Bylaws
1. Purpose
The purpose of the Constitutional Republic Party shall be to function as a political party to elect people to political office in order to achieve the values in the Statement of Principles.
2. Statement of Principles
We, the members of the Constitutional Republic Party, hold that the Federal Government should be restricted in size and scope to the minimum required to perform the duties assigned by the United States Constitution; and the protection of the rights included therein.
We further hold that the Government shall not interfere with the private lives of the citizens of the United States, providing that the citizens are not harming or interfering with the rights of others and that the people are personally responsible for their actions.
We hold that the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are the source documents of our principles as they are written and what was excluded from these documents was intentional.
2.1 Conditional Existence: In recognition of the importance of the foregoing Statement of Principles the duration of the Constitutional Republic Party shall be conditional upon its adherence to the Statement of Principles.
2.2 Change Approval: The Statement of Principles shall not be changed without the approval of more than 80% of the members and 80% of the surviving Founding/plank /lifetime members
2.3 Platform: The Statement of Principles shall be the foundation of the Constitutional Republic Platform and all planks in the Platform must be consistent with it. Any member may challenge a bylaw or Platform position that they perceive to be a violation of, or inconsistent with, the Principles to the Judiciary Committee. The Judiciary Committee may overrule any Platform or bylaw change with a 60% vote.
2.4 In order to change Bylaws 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 and 3.1 or the Principles, requirements of 2.2 be met. Changes to all other Bylaws or Platform planks require two-thirds of the vote of the registered delegates present and voting at the convention.
3. Membership
Membership in the Constitutional party shall be open to all who subscribe to and sign a membership application pledging to uphold the principles of the party and pay such dues as approved by the Executive Committee. Members will be divided into three categories: Founding members, Regular members and Lifetime members.
3.1 Founding/Plank Members: Founding members will be the first 100 people to join the party for the membership fee of $100. The fee may be substituted by a commitment of 1 volunteer hour per $10
3.2 Regular Members: pay annual dues or monthly dues totaling the annual amount set by the Executive Committee at the 1st meeting after 1 December of the year prior.
3.3 Lifetime members: are members who have been with the Constitutional Republic Party for over 10 consecutive years.
3.4 Suspension or Termination of Membership: The Executive Committee may suspend or terminate the membership of any member who, by action or advocacy, contradicts the Statement of Principles. The member may appeal their termination or suspension to the Judicial Committee within 45 days. The Executive Committee should offer a hearing before suspension or termination.
3.5 A member holding leadership position(s) whose membership has expired shall automatically lapse from those position(s), provided that reasonable notice is given, and whereupon after prompt renewal, their position(s) shall be retained as if no lapse had occurred.
3.6 Memberships will expire on December 31st. Any memberships purchased between October and December will be valid for the following year.
4. Election Methods
Acclamation — If there are the same number or fewer candidates in an election than there are open positions, the body may choose to dispense with the prescribed balloting process and elect said candidate(s) by acclamation. A motion to elect by acclamation requires either unanimous consent or majority vote to pass.
Rank Choice Voting (RCV)
In an RCV election, voters will indicate a rank-order of their preferences.
Threshold for election.
Majority – 50% of valid ballots rounding down any fraction and adding 1. (Examples: 100 Ballots, threshold is 51. 105 ballots, threshold is 53.)
Two-Thirds – 2/3 of valid ballots with fractions rounded up to the next whole number. (Examples: 120 Ballots, threshold is 80. 125 ballots, threshold is 82.)
In the first round of tabulation, ballots are allocated to the candidate marked as the first choice. If no candidate has enough ballots to reach the required threshold for victory, the candidate with the fewest votes, aside from None of the Above (NOTA), is eliminated and ballots previously allocated to the eliminated candidate are now allocated to the next choice selected on each respective ballot. This process repeats until one candidate has enough ballots allocated to meet or exceed the threshold for victory, or all ballots are exhausted. Ballots are exhausted if they are to be reallocated without a next choice indicated.
If NOTA should win the election, the body has the discretion to either leave the position vacant, or by majority vote, open nominations for a new election. Candidates defeated by NOTA in any previous round are not eligible for nomination in the new election.
