Bylaws of the Libertarian Porcupine Club of Kansas

Ratified on June 12, 2024

Bylaw 1: Name

The organization shall be named the Libertarian Porcupine Club of Kansas, hereinafter referred to as LPCK.

Bylaw 2: Purpose (2/3 of eligible members required to amend)

The LPCK exists to identify, train, promote and support (through activist efforts) qualified Libertarian candidates for local office. We will help provide these candidates with the skills and tools they need to run a successful campaign. The LPCK will work with outside groups on both social and political goals in keeping with a radical libertarian agenda.

Bylaw 3: Scope

LPCK shall conduct its activities primarily within the state of Kansas.

Bylaw 4: Membership

Section 1: Individuals may become members in good standing of LPCK by signing affirmation of the Non-Aggression Principle (NAP): “I certify that I oppose the initiation of force to achieve political or social goals,” making application and paying such dues as prescribed by the LPCK Board, living in the state of Kansas, and being registered Libertarian (if eligible) or Unaffiliated.

Section 2: Membership requires a yearly donation of $20.

Section 3: Only the votes of dues-paying members will be counted for election of officers, additions or changes to bylaws, and decisions regarding the expenditure of money. A list of the voting members will be provided by the Secretary on request.

Bylaw 5: Officers

Section 1: The LPCK Board officers shall consist of a Chair, a Vice Chair of Training, a Vice Chair of Community Goals, a Vice Chair of Political Affairs, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. These officers shall be elected for two-year terms, beginning in odd-numbered years at an annual membership meeting, and shall take office immediately upon the close of such meeting. All positions shall be unpaid volunteer positions.

Section 2: No LPCK offices shall be combined. No LPCK Board member shall: A. Be a registrant of or hold office in any political party other than the Libertarian Party, or B. Use any office on the Board to support a candidate of another political party.

Section 3: The Chair shall preside at the annual membership meeting, and all meetings of the LPCK Board.

Section 4. A Vice Chair of Training will oversee our efforts to identify and train qualified Libertarian candidates and campaign managers for local office.

Section 5. A Vice Chair of Community Affairs will oversee outreach and coordinate efforts with groups that share common causes with libertarian positions.

Section6. A Vice Chair of Political Affairs will oversee tracking bills, notifying the LPCK Board to assist in our quick and organized response to government shenanigans.

Section 7: The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the LPCK membership list, for receiving or sending formal notifications as specified in these Bylaws, and shall be responsible for recording and promptly distributing minutes of Board proceedings. The Secretary shall be responsible for the maintenance of all Board records. The Secretary shall email a summary of the results of the Board meetings, votes, and mail ballots to all members within ten (10) days.

Section 8: The Treasurer shall receive, disburse, and account for the funds of the LPCK, under the supervision and direction of the Chair. The Treasurer shall compile a quarterly report which shall consist of a balance sheet and a profit and loss statement. The balance sheet and the profit and loss statement shall be available to members of the LPCK from the Treasurer upon written request.

Section 9: An officer may be removed from office by the Board by a two/thirds (2/3) vote. The Board shall appoint new officers, including the Chair, or Board members, if vacancies occur. Such appointments shall be to complete the term of office vacated unless a convention meets sooner, in which case a new election shall be held for any position so filled.

Bylaw 6: Finance and Accounting

Section 1: The fiscal term of the LPCK shall begin on January 1st of each year. The annual budget shall be provided to each member of the Board immediately following the close of each convention.

Section 2: The Board must approve all expenditures. Anyone who incurs financial liability without such approval shall be held personally liable.

Section 3: The Board shall not make any disbursements of $100 or more using cash. The Board shall not make any disbursements without supporting documentation.

Section 4: The Treasurer shall submit an annual budget to the Board at the last Board meeting before the annual membership meeting.

Section 5: All contributions given to LPCK shall be general donations unless,

A. Contributions are given with restrictions on its use. The Board must accept these contributions by a majority vote or return the contribution.

B. The LPCK shall not use any funds to finance individual campaigns.

Bylaw 7: The Board

Section 1: The Board shall be responsible for the control and management of all of the affairs, properties and funds of the LPCK consistent with these Bylaws, and any resolutions which may be adopted at the annual membership meeting. The LPCK Board shall be composed of the following members:

A. The six elected officers of the LPCK;

B. An undetermined number of committee officers as deemed appropriate by the Board.

Section 2: The Board shall have the primary duty of developing, funding, and implementing, either directly or through such committees as it shall appoint, a strategy to identify and train qualified Libertarians pledged to the Libertarian Party Statement of Principles for local offices.

Section 3: The Board shall meet at such time and place as may be determined by action of the Board, by a call of the Chair, or by written request of one-third or more of the members of the Board. The Secretary shall notify by agreed upon methods each member of the LPCK, a notice of the time and place of each meeting, not less than fourteen days prior to such meeting.

