Friend --
We are calling an emergency
assembly for Saturday, Nov. 20, from 10:00 a.m. to
noon, to be followed by three
weeks of online voting to resolve those questions. The meeting will be remote, and the online
voting procedure will be posted on the MGP website.
We realized recently that two
bylaws clarifications are needed so that our internal voting for party
officers can function accurately and transparently. These need to be
decided ahead of our next annual assembly to allow the 2022 officer
election to operate smoothly and in accordance with the Green Party’s
10 Key Values, specifically Grassroots
Democracy.
Everyone is invited to attend the
meeting, and our local chapters will provide updates and opportunities
for action at the beginning of the meeting.
Please verify your Green Party registration now, whether or
not you will attend and vote. Easy links for how to do so are at the end of this document,
following the bylaws proposals.
The amendments will be presented at
the assembly with an opportunity for comment and discussion and a
presentation of the online voting procedures. We will also invite
members to engage in further online discussion of the two amendments
during the voting period.
Bylaws keep our organization
running smoothly which is essential for all our other work. They also
maintain the integrity of the organization in our own eyes and those
of the public. We encourage you to consider the proposed changes
carefully and discuss and debate before making your
decision.
Next year is a big year for local
and state races. We look forward to seeing you at the assembly and
working together for peace, justice, and the future of life on Earth.
If you’d like to get in touch with us about these amendments, help
with party administration, or to campaign or run for office, please
let us know at [email protected].
Yours in truth and
transparency,
Green Party of Maryland
Coordinating Committee
Olivia Romano and Mary Rooker,
co-chairs
Bylaws Proposals Information
The Bylaws Review and Rules
Committee proposes two bylaws changes. Summaries are below and texts
are on our website.
PROPOSAL #1: Specify Voting and Tabulation
Method
1) Amendment to Article 5.2 of the
Maryland Green Party Interim
Bylaws defines and
clarifies the method of voting, tabulation, and rules for internal
party elections. The proposal specifies details of the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) especially
for multi-seat races, such as our two co-chair positions and three
national GPUS delegates and alternates.
Bylaws Committee Summary: The Bylaws committee came to consensus on
these changes and believe that these clarifications added needed
detail to the current procedures.
PROPOSAL # 2: Number of Membership
Coordinators
2) Amendment to Article 8.1, 8.5
and 9.3 to change the number of state-level membership coordinator
positions from one to two, including the voting position on the
Coordinating Council. The current bylaws say we have one coordinator,
but our practice recently has been to have two.
Bylaws Committee Summary: The bylaws committee agreed that this issue
should be presented to the membership, however they disagreed about
whether to support the proposed changes. Below are a brief pro and con
framing the issue.
Keep one membership coordinator
(con) - Vote no on the amendment
- The
original intent of the bylaws with a single membership coordinator
supported by a committee is the most efficient method of organizing
membership outreach activity.
- When two
people are assigned the same task/role, one person often takes on the
bulk of the work. Or, neither individual takes responsibility because
each assumes the other is doing it. Two people are not inherently
better than one.
- By
adding another officer to the Coordinating Council, we become top
heavy and dilute the grassroots voting power of our local
representatives on the Coordinating Council. This sets a precedent
that adds officers instead of building out committees to meet basic
party tasks. One officer and active representation from locals is more
in line with grassroots democracy.
Two membership coordinators (pro):
-Vote yes on the amendment
- Starting
in 2016, the MGP Annual Assembly elected two membership coordinators,
and we have consistently advertised and voted on two positions since
2018.
- The job
of the membership coordinator includes maintaining contact information
for every Green in the state (over 6,000 people now and nearly 10,000
in 2018), recruiting and retaining new Greens, facilitating the
Membership Committee, and facilitating the Outreach Subcommittee.
These duties are extensive and are better performed by two people than
one.
- If these
positions are a statewide elected officer position, then every Green
in the state has a chance to vote on who serves in this very important
role, and every Green in the state has the opportunity to run for the
role. This approach is more in line with grassroots
democracy.
Green Party Registration Verification
-
The MD State Board of Elections has
refused to return 15-35% of all previously registered Greens to our
party designation, after a lapse in our party
certification in 2019/2020.
So we have lost the ability to
obtain addresses and communicate with hundreds of
members.
-
We request all Greens check their
registration here, and if listed as “Other”, go here to change your registration back to Green. Or join us as a new
Green! You just need a driver’s license or government ID.
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