Policy on the
Presidential Nominating Convention
of the Georgia Green Party
(as adopted in a Coordinating Council phone conference, Tuesday,
September 7th, 1999)
To provide for a process for the consideration and adoption of the Georgia
Green Party’s position on the ASGP – Platform 2000; and for other purposes.
A Resolution
of the Coordinating Council
of the Georgia Green Party
Whereas, the Association of State Green Parties has circulated a Draft
Platform 2000, has called a Presidential Nominating Convention for Boulder
Colorado, June 23-25, 2000; and
Whereas, the Georgia Green Party has called a Nominating Convention
for March 18th, 1999 to elect delegates to the Presidential Nominating
Convention, scheduled for June 2000; and
Resolved, that the Party adopts the following Policy on the Presidential
Nominating Convention:
I. Title
This policy may be cited as the Policy on the Presidential Nominating Convention
and shall govern the election, duties and discretion of the Georgia
Green Parties' delegates to the Presidential Nominating Convention.
II. Delegates to the Presidential Nominating Convention
Delegates to the Presidential Nominating Convention shall be elected by
a system of single transferable vote, modified for gender and race balance,
where each delegate shall rank each nominee to state their preference among
the candidates, under rules adopted by the Coordinating Council on December
11, 1998 as amendments to the Nominating Convention Rules.
III. Presidential Preference Caucus
of the Georgia
Green Party
A ballot shall be cast among credentialled delegates to the Convention
of the Georgia Green Party to determine the Party's preferences for the
Green Party nomination for President of the United States. The ballot
shall be tabulated by preference voting. Any Presidential candidate
may be nominated by a state Convention delegate for inclusion in the Georgia
Presidential Preference ballot when that Presidential candidate has or
will appear on the ballot of any Green Party presidential preference primary
in a state where the Green Party (or any affiliate of the Association of
State Green Parties) has ballot access.
IV. Committee on a National Green Party
Platform
A. Committee on National Green Party Platform
There shall exist a Committee on National Green Party Platform. The
Delegation on National Green Party Affairs shall appoint two of its members
to serve as co-chairs of the Committee. The co-chairs shall convene
all meetings of the Committee, appoint chairs for any sub-committee and
lead the Party’s delegation in national level deliberations on, amendment
of and final adoption of the national Platform for the any Presidential
election year. The Committee shall coordinate input from Greens in
Georgia on the Draft Platform 2000 circulated by the Association of State
Green Parties and on like documents being considered in future Presidential
Election years. The Committee shall coordinate the Party’s Platform
Process, and present to the last Georgia Nominating Convention preceding
each Presidential Nominating Convention, a proposed Party position to govern
the participation of the Delegates to the Presidential Nominating Convention
in the Convention’s consideration, amendment and adoption of the Platform.
B. Platform Committee Process
1.The Platform Committee Co-Chairs shall publish a call for Greens in Georgia
to participate in the Committee's work. The Call shall be published
by mail to each member of the Party, on the grns-ga-forum and grns-usa-forum
listserves, on the Party’s website, in the Party’s organizing guide, in
Party publications and flyers, as a part of the Call to the Convention
and by other means as appropriate.
2.The Co-Chairs shall compile a committee membership list of Party members
who respond to the Call and request membership with the Committee.
All Party members who are on the committee membership list shall be notified
of the Party’s Platform process and of the Platform Committee face-to-face
meeting and of the state Convention.
3.The Committee shall work with the clerk and web-clerk to provide for
the establishment within the members-only section of the Party’s web site
of an on-line copy of the draft Platform – 2000, with links to amendments
proposed by Greens in Georgia and to amendments proposed by Greens in other
states. The site will include a feedback form to collect the input
of Greens in Georgia and to forward these proposed changes to the Platform
Committee.
4.The Committee shall establish a committee-specific listserve to facilitate
input and discussion on the draft Platform. Its existence shall be
published in the members-only section of the web site and in other ways
to the members.
5.The Committee shall host a face-to-face meeting not later than six
weeks prior to the state Convention (except that it may occur no later
than February 11th, in 2000) to consider and adopt a report to the state
Nominating Convention. The report shall include 1) a summary of Committee
activities, 2) a National Platform Consent Agenda of Platform Amendments
supported by 80% or more of the Committee, 3) a National Platform Agenda
deserving Convention consideration consisting of proposed Platform Amendments
which are supported by a majority of the Committee, and 4) a minority report
of Platform Amendments which failed to receive majority support of the
Committee. All votes taken by the Committee shall include all Party
members present at the face-to-face Committee meeting.
B. Convention Platform Process
1. The Committee shall present both a written and oral report to each Nominating
Convention of the Georgia Green Party which immediately precedes a Presidential
Nominating Convention. The Committee co-chairs, or other committee
members designated by the Committee co-chairs shall present the report.
2.The National Platform Consent Agenda shall be presented. The
floor shall be open to motions to strike or add amendments to the consent
agenda. A proposed Platform Amendment shall be removed from the consent
agenda upon a motion, properly seconded to do so when 20% of the credentialled
delegates support the motion. A proposed Platform Amendment shall be added
to the consent agenda on the affirmative vote of 80% of the credentialled
delegates on a motion, properly seconded to add the Amendment. All
motions to strike and add proposed Platform Amendments to the consent agenda
shall be considered without discussion.
3.After the consideration of all motions to strike or add have been
decided, the amended National Platform Consent Agenda shall be put to the
Convention and may be adopted with the consent of the credentialled delegates.
The effect of the adoption of the National Platform Consent Agenda
4.The National Platform Agenda shall next be presented. The floor shall
be open to motions to strike or add amendments to the National Platform
Agenda. A proposed Platform Amendment shall be removed from the consent
agenda upon a motion, properly seconded to do so when a simple majority
of the credentialled delegates support the motion. A proposed Platform
Amendment shall be added to the consent agenda when a simple majority of
the credentialled delegates support a motion., properly seconded to add
the Amendment. All motions to strike and add proposed Platform Amendments
to the consent agenda shall be considered without discussion.
5. After the consideration of all motions to strike or add have been
decided, the amended National Platform Agenda shall be presented for approval
to the Convention. If adopted, it shall govern deliberation on the
Platform and no amendment may be considered unless it is germain to the
subject matter of the proposed platform amendment under discussion.
Each proposed Platform Amendment shall be considered by the credentialled
delegates in accordance with existing rules for the consideration of any
substantive proposal before the Convention.
6. After the consideration of all proposed Platform Amendments, the
question shall be on the adoption of the amended Platform to serve as instructions
to the Party’s delegates. The Convention shall seek consensus on
its adoption, or failing consensus, shall take and record a vote on the
Amended Platform Report.
V. Responsibility and Discretion
of Party’s national delegates
A. Instructions to Party’s national delegates
on Candidate Nomination
The Georgia delegates shall organize among themselves so as to cast their
ballots for the Presidential Nomination at the Presidential Nominating
Convention to reflect the ratios of preferences expressed at the state
Convention for the candidates under consideration at the Presidential Nominating
Convention.
B. Instructions and Discretion of Party’s
national delegates on Platform
deliberations
Should the Amended Platform Report be approved by 2/3 or more of the credentialled
delegates, it shall serve to instruct the Party’s delegates to the Presidential
Nominating Convention. Should the adoption of the document achieve fewer
than 2/3d, the delegates are instructed on any item considered which was
supported by a 2/3 majority and have the discretion of the state Party
on any item supported by less than 2/3 of the delegates.
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