Mission

1. Name and Definition

1.1 The Greens of Virginia/Green Party of Virginia (also referred to as the GPVA) is an autonomous, independent political party.

1.2 The GPVA shares kinship, common goals and values with other Green Parties and Green organizations in the U.S.A. and throughout the world through our common adherence to the Ten Key Values.

2. Ten Key Values

2.1 The Ten Key Values of the Greens in the U.S.A are:

• Ecological Wisdom
• Social Justice
• Grassroots Democracy
• Nonviolence
• Decentralization
• Community-Based Economics
• Feminism
• Respect for Diversity
• Personal and Global Responsibility
• Future Focus/Sustainability

3. Purpose

3.1 Promote throughout Virginia the Ten Key Values of The Greens.

3.2 Publicize purpose and issue position statements.

3.3 Encourage the development of Green Locals.

3.4 Serve as a networking structure so that the Green Locals in Virginia can better communicate, share ideas and experiences, and provide mutual support and fellowship.

3.5 Coordinate joint activities among GPVA Locals.

3.6 Nominate Green candidates for office, and support these candidates with contributions of money and labor.

3.7 Occasionally endorse independent candidates.

3.8 Work to end the two-party duopoly in Virginia and the nation.

3.9 Seek to establish and maintain legal party status in Virginia.

3.10 Seek to establish a multi-party system based on citizen participation.

4. Political Practices

4.1 The GPVA is accountable to its Green locals and members thereof.

4.2 The GPVA may designate spokespersons in addition to the Co-Chairs and the Press Secretary.

4.3 Chairs, officers, delegates and other representatives of the GPVA shall be recallable at any meeting of the GPVA, by consensus or three-quarters vote.

4.4 Chairs, officers, delegates, and representatives will be rotated regularly. An attempt will be made to include new members in these positions.

4.5 Representatives and delegates of the GPVA may express personal opinions, but must act and vote within the guidelines agreed on by the GPVA.

4.6 The GPVA is committed to encouraging participation by all Virginia residents but in particular members of those groups which tend to be underrepresented: women, racial and
economic minorities, and minorities of sexual orientation.

4.7 Significant minority opinions within the GPVA will be recorded in the minutes and communicated to other national and regional Green organizations as appropriate.

4.8 Access to Meetings and Records

4.8.1 Meetings and records of finances and membership of the GPVA shall be open to attendance or inspection by any member of the GPVA except:

4.8.1.1 members who have been expelled or suspended by a Green Local or by GPVA itself;

4.8.1.2 members who have been barred from GPVA meetings;

4.8.2 GPVA meetings may be closed to non-members on a majority vote.

4.9 A full range of nonviolent strategies and tactics shall be considered permissible and desirable in pursuing Green social change, such as rallies, demonstrations, boycotts, citizens' initiatives, civil disobedience, direct action, building alternative institutions, and/or electoral politics

5. Other Green Organizations

5.1 The GPVA may join or affiliate itself with regional, national, global, etc. Green organizations which share the values of the GPVA.

5.2 The GPVA may choose to send delegates to these organizations.

5.3 Delegates should represent the policy of the GPVA to the extent possible.

5.4 Delegates, where possible, should seek explicit direction previous to representation.

5.5 GPVA agrees to endorse and support only those national candidates selected by the Green Party nominating convention, if such candidates exist. Other decisions and rules of other organizations with which GPVA is affiliated or a member of will in no way be considered binding upon the Green Party of Virginia.

Members

6. Locals of the Green Party of Virginia

6.1 Definition

6.1.1 A Local is a group of three or more Virginia residents who meet together on some regular basis to advance the Ten Key Values.

6.1.2 Locals shall be defined geographically.

6.1.3 Locals may accept members as they wish, consistent with their own rules.

6.1.4 For the purposes of representation in the Green Party of Virginia, a person can claim membership in only one Local at any given time.

6.1.5 An unaffiliated, at-large local called the Greens of Virginia is available for membership by those Greens in Virginia who are not members of an affiliated local. Membership in the At-Large Greens is restricted to those who do not have an affiliated local whose municipal center lies within a one hour drive from their place of residence, as determined by a standard Global Positioning System mapping application. At large members who are within an hour's drive of an affiliated local, but who do not believe the local is a good fit for them, may apply to the co-chairs for an exception. Such exceptions are considered a major decision and will be granted by a majority vote at any state business meeting or by the Leadership Council. Exceptions must be reviewed annually. At-large members are expected to work towards establishing a local in their area if one does not exist. .