If the ballots are exhausted without a winner, the body has the discretion to either leave the position vacant, or by majority vote or cast another round of RCV ballots among the remaining candidates.
If the threshold for victory is two-thirds, tabulation will stop if two candidates have at least one-third of the ballots allocated, making it impossible for any candidate to reach the threshold for victory.
Approval Voting (AV)
On the ballot for an AV election, voters will either indicate an “approval vote” for as many candidates as said voter would choose, or the voter may mark NOTA if they do not approve of any candidates in the election. (NOTE: A ballot with a mark for NOTA and any candidates is discarded.)
Candidates are elected if they meet the following three criteria:
Rank in the top number of candidates for the number of open seats in terms of most approval votes received.
Receive more approval votes than ballots cast for NOTA
Receive an approval vote on the majority of valid ballots cast. (Majority is calculated as 50% of valid ballots rounding down any fraction and adding 1.)
In the event of a tie where there are fewer remaining seats than tied candidates, the body shall add one additional round of voting for the remaining candidates where voters may vote for as many candidates as there are remaining seats.
In the event seats remain open after a ballot, the body may open a process for new nominees, and hold another approval voting election to fill the number of remaining seats. Nominated candidates are not eligible for subsequent AV elections if they received fewer approval votes than cast for NOTA on any previous AV ballot for the office. If no further election rounds are held, these positions are deemed vacant. The committee may hold a special meeting to fill these positions.
5. Officers and Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall be comprised of the following executives who shall be members of the Constitutional Republic Party.
5.1 Officers:
The Chair, who shall preside over the meetings.
The Vice Chair, who shall preside in the absence of the Chair.
The Secretary, who shall keep a record of the proceedings of the meetings. At each meeting the Secretary shall present the minutes of the previous meeting for approval.
The Treasurer; who shall receive all monies paid to the Constitutional Republic Party and shall deposit same in such bank as shall have been designated by the Executive Director and approved by the Executive Committee, and who may appoint a designee(s) to perform these functions with the approval of the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall present a written report whenever at least two executives so request; in addition, the Treasurer shall present a written report to the Executive Committee on at least a quarterly basis. Expenditure of funds shall be made only in accordance with the decisions of the Executive Director, within the limits and allocations set forth by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer is also responsible for meeting all reporting requirements mandated by law.
5.1.1 Directors:
The Executive Director, who shall will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of Party and will provide direction and supervision to the Party directorates.
The Political Director, who shall be responsible for all party activities related to recruiting and fielding candidates and getting them on the ballot.
Communications Director, who shall develop and implement the communications strategy and oversee all communication channels for the Party; and is also responsible for recruiting and managing communications volunteers.
Training Director, who shall be responsible for overseeing and implementing candidate and campaign training on an as-needed basis.
The Executive Committee, who has the option of making any director position a contract-paid position.
Outreach Director, who is responsible to grow party
Fundraising/ Marketing Director, who is responsible for raising funds.
5.2 At-Large Executives: Up to seven voting Members At Large are authorized to be elected, at convention, to the Executive Committee.
5.3 Acting Executives: Each regional district, as defined elsewhere in these bylaws, shall be eligible to represent their region on the Executive Committee in a manner chosen by the regional committee. The regional committee’s acting executive may participate in Executive Committee votes if they are present in person, or through remote interactive teleconferencing in a manner approved by the Executive Committee.
5.4 Term of Office:
5.4.1 The Chair, and Secretary will be elected in even number years
5.4.2 Vice-chair and Treasurer shall be elected on odd number years for a term of two years.
5.4.3 Remaining officers, and executives shall be elected for a term of 1 year.
5.5 The Executive Director will be appointed by the Executive Committee and officers and approved by the membership with a majority vote. The other directors will be appointed by the Executive Director and approved by the Executive Committee. The Executive Director serves at the pleasure of the Executive Committee. In the event that the Executive Committee votes to dismiss the Executive Director, the Executive Director may challenge said dismissal via the Judicial Committee within 10 days.
