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BYLAWS OF THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF IOWA

BYLAW I:  DUTIES OF OFFICERS

    Section 1.  The Recorder shall be the Chief Assistant to the Chairperson, holding such executive powers as the Chairperson shall delegate, and shall perform such duties as are assigned to him or her by the Chairperson or the Executive Committee.  He or she shall attend all meetings of the Executive Committee and all Party Conventions, and shall act as Secretary thereof, keeping such records and minutes as necessary.  He or she shall make an annual report to the Executive Committee; which report shall contain all information required by the Executive Committee.  He or she shall perform or make provisions for the performance of any legal assistance the Party may require.

    Section 2.  The Treasurer shall receive all moneys paid to the Party, and shall deposit the same in such bank or banks as have been designated by the Executive Committee, and shall disburse said moneys upon order of the Executive Committee.  He or she shall make complete financial reports to the Executive and at least annual reports to the Membership.  He or she shall perform all duties required of his or her office by applicable federal and state law.

BYLAW II:  EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

    Section 1.  The Executive Committee shall meet at such times and places as may be determined by action of the Committee, by call of the Chairperson, or by the written request of one-third or more of the Members of the Executive Committee.  A written notice of the time and place of all meetings shall be mailed to each member of the Executive Committee not less than thirty days before said meeting.

    Section 2.  The Executive Committee may, without meeting together, transact business by mail, by voting on questions submitted to them by, or with the approval of, the Chairperson.  Fifteen days shall be allowed for the return of the votes cast, by mail, to the Recorder.

      If, at the expiration of the applicable period, the majority of the Executive Committee have not returned their votes, the measure being voted upon shall be deemed to have failed; in all other cases, a majority of the votes returned shall carry the measure, except where a higher vote is required by the Constitution.

      The Recorder must preserve all such votes until the next meeting of the Executive Committee, at which meeting the Executive Committee shall order the disposition of such votes.

    Section 3.  More than one-half of the Membership thereof shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the Executive Committee for the transaction of all business.

BYLAW III:  CONVENTIONS AND CAUCUSES

    Section 1.  The Chairpersons of the Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee and of the Platform Committee shall be the presiding officers of their respective committees.

    Section 2.  A majority vote of those of the Committee Members present is necessary for a "do-pass" recommendation, and in the case of the Platform Committee, a three-fourths majority must approve each specific Plank separately.

    Section 3.  The Committees shall report their recommendations to the floor of the Convention in accordance with the Party Rules.

    Section 4.  Two or more Members of the Platform Committee may join together to issue a minority report regarding any Plank to the floor of the Convention.  Two members of the Constitution, Bylaws and Rules Committee may join together to issue a minority report regarding their business.

    Section 5.  A Member must be present in Committee to vote.

    Section 6.  More than one-half of the Membership of each Committee shall constitute a quorum.

    Section 7.  General requirements and procedures for any Party election:

1. To be eligible for any Party office, a candidate must be a member of the Party and reside in Iowa.
2. Nominations may be made by nominating committee and/or from the delegates.
3. The names of all nominees, in the order nominated, will be clearly listed in front of the delegates.
4. All votes for Party office will be by secret ballot.
5. Two tellers to tally votes will be appointed by the Chairperson from among the delegates.
6. At the completion of each ballot, the tellers will place all ballots in a pile and clearly identify them (e.g., 1^st ballot for chair).  These ballots will be turned over to the Recorder at the end of all balloting for an office.  The Recorder will safeguard the ballots and make them available to any interested delegate at any time during the course of the Convention.   The ballots will be destroyed at the end of the Convention.
7. Any delegate who inspects the ballots and determines that a mistake has been made by the tellers, may bring the matter to the convention's attention at any time.  A delegate may move that a discussion of the discrepancy be placed on the convention's agenda and a simple majority vote of the delegates will be sufficient to pass the motion.
8. In any Party election, delegates always have the right to vote for "NOBODY", and if "NOBODY" wins a majority of the votes cast, the office will go unfilled.

    Section 8.  Procedures for election of Officers

1. Officers will be elected in the order of Chairperson, Recorder and Treasurer.
2. After nominations have been closed, each nominee for an office will have:
   1. 2 minutes for supporting nomination/seconding speeches
   2. 3 minutes for a personal speech
   3. 2 minutes to answer questions from the floor
3. The Chairperson will appoint a timer.
4. The procedure for speeches will be:
   1. All nominating/seconding speeches for all candidate will be given.
   2. Then all personal speeches will be given.
   3. Then each candidate will stand before the delegates for the two minutes of questions.
5. If, after a ballot, no candidate has attained a majority vote, all nominees who have received less than 10% of the total vote shall be struck from subsequent ballots.  If, after two ballots, no candidate has attained a majority vote, the candidate with the least votes shall be struck from the subsequent ballots; this procedure shall be repeated after each ballot in which no candidate has received a majority vote, until one candidate attains a majority.