6.2 Affiliation

6.2.1 Locals may request affiliation with the Green Party of Virginia by sending at least one representative to a meeting of the GPVA and affirming their commitment to the Ten Key Values.

6.2.2 Requests for affiliation will be considered according to the standard decision-making process of the GPVA.

6.2.3 As a requirement for affiliation, each local shall designate the following officers:

6.2.3.1 a Treasurer, responsible for all financial transactions

6.2.3.2 a Representative to the Interim Committee.

6.2.4 Such designees may, but need not necessarily, be the same person.

6.2.5 As a requirement for affiliation, each local shall prepare a set of written bylaws.

6.2.6 Affiliated locals are referred to herein as "Green Locals."

6.2.7 Affiliated locals may participate in state party decisions in accordance with and subject to the restrictions of other relevant paragraphs herein.

6.3 Disaffiliation

6.3.1 The GPVA may suspend affiliation of a Green local for valid reasons by a three-fifths vote of the GPVA membership at a business meeting.

6.3.2 Valid reasons include but are not limited to:

6.3.2.1 actions in contradiction to the Ten Key Values.

6.3.2.2 concerted efforts to undermine the stated purposes of the GPVA.

6.3.2.3 failure to attend GPVA meetings or otherwise participate in GPVA activities for over a year.

6.3.3 Members of the affected local may submit a motion to override the suspension decision at the next GPVA business meeting at which quorum is satisfied, supplying evidence and/or arguments, but may not vote on this or any other matter.

6.3.4 If the local's motion to override passes according to the rules for a Major Decision, the affiliation suspension is revoked. Otherwise disaffiliation is permanent.

6.4 Local Contacts

6.4.1 Each Green Local must choose a Local Contact for the GPVA.

6.4.2 The Local Contact will be responsible for bringing information from their local to GPVA meetings and for bringing information from those meetings back to their local.

6.4.3 The Local Contact will be responsible for ensuring that their local has a democratic and timely procedure for reviewing GPVA decisions. The Local Contact will communicate this decision to a Chair.

6.4.4 The Local Contact must ensure that the Co-Chairs have up to date information on how to reach the Local Contact.

7. Membership

7.1 Eligibility

7.1.1 Membership in GPVA is open to all members of GPVA locals in Virginia and/or anyone holding membership in the GPVA At-Large local, except for officers, official spokespersons, candidate and central committee members of other competing political parties.

7.1.2 For purposes of enforcing 7.1.1, GPVA shall determine which political parties are competing.

7.1.3 The GPVA welcomes and embraces all members regardless of age, race, color, gender, spiritual belief, physical challenge, sexual orientation or national origin.

7.1.4 Members who are at least 18 years of age shall pay dues annually at an amount set by a vote of the Leadership Council as a major decision. Members unable to pay the set amount may elect to pay any lesser amount at their sole discretion for reasons including local dues. The amount paid by any member is confidential and shall not be disclosed without the member's express authorization.

7.2 Membership Standards

7.2.1 Members of GPVA are expected to:

7.2.1.1 uphold the Ten Key Values

7.2.1.2 be honest and forthright in all dealings

7.2.1.3 act scrupulously in handling state and local party funds.

7.2.2 Members of GPVA are proscribed from engaging in the following activities:

7.2.2.1 committing GPVA to actions, endorsements, and other policy positions outside that body's decision-making process;

7.2.2.2 misrepresenting the decisions or policies of the party or its officers;

7.2.2.3 financial irregularities with party funds;

7.2.2.4 acting to subvert the Green Party or its values, for example:

• advocacy or practice of racial, sexual, national or religious oppression;
• advocacy or practice of violent political actions;
• acting as a strike-breaker, agent provocateur, or government or corporate informer; or

7.2.2.5 acting to willfully disrupt the freedom of speech, press or assembly of any member or members of GPVA; or

7.2.2.6 infringing the First Amendment rights of others by disrupting party meetings or personally attacking other members in Green Party forums; or

7.2.2.7 acting contrary to the principles of grassroots democracy.

7.2.3 Members shall be considered Fully Participating provided that:

7.2.3.1 the member has logged in to the GPVA website within the past 12 months and reviewed, updated, and confirmed their personal and contact information, and

7.2.3.2 the member has paid annual dues in accordance with 7.1.4.