5.6 Nomination and Election: Executives shall be nominated from the floor at the convention and shall be elected by majority vote of the delegates. Voting shall be by secret ballot and shall utilize the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) Process. All candidates wishing to have their name placed in nomination, shall file notice of their intent by the time established by the Convention Committee. Candidates for Executive Committee shall be current members of the Constitutional Republic Party and shall not have a registered membership in another party’s name. All candidates for Executive Committee shall be required to have been a member of the Constitutional Republic Party at least 90 days prior to the convention. None of the above (NOTA) shall automatically be an option on all ballots. Voting will be done by secret ballot unless otherwise stipulated in this document.
5.7 The Approval Voting (AV) process will be used for electing up to 6 At-large Executives. Convention Delegates will vote by secret ballot.
In the event seats remain open after a ballot, the convention may open the floor to new nominees, and another approval voting election will be held to fill the number of remaining seats. Nominated candidates are not eligible for subsequent AV ballots if they received fewer approval votes than cast for NOTA on any previous AV ballot. If there are a number of candidates receiving equal votes but ranked where there are no open seats for all such candidates, there shall be one additional ballot listing all tied candidates and voters may vote for as many candidates as there are remaining open seats.
5.8 After balloting has ended, if the offices of the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and/or Treasurer are unfilled, the outgoing Executive Committee shall meet within ten days following the end of the convention to fill those offices that are vacant. If after balloting has ended, there are fewer than four At-Large Executives, the outgoing Executive Committee shall meet within ten days following the end of the convention and fill the number of offices required to bring the number of At-Large Executives to six.
The rules of the Executive Committee are:
5.9 A minimum of six executives are required for a quorum. A quorum must require either the Chair or Vice Chair to be present. Motions within the Executive Committee shall default to pass by majority vote unless noted otherwise within these bylaws or unless the Executive Committee sets different policy upon majority vote.
5.10 The Meeting Dates and Agenda shall be decided by the Executive Committee. Executive Committee meetings shall be run according to Robert’s Rules of Order. Meetings shall be open to Party members.
Regular meetings shall be decided at the previous meeting or occur on a regular periodic basis.
Special meetings may be needed from time to time to handle urgent matters. Special meetings may be called by the Chair or Vice Chair and shall be announced, and matters acted upon shall be limited to those announced at least four days in advance of the meeting by the secretary. If two or more executives object to the holding of a special meeting, the meeting shall not be held, and matters shall be deferred to the next regular meeting.
5.11 Vacancy and Succession on the Executive Committee shall be decided by the Executive Committee.
5.12 Offices and functions may be combined.
5.13 The Executive Committee shall not go into debt in the name of the Constitutional Republic Party.
5.14 The Executive Committee may, without notice, remove any of its executives who miss two consecutive, regularly scheduled meetings without notifying the Chair, Vice Chair, or Secretary. Failure to exercise this provision shall not limit the right of the Committee to exercise it in the future.
6. Platform and Bylaws Committee
6.1 The Platform and Bylaws Committee members shall be elected for a term of one year.
6.2 Candidates for the committee shall be nominated from the floor at convention and elected using the Approval Voting method. The convention will elect up to five candidates for this committee. Delegates will vote by secret ballot.
6.3 In addition to the committee members elected at convention, the Party Chair and Vice-Chair are also full members of this committee.
6.4 The committee shall select its Chair among the members elected at convention.
6.5 The Platform and Bylaws committee will work with the Convention Committee to ensure advance publication of all change proposals prior to party conventions.
6.6 All additions, modifications, and deletions to the Platform presented by the Platform and Bylaws Committee are still subject to approval by convention delegates with thresholds for adoption at 2/3 (per Section 9.4 and Robert’s Rules of Order) or 80% in the case of proposals involving the Statement of Principles. (Per Section 2.4.)
6.7 The Executive Committee may fill vacancies in the Platform and Bylaws Committee with a majority vote.
7. Judicial Committee
The Judicial Committee shall be comprised of up to five members, as follows:
7.1 Term of Office: Judicial Committee members shall be elected for a term of 5 years with one position expiring after each year.
