Index of  http://www.burtonsys.com/2-16-2008/

 Name                     Last modified      Size  Description
These are the documents I mailed to the NC GOP Executive Committee on May 2, 2007:
 5-2-2007_ltr_to_exec...  02-May-2007 13:00  43k   Cover letter & listserv invitation
 resolution_to_create...  01-May-2007 17:18  12k   Executive Committee listserver resolution
 revise_poo_v4.rtf        01-May-2007 16:17  25k   Proposed amendments to NC GOP Plan of Organization
These are the documents I distributed at the NC GOP State Convention, June 1-3, 2007:
 revise_poo_v5.rtf        31-May-2007 15:31  30k   Updated proposed amendments to NC GOP Plan of Organization
 kincannonltr_1pg.rtf     31-May-2007 23:55 6.4k   SC GOP Parliamentarian, J. Todd Kincannon, weighs in on sub-quorum proposal (or as pdf)
 freepem1.rtf              1-Jun-2007 00:01 1.5M   The Democrats are spreading their LIES about President Bush right down the road from the NC GOP Convention, 6/1/2007!
 massdeception.rtf        31-May-2007 21:47  11K   Refute the lies: What Democrats used to say about Iraqi WMDs
This is the resolution I distributed at the NC GOP Executive Committee on November 17, 2007. Consideration was posponed until the April 5, 2008 meeting:
 resolution_to_create...  16-Nov-2007 19:28  14k   Executive Committee listserver resolution
This is the resolution I distributed at the NC GOP Executive Committee on February 16, 2008:
 resolution_requiring...  16-Feb-2008 11:09   9k   Resolution Requiring Honesty In NC GOP Communication
 resolution_requiring...  16-Feb-2008         9k   (same, with a typo fix) (or as pdf)
 (click on links to view documents)

NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY

PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE PLAN OF ORGANIZATION (old versions here)

 

“Sub-quorum rule”

Article VI, Section C.3

            (STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE / Committee Meetings)

 

This section currently reads:

VI.C.3. Committee Meetings 

a. The State Executive Committee shall meet at least twice per calendar year, upon call of the Chairman at such times as the State Chairman deems necessary, or upon petition of 1/3 of the Members of the Committee, after giving 15 days written notice to all Committee Members. Twenty Five Percent (25%) of the Members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Ex-officio members do not affect the quorum. There shall be no proxy voting. 

b. All proposed resolutions to come before the Executive Committee shall be submitted at least one month in advance so that they can be distributed to the Executive Committee membership prior to its meeting. Notwithstanding the above, resolutions may be submitted on the day of the meeting, but only if, by a two-thirds majority, the members of the Executive Committee vote to consider the resolution.

 

Problem:

Unfortunately, the State Executive Committee often fails to achieve a quorum at its meetings.  Some Members drive as long as 12 hours (round trip) to attend a meeting of the State Executive Committee, only to find that their trip was wasted, because they cannot conduct business, even uncontroversial business, due to the lack of a quorum.  This discourages them from attending subsequent meetings, which increases the likelihood that those meetings, too, will fail to achieve a quorum.

The Plan of Organization requires only two meetings of the Executive Committee per year.  So when a meeting fails to get a quorum, the essential business of the Party may be neglected for a long time.

Solution:

The obvious cure is to reduce the quorum requirement.  However, the current quorum requirement of 25% is already quite low, and permits as few as 12.5%+1 Members to make decisions for the Party.  I don’t support reducing that even further.  Instead, I propose adding a “sub-quorum rule” to enable the Executive Committee to do non-controversial business when attendance falls short of a quorum, by requiring supermajority votes.  The version that I mailed to the State Executive Committee adds the following paragraph to section VI.C.3:

 

VI.C.3. Committee Meetings 

c. Sub-quorum.  If there is less than a full quorum (25%), but at least ˝ of a full quorum (12.5%), then the State Executive Committee may conduct business, but the number of Members by which the Committee falls short of a quorum shall be counted as “no” votes on all matters.