7.3 Membership Review Process

7.3.1 GPVA may reprimand, bar from meetings, suspend, expel or otherwise sanction members who behave in a manner inconsistent with its membership standards as defined in 7.2 above.

7.3.2 Charges of violation of the above membership standards may be made by any member or members.

7.3.3 Such charges must be forwarded in writing to one of the Co-Chairs of the GPVA who will confer together. If either or both Co-Chairs believe that the charges are warranted, or if half the affiliated locals agree with the charges, then the matter shall be placed on the agenda of the next scheduled GPVA meeting.

7.3.4 All members charged with violations of membership standards shall have the right to rebut the charges.

7.3.5 The burden of proof shall be on those making the charges. After hearing testimony from the accusers and the accused, including the presentation of evidence and/or witnesses by both sides, the membership shall vote to impose sanctions on the accused by a two-thirds vote.

7.3.6 Members who have been sanctioned by the party may have their rights restored if:

7.3.6.1 the sanctions imposed by a Local are revoked by the Local, or

7.3.6.2 the sanctions imposed by GPVA are revoked by GPVA, or

7.3.6.3 the sanctions expire, or

7.3.6.4 the GPVA Leadership Council votes to lift the sanctions.

7.4 Voting Rights

7.4.1 A fully participating member of GPVA is entitled to participate in discussions, nominate officers and committee members, join in consensus, and block consensus on major or minor decisions at business and general meetings; such members may also vote on minor decisions at business meetings. At-large members who wish to exercise voting rights within the first year of joining the party shall be vetted by one of the co-chairs. Full participation shall not be a requirement for voting in primary elections or other general elections, or in any polls of the general membership.

7.4.2 Affiliated locals of the GPVA that currently have at least three fully participating GPVA members in accordance with Para. 7.2.3 may cast one vote on all major decisions at state party meetings and in the Leadership Council through their representative or designated alternate. The representative or designated alternate of the local shall be named to GPVA co-chairs prior to the meeting by the local's co-chair or Interim Commitee representative. The At-Large Local may cast one vote on major decisions at state party meetings by being polled by the facilitator and their majority decision, if any, recorded as a single vote.

7.4.3 Affiliated locals that have not submitted, either to the co-chairs or in a written report to the state party, confirmation of a business meeting of the local held within the previous 365 days and attended by at least three local members in good standing shall not vote on major decisions during state business meetings, or on the Leadership Council, and shall not be counted toward the threshold of Para 9.2 for purposes of overturning state party decisions or the threshold of Para 10.2 for quorum.

Decision Making

8. Scope of Decisions

8.1 Decisions of the Green Party of Virginia shall be divided into minor and major decisions.

8.2 Minor decisions are process, scheduling, and communication decisions such as scheduling GPVA meetings and informal networking.

8.3 Major decisions include, but are not limited to:

8.3.1 organizational structure

8.3.2 platform ratification

8.3.3 candidate nomination or endorsement at the state level

8.3.4 formally joining coalitions

8.3.5 financial matters of the GPVA

8.3.6 bylaw changes

8.3.7 election of state party officers and state and national committee members

9. Local Review

9.1 Major decisions may be reviewed by Green Locals.

9.2 Major decisions will stand unless opposed by 25% or more of Green Locals before the next meeting of the GPVA which occurs 31 or more days after receipt of the minutes concerning the decision.

9.3 Minor decisions cannot be overturned by Green locals.

10. Meetings and Decision Making

10.1 Local Representation

10.1.1 Each Local, through an inclusive democratic process, shall designate a Local Representative to serve as its member of the Leadership Council and as its principal point of contact with the state party.

10.1.2 The Local shall provide the names and contact information of the Local Representative and Alternates to GPVA Officers along with a copy or reference to published meeting minutes at which such representation was designated.

10.1.3 Notice of changes in representation shall be submitted to the party within 31 days of the change so that the party can publish the change in a timely manner.

10.1.4 The names and contact information of the Local Representative and Alternates shall be published to the GPVA website in a timely manner after they are received and validated by GPVA officers.

10.1.5 The GPVA strongly encourages its locals to promote gender balance and diversity in the selection of its Local Representative and Alternates.

10.2 Quorum

10.2.1 Quorum consists of:

10.2.1.1 At least one of the Chairs or the Treasurer, and

10.2.1.2 The Leadership Council member or certified alternate from each of 50% or more of the affiliated locals.

10.2.2 For the purpose of quorum counting at state party meetings, the At Large Greens are considered an affiliated local, no member may represent more than one local, and officers and local representatives may be the same person.