7.2 Nomination and Election: Judicial Committee members shall be nominated from the floor at convention and shall be elected using the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) method. The members of the Judicial Committee shall select the Chair of the Judicial Committee. The newly elected members shall take office immediately upon the close of the convention. A member may serve successive terms. Judicial Committee members must be Party members for at least one year preceding their election with the exception of the first appointment of the committee.
In the event seats remain open after a ballot, the convention may open the floor to new nominees, and another approval voting election be held to fill the number of remaining seats. If the convention declines to reopen the floor to further nominations, rule 7.3 will apply.
7.3 In the event of a vacancy, the Judicial Committee shall appoint a new member to serve.
7.4 The jurisdiction of the Judicial Committee is limited to the following matters:
Any challenge brought by a Party member to an Executive Committee decision alleged to be inconsistent with the Statement of Principles or the Bylaws.
Any challenge brought by a Party member to the validity of an Executive Committee resolution.
Any challenge brought by an Officer or Executive or Director to their removal from their position.
Any challenge brought by a Party member to a decision not to seat them as a delegate at a state convention.
Any challenge brought by a Party member to the removal of an affiliate.
Any challenge brought by a Party member to the Executive Committee’s withdrawal of a candidate’s nomination.
Any challenge brought by a Party member to an Executive Committee’s decision to suspend or terminate their membership.
Any challenge brought by a Party member for inconsistencies of the bylaws or Platform with the Statement of Principles.
Any challenge brought by a Party member due to the removal of a nomination or endorsement.
Challenges brought within an affiliate on matters equivalent to the above.
The rules of the Judicial Committee are:
7.5 The Judicial Committee shall act on a challenge submitted in writing to any member of the Judicial Committee within 30 days of submission. The Judicial Committee may decline to hear a challenge by a three-fourths (3/4) vote at which a quorum is present. A minimum of three Judicial Committee members are required for a quorum.
7.6 The Judicial Committee may establish written Rules to govern its consideration of matters within the scope of its jurisdiction. The Rules, and any proposed changes to the Rules (including complete revocation), shall be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval, which shall be deemed given unless denied by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Committee. A copy of the current Rules shall be maintained by the Secretary in the Party’s files and shall be available to any Party member. For actions which may not be governed by the Rules, Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern.
7.7 If the person submitting a challenge, or the person being challenged, is a member of the Judicial Committee, that person’s voting privileges on the Judicial Committee shall be suspended until said challenge is settled.
7.8 Party members shall adhere to decisions rendered by the Judicial Committee.
7.9 Judicial Committee meetings must give members 96 hours notice of a called meeting unless unanimous consent is made otherwise. If two members object to the date and time of a meeting, the meeting shall be rescheduled
8. Convention Rules
The Party shall hold an annual convention each year between February 1 and May 1st performing such business as required herein.
8.1 The specific date, location and agenda of the Constitutional Republic Party convention shall be set by the Executive Committee, or a convention committee designated by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may designate Platform, bylaws, and issues committees to prepare and prioritize items for convention consideration.
8.2 All members of the Constitutional Republic Party shall be eligible to register to be delegates to the state convention as availability allows. Unless they renew their membership, no one joining the party less than 90 days before the convention may be a delegate until the next convention. This requirement is reduced to 45 days for the 2023 convention. This exception will be deleted after the 2023 convention. Delegates must reside within the represented state if the convention is a state convention.
8.3 The convention shall be run by Robert’s Rules of Order. The officers of the Party shall be the officers of each convention.
8.4 Additions, modifications, and deletions to the Platform shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of all registered delegates present and voting at the convention.
8.5 Changes to the Bylaws take effect at the close of convention business unless moved and passed with a ¾ vote.
8.6 Bylaws will take precedence over Roberts Rules of Order
8.7 Calls for a manual vote count on a motion that is seconded from the floor must be recognized by the Chair. Failure to do so results in an automatic suspension of the Chair at which the Vice Chair will assume duty and call for the manual vote count.
9. Nomination and Endorsement of Candidates
Candidates for federal, state, or local office may be nominated or endorsed under the methods and conditions described herein.
