Bylaws

This is the current edition of the LPO Constitution and Bylaws, as amended by registered Libertarians in 2022 by mail ballot. Download here.

Article 1 – Name

The name of this organization shall be the Libertarian Party of Oregon (LPO).

Article 2 – Purpose

The purpose of the LPO is to perform the activities necessary to place as many partisan Libertarian candidates on the ballot for elections in the State of Oregon as possible and to promote the system of governance espoused by the Libertarian Party Statement of Principles.

Article 3 – Members

All registered Libertarian voters in the state of Oregon are voting members of the LPO. No dues are required to be a voting member of the LPO. Only voting members have the right to participate in LPO conventions and vote in LPO mail ballots. Only voting members are eligible to hold office in the LPO, except for offices that explicitly permit non-voting members to hold that office.

The LPO will have no authority to restrict or limit its members in any way not expressly allowed in this document.

Article 4 – Officers

Sec 1: Defined

The officers of the LPO shall be the Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer. No officer is entitled to vote at board meetings unless he or she is also an elected or appointed director. The board of directors may appoint, remove, or replace an officer by majority vote. Removal from a position as an officer does not affect a person's status as a director.

Sec 2: Chairperson

The board of directors must elect a chairperson from amongst themselves. The chairperson shall preside at all board meetings and conventions. The chairperson will be the Chief Executive Officer of the LPO. If the chairperson office becomes vacant, the vice chairperson becomes the chairperson, vacating the vice chairperson office.

Sec 3: Vice Chairperson

The board of directors must elect a vice chairperson from amongst themselves. The vice chairperson shall act as assistant to the chairperson, and shall perform the duties of the chairperson in the chairperson's absence. If the vice chairperson office becomes vacant, the board of directors must elect a new vice chairperson from amongst themselves.

Sec 4: Secretary

The board of directors must appoint or hire a secretary. The secretary need not be a voting member of the LPO. The secretary is the recording and corresponding officer of the LPO.

Sec 5: Treasurer

The board of directors must appoint or hire a treasurer. The treasurer need not be a voting member of the LPO. The treasurer is the individual who is listed as the treasurer for the LPO with the Oregon Secretary of State, and has all of the responsibilities required of a party treasurer by Oregon law in addition to those prescribed by LPO governing documents and policies.

Article 5 – Board of Directors

Sec 1: Composition

The Board of Directors, otherwise known by Oregon State Law as the State Central Committee, shall have nine directors. The term of office for directors begins (for the incoming directors) and ends (for the outgoing directors) during the transitional board meeting, a special board meeting called for the purpose of transitioning from one set of directors to another.

Sec 2: Eligibility

All members of the board of directors must continuously maintain membership in the LPO, or they automatically forfeit their seat.

To be eligible to be appointed to fill a vacancy on the board of directors, a person must be a member of the LPO.

To be eligible to stand for election to the board of directors, a person must be a member of the LPO and must submit a candidate statement of not less than 100 words.  The board of directors may adopt rules regarding the required format and length of candidate statements.

Sec 3: Authority

The board of directors has full power and authority over the affairs of the LPO between conventions with the following exceptions:

  1. Modifying actions taken in convention.
  2. Powers granted to the Public Policy Board.
  3. Modifying the constitution and bylaws of the LPO.

Sec 4: Duties

The board shall have the following duties:

  • Transact all business of the LPO between conventions.
  • Elect a chairperson and vice chairperson from among the board of directors.
  • Appoint or hire a secretary and treasurer.
  • Appoint delegates to the National Libertarian Party conventions.
  • Define policy for the operation of the LPO.
  • Perform other such duties defined in the LPO Constitution and Bylaws or as directed at convention.

Sec 5: Voting Rights

Only the 9 regular directors shall have voting rights in matters within the board's purview.

Sec 6: Vacancies

Any office or directorship left vacant for any reason may be filled by appointment of a qualified person by majority vote of the remaining directors.

Sec 7: Non-Voting Directors

The board of directors, by a two-thirds vote, may create or remove additional non-voting director positions to perform administrative duties, and by a majority vote may appoint, remove or replace the director holding such a position.

No director position thus created may possess any authority that is not already possessed by the board of directors as a whole.

Sec 8: Transitional Board Meeting

The outgoing board of directors must schedule a transitional board meeting to occur no later than the day after the regular convention. At this board meeting, the term of office for the outgoing directors ends and the term of office for the incoming directors begins. The incoming directors must elect a chairperson and vice chairperson from among the board of directors at this meeting.