10.2.3 Locals which have no Local Representative or Alternate present and have not sent representatives to either of the two preceding business meetings of the GPVA will not be counted for purposes of the 50% quorum requirement.

10.3 Major Decisions

10.3.1 Major decisions shall be made by consensus of those GPVA members present or, if consensus cannot be achieved, by a vote of three-fifths of the members of the Leadership Council present, unless the Bylaws specify a different approval threshold for the decision at hand, and provided quorum has been established. Alternate local representatives may vote on behalf of their local's Leadership Council member provided the alternate is certified in writing to the Co-Chairs by their local's Leadership Council member prior to the start of the meeting. Officers may not designate alternates, and no person present shall have more than one vote. At-large members present at state meetings may vote in accordance with Para. 7.4.2, and are treated as a single member pro tem of the Leadership Council while the meeting is in session.

10.3.2 Decisions of Green Locals will be considered in the process but do not directly affect consensus or voting.

10.4 Minor Decisions

10.4.1 Minor decisions shall be made by consensus of those GPVA members present, or if consensus cannot be achieved, a simple majority of voting members present for approval.

10.5 Conduct

10.5.1 Participants in meetings of the GPVA are expected to treat each other with gentleness and consideration.

10.5.2 Persons who violate this standard may be asked to remain silent and/or leave the meeting.

10.6 Scheduling

10.6.1 The Chairs will call at least one in-person business meeting each year, and at least one in-person meeting of the general membership each year that includes party-building activities such as seminars or noted speakers. These meetings may be scheduled consecutively on the same day if they are in the same location. The Chairs will call at least one additional business meeting each year, and more as needed. Such additional meetings should be conducted by teleconference when there is not a compelling reason for an in-person meeting

10.6.2 The Chairs of the GPVA may call an unscheduled meeting of the GPVA with the concurrence of a majority of the GPVA Local Contacts and GPVA officers. A good-faith effort must be made to publicize this meeting to all GPVA members.

10.6.3 A future meeting date or continuance of a meeting may be set at any meeting of the GPVA with the concurrence of a majority of the Local Representatives and GPVA officers, and will be publicized to the Contact Person for each local.

10.7 Meeting Agenda

10.7.1 The agenda and any proposals to be presented at a GPVA meeting must be distributed to the Local Contacts at least 31 days prior to the meeting.

10.7.2 Items which have not been distributed 31 days prior to the meeting may be placed on the agenda by consensus or a majority vote of the Local Representatives and GPVA officers.

10.7.3 Bylaw amendments added to the agenda at the meeting will be placed on the agenda for discussion only.

11. Candidate Nomination and Endorsement Policy

11.1 The GPVA may nominate or endorse candidates for local, regional, state, and national offices.

11.2 The word "nomination" will be used when the candidate will be publicly identified with the GPVA. The word "endorsement" will be used in all other cases.

11.3 A nomination/endorsement may occur at any official business meeting of the GPVA.

11.4 Any nomination/endorsement will be subject to the usual process of review by the locals, unless the proposed nomination or endorsement was specified on an announcement distributed to all affiliated locals at least one month prior to the GPVA business meeting.

11.5 A candidate may be proposed for nomination/endorsement by any member of the GPVA or affiliated local.

11.6 No candidate will be nominated or endorsed by the GPVA if the nomination or endorsement is opposed by all of the Green Locals in the candidate's electoral district.

11.7 It is highly encouraged that candidates who wish to be considered for nomination:

11.7.1 Be an active member of an affiliated local.

11.7.2 Seek the nomination of all locals within their district, and then seek the GPVA nomination.

11.7.3 Attend, or send a letter to, the GPVA meeting at which their nomination will be considered.

11.8 Candidates who accept a GPVA nomination for office will be considered official Green candidates. As such, they should:

11.8.1 be a member of a Green organization.

11.8.2 embrace the platform of the GPVA.

11.8.3 identify themselves as "Green candidates."

11.9 The GPVA may endorse other candidates who support the Ten Key Values and who generally endorse the GPVA State Platform, provided there is no Green Party - endorsed or nominated candidate in the race.

11.10 Locals engaged in electoral activity will be responsible for choosing to nominate or endorse candidates whose districts lie within their general area.

11.11 If in a given area there is no local engaged in electoral activity, prospective Green candidates from that area may request nomination by the GPVA.

