Name Last modified Size DescriptionThese 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 OrganizationThese 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 WMDsThis 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 resolutionThis 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)
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)
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/