Sec 9: Regular Board Meetings

The board of directors must adopt a policy establishing regular board meetings. In the absence of such a policy, the board of directors meets at the call of the chairperson.

Section 10: Attendance

Directors are expected to attend board meetings. A voting director who fails to attend two regularly scheduled consecutive board meetings may be removed from the board by a two-thirds vote of its whole membership at the next meeting.  If then present, the member facing removal may not vote on this question.  If quorum is not reached for two regularly scheduled consecutive board meetings, all voting directors absent at both meetings are automatically removed from the board.

Article 6 – Public Policy Board

Sec 1: Composition

A. Eligibility

  1. To stand for election to or remain a member of the Public Policy Board, a person must meet the same qualifications as those set for the Board of Directors, and must pledge in writing “I hereby certify that I do not believe in or advocate the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals.”
  2. No person may simultaneously be a voting member of the Board of Directors and a voting member of the Public Policy Board.  One position must be resigned before that person may exercise their vote in the other.  A person elected simultaneously to both boards may resign from one before the start of their term, allowing election runners-up to earn the position as if the resigning person had not been a candidate.
  3. A person who no longer meets the eligibility requirements to serve is automatically and immediately removed from the Public Policy Board.
  4. A member of the Public Policy Board who fails to attend two regularly scheduled consecutive meetings may be removed by a two-thirds vote at the next meeting.  If then present, the member facing removal may not vote on this question.

B. Maintenance

  1. The Public Policy Board shall be elected by the LPO membership at large, using the same schedule, voting method, electors, and balloting as for the election of the Board of Directors.
  2. The Public Policy Board shall have 11 members, whose terms start and end concurrently with those of the Board of Directors.
  3. Vacancies may be filled by appointment by the remainder of the Public Policy Board.
  4. Vacancies persisting for more than 90 days may be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors.

C. Non-voting Members

The Public Policy Board may appoint or remove non-voting members to serve as advisers, writers, subcommittee chairs, or any other role they deem useful to the business of the Public Policy Board.  Non-voting members enjoy every privilege of membership on the Public Policy Board except voting.

Sec 2: Authority

A. Duties

The Public Policy Board shall:

  1. in their first meeting of a new term, select from among the regular members a Chair and Secretary.
  2. submit written meeting minutes to the Board of Directors within one week of adoption.
  3. advise the Board of Directors on the exercise of its power in Article 9, Sec. 1 (A) to choose a nominee for election to public office.
  4. maintain records of public policy positions adopted in convention.
  5. maintain the public policy platform.
  6. oversee public communications related to LPO public policy positions and platform.

B. Powers

The Public Policy Board is empowered, with a two-thirds quorum requirement, to:

  1. upon a three-fourths vote, adopt positions on specific matters of public policy.
  2. upon a three-fourths vote, create and amend the public policy platform of the LPO.
  3. upon a three-fourths vote, issue candidate and ballot measure endorsements.
  4. upon a three-fourths vote, approve statements for the Voters’ Pamphlet in support of or in opposition to ballot measures.
  5. approve a political party statement for the Voters’ Pamphlet.
  6. upon a two-thirds vote, provide feedback and public testimony on legislative bills and administrative rules, or authorize LPO members to do so.
  7. recommend LPO members to serve in government organizations.
  8. recommend LPO members to fill vacancies in public office.
  9. veto the nomination of any non-member of the LPO to election for public office.
  10. veto the nomination of any LPO member to election for public office, but only with the concurrence of the Board of Directors, and requiring a two-thirds vote of each board.
  11. delegate any of these powers to subcommittees, the motion to do so being subject to the same vote margin requirement as the power(s) thus delegated, and to set the policies by which the subcommittee members and leadership are seated.

C. Exclusions

The Public Policy Board has no authority to:

  1. conflict with the Libertarian Party Statement of Principles.
  2. conflict with public policy positions adopted in convention.

D. Funding

The Public Policy Board may request funding from the Board of Directors to:

  1. pay for approved Voters’ Pamphlet statements.
  2. transfer to an LPO nominee or their candidate committee.
  3. transfer to a political action committee that is not a candidate committee.
  4. fund other political advocacy of the LPO.

Sec 3: Transition

The officers of the outgoing Public Policy Board shall convey to the incoming members pending business items, unapproved minutes, recent drafts, and any other materials they deem to be of importance or urgency. These items shall be conveyed no later than the date of the incoming Public Policy Board’s first meeting, which in turn shall be no earlier than the corresponding transitional meeting of the Board of Directors that marks the beginning and end of the term of office.