11.12 If in a given electoral district, there are multiple candidates for a given office or if at least one but not all of the Green Locals in the district oppose a candidate, then a democratic process open to all GPVA members in that district will be used to nominate a single candidate or to not nominate any candidate. If the Locals in that district cannot agree on a democratic process in a timely fashion, then the Co-Chairs of the GPVA will conduct a ballot of GPVA members in that district.

11.13 The GPVA will utilize all legal means to prevent self-description as Green or Green Party candidates by persons who have not been approved through the process described above.

12. Amendments to the By-Laws

12.1 Proposals for Amendments to these By-laws must be published to the GPVA membership 31 days prior to the next state meeting.

13. Platform and Platform Committee

13.1 Structure and Organization of the Platform

13.1.1 The GPVA Platform shall be organized by the Four Pillars, with general headings under the most appropriate Pillar, and specific planks organized by subheadings under each heading.

13.1.2 Each plank shall be titled by its subheading. Below the title/subheading, each plank shall have a Short Statement, typically one or two sentences, concisely summarizing the plank.

13.1.3 Each plank shall have an Executive Summary, which may be a bulleted or numbered list, providing concise statements of each point within the plank.

13.1.4 Each plank shall have a Detailed Discussion, providing all appropriate rationales for the plank.

13.1.5 Each plank shall have a list of Resources following the detailed discussion. The resources, either documentary or electronic, should be such as support the rationales for the plank.

13.1.6 The platform shall be published on the GPVA website, formatted to facilitate both browsing of the plank statements and, by means of expanding sections, the summary, discussion, and references. The General Secretary shall be responsible for keeping the web page current.

13.2 Structure of the Platform Committee

13.2.1 The GPVA General Secretary shall be the convener of the Platform Committee.

13.2.2 Any GPVA member in good standing who is endorsed by their local may become a member of the Platform Committee.

13.2.3 The Platform Committee shall have two co-chairs, who shall be elected by and from among the committee membership for a term of one-year. No member shall serve more than two consecutive full-term appointments as co-chair.

13.3 Platform Committee procedures

13.3.1 At the beginning of autumn, the Platform Committee will establish a procedure for review by the committee of the current platform, for the purpose of identifying those planks that may need revision, and to determine if new planks are needed.

13.3.2 One week following the first Tuesday in November, the Platform Committee will issue a call to the general membership for platform proposals. This call will be accompanied by a form, or a link to a form, for the use of members to facilitate preparation of proposals in the correct format, in accordance with 13.4.

13.3.3 The Platform Commitee will work with those making proposals to help them with preparation of a properly formatted proposal, and with editing for clarity, unity, etc.

13.3.4 The Platform Committee may request that submitters work together to combine proposals that are similar or competing.

13.3.5 Platform proposals may be submitted to the Platform Committee at any time. The Platform Committee shall endeavor to process each proposal in a timely manner.

13.3.6 Once the Platform Committee has determined, either by consensus or by majority vote, that a proposal meets the criteria of Para. 13.4, the proposal shall be forwarded to the GPVA co-chairs to be placed on the business agenda of a regular or interim business meeting. Adoption of a platform proposal is a major decision under the bylaws.

13.3.7 The Platform Committee may, on its own authority, make minor housekeeping changes to the Platform. These include correction of typos, grammatical errors, correction of dates or other neutral factual information, and so on. Such changes shall be detailed in the Platform Committee's report to the next business meeting, and are subject to approval by the membership.

13.3.8 It is the responsibility of the Platform Committee co-chairs to ensure that these procedures and all business of the committee are accomplished in a timely manner.

13.4 Platform Proposal Requirements.

13.4.1 Platform proposals must be submitted using the paper or online form specified by the Platform Committee in its most recent call for proposals.

13.4.2 Platform proposals must be limited to a single plank, or, if a revision of existing planks, must be limited to a changes corresponding to a single issue. Proposals affecting more than one narrowly construed issue should be split into separate proposals. The Platform Committee shall determine in each instance whether a proposal is too broad, and notify the proposing members of the requirement to split the proposal.

13.4.3 Proposals must have the formal endorsement of two locals, or be endorsed in writing by at least five GPVA members in good standing.

13.4.4 Proposals must be grammatical and well organized, use neutral, factual language, and must be specific. The Platform Committee will assist members making a proposal in meeting this requirement.

13.4.5 Proposals for minor, housekeeping edits to existing planks should be made informally to the Platform Committee, who will handle the edits in accordance with Para. 13.3.7.