9.1 Nominations: A candidate nominated by the Constitutional Republic Party for public office shall be a member of the Party, shall support its Platform, shall not hold a leadership position in another party’s name, and shall be its official candidate for that office in that election. A candidate who is nominated shall have expressed a willingness to accept the nomination and shall be eligible to serve in that office. Nominated candidates may also use the term “endorsed”. Candidates may only be nominated the year of the election for that office.
9.2 Endorsements: Any candidate for elected office may be endorsed by the Constitutional Republic Party if the Party has not nominated a candidate for that office in that election. A candidate who is endorsed shall be eligible to serve in that office and must meet the following conditions for endorsement. A Constitutional Republic Candidate may be endorsed at the convention the year prior to the election but the endorsement is contingent on gaining the nomination the year of the election.
Candidate must ask for the endorsement
Candidate must publicly acknowledge the endorsement.
Candidate must not have politics or positions contrary to the Principles of the Party.
Candidates must behave in a manner that does not bring discredit to the Party.
Endorsements may be withdrawn by the Judicial committee for failure to meet any of these criteria.
9.3 Candidates seeking endorsement or nomination at the annual convention under the following conditions:
All candidates seeking nomination or endorsement, shall file notice of their intent by the time established by the Convention Committee.
Candidates shall provide a notice of intent and written information on their qualifications, background, campaign positions, and any other information they deem relevant. The candidate shall provide a minimum of 25 copies of this information to be made available to the convention delegates. Candidates seeking nomination may be required to provide proof that they are members and a signed and dated written statement that they will support the Platform.
Candidates or their designee shall have five minutes to address the convention before balloting takes place. No vote to nominate or endorse shall be binding unless all members of the Executive Committee have been provided with basic information on the candidate, which may include campaign literature, a campaign website, or a summary of their positions and principles, at least seven days prior to the convention.
Delegates shall have five minutes, or such longer time as the Chair determines, to ask questions of the candidates prior to the first ballot.
A paper ballot shall be prepared for the offices for which candidates have provided a notice of intent and voting shall utilize the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) process.
The convention may decline to nominate or endorse any candidate for public office, even if there are persons seeking nomination or endorsement for that office. Any candidate who sought endorsement at the convention and failed to achieve it, is ineligible to be nominated or endorsed by the Executive Committee, for that office in the current election cycle.
All nomination or endorsement votes shall be by secret ballot. To secure nomination or endorsement, a candidate must reach a threshold of two-thirds (2/3) of the ballots cast in the RCV process.
When two or more candidates are on the ballot for an office, during each round of the RCV process the candidate with the fewest votes shall be removed from the ballot and any ballots cast for that candidate shall then be allocated to the next choice selected on each respective ballot, if applicable. In case of a tie for last place in any round, all candidates who are tied with the fewest votes shall be eliminated. Tabulation may stop if at the end of any round 1/3 of the votes have been tabulated for two or more candidates as it will be impossible for either candidate to reach the 2/3 threshold with any reallocation of remaining ballots.
If no candidate (or NOTA) has achieved the required votes for nomination or endorsement after the RCV process has been completed, no candidate shall be deemed to be nominated or endorsed for that office.
9.4 The Executive Committee may nominate or endorse candidates under the following conditions:
For any office having its general election in the current year, if the annual convention did not nominate or endorse a candidate for that office.
For any special election.
When the Party’s nominated or endorsed candidate dies or withdraws from the race.
When a candidate’s nomination or endorsement is removed by the Judicial Committee as provided elsewhere in these bylaws.
When all members of the Executive Committee have been provided with basic information on the candidate, which may include campaign literature, a campaign website, or a summary of their positions and principles, at least seven days prior to any vote.
Executive Committee nomination or endorsement requires a two-thirds (2/3) majority of those present and voting.
9.5 Candidates may be nominated by a subordinate political unit under the following conditions:
For any office having its general election in the current year, if the annual convention or Executive Committee did not nominate a candidate for that office.
For any special election.
When the affiliate holds registered status as provided elsewhere in these Bylaws.
A nomination shall require at least four members present and a two-thirds (2/3) majority of those present and voting. Upon nomination by the affiliate and minutes describing the circumstances of such nomination being presented to the Party, the candidate shall automatically be considered as nominated by the Constitutional Republic Party.