Section 4: The Board may, without meeting together, transact business by mail by voting on questions submitted by the Secretary at the request of at least two members of the Board. When the question is moved, which will require either postal mail ballots or technical capabilities beyond standard e-mail, all such votes shall be counted and recorded by the Secretary as Roll Call votes. The Board will complete voting any time after seventy-two (72) hours from the transmission time of the mail ballot:

A. If the motion has received Yea votes from a majority of the Board members, or

B. If the motion has received Nay votes from a majority of the Executive Committee members.

Members may change their vote up to the close of the voting period. If, at the expiration of the applicable period, a quorum of the Board has not voted, the measure being voted upon shall be deemed to have failed. The Secretary shall preserve all such votes until the next meeting of the Board at which meeting the Board shall order the disposition of such votes.

Section 5: A majority of eligible Board members shall constitute a quorum.

Section 6: A two-thirds majority of the Board shall be required for removal from office or censure of an LPKC officer or any dues-paying member, or for the reinstatement of a member.

Section 7: On all other matters, main motions shall require a simple majority of the Board to pass.

Section 8: Failure of a Board member to attend two consecutive Board meetings without cause or written explanation shall be cause for removal from the Board. The Board may select a temporary replacement for that position to be ratified at the next membership meeting.

Bylaw 8: Committees

Section 1: As the Board deems appropriate, the Chair shall appoint working committees, which shall exist at the pleasure of the Board. Neither the Bylaws Committee, Style Committee nor the Audit Committee will have a voting representative on the Board.

Section 2: Bylaws Committee

Not later than thirty (30) days following the close of each annual membership meeting, the Chair shall appoint a Bylaws Committee to recommend changes in these Bylaws. The Bylaws Committee shall adopt its report not less than thirty (30) days prior to the annual membership meeting and the Secretary shall cause it to be sent to the members in good standing.

Section 3: Style Committee

The Chair shall appoint a committee to revise phraseology, style, and consistency, but without altering meaning or context, any changes to these bylaws. The proposed changes shall be submitted in a report to the Board for ratification.

Section 4: Audit Committee

The Audit Committee shall determine, to the best of their ability, that LPCK financial statements contain no material misstatement and comply with agreed upon accounting practices. The committee shall have the authority to review, upon request to the duly elected LPKS Treasurer or LPKS Assistant Treasurer, LPKS financial statements, supporting schedules, fiduciary account statements, and governmental filings. The Audit Committee shall have the authority to review LPCK internal financial policies and processes to ensure compliance with generally accepted accounting controls and processes.

Section 5: Fundraising Committee

The committee will oversee the planning, development, management, and implementation of the organization’s fundraising plan. The Chair of this committee is a voting member of the Board.

Section 6: Communications Committee

The committee is responsible for developing, updating and monitoring the LPCK’s communications policies, social networking accounts, and electronic discussion groups, as well as recommending new ways for the LPCK to communicate with its members and other interested parties. The Chair of this committee is a voting member of the Board.

Section 7: Membership Committee

The committee has responsibility to provide guidance necessary to develop membership in the LPCK and to help define the values and benefits of membership. This Committee is also charged with working to aid in increasing and maintaining the LPCK membership. The Chair of this committee is a voting member of the Board.

Bylaw 9: Annual Membership Meeting (2/3 vote of eligible members required to amend)

Section1: The LPCK shall hold an annual membership meeting either in person or by conference call. The Board shall be responsible for setting the time, place, and schedule of events at the annual membership meeting. The Board shall provide the membership with at least thirty (30) days’ advance notice concerning these arrangements.

Section 2: Voting members at the annual membership meeting shall be current LPCK members for at least thirty-one (31) days prior to the annual membership meeting.

Section 3: All members in good standing shall be eligible to vote on all matters. To vote on a given matter, a member shall be present on the floor or in the conference call at the time that the vote is taken. Each member present shall have one vote.

Section 4: On all matters except elections, voting shall be conducted by voice vote or a show of hands. If one-tenth of the meeting quorum or more members object to the Chair’s ruling on the outcome of a vote, a division or counted vote shall be held.

All voting for LPCK officers or committee officers, when more than one candidate has been nominated, shall be by secret ballot. In all voting for LPCK Board members, the voting shall include the option of “None of the Above.”

The Chair may require any motion offered from the annual membership meeting floor to be in writing, to be signed by the maker of the motion, and to be submitted to the Secretary.

Bylaw 10: Amendment of Bylaws

Except as indicated in a particular Bylaw, these Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of all the members in good standing at an annual membership meeting. Bylaw proposals from the Bylaw Committee shall be considered first, followed by any written proposals from the floor. Bylaws changes proposed from the floor without prior notice, or substantive, non-technical amendments made to the Bylaws Committee Report by the Bylaws Committee subsequent to the report adoption deadline, shall require a two-thirds vote of members to pass.

Bylaw 11: Conflicting Authority and Severability

Section 1: In the event of any conflict between these Bylaws and any other federal or state law or regulation, these Bylaws shall govern the LPCK and its affairs.

Section 2: If any authority should declare any portion of these Bylaws void or invalid, the remainder of these Bylaws shall remain in full force and effect.

Bylaw 12: Parliamentary Authority

The Democratic Rules of Order (current edition) shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters of procedure not specifically covered by these Bylaws.