13.4.6 Proposals may not duplicate existing planks in whole or in part, and may not contradict existing planks unless the proposal is specifically to amend the existing plank in such a way that the amended plank will not itself stand in contradiction to any other part of the platform.

13.4.7 A proposal to delete a plank without replacement should be made directly to the membership through the GPVA co-chairs, and not to the Platform Committee.

13.4.8 Any proposal meeting these requirements shall be accepted by the Platform Committee, and processed in accordance with Para 13.3.

Officers

14. Officers

14.1 Qualifications

14.1.1 The Green Party of Virginia shall establish the following positions ("Officers"): two equal positions of Chair, not both of which shall be filled by male or female at the same time, unless there are insufficient candidates; a Treasurer; a Press Secretary; a General Secretary ("Secretary-Archivist"); and a Webmaster."

14.1.2 Each Officer shall be an active member of the GPVA.

14.1.3 The Officers shall be elected as follows:

14.1.3.1 Officer elections are to be held at the first business meeting of each calendar year except in extentuating circumstances or lack of quorum.

14.1.3.2 In even-numbered years elections shall be held for one Co-Chair, the Press Secretary, and the General Secretary. In odd-numbered years elections shall be held for one Co-Chair, the Treasurer, and the Webmaster.

14.1.3.3 Terms of office end on the date of the meeting at which a new election for the office is prescribed by Para. 14.1.3.1. Offices for which scheduled elections are not held at the prescribed meeting are vacant. (Cf. Para 14.1.5.).

14.1.3.4 The Co-Chairs shall be eligible to serve no more than two terms consecutively.

14.1.3.5 No one may serve as an officer of the GPVA after 25 October 2021 who has not been a fully participating GPVA member in accordance with Para. 7.2.3 for at least 12 months or for the period of their membership.

14.1.4 Election of officers will take place by Ranked Choice Voting, and is considered a major decision under Section 10, "Meetings and Decision Making." Current officers may not vote in any officer election in which they are also a candidate.

14.1.5 Unscheduled officer vacancies may be filled by a Ranked Choice Vote of the Leadership Council at a regular GPVA business meeting or in an interim meeting. Announcement of the vacancy and a request for nominations must be made at least 28 days prior to the regular or interim meeting at which an election will take place. Elections conducted by an interim meeting of the Leadership Council will be subject to ratification at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the GPVA for which quorum has been established, by a simple majority vote of the Leadership Council members present.

14.1.6 An officer may be recalled for dereliciton, malfeasance, conduct in violation of the Four Pillars and 10 Key Values, or any conduct likely to cause harm to the Green Party of Virginia. A recall vote will be held whenever more than 50% of the locals announce, through their local representative, that a recall vote is needed. An officer will be considered recalled, effective immediately, when more than 2/3rds of the local representatives of all currently active locals vote in favor of recall at any regular meeting of the GPVA, or at an interim meeting called for the purpose of recall.

14.2 Duties

14.2.1 The duties of the Chairs shall be as follows:

14.2.1.1 Act as contacts and spokespersons for the GPVA.

14.2.1.2 Schedule and publicize GPVA meetings. Arrangements for in person meetings shall be coordinated with the hosting local where appropriate.

14.2.1.3 Coordinate setting of the agenda for GPVA business meetings.

14.2.1.4 Arrange for facilitation of GPVA business meetings.

14.2.1.5 Record the minutes of GPVA business meetings, distribute a draft version on the GPVA business listserv, and publish it on the GPVA website within two weeks of the meeting. The minutes shall record:

14.2.1.5.1 the date and location of the meeting;

14.2.1.5.2 those in attendance and their local affiliation, except that the name of anyone who so requests will be redacted from the record, with a notation of the total number so redacted;

14.2.1.5.3 whether quorum was met;

14.2.1.5.4 the selection of meeting officers;

14.2.1.5.5 the meeting agenda as agreed to by the members in attendance;

14.2.1.5.6 officer and other reports, except that any report not directly pertaining to the state party shall be published as an addendum to the minutes;

14.2.1.5.7 proposals considered and their disposition, along with the vote tally, if any;

14.2.1.5.8 the date, time and location of the next meeting, if known.

14.2.1.6 Certify acceptance or rejection of proposals adopted at GPVA business meetings by Green Locals, and notify the locals of the results.