A candidate whose district transcends a subordinate political unit’s geographic region shall not be considered nominated until all subordinate political units within that district concur with the nomination.
The Judicial Committee shall retain the power to withdraw an affiliate nomination, as provided elsewhere in these Bylaws.
9.6 Candidates nominated for partisan office shall pledge that, if elected, they shall not caucus with either the Democratic Party or Republican Party or otherwise align with these parties on a permanent basis. Candidates may caucus with representatives of other parties, if they choose, on a temporary basis that allows them to best represent their constituents.
9.7 A candidate’s nomination or endorsement may be withdrawn by the Executive Committee. Withdrawal of nomination or endorsement requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting at a meeting. That candidate’s nomination or endorsement shall then be declared null and void unless the candidate appeals the withdrawal to the Judicial Committee within seven days of receipt of notification of withdrawal. The resolution of withdrawal must state the specific reasons for withdrawal and must be signed by each member of the Executive Committee agreeing thereto.
11. Additional Meeting Rules
All meetings may be conducted electronically, via video and/or telephone conferencing, with a 2/3rd majority vote of those involved. If meetings are held electronically the requirement for RCV voting is suspended due to technological limitations.
Proxy voting is forbidden.
10. Affiliates
Regional parties consistent with the Statement of Principles and goals of the Constitutional Republic Party may be affiliated with the Constitutional Republic Party at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
10.1 Affiliates may obtain and maintain registered status under the following conditions:
To become registered, the affiliate shall represent a regional area or state and shall enact their own bylaws consistent with the Statement of Principles and shall express their intent to be affiliated with the Constitutional Republic Party. The Executive Committee shall agree to accept the affiliate by a majority vote.
To remain registered, the affiliate shall consist of at least four active members, shall hold at least four meetings or events per year, and shall send a representative to the annual convention or participate in at least four Executive Committee meetings per year. Affiliate meetings quorum shall not be less than three residing members with Chair or Vice Chair presence required.
Those holding leadership positions must reside within an affiliate’s district and shall also be members of their regional affiliate and thus be eligible to seek that affiliate’s leadership positions and vote at its conventions.
Registered affiliates shall hold an annual convention each calendar year for the purpose of electing such leadership and conducting affiliate business. An affiliate convention shall not coincide with the state convention.
10.2 Affiliates may be of the following types:
Subsidiary: The affiliate may obtain its funding from the state party.
Independent: The affiliate shall obtain its own funding and maintain a Treasurer position.
11. Contact Data Usage Guidelines
“Contact data” is defined to be personal information of state Party members, persons contacted via public outreach activities, and persons inquiring with the Constitutional Republic Party.
Contact data shall not be sold or shared with any person or organization, except as follows:
11.1 Contact data may be shared with the Executive Committee.
11.2 Relevant contact data may be shared with the leadership of registered Party affiliate organizations.
11.3 Relevant contact data may be shared with nominated candidates after separate approval by the Executive Committee.
11.4 Contact data shall not be shared with non-Constitutional Republic candidates, even if they are endorsed.
12. Organizing/ Steering Committee
The Organization/Steering Committee will serve as the Executive Committee and have all of the same responsibilities and authorities assigned to the Executive Committee in the bylaws. The Steering Committee will be appointed by the Founder/Director of the Constitutional Republic Party and will elect their Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary.
12.1 Selection of committee positions will be done by voice vote if there are multiple candidates and by AV if there is only one candidate.
12.2 The Organization/Steering committee will have the following additional duties:
Recruit, Select and appoint the 5 members of the Judicial committee. The judicial committee appointed must gain 80% approval of the committee.
Form and prepare a draft Party Platform to be voted on during the Annual State Convention, tentatively scheduled for April of 2023.
Select and Appoint a Convention Committee
Establish SOP with the responsibilities of each officer
Attempt to grow the party
This section will expire upon completion of the 2023 state convention.
12.3 Upon Affiliation of multiple state Constitutional Republic Parties this organization will become the National party and a Constitutional Republic Party of Minnesota shall be formed in accordance with section 12.