    Section 9.  Procedures for election of the Executive Committee

1. Each nominee for the Executive Committee will have a total of three minutes at his or her disposal for nomination speeches, a personal speech or for answering questions.
2. After all nominees have had an opportunity to speak, delegates will vote by writing the name of each of eight nominees for whom he or she wishes to vote on the ballot provided.  A delegate may not vote more than once for any nominee on any single ballot.
            RIGHT TO VOTE FOR NOBODY: Since the Constitution allows the possibility of leaving four of the eight Executive committee seats vacant, a means must exist to allow delegates to show that they would rather have a particular vacancy on the Executive Committee go unfilled than to fill it with one of the available candidates.  If the delegate wants to vote for leaving one seat vacant, then one of his or her votes should be for "NOBODY 1.".  If he or she wishes to leave two seats vacant, then he or she should list six candidates plus "NOBODY 1" and "NOBODY 2".  This procedure would apply up to "NOBODY 4" if the delegate  should wish to leave four seats vacant.
3. The procedure the tellers will follow in vote tabulation is:
   1. Determine the total number of votes for each candidate (treating a vote for "NOBOBY 1", etc., just as they would a vote for any candidate).  Any candidate that does not get a vote on at least one-half of all ballots cast, is eliminated from contention on that ballot.  If more than eight candidates still remain, the eight with the highest total will be declared elected.
   2. If fewer than eight candidates receive a vote from at least one-half of all ballots cast, then those candidates who did receive the requisite number of votes are declared elected and a second ballot will be cast by the delegates choosing among the nominees not elected on the first ballot.
   3. Following the procedure in c. (1) above, the tellers will determine if the eight positions on the Executive Committee have been filled by people or "NOBODY" votes.  If they have not, then the person receiving the least number of votes in the second ballot will be eliminated and a third ballot will be taken.  This procedure will be followed until the eight seats of the Executive Committee have been filled by candidates or by "NOBODY" votes.

    Section 10.  Nomination of Candidates for Political Office

1. The order of offices for which candidates will be selected will be determined by the Executive Committee at a meeting prior to the Convention or Caucus.
2. A candidate for political office must be a member of the Party.
3. Candidates for office will be nominated from the floor.
4. After nominations are closed, each candidate will have a specified amount of time for nomination speeches and for a personal speech to the delegates.   The time limits will be set by the Executive Committee at a meeting prior to the Convention or Caucus.  The Chairperson will appoint a timer.
5. After all formal speeches, delegates will have an opportunity to make additional comments about candidates from the floor.  Time limits on this open discussion will be set by the Executive Committee at a meeting prior to the convention or caucus.
6. Voting will be done in accordance with the Constitution, Article IX.

    Section 11.  More than one-half of the delegates registered and in attendance shall constitute a quorum for convention business.

BYLAW IV:  FINANCES AND ACCOUNTING

    Section 1.  The fiscal year of the Party shall begin on the first day of July.

    Section 2.  The Executive Committee shall cause an efficient double entry system of accounts to be installed and maintained.

    Section 3.  All disbursements shall be made solely by check.

    Section 4.  The Executive Committee shall have the power to designate the depository of all funds of the Party, and shall appoint such officers and employees as in its judgment may seem advisable to deposit and withdraw funds from such depository.

    Section 5.  An Audit Committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee and an audit shall be conducted prior to each regularly held State Convention.

BYLAW V:  PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters of procedure not specifically covered in the Constitution, Bylaws or Rules of the Party.

BYLAW VI:  MEMBERSHIP FEES

    Fees for membership in the Party shall be set by the Executive Committee and amended from time to time as the Executive Committee deems necessary.

BYLAW VII:  DELEGATE ELECTIONS

    Section 1.  Only those persons whose application for membership to the Party has been postmarked at least one month prior to the first day of the Convention can be Convention delegates.  The Chair of the Credentials Committee will be in charge of informing Party Members of the requirements for becoming a delegate.  The Credentials Committee will determine which Party Members have gained delegate status and the Committee Chair will publish the names and counties of all delegates by the beginning of the first business session.

    Section 2.  Delegates to the (National) Libertarian Party Convention shall include the Chairperson and the Recorder, if these officers so desire.  Other Delegates and Alternate Delegates shall be elected in the same manner as nomination of candidates.

    Section 3.  Delegates to a Caucus of Eligible Electors shall be limited to those who possess all of the qualifications necessary to entitle him or her to be registered to vote in Iowa.  The only additional limitation will be by rules set by the Executive Committee to allow the widest and fullest Libertarian representation at the Caucus.  The Executive Committee shall use the Elections Laws of Iowa, especially 44.1, as guidance in these limitations.

Adopted at the first Regular Convention of the Party on April 19, 1975

As amended by Conventions date July 10, 1976; April 16, 17, 1977; January 29, 1978; June 23, 1979; April 3, 1982; and by the Executive Committee on July 31, 1977.

Libertarian Party of Iowa dissolved in 1985.

Libertarian Party of Iowa re-established in 1987.

Constitution and By-Laws adopted on April 26, 1987.

Carl E. Olsen, Secretary
Libertarian Party of Iowa
June 1, 1996