14.2.1.7 Maintain a list of all current members, contact persons and alternates for all Virginia Green locals.

14.2.1.8 Other duties as specified by the GPVA.

14.2.2 The duties of the Treasurer shall be as follows:

14.2.2.1 Receive and disburse all funds of the GPVA and maintain records of all such transactions.

14.2.2.2 Present a report at each business meeting covering the current financial status of the GPVA and other such information as requested.

14.2.2.3 Reimburse the Chair(s) for appropriate expenses incurred in the performance of their duties (i.e. phone, postage, etc.).

14.2.2.4 File financial reports as required or requested by the GPVA and law.

14.2.2.5 Present the annual budget for approval by GPVA no later than the beginning of the calendar year to which the budget applies.

14.2.3 The duties of the Press Secretary shall be as follows:

14.2.3.1 See that all activities and events of the GPVA receive the maximum amount of favorable publicity that is possible.

14.2.3.2 Assist the Locals in seeing that all of their activities and events receive the maximum amount of favorable publicity that is possible.

14.2.3.3 Maintain a database of publications and other media for use in publicizing GPVA activities and events.

14.2.3.4 Act as spokesperson for the GPVA, in the same manner as the Chairs.

14.2.3.5 Distribute and follow up all press releases of the GPVA.

14.2.3.6 Maintain a record of all known media coverage of the GPVA.

14.2.3.7 The Press Secretary shall follow all written guidelines of the GPVA.

14.2.4 The duties of the General Secretary shall be as follows:

14.2.4.1 Manage the production and online publication of official internal party documents with the use of consistent and professional styles and links. These documents include but are not limited to:

• Agendas and minutes of all regular and interim meetings, including the members of the Leadership Council present, the substance of any discussions, the nature of any decisions made, and any elections held and their results;
• The party bylaws, including the current and previous iterations with a timeline record of all changes;
• The party platform, highlighting recent updates;
• The rules and procedures governing standing committees;
• Dated reports from officers, committees, and locals;

14.2.4.2 Maintain a current database of all current and past members and officers, including:

• The name, phone number, email address, physical address, electoral districts, and GPVA Local affiliation; the date of membership; volunteer and/or donation status; and contact preferences of each registered member of the GPVA;
• The roster of past and current officers with their date of election and term of office, and appropriate contact information.
• A list of affiliated locals and their past and current Local Representatives, with appropriate geographical and contact information.
• A list of GPVA committees, including a membership list, the past and present conveners with appropriate contact information, and with links to their rules, minutes, and reports.
• The roster of current GPVA members on GPUS committees, with their date of election/appointment and term of service.

14.2.4.3 Conduct votes and elections by the Leadership Council at regular and interim meetings, in accordance with procedures designated by our bylaws, and announce and record the results.

14.2.4.4 Coordinate the production of a GPVA newsletter (electronic or print as appropriate) at least annually but as often as practical for distribution to the general membership, summarizing all GPVA activity and highlighting news of interest to members.

14.2.4.5 Maintain a party history, including the dates of general meetings and their activities, participation in public events, media clippings about the party or its members, and other data of historical interest. The data archive should include records in any appropriate format, including text, photographs, recordings, and so on.

14.2.5 The duties of the Webmaster shall be as follows:

14.2.5.1 Develop and maintain the GPVA website and other internet services, and manage all associated information technology infrastructure, including:

• domain names, IP addresses, and ICANN records;
• server purchasing/leasing and maintenance;
• software acquisition, installation, and updating;
• database integration and maintenance;
• appropriate user roles and permissions for other GPVA members;
• and information security including strong passwords, strong encryption where warranted, and redundant and ongoing data backups.

14.2.5.2 Optimize our website and other internet services in accordance with current technology and best practices, and advise the membership regarding changes in technology that impact the party's effectiveness or online reach.

14.2.5.3 Facilitate the posting and updating of documents and other data by the General Secretary and other designated officers and representatives of the GPVA.

14.2.5.4 Serve as convener of the Information Technology Committee.

Committees

15. Legally Required Committees

15.1 As required by local, state, or federal law, the GPVA will create committees and/or organizations that comply with any and all necessary legal requirements for ballot access, elections, fund-raising, voter registration, etc.

15.2 These committees and/or organizations will always remain subject to decision making articles of this document, but may be allowed limited autonomy as specified by the GPVA.

16. Central Committee

16.1 Definition

In order to comply with state law, the GPVA shall establish a Central Committee.

16.2 Composition

16.2.1 Each member of the Central Committee must be a member of the GPVA, must be a registered voter, and shall not be a member of another political party.

