At-Large CC Election Bylaws Proposal (2nd draft by David Shorey, 3/09/2001) The following is a draft of some bylaw changes that would enable the CC election changes outlined in the proposal approved during the December 2000 Plenary. ------------------------------------------------------ KEY: [abcdef] - deleted language ABCDEF - new language =============================================================== Section 7-1. Coordinating Committee 7-1.1 Membership and Term of Office The State Coordinating Committee [will be] IS comprised of [20] TWENTY voting members. Fourteen members [will be] ARE selected to provide regional balance. [8] EIGHT members [will] ARE TO come from the largest regions ([2] TWO each), with regional size being calculated annually by number of registered [g]Green [p]Party voters on the [1st] FIRST registration count after January 1st of each year. [6] SIX members will come from the remaining regions ([1] ONE each). Members [will] ARE also be balanced by gender, age, culture as much as possible and the committee will have [6] SIX additional at large members who will be chosen with this balancing in mind. THREE AT-LARGE COMMITTEE MEMBERS SHALL BE ELECTED AT THE FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF EVEN YEARS AND THREE AT-LARGE COMMITTEE MEMBERS SHALL BE ELECTED AT THE FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF ODD YEARS. Voting members of the coordinating committee will serve a term of [1.5] TWO years but shall not vacate their seat until the first business meeting of the General Assembly following the end of the [1.5] TWO year term. In addition, the Liaison to the Secretary of State and the Treasurer shall be non-voting members of the State Coordinating Committee, and may not concurrently hold a voting seat on the Committee. 7-1.2 Active and Inactive Regions When a region becomes inactive, as defined in Article V, section 4 of these bylaws, the Coordinating Committee seats which it is entitled to elect shall become at-large seats. If the region later becomes active, it shall be entitled to elect members to the next available seat(s). 7-1.4 Selection of Regional Members a) Regional members will be selected by regional caucus of delegates at General Assembly meetings, unless the active counties of a region select another process. Any such alternative process must be approved by all the County Councils of the active counties of a regions to be effective; and a detailed description of the process must be submitted to the Coordinating Committee. Regions with two seats are encouraged [to fill at least one seat with a woman] TO KEEP GENDER BALANCE AND DIVERSITY IN MIND WHEN SELECTING REPRESENTATIVES [to represent the region]. 7-1.5 Alternate members a) Alternate members may be elected for regional members. Alternates will be designated for specific members and will serve for terms concurrent with the members for whom they are serving. b) An alternate may participate in CC meetings, but may only vote when the regular member he/she is an alternate for is not present. c) If the regular member vacates his/her Coordinating Committee seat before the completion of his/her term, the alternate shall fill the vacated position for the remainder of the term for which they were elected. 7-1.6 Selection of At-large Members After the Regional CC member have been chosen and announced to the General Assembly, whenever any of the At-large seats are vacant, the Coordinating Committee shall call for nominations and place the election of At-large members on the agenda of the General Assembly. GREEN PARTY MEMBERS WHO WISH TO SERVE AS AT-LARGE MEMBERS OF THE COORDINATING COMMITTEE MUST SUBMIT AN APPLICATION TO SERVE PRIOR TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING AT WHICH THE ELECTION WOULD BE HELD. THE APPLICATION SHALL CONSIST OF A DETAILED BIOGRAPHY OF THE PERSON SEEKING ELECTION AND WHAT THEY WISH TO ACCOMPLISH AS AN AT-LARGE COORDINATING COMMITTEE MEMBER. APPLICATIONS SHALL BE SENT TO THE COORDINATING COMMITTEE TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTION IS HELD. THE COORDINATING COMMITTEE SHALL FORWARD, WITHOUT PREJUDICE, THE APPLICATIONS TO THE LOCALS FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION. PROVIDED HOWEVER, THAT THIS SECTION SHALL NOT APPLY TO THE ELECTION HELD AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AT WHICH THIS LANGUAGE IS ADOPTED. The Coordinating Committee shall appoint three election officials to conduct the election in a manner consistent with the following specifications. a) Approval Voting When Only One Nominee Seeks Office. When one nominee seeks office, each delegate will be provided a written secret ballot containing the name of the nominee seeking office. The ballot will allow the opportunity to indicate a "yes" or "no" preference on the seating of the nominee. The nominee must receive "yes" votes on at least two-thirds (2/3) of ballots cast to be seated. b) Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) When Only One Seat is Vacant and Two or More Nominees Seek Office. When only one seat is vacant and two or more nominees seek office each delegate will be provided a written secret ballot containing the names of the nominees seeking office. The names will appear in random order. The ballot shall also include a "No other candidate" (NOC) option. The delegates will rank the nominees along with the NOC options in order of preference. The ballots will be tabulated utilizing instant runoff voting. No nominee will be seated who does not cross the threshold before NOC. c) Choice Voting When Two or more At-large seats are Vacant and Two or More Nominees Seek Office. When two or more at-large seats are vacant and two or more nominees seek office, each delegate will be provided a written secret ballot containing the names of the nominees seeking office. The names will appear in random order. The ballot shall also include a "No other candidate" (NOC) option. The delegates will rank the nominees along with the NOC option in order of preference. The ballots will be tabulated utilizing a "choice" voting system with fractional transfers and the use of a Droop threshold based on the number of vacant at-large seats. Choice Voting is the Single Transferable Vote (STV) form of proportional representation described in the International IDEA Handbook of Electoral System Design. (Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA). First published 1997. Second edition. Stockholm, Sweden). The Droop threshold is the percentage of votes equal to [1] ONE divided by the number of vacant at-large seats plus one seat {1/(n+1)}. No nominee will be seated who does not cross the threshold before NOC. THERE MUST BE INCLUDED WITH THE DELEGATE PACKET DISTRIBUTED TO ALL COUNTY PARTIES, AND THERE MUST BE PRESENTED TO ALL DELEGATES PRESENT AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WHERE AN ELECTION IS TO BE HELD, A FULL AND DETAILED EXPLAINATION OF THE VOTING PROCEDURE AS IS LISTED ABOVE. SPECIFICALLY, THE NO OTHER CHOICE OPTION, THE FACT THAT DELEGATES SHOULD MAKE THEIR CHOICES SERIOUSLY, AND THE FACT THAT DELEGATES DO NOT HAVE TO FILL ALL SEATS UNLESS THEY FEEL THERE ARE ENOUGH QUALIFIED CANDIDATES TO FILL THE VACANT POSITIONS SHOULD BE EMPHASISED. SHOULD A VACANCY OCCUR FOR ANY AT-LARGE COORDINATING COMMITTEE SEAT BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO ELECT, RESIGNATION, REMOVAL, DEATH, OR ABANDONMENT OF THE POSITION, AN ELECTION TO FILL THE VACANT SEAT OR SEATS SHALL BE HELD AT THE NEXT GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING ACCORDING TO THE PROVISIONS IN 7.1.6 A-C. THIS ELECTION SHALL ONLY BE HELD IF ALL PREVIOUS NOTICE AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES AS LISTED IN SECTION 7-1.6 TAKE PLACE . HOWEVER, ANY AT-LARGE COORDINATING COMMITTEE MEMBER ELECTED AT A GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING OTHER THAN THOSE SPECIFIED IN SECTION 7-1.6 SHALL HAVE THEIR TERM EXPIRE AS IF THEY WERE ELECTED AS SPECIFIED IN SECTION 7-1.6.