Section VII
The Secretary Shall Keep LakeLP Records including, but not limited to:
- Minutes of Meetings
- Records of Membership
The Secretary shall perform the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair and the Vice-Chair.
Section VIII
The Treasurer shall be the Chief Financial Officer. The Treasurer and Chair shall receive, hold, disburse, and account for all funds under the direction of the Executive Committee. The funds will be held in a bank account. Any changes to the banking institution shall be brought as a motion to the voting members and must be approved by two-thirds vote. The Treasurer shall provide a report at each business meeting that includes the current bank balance. The Treasurer shall perform the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair, and the Secretary.
Section IX
The Communications Director shall inform the public about the libertarian direction as directed by the Executive Committee. This shall include: :
- Developing and supporting publicity and advertising drives;
- Preparing press releases as directed by the Executive Committee;
- Responding to press inquiries as directed by the Secretary;
- Assist members with letter-writing drives;
- Producing and distributing outreach material;
- Publishing the monthly LakeLP newsletter; and
- Maintaining the LakeLP website.
The Secretary shall ensure members are informed of meetings and events. The Communications Director shall perform the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section X
Officers and EC members may voluntarily choose to revoke their membership with a signed written statement.
Section XI
The Chair shall have the authority to appoint interim officers for any vacant officer positions prior to a scheduled special election as necessary to meet the requirements of law. If the Chair is vacant, then the first eligible individual who accepts the position shall become the interim Chair, temporarily vacating their previous position (if any), and shall appoint interim officers for all vacant positions. The line of succession of eligibility for interim Chair is as follows:
- Vice-Chair
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Communications Director
- Earliest registered voting member, sorted alphabetically by surname if multiple such members exist
- Earliest registered regular member, sorted alphabetically by surname if multiple such members exist
Article IV: Adopted Amendments
Section I
The constitution and By-laws shall be adopted by a three-fourths vote of the active membership.
Section II
Amendments to this constitution shall be made by a three-fourths vote of the active membership.
Section III
Active members of the LakeLP may recall any Executive Committee officer with a Member or two-thirds majority vote.
Section IV
Changes and/or amendments to the constitution and by-laws must have been brought up for consideration at the previous business meeting.
Article V: Standing Committees
Section I
The standing committees shall be as follows: Bylaws, Candidates, Communications, Events, Finance and Membership.
Section II
Committee Chairs shall be appointed by the Chair and voted on by the membership. Committee Chairs serve at the discretion of the Executive Committee. Committee Chairs shall preside over committee meetings. The Chair shall be a member ex-officio of all committees.
Section III
The Vice Chair shall be a member of the Membership Committee. The Treasurer shall be a member of the Finance Committee. The Secretary shall be a member of the Communications Committee. The Communications Director shall be a member of the Communications Committee.