BYLAWS

ARTICLE I: General

A. Name: The name of this organization is the "Denton County Libertarian Party" or the “Libertarian Party of Denton County Texas” (LPTX-Denton).

B. Purpose: The purpose of these Bylaws is to define goals, Officership, officer election procedures, officer duties, and to provide guidelines for Precinct, County and District Conventions.

C. Address: The official mailing address of LPTX-Denton will be decided by its officers.

ARTICLE II: Goals

The purpose for which LPTX-Denton is organized is to implement and give voice to the principles embodied in the Statement of the Libertarian Party of Texas (LPTX) by:

A. Precincts: Developing Libertarian Party (LP) Precincts in Denton County (the county) so they can hold Precinct Conventions.

B. Counties: Holding a LPTX-Denton Convention and, if needed assisting adjacent counties to do the same.

C. Districts: Working with adjacent counties to hold District Conventions for those political Districts that overlap into their counties.

D. Campaigns: Establishing a campaign headquarters in the county, coordinating and promoting campaigns and entering into political information activities to disseminate Libertarian information.

E. Candidates: Nominating and supporting candidates for local, state, and national office so they can be a voice for Libertarian ideas and win elections.

F. Texas: Affiliating with the LPTX, and endorsing and working with other organizations that promote liberty.

ARTICLE III: Officers

Requirements for Officership of LPTX-Denton shall reflect requirements as defined by LPTX and state law

ARTICLE IV: Meetings

Robert's Rules of Order shall be used for matters of procedure not covered by these Bylaws. The election for county officials, terms of office, voter eligibility, and convention dates and times are set by the Texas Election Code.

A. Executive Committee Meetings: LPTX-Denton Executive Committee Meetings can be called by the Chair or two Officers with a 10 day notice to the other officers. A quorum consisting of a majority of the Officers constituting the Committee at that time is required to conduct official business.

B. Automated Removal: Any member of the Committee who has missed two consecutive meetings and who is absent at the start of the third is automatically removed from the Committee. The Committee may reinstate the member at its discretion.

C. Each Committee member shall have one vote, except the Chair, who may vote only when that vote would alter the outcome.  No member of the Executive Committee under any circumstance will have more than one vote.  Proxies shall not be allowed.

D. Venues: Meetings may be held in person, by telephone, or over the internet provided there is no objection.  The Executive Committee, with a majority vote, may appoint, title, or remove officers, and carry out any other business they deem appropriate.  All meetings shall be open to the public.

ARTICLE V: Officers

A. Function: The function of the Officers is to manage the affairs of the LPTX-Denton and implement its goals within the limits of its resources.

B. Positions: The elected Officers of LPTX-Denton shall be Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer.  Other positions may be created and filled by a majority vote of the Committee. The last Chair, not counting the current serving chair, automatically becomes an Officer (called Past Chair) without an election, unless removed for cause or another qualified former County Chair is selected instead by the Executive Committee.

In addition to the above mentioned Officers, the Executive Committee shall also consist of up to five At-large Member positions, the number to be determined and the members duly elected at each County Convention.

C. Elections:

1. Election of Officers and At-large Members shall occur at the LPTX-Denton County Convention by a majority vote of the credentialed delegates in attendance. Their terms shall begin immediately upon winning the election.  Outgoing Officers shall have ten business days to turn over LPTX records to the new Officers.

2. The Executive Committee may fill any vacancy, including that of county chair, by a simple majority vote.

3. In ALL county elections, None of The Above (NOTA) or a functional equivalent will be one of the choices.  In no case is there to be an Election without the option of selecting none of the available candidates.  Any election where such an option is excluded is void.

D. Duties:

1. County Chair: The Chair shall preside over meetings, oversee all activities of the LPTX-Denton, perform duties necessary to maintain LPTX-Denton legal status as a political party, and perform other duties assigned by LPTX.

2. Vice Chair: The Vice Chair shall assist the Chair and perform Chair’s duties in his/her absence.  When LPTX-Denton is without a chair, the Vice Chair is hereby authorized and required to perform all chair duties not set by Texas statute.

3. Secretary: The Secretary shall keep an accurate record (minutes) of the proceedings of all official meetings of the LPTX-Denton, and shall keep those records up to date and in order in a master file. Secretary shall also keep a list of Officers, especially the official list of Affiliates with dates of the affiliation as required by law and perform other duties assigned by Chair.

4. Treasurer: The Treasurer, or Treasurer's designated agent, shall receive, hold, disburse and account for the LPTX-Denton funds under the direction of majority vote of Officers. The Treasurer shall keep these records up to date and in order in a master file on a monthly basis and perform other duties assigned by Chair. Checks can be signed by the Treasurer or Chair, in the event the Treasurer is not available, to pay necessary bills.

5. Past Chair: The Past Chair shall attend meetings, advise the chair and committee, and help to preserve the continuity of the county party.  The Past Chair must be the immediate former County Chair or someone who has held the position of County Chair within the preceding three years.

6. Other Officers: There may be as many Other Officers as there are tasks that need to be done and people willing to do them; but the title as well as the responsibilities of these position must be clearly stated before voting can take place.

ARTICLE VI: Subordinate Committees:

A. The Executive Committee may establish such committees as it deems appropriate to assist it in carrying out its non-statutory duties and may appoint to such committees persons who are not Officers of the County Executive Committee.

B. No action of a subcommittee or of any standing committee created by the County Executive Committee shall replace or supersede the actions or authority of the County Executive Committee at its subsequent meetings.

ARTICLE VII: Removal

Any Executive Committee member, including the County Chair, may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Committee that does not count the vote of the targeted member.  In the event of a Committee member holding multiple positions is removed from fewer than all held positions, then that member will remain on the Committee and continue to execute his or her other offices. 

ARTICLE VIII: Severability:

 If any portion of these Bylaws are held to be invalid or void by court or action of the LPTX, the remaining portions shall remain in effect.