The Unified By-Laws of the County Party
Organizations
of the Colorado Freedom Party
As Adopted Saturday, 16 June, 2001
Article I: Name and Purpose
Section 1: The name of county party organizations shall be the
as defined in the founding resolution or in a renaming resolution. Such
resolution shall name the party in accordance with the By-Laws of the Colorado
Freedom Party.
Section 2: These by-laws may be adopted by a County Party
Organization through a resolution signed by two-thirds of Party Members present
and voting at a County Party Organization meeting. A County Party Organization
which adopts these by-laws cannot adopt new by-laws of its own design or amend
these by-laws without first dissolving itself as an organization.
Section 3: These by-laws and any rules adopted by a County Party
Organization are subordinate to the by-laws and rules of the Colorado Freedom
Party. Wherever these by-laws are silent, the by-laws and rules of the Colorado
Freedom Party shall be in force.
Section 4: Should a County Party Organization’s affiliation
be removed, either through action taken by the local organization or the
Colorado Freedom Party, it shall take all steps necessary to disband and
dissolve as a legal entity and shall surrender the use of its name to the
Colorado Freedom Party.
Section 5: The purpose of a County Party Organization of the
Colorado Freedom Party shall be to promote the cause of political and
governmental reform. To this end, the Colorado Freedom Party shall:
- Faithfully operate as the County Party Organization affiliated with
the Colorado Freedom Party and the Reform Party of the United States of
America;
- Promote the Reform Party Object, Principles of Reform, and Platforms
of the Reform Party of the United States of America and the Colorado Freedom
Party;
- From time to time, nominate and endorse candidates for local office
in a manner consistent with the laws of the State of Colorado, the By-Laws of
the Colorado Freedom Party, and the By-Laws and Constitution of the Reform
Party of the United States of America, and these By-Laws;
- Assist in the election of such candidates nominated or endorsed by
the Colorado Freedom Party or the Reform Party of the United States of
America;
- Educate the voters as to the need for legislation and policies
consistent with the Reform Party Principles
Article II: Party Membership
Section 1: A person is a member of a County Party Organization
and if and only if all of the following conditions are met:
- The person is a Party Member of the Colorado Freedom Party.
- The person resides and is registered to vote in the county of the
County Party Organization.
Section 2: A person who is a member of a County Party
Organization of the Colorado Freedom Party shall be referred to in this
document as a “County Party Member” and shall have all the rights and
responsibilities of a “Party Member” as defined by the By-Laws of the
Colorado Freedom Party.
Section 3: County Party Organizations are prohibited from
censuring Party Members and from treating censured Party Members in a manner
different from other County Party Members.
Article III: Executive Committee
Section 1: The County Party Organization Executive Committee,
hereafter “Executive Committee”, shall be the administrative body of
the County Party Organization and shall act in accordance with these by-laws,
the by-laws and rules of the Colorado Freedom Party, and the expressed wishes
of the County Party Members.
Section 2: The Executive Committee shall consist of a number of
County Party Members elected to officer positions as defined in these by-laws,
and shall be referred to as Executive Committee Members.
Section 3: Officers shall serve from the time of their election
until the first meeting of the next calendar year. Their election shall be
governed by Article V of these by-laws.
Section 4: The Executive Committee shall meet at least once each
calendar year. Such meeting will occur at times and places designated by the
Chair of the County Party Organization or at the direction of the Colorado
Freedom Party Executive Committee.
Section 5: The actual presence of a majority of members of the
Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the purposes of transacting
business. A quorum shall not be valid unless a reasonable attempt has been made
to contact every member of the Executive Committee at least 48 hours prior to
the meeting.
Section 6: Each Executive Committee Member shall have one vote
and must actually be present at the meeting to use that vote and meetings of
the Executive Committee.
Section 7: Any and all interaction with governmental entities
within the State of Colorado shall be through the State Executive Committee and
the Register Agent of the Colorado Freedom Party shall be the Registered Agent
of the County Party Organization.
Section 8: Executive Committee Members may be removed from the
Executive Committee by a two-thirds vote of the membership of the County Party
Organization present and voting at a meeting of the County Party Organization,
as defined in Article V.
Section 8: Should any Executive Committee Member resign or be
removed or become disabled or die while in office, the remaining members of the
Executive Committee shall, within 60 days of the officer’s leaving office,
elect by a simple majority of the Executive Committee a qualified Party Member
to serve that officer’s position until the next County Convention.
