Charter of the Monroe County Green Party

Monroe County, Indiana, USA

Article 1: Purpose, Values, and Methods

Section 1: The Monroe County Green Party shall strive to work toward a society in which the following Ten Key Values are respected and upheld:

Ecological Wisdom

Social Justice

Grassroots Democracy

Nonviolence

Decentralization

Community-based Economics

Postpatriarchal Values (Feminism)

Respect for Diversity

Personal and Global Responsibility

Future Focus

Section 2: The organization may use any and all methods of nonviolent social change (e.g. issue campaigns, ballot initiatives, or electoral campaigns) and their related strategies and tactics to honestly and openly pursue the realization of the key values.

Section 3: The organization shall work together with the state green party of Indiana, the Association of State Green Parties, and The Greens/Green Party USA to work toward common goals.

Article 2: Membership

Section 1: There are two types of membership in the Monroe County Green Party, and each is open to anyone, regardless of age, race, color, national origin, spiritual belief, gender, sexual orientation, or physical challenge.

A. Members pay annual dues and are residents of Monroe County, Indiana. In cases in which a Member cannot pay the dues due to financial circumstances, a waiver may be given by the Coordinating Council (Article 3, Section 2). Each new Member shall sign an application form which shall state that he or she is in general agreement with the Ten Key Values and the charter of the organization.

B. Supporters do not pay annual dues and need not be residents of Monroe County. Supporters are individuals who are interested in working toward the goals of the Party without becoming Members.

Section 2: Both Members and Supporters may participate in the General Membership (Article 3, Section 1) meetings. Members may vote at these meetings, whereas Supporters may not. Both Members and Supporters may participate in Working Groups (Article 3, Section 3), but only Members may serve on the Coordinating Council.

Article 3: Structure

Section 1: General Membership

A. The General Membership shall meet at least once a month to discuss the activity and plans of the Monroe County Green Party, mainly focusing on local activity but with one meeting per year devoted to the consideration of national business, especially electing delegates to the National Green Congress. At the end of each meeting, a Facilitator is chosen for the next meeting.

B. Members of the Monroe County Green Party shall have voting rights at the General Membership meetings.

C. The General Membership shall have final approval over all local policies and finances. It may elect and recall the members of the Coordinating Council or other Working Groups as necessary. It may amend this charter as necessary (Article 6).

Section 2: Coordinating Council

A. The Coordinating Council is part of the General Membership and serves as coordinator of Monroe County Green Party activity and organization. It shall meet at least once a month, either as part of the General Membership meeting or in addition to the General Membership meeting, depending on the coordination needs of the Monroe County Green Party at any given time.

B. The Coordinating Council consists of:

1. The Secretary, who will take and publish minutes of all General Membership and Coordinating Council meetings, and keep accurate records including the membership list.

2. The Treasurer, who will be responsible for all financial aspects of the organization, including bank accounts, financial record-keeping, and dues collection.

3. The Green Party Liaison, who will foster communication with other Green organizations at the local, state, and national levels.

4. The Technology Coordinator, who will maintain the Monroe County Green Party web site and e-mail lists.

5. The Media Liaison, who will organize efforts to publicize Green Party events and to recruit new members to the Party.

6. The Canvassing Coordinator, who will be responsible for efforts to increase the membership fo the organization, especially through canvassing.

7. The Campus Liaison, who will foster communication and coordination between the organization and IUB Greens.

C. Terms of Service:

1. The members of the Coordinating Council shall be elected by the General Membership for a term of one year. They shall be limited to two consecutive terms, after which they shall rotate off for one year before being eligible to run again.

2. Any member of the Coordinating Council may be removed for just cause by a 3/4 vote at a General Membership meeting. A statement summarizing the reasons for which the Coordinator should be removed must be presented at the previous General Meeting. The coordinator must be given an opportunity for a rebuttal statement before the vote.

D. Responsibilities:

1. The Coordinating Council shall be available as a resource for each meeting's Facilitator to plan and set the agenda for the next General Membership meeting.

2. The Coordinating Council shall be available as a resource to Working Groups between General Membership meetings.

3. The Coordinating Council shall call for special meetings or votes when necessary for settling urgent business.

4. The Coordinating Council shall make endorsements and statements only in keeping with decisions made by the General Membership.

Section 3: Working Groups

The General Membership may establish Working Groups as necessary to focus on specific projects. Proposals for new Working Groups shall be supported by at least three Members, and shall clearly define the goals of the proposed new body. Both Members and Supporters may participate in Working Groups, but each group shall have at least one Member. Working Groups may be temporary, as for planning a specific event, or permanent, as for fulfilling an ongoing need of the organization.

Article 4: Decision-Making

A voting quorum will consist of 25% of the Full Members including a majority of the Coordinating Council. The Monroe County Green Party shall seek a consensus on all decisions, hearing all views and concerns in full. Where consensus cannot be reached, decisions by all bodies of the Monroe County Green Party shall be approved on a 2/3 vote, except for meeting process motions which shall be approved on a simple majority (50% + 1). Abstentions will not be counted in the number of votes cast to determine the 2/3 or simple majorities.

Article 5: Electoral Candidates

The Monroe County Green Party will nominate candidates to run for public political office by a majority vote of the General Membership. Candidates for political office must be Members of the Monroe County Green Party and must present their personal election platform/goals to the General Membership prior to a vote on the candidacy. Once the Monroe County Green Party General Membership has approved a candidate, that candidate is responsible for establishing his/her own election committee and running his/her own campaign. The candidate should keep the General Membership informed of significant campaign decisions by regularly attending General Membership meetings and presenting campaign updates. The General Membership may take away their endorsement of the candidate should the candidate's campaign violate the Ten Key Values and/or diverge significantly from the platform which the candidate initially presented when seeking Monroe County Green Party endorsement.

Article 6: Amendments

Amendments to this charter may be adopted on a 3/4 vote of all Members. Notification of proposed changes to the charter must be fully detailed and sent to all Members at least 10 days before the vote.