 

 

(continued on other side)

 

Proposed “sub-quorum rule” amendment to Article VI, Section C.3, cont’d

 

However, after consultation with several parliamentarians, I’ve revised the proposed sub-quorum amendment.  The intended meaning is the same, but the wording is more precise.  After introducing the amendment, I will ask for unanimous consent to change the wording to read as follows:

VI.C.3. Committee Meetings

a. The State Executive Committee shall meet at least twice per calendar year, upon call of the Chairman at such times as the State Chairman deems necessary, or upon petition of 1/3 of the Members of the Committee, after giving 15 days written notice to all Committee Members. Twenty Five Percent (25%) of the Members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Ex-officio members do not affect the quorum. There shall be no proxy voting.

b. All proposed resolutions to come before the Executive Committee shall be submitted at least one month in advance so that they can be distributed to the Executive Committee membership prior to its meeting. Notwithstanding the above, resolutions may be submitted on the day of the meeting, but only if, by a two-thirds majority, the members of the Executive Committee vote to consider the resolution.

c. Normal quorum.  The normal quorum for the transaction of business shall be Twenty Five Percent (25%) of the regular (non-ex-officio) Members.  Ex-officio members do not affect the quorum.

d. Sub-quorum.  Business may be transacted with fewer than 25% of regular Members present provided that: to be approved, main motions must have an affirmative vote that exceeds the maximum negative vote which would have been possible were 25% of the regular Members present.  That is, the number of regular Members by which the meeting is short of having 25% present shall be added to the actual negative vote, to produce the effective negative vote.

 

Advantages:

·         This change will have no effect at all on meetings which have a full 25% quorum.

·     This change will enable the State Executive Committee to conduct the essential business of the Party when short of a quorum.

·        Unlike simply reducing the quorum requirement, this change will not increase the risk that a small, unrepresentative faction could make decisions that most Members would consider unwise.

·       This change will greatly reduce the risk that Members from far away might drive great distances only to find that their trip was wasted because there isn’t a quorum.

·        The language of this amendment has been carefully crafted, and vetted by expert parliamentarians.

I urge you to support this change, for the good of the Party.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

David A. Burton

Member, NC Republican Executive Committee  (4th District / Wake County)

Tel: 919-481-0098    Cell: 919-244-3316  

 

http://www.burtonsys.com/revise_poo_v5.rtf

 

NORTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY

PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE PLAN OF ORGANIZATION

Article VIII, Section A

            (AMENDMENTS TO PLAN OF ORGANIZATION)

This section currently reads:

            VIII.A. AMENDMENTS TO PLAN OF ORGANIZATION

1. The Plan of Organization may be amended, not inconsistent with the Rules of the Republican National Committee, by majority vote of the delegates present and voting at any State Convention provided, however, that the proposed amendment was mailed to the membership of the State Executive Committee, elected at the preceding District Convention, at least thirty days prior to the convening of the State Convention.  This mailing requirement shall not apply to the Report of the duly appointed Plan of Organization Committee, which shall be noticed pursuant to Section VI.A.3.b of this Plan.   

 … 

3. Proposed amendments to the Plan not mailed to the State Executive Committee thirty days prior to the convening of the State Convention must receive a two-thirds vote of the delegates present and voting at any State Convention.

 

Problems:

·     The requirements specified in VIII.A.1 are impossible to meet in odd-numbered years, because some District Conventions which elect members of the State Executive Committee meet approximately 30 days prior to the State Convention (or, in some cases, even less than 30 days).

·      The requirement to make a 500-piece mailing is unduly burdensome.

·       Executive Committee members are the wrong recipients. Convention delegates are the right recipients, because they are the people who must vote on amendments to the Plan of Organization.

 

I propose the following revision, to correct these problems:

            VIII.A. AMENDMENTS TO PLAN OF ORGANIZATION

1. The Plan of Organization may be amended, not inconsistent with the Rules of the Republican National Committee, by majority vote of the delegates present and voting at any State Convention provided, however, that the proposed amendment was mailed to the membership of the State Executive Committee, elected at the preceding District Convention delivered to the North Carolina Republican Party State Chairman, for posting on the ncgop.org web site, and/or mailing or emailing to convention delegates, at least thirty days prior to the convening of the State Convention.  This mailing requirement shall not apply to the Report of the duly appointed Plan of Organization Committee, which shall be noticed pursuant to Section VI.A.3.b of this Plan.   

 … 

3. Proposed amendments to the Plan not mailed to the State Executive Committee delivered to the North Carolina Republican Party State Chairman thirty days prior to the convening of the State Convention must receive a two-thirds vote of the delegates present and voting at any State Convention.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

David A. Burton

Member, NC Republican Executive Committee  (4th District / Wake County)

Tel: 919-481-0098    Cell: 919-244-3316  

http://www.burtonsys.com/2-16-2008/