Nominations will be solicited from Party Members in a manner to be determined
by the remaining Executive Committee Members.
Article IV: Officers
Section 1: The officers of the Colorado Freedom Party shall be
the Chair, the Vice-Chair, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.
Section 2: Officers shall serve without pay or other
compensation.
Section 3: The Chair shall be subject to the general direction
of the Executive Committee and the specific direction of the County Party
Member and the State Executive Committee. The duties of the Chair shall include
but not be limited to:
- Presiding over all meetings of the Executive Committee;
- Serving as liaison to the Colorado Freedom Party.
Section 5: The Vice-Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair
in the Chair’s absence or temporary disability.
Section 6: The Secretary shall be responsible maintaining
meeting minutes, correspondence, and membership rolls and transmitting them to
the Secretary of the Colorado Freedom Party no later than 30 days following
their creation or acceptance.
Section 7: The Treasurer shall be responsible for transmitting
to the Treasurer of the Colorado Freedom Party any funds that may be donated to
the party at any meetings.
Section 8: The officers shall be prohibited from entering into
contracts on behalf of the party unless explicitly empowered to do so by the
State Executive Committee.
Article V: County Conventions and Meetings
Section 1: County Conventions and Meetings shall be noticed and
held in accordance with the by-laws of the Colorado Freedom Party.
Section 2: Any business of the County Party Organization can be
conducted at a County Meeting. When it is known in advance that the County
Meeting will nominate persons for public office or elect County Party Members
to delegates to a State Convention or Meeting, then the County Meeting shall be
called a County Convention. The agenda shall be proposed by the Chair and the
meeting shall be conducted in accordance with these by-laws and the by-laws and
rules of the Colorado Freedom Party.
Section 3: The County Party Organization shall have at least one
County Convention every calendar year.
Section 4: A party member is considered present if they are
physically present, present via telephone, or present via proxy, so long as
that proxy is agreed to by a majority of those present.
Section 5: All County Party Members present shall be eligible to
vote at county meetings and a quorum shall be defined as a majority of the
maximum number of County Party Members present at any earlier time at that
meeting.
Article VI: Platform
Section 1: The County Party Organization may adopt a platform
local candidates will run.
Section 2: If the platform of the Reform Party of the United
States of America or the Platform of the Colorado Freedom Party should be in
conflict with the Platform of the County Party Organization, then the Platform
of the County Party Organization shall be null and void.
Section 3: All motions to adopt, amend, or modify the platform
of the County Party Organization shall be required to pass by a two-thirds
super-majority of those County Party Members present and voting.
Article VII: Nomination of Candidates for Public
Office
Section 1: The County Party Organization shall nominate
candidates for public offices within their county at County Conventions in
accordance with the by-laws and rules of the Colorado Freedom Party and the
laws of the State of Colorado.
Article VIII: Amendments to These By-Laws
Section 1: These by-laws may only be amended or replaced by a
two-thirds majority vote of the Party Members present and voting at any State
Meeting or Convention or by a two-thirds vote of the State Executive Committee.
By-law amendments or replacement can be offered into business upon submission
of a petition signed or voted upon by twenty percent of the Party Members of
the Colorado Freedom Party, or upon the recommendation of the Colorado Freedom
Party Executive Committee, or in accordance with Parliamentary Procedure.
Section 2: Any amendments to or replacement of these by-laws
shall be effective upon being filed with the Colorado Secretary of State.
Article IX: Petition
Section 1: County Party Members shall be permitted to petition
for recall any or all members of Executive Committee under the following
procedure:
- The petition shall name one and only one member of the Executive
Committee to be recalled;
- The petition shall set forth the reasons for recall of that Executive
Committee member;
- The petition shall be submitted to the State Executive Committee in
writing and signed by twenty-five percent of the County Party Members;
- Should the petition be deemed valid by the State Executive Committee,
a special County Meeting to be chaired by a member of the State Executive
Committee that the County Party Members are eligible to vote for shall be
convened within thirty days of receipt of the petition;
- Should a majority of County Party Members present and voting at the
County Convention vote in favor of the petition, the designated Executive
Committee member shall be removed from office and nominations for replacement
shall be offered in accordance with these by-laws.
Article X: Parliamentary Procedure
Section 1: The County Party Organization shall conduct all
meetings of the membership or the Executive Committee using rules of
parliamentary procedure adopted by the State Executive Committee. These rules
shall be in accordance with the by-laws and constitution of the Reform Party of
the United States of America and the laws of the State of Colorado.