Sec 4: Meetings

The Public Policy Board must adopt a policy establishing regular meetings.  In the absence of such a policy, the Public Policy Board meets at the call of its Chair.

Article 7 – Committees

The Board of Directors may create special or standing committees by a two-thirds vote and set the policy by which the committee members and leadership are seated.

Article 8 – Conventions

Sec 1: Regular Biennial Convention

The LPO shall hold its regular biennial business convention in the state of Oregon in the spring of each odd-numbered year, at a time and place chosen by the board of directors.

Sec 2: Special Conventions

The board of directors, or a group of voting members of no less than 1% of the voting members, may call a special convention to revise the Constitution and Bylaws and perform other business as needed. The purpose for a special convention must be included in the notice for the convention and the program for the convention cannot deviate from this purpose.

Sec 3: Convention Delegates

Any voting member who registers as a delegate in accordance with convention rules may attend and participate in that convention as a voting delegate. The quorum requirement for any convention shall be the lesser of one hundred (100) or one quarter of one percent (0.25%) of the membership.

Sec 4: Convention Notice

Electronic notice of all conventions must be given to all voting members. A prominent posting on the front page of the LPO web site and posting the notice to an electronic mailing list designated for such notices is sufficient for this purpose. It is the responsibility of voting members to ensure that they receive the notice. 45 days notice must be given. The notice must include the time, place, and proposed program of the convention. If a special convention is called by the members directly, they must provide 45 days written notice by mail.

Article 9 – Elections

Sec 1: Methods of calling election

A. Regular Primary Election

An election is called automatically in conjunction with the State of Oregon Primary election season. The election process used shall be mail/electronic ballot, unless the board of directors lacks the funds to run an election by mail, and votes by a two thirds margin instead to nominate by convention.

The board of directors shall set the schedule of deadlines so that they are compatible with Oregon Law and to accommodate the schedule of the national party convention if possible.

The LPO may implement a method of electronic voting in lieu of mailed paper ballots. Members may opt instead to receive a mailed or printable paper ballot or opt out of receiving a ballot.

The board must send ballots to all voting members who have not opted out of receiving a ballot, and also either returned a ballot in the previous primary election, contacted the LPO to request a ballot, or joined the LPO since the last primary election. The board may send ballots to voting members who do not meet the above criteria, but to do so the board must send ballots to all voting members who have not opted out of receiving a ballot.

The regular primary election shall serve to ratify bylaws previously referred, and nominate candidates for partisan office, or decide any other matters referred for ratification.

If the primary election does not yield a nominee for an office, or if the primary election winner and all runners-up are ineligible, unable, or unwilling to be the nominee, or fail to submit their nomination paperwork by a deadline determined by the board, then the board may elect a voting member of the LPO to be the nominee for that office.

B. Director Elections

In odd numbered years elections for directors shall be held on a schedule that permits the results to be announced at the regular convention. Electors for the election of the board of directors shall be those LPO members who meet any of the following additional criteria relating to LPO business:

were a delegate in the previous odd-numbered-year regular convention

were a delegate in any convention since the previous odd-numbered-year regular convention

served on any board or committee since the previous transitional board meeting

returned a timely ballot in the previous primary election

made a cash or in-kind donation at or since the previous odd-numbered-year regular convention

People may be electors by virtue of their status as a convention delegate without regard to whether that convention made quorum.

C. Special Elections

The board may call special elections for the purpose of filling vacancies for partisan offices when special elections are called by the State of Oregon.

Such elections shall be run on a schedule that permits the process to be completed before the deadlines required for the special election that has been called by the State of Oregon. The board shall determine whether nominations shall be by mail ballot or by convention. In the event that it is not possible to hold an election due to the schedule provided by the Oregon Elections Division, the board may nominate registered libertarian electors as candidates for special elections.

