Bylaws of the Tri-City Libertarian Party
as amended on August 6, 2007

1. Organization
   1. This organization shall be known as the “Tri-City Libertarian Party” hereinafter referred to as the “Party” or the “TCLP”.
   2. Should the TCLP ever dissolve, either by choice or by outside force, all monies, minus obligations, shall go to the Libertarian Party of Michigan, a non-profit organization.
2. Vision Statement:  The vision of the Tri-City Libertarian Party is to further the principles of individual liberty as expressed in the Statement of Principles of the National Libertarian Party.
3. Mission Statement:  The mission of the Tri-City Libertarian Party is to promote the cause of liberty.  Accordingly, its use of treasury funds is limited to:
   1. Increasing active membership
   2. Electing candidates
   3. Maintaining community visibility
   4. Fundraising
   5. Necessary administrative expense
4. Officers:  The officers of the TCLP shall consist of Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and an at-large representative from each county (Bay, Midland, and Saginaw) when possible.  This group shall hereinafter be referred to as the “Core Committee”.
   1. The duties of the Chair are:
      1. To preside over meetings.
      2. To set regular meeting dates with the Core Committee.
      3. To account for, along with the treasurer, all monies of the TCLP.
      4. To be responsible for the correspondence of the TCLP.
      5. To appoint a newsletter editor, media director, parade director, et cetera, as the needs arise, and have approval of the Core Committee.
   2. The duties of the Vice-Chair are:
      1. To assume the duties of the Chair in his absence.
      2. To bear primary responsibility for setting the non-official agenda at meetings.
   3. The duties of the Treasurer are:
      1. To maintain a checking account in the name of the TCLP at a local bank or credit union, and be a co-signer on this account with the Chair.
      2. To present quarterly dues reports to the Secretary.
      3. To be responsible for, monitor, and preside over any monetary transactions of the TCLP.  This shall include any and all events hosted by the Party.
      4. To file campaign paperwork with the Libertarian Party of Michigan and the appropriate government agencies.
   4. The duties of the Secretary are:
      1. To record the minutes of the official meetings of the TCLP.
      2. To maintain the TCLP membership and mailing list.
      3. To inform members of dues status as given by the Treasurer.
      4. To handle mailing procedures for the TCLP correspondence if directed by the Chair.
      5. To count votes in any TCLP elections, and verify the counts with the Chair.
   5. The duties of the at-large members are:
      1. Attend, participate, and vote in each core meeting.
      2. Prepare county political activity reports as directed by the Chair.
      3. To be responsible for conducting county caucuses for elections for their counties, and to deliver the results (as certified by the Chair and Secretary) to the appropriate government agencies and to the Libertarian Party of Michigan.
      4. Approve appointments made by the Chair.
5. Elections
   1. The Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and at-large county representatives are elected annually at the April general membership meeting.
   2. Any member, as documented by the Secretary, may run for TCLP office provided the following guidelines are met:
      1. The member must have his dues paid up-to-date.
      2. The member must reside in Bay, Midland, or Saginaw County.
      3. The member must sign the Libertarian Party’s non-aggression principles pledge.
      4. The member must be nominated and seconded by two different TCLP members.
   3. All TCLP terms are one year in length.  They begin at the conclusion of the April general membership meeting and end at the conclusion of the following April general membership meeting.
   4. A simply majority vote wins the election.  In the case of a tie, a run-off occurs.  If the tie persists, it is broken by the Chair.
   5. Any officer missing three (3) consecutive meetings or a total of four (4) per term, shall be considered to have vacated his seat.
   6. Should a seat become vacant for any reason at any time during an officer’s term, it may be filled by special election.  This election may include combining duties of a current officer, but must include any TCLP member wishing to run for office.  Normal election procedures consistent with these bylaws shall then follow (V. Elections).  Should the seat remain unfilled, the Chair may appoint any TCLP member to fill the post if he sees the need, or assign the duties to a current TCLP Officer.
6. Recalling Officers or Removing Members
   1. The Tri-City Libertarian Party reserves the right to recall officers or remove members by adhering to the following guidelines.
      1. The member or officer must have demonstrated action detrimental to the Party.
      2. At least two elected officers must agree in writing to bring action to the general membership.  This written charge must be presented to the general membership at a regular meeting with twenty-one days advance notice to the membership.
      3. The accused must have the right to explain his actions to the general membership.
      4. The person may only be removed if voted to do so by a two-thirds majority of the general membership present.
   2. Should a member or officer be removed, his dues shall be pro-rated and refunded immediately.
   3. Removal shall consist only of membership of the TCLP, and have no bearing on membership in any other Libertarian organization.
   4. An officer may be recalled for neglecting his duties of office, but remain a member.  Recalling and removing must always be conducted separately.
7. Nomination of Candidates for Public Office:  The TCLP shall nominate for public office by caucus.
   1. Nomination and election shall follow the qualification and election procedures as laid out in Section IV titled “Elections”.
   2. Caucus must be announced by the Chair no less than 30 days in advance, and be before the required dates set forth by the Libertarian Party of Michigan.
   3. The At-Large Director for each county is solely responsible for the caucus paperwork and results.  He must record the results as given by the Secretary, and have them signed and certified by the Chair.  The At-Large Director is then responsible for filing the result with the appropriate government agencies, and the Libertarian Party of Michigan.
   4. Any TCLP member, as documented by the Secretary, may vote in each county caucus.
8. Membership and Meetings
   1. Membership in the TCLP shall require the following:
      1. Payment of $10 annual dues to the TCLP.
      2. Affirmation of the Libertarian Party’s Non-Aggression Principle.
      3. Numbers one and two (above) must be completed and in possession of the Secretary in order to start the twenty-one days mentioned in paragraph “B” of this section.
   2. New members, upon paying local dues, may not vote at any TCLP meeting for a period of twenty-one (21) days.  This restriction may be immediately waived by a simple majority of Core Committee.
   3. General membership meetings shall occur monthly unless agreed upon by a two-thirds majority of the general membership.  Dates shall be set by majority vote of the general membership.  Once agreed upon, a two-thirds vote of the general membership is necessary to change the location and/or dates of the general membership meetings.
   4. Core Committee meetings shall be held at the discretion of the Core Committee, or by direction of the general membership.
      1. Any TCLP member may attend and be heard at a Core Committee meeting, but only Core Committee members may vote.
      2. Simple majority wins all votes at the Core meetings.  The Chair shall break any ties.
      3. The Core Committee may spend a maximum of 10% of the treasury for general maintenance of TCLP operations and functions.  This restraint may be lifted only for case-by-case special needs, and may only be done by the direction of the general membership at a regularly scheduled meeting by a two-thirds majority vote.
   5. All voting at general membership meetings concerning business shall be won by simple majority vote.  The Chair shall break any ties.
      1. Any motion made and seconded at a general meeting shall, after discussion, have its vote postponed to the beginning of the next general meeting. This does not apply to the regular procedural motions of the meeting (e.g. motions to accept reports, pay current bills, adjourn, et cetera).
      2. The TCLP newsletter shall include the voting agenda for upcoming meetings. It will also be published in a timely fashion, so as to allow members adequate notice to review proposals and coordinate attendance.
9. Bylaws and Procedure
   1. In any case where these bylaws do not apply, Robert’s Rules of Order will govern official TCLP meetings and elections.
   2. TCLP bylaws may be amended at any general membership meeting provided that the amendment is in writing and is mailed to all TCLP members at least twenty-one (21) days prior to the general membership meeting where the votes will occur.