These are the current Articles of Association. A new draft was approved at the 2018 Convention to take effect on May 1, 2018.
Statement of Purpose
The Delaware State motto, 'Liberty and Independence', proclaims as we do, that all human beings are endowed by nature with inalienable Rights to life, liberty, and the products of their labor, that these Rights are the basis of justice and the only source of moral legitimacy for Laws among the People, and that any and all Systems of Government, therefore, should be strictly limited to the preservation of these Rights.
As responsible, tolerant, non-interventionists, and defenders of Liberty and the Constitution; the Libertarian Party of Delaware calls for the immediate abolition of any and all forms of involuntary taxation; the repeal of all civil and criminal laws penalizing voluntary, peaceful activities between consenting adults; an end to governmental interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain; a return to sound monetary policies and a free market economy; the end to police-state measures like the “Patriot Act”; the end to unconstitutional wars; and dramatic reductions in the size and scope of government at all levels, from municipal to Federal.
Articles of Association of the Libertarian Party of Delaware
Declaration of Rights — We, the members of the Libertarian Party of Delaware, proclaim that (1) all human beings are endowed by nature with inalienable Rights to life, liberty, and the products of their labor, that (2) these Rights are the basis of justice and the only source of moral legitimacy for Laws among the People, and that (3) any and all Systems of Government, therefore, should be strictly limited to the preservation of these Rights.
As specific examples of the Rights espoused in this Declaration, the Libertarian Party of Delaware calls for:
- The immediate abolition of any and all forms of involuntary taxation;
- The repeal of all civil and criminal laws penalizing voluntary, peaceful activities between consenting adults;
- An end to governmental interference with private property, such as confiscation, nationalization, and eminent domain; and
- Dramatic reductions in the size and scope of government at all levels, from municipal to Federal.
Article I — The purpose of the Libertarian Party of Delaware, hereinafter referred to as the "Party," is to implement and give voice to the ideas expressed in the aforementioned Declaration of Rights by (1) entering into public-information activities, (2) building the membership of the Party, and (3) slating Party members to run for political office.
Article II — The membership of the Party shall comprise those persons who (1) are registered as Libertarian voters with the State of Delaware or are dues-paid National Libertarian Party Members that are residents of the State of Delaware and (2) affiliate themselves as "Libertarian" and agree to operate as Party members under the provisions of this charter.
Article III — The State Board shall secure the assets of the Libertarian Party of Delaware, as well as conduct the business of the Party, and shall be fully accountable and subordinate to the general membership. This board shall include four officers, namely, Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, who shall be elected in odd years by the membership at large for two-year terms, and shall collectively constitute the Executive Committee; and also shall include six Representatives, two elected from, by, and for each of the three Counties of the State of Delaware. For the purposes of regular state board meetings, a quorum shall consist of 40% of the state board members or their proxies. Each member of the State Board shall be possessed of the right and power to appoint a proxy to attend meetings of the State Board in his or her stead. In order to uphold the interests of the membership, the appointing officer’s proxy shall come from the membership represented by that officer (i.e., the proxy vote for the county representatives shall come from that county’s membership, while the proxy for an Executive Committee member shall come from the statewide membership). The proxy shall possess all powers, rights, duties, and responsibilities held by the appointing member of the State Board. The proxy and all powers, rights, duties, and responsibilities inherent therein shall expire at the termination of the State Board meeting for which the proxy was appointed. No officer or representative shall possess more than one vote.
Article IV — An Annual Convention will be held at a time and place to be determined by the Executive Committee for the purpose of (1) nominating Candidates for Public Office, (2) holding Elections of Party Officers and Delegates to the National Libertarian Convention, and (3) conducting other party business. The credentials committee for the LPD Annual State Convention shall be comprised of the county chairs of all three counties. They shall be responsible for certifying that all voting members of the convention meet the criteria outlined in the Articles of Association for membership in the Libertarian Party of Delaware and reporting the names and numbers to the convention members for approval. Delegates to the national convention shall be elected by each member writing their slate of desired delegates on a secret ballot and with the delegates receiving the most votes being selected. Any other members of the LPD who wish to attend the national convention may do so but will be responsible for securing their own positions in other state delegations.
Article V — Election of party officers and nominations of candidates for public office shall require a majority of those voting. "None of the Above" shall always be a candidate. If there is not a majority, the candidate (including None of the Above) with the least number of votes shall be dropped and a new vote shall be taken. If there is a tie vote for the last two candidates, there shall be a ten-minute recess and the vote shall be repeated. This procedure shall continue until the tie is broken. If "None of the Above" wins, the party office shall be vacated for the next year or no one shall be nominated for public office.
Article VI — Each county's membership shall designate a county representative to the State Board, a County Chair and a County Secretary. Separate individuals must be Chair and Secretary. It is permissible, but not required, for either the Chair or the Secretary to concurrently serve as the county representative to the State Board, provided such individual does not concurrently hold office as Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer or Secretary of the Libertarian Party of Delaware. Election may be by vote at an announced county membership meeting, with at least 30 days' notice; by vote at a county caucus at the annual state convention, with at least 30 days' notice; or by mail ballot, with a ballot to be sent to all members as described in Article II whose residence address is in the county concerned, with at least 30 days to return ballots. Designation of the officeholder may be by consensus if no one wishes to contest an election when only one person volunteers to assume the office.
Article VII — Amendments to these Articles of Association and Bylaws may be adopted in two ways: (1) by a vote of all members present at the annual Convention after the entire membership has been given at least 30 days notice of the proposed changes; or (2) by a vote of all members present at a state board meeting, after the proposed changes shall have been announced at least 30 days prior to introduction, and read in their final form at the state board meeting before the vote. By either method a change to the Articles of Association shall require a two-thirds majority to pass, but a change to the Bylaws may be adopted by a simple majority.
Bylaws
Bylaw 1. The Chair shall have the power to fill vacancies on the Executive Committee by appointment. Such appointments shall last until the next election of party officers.
Bylaw 2. If the Office of Chair is vacated, it shall pass to the Vice Chair. If there is no Vice Chair, the Chair shall next pass to the Chair of the County with the greatest number of members according to Delaware Commissioner of Elections lists.
Bylaw 3. For the purposes of Article VII, Notice or Announcement shall consist of Publication on the official website of the party, posting to the LPD Facebook group, and/or sending by email or other electronic communication methods to every member for whom we have contact info. Other methods my be employed as well, but the above is considered sufficient.
Bylaw 4. For the purposes of Article VII, Reading shall consist of reading aloud before a quorum the paragraph(s) in which the changes are to be made, followed by a description of the proposed changes, followed by reading aloud the paragraph(s) as after the alterations.
Bylaw 5. Conventions and State Board Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts Rules of Order except where superseded by these Articles and Bylaws.
Last Revision - February 10, 2018