Sec 2: Rules for Elections

A. General rules that apply to all elections

  • Ballots must be secret.
  • The rules as provided by our parliamentary authority (if any) for the handling of ballots and elections shall be observed at a minimum. Higher standards may be adopted by policy.
  • The board of directors (or appointed committee), must adopt rules governing the execution of the election, including notification procedures, registering to have a candidate's name placed on the ballot, and other special rules as necessary. These rules shall be published electronically for the public.
  • No fee may be assessed, or petitioning requirements made, for the placement of a candidate's name on the ballot if they are a member of the party.
  • Balloting may be conducted by physical mail or electronically, or by a combination of both, at the discretion of the board of directors.
  • Ballot packets shall include a section inviting members to volunteer to serve as directors, candidates, committee chairs or committee members, or in other capacities, and soliciting suggestions for party functions and activities. This section, containing the voting member's name and contact information, shall be separate from submitted ballots and archived for use by the board of directors and committees to find volunteers for particular functions and activities.
  • Elections for a single position shall be tabulated by instant runoff voting, unless the board of directors votes to instead use the score then automatic runoff method (“STAR”).
  • Elections for multiple positions shall be tabulated using the Wright system of single transferable vote as defined by the proportional representation society of Australia, unless the board of directors votes to instead use the multi-winner or proportional representation version of the score then automatic runoff method (“STAR-PR”), or the Reweighted Range Voting method (“RRV”).

B. Rules for Primary Elections

  • A space must be made available to write in any eligible candidate for every office, even offices with no candidates running.

Article 10 – Finances

Sec 1: Voting Requirements for Expenditures

All approvals of expenditures or new liabilities must be made by roll call vote of the board of directors, and their votes must be entered into the minutes.

Every expenditure in excess of $500, adjusted annually for inflation from the time of adoption, must be approved by a two-thirds vote.

Sec 2: Designated Donations

Any individual may donate funds for a specific purpose. Such donations must be used as directed, provided it is consistent with the LPO purpose and principles. All such designated donations and their dispositions must be included in the regular treasurer's report. If the board of directors decides the purpose for a donation is inappropriate, the person making the donation must be given the opportunity to re-designate the donation or have it refunded.

Article 11 – Candidates

Sec 1: Libertarian candidates

To be eligible to register as a Libertarian candidate in the primary election, the person must be a member of the LPO and meet all legal qualifications required for the office.  The LPO is under no obligation to nominate a person who ceases to be a member of the LPO before their nomination is made.

Sec 2: Other candidates

People who are not members of the LPO may request to register for the primary election, but their inclusion is at the discretion of the Board of Directors, who may either take requests on a case-by-case basis or set a uniform election rule.  Ballots must note their political party affiliation (if any).  The Board of Directors shall publish rules describing whether and how to count votes for registered and write-in candidates who are not members of the LPO.  These rules must significantly advantage candidates who are members of the LPO over candidates who are not.

Sec 3: Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates

The Board of Directors is authorized to decide whether or not to include the races for President and Vice President of the United States in the primary election, and if included, to decide which candidates to list.  Such candidates shall be treated as-if they were members of the LPO for purposes of election rules.  If the LPO is affiliated with a national Libertarian party, the results of the primary election are intended to inform but shall not bind LPO delegates to the national Libertarian convention, and the LPO shall nominate the candidates chosen by that convention.  The Board of Directors shall also make appointments of LPO members to the Electoral College.

Article 12 – Affiliate Parties and Organizations

The board of directors may grant charters to groups of LPO voting members wishing to establish an affiliate party or organization. The board of directors must establish a policy for how such charters are granted and maintained. Affiliate organizations do not have any authority to nominate candidates or indenture the LPO in any manner.

Article 13 – Parliamentary Authority

Sec 1: Choice of Authority

Each body of the LPO may adopt or change the parliamentary authority they use to operate by two-thirds vote.

Sec 2: Remote Meetings

Remote attendance at meetings of any body of the LPO is permitted, provided that continuous audio is available.  Business may be conducted by written electronic communication according to a policy adopted by the board of directors.

Article 14 – Amendment

Sec 1: Referrals

Amendments to this constitution and bylaws must always be referred to a vote of the membership.

Conventions may refer amendments, or withdraw any pending referrals, by a two-thirds vote.  The Board of Directors may refer amendments, or withdraw its own pending referrals, by a unanimous vote.

Sec 2: Ratification

Referred amendments are subject to ratification by a two-thirds vote in a mail or electronic ballot.  The board of directors must decide whether to combine a ratification ballot with the next regular primary election ballot or to send an earlier special ballot.  For special ballots, the list of electors must be created in the same manner as for regular primary election ballots.

If a primary election season nominates by convention rather than by ballot, amendments that would have been ratified at that ballot shall remain pending.

Sec 3: Effective Date

Amendments adopted solely to comply with legal requirements take effect immediately upon referral.  All other amendments take effect upon ratification.

Article 15 – Other Authority

These bylaws are governed by all valid provisions of state and federal laws.

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You can download the current (2022) version of the LPO constitution and bylaws here.
You can download the current (2016) version of the LPO constitution and bylaws here.
You can download the previous (2011) version of the LPO constitution and bylaws here.