16.2.2 The Central Committee shall consist of one member from each of the eleven Congressional districts and two at-large members.

16.2.3 The GPVA Co-Chairs shall assume the at-large seats, unless not lawfully qualified to serve, in which case they shall appoint qualified replacements.

16.2.4 The Party Chair shall be a GPVA Co-Chair and shall be affirmed in this role by the Leadership Council.

16.2.5 The Party Secretary shall be the other GPVA Co-Chair.

16.2.6 The District seats shall be recruited by the GPVA Co-Chairs and affirmed by the Leadership Council, unless selected in an inclusive, democratic process by the GPVA members of the district.

16.2.7 Alternates for the District seats shall be recruited by the GPVA Co-Chairs and affirmed by the Leadership Council, unless selected in an inclusive, democratic process by the GPVA members of the district.

16.2.8 If a member leaves the Central Committee, the alternate shall assume the seat.

16.2.9 Each District member of the Central Committee shall serve for a term of one year or until a successor has been affirmed by the Leadership Council.

16.2.10 The terms of the At Large seats shall be concurrent with the terms of the GPVA Co-Chairs.

16.3 Responsibilities

16.3.1 The GPVA Co-Chair designated as Party Chair shall, in a timely fashion, certify the nominations that have been approved according to GPVA bylaws.

16.3.2 Central Committee members shall inform the GPVA Co-Chairs of any changes of their address, legal name, congressional district or voter registration, or of their resignation from the committee.

16.3.3 The GPVA Co-Chairs shall ensure that all Central Committee seats are filled at all times.

16.3.4 The GPVA Co-Chairs shall communicate any changes in the composition of the Central Committee to the State Board of Elections in a timely fashion.

16.3.5 The Central Committee shall have no decision making power.

16.3.6 The Central Committee shall receive direction in any legally required decisions from the GPVA at a business meeting, from the Leadership Council, or from the GPVA Officers within the limits of their duties as defined in the GPVA bylaws.

17. Leadership Council

17.1 Definition

The GPVA shall have a Leadership Council, accountable to the GPVA and responsible for GPVA major decisions in accordance with Para. 10.3.

17.2 Composition

17.2.1 The members of the Leadership Council shall consist of the officers whose office is prescribed in these bylaws, and the Local Representative of each affiliated local.

17.2.2 The Leadership Council shall be convened by one of the Co-Chairs any time there is business that, in the opinion of both Co-Chairs, requires its attention in accordance with Para 17.3, or upon request by at least 50% of Local Representatives. Meetings that are not in-person or teleconference meetings scheduled in accordance with Para's 10.6 and 10.7 shall be called "interim meetings." Interim meetings shall be conducted using a designated email list-serve.

17.2.3 If the Co-Chairs fail to convene an interim meeting of the Leadership Council within three days of a request by 50% or more of Local Representatives, the requesting Local Representatives may, by consensus, designate any member of the Leadership Council as the convener pro tem, to serve for the duration of the requested meeting.

17.2.4 All procedures of the Leadership Council, including transcripts of list-serve emails, shall be open and available to any member of the GPVA. Interim meetings of the Leadership Council shall be announced to the general membership at the time they are convened, including the reason, the business to be conducted, and the decisions to be made. Input from all GPVA members to interim meetings shall be encouraged. Local Representatives are responsible for the timely reporting to the Leadership Council of the input of their local's members, and the Co-Chairs are responsible for conveying the input of at-large members, or of any member who brings input to their attention..

17.3 Responsibilities

17.3.1 The convenor shall facilitate discussions of the Leadership Council.

17.3.2 The convenor shall certify and record any decisions made by the Leadership Council.

17.3.3 The convenor shall make reports to the meetings of the GPVA.

17.3.4 The Leadership Council shall conduct the day-to-day business of the GPVA.

17.3.5 The Leadership Council shall make decisions on any matters which cannot reasonably be put off until the next meeting of the GPVA.

17.3.6 The Leadership Council shall issue statements on behalf of the GPVA concerning current events.

17.3.7 The Leadership Council shall hire and oversee the activities of all staff of the GPVA.

17.4 Decision Making

17.4.1 Quorum for interim meetings of the Leadership Council shall be established in accordance with Para 10.2.

17.4.2 The Leadership Council shall strive for consensus in all of its decisions. When consensus cannot be achieved, decisions shall be made in accordance with Para's 10.3 and 10.4.

17.4.3 Interim meetings of the Leadership Council will be facilitated by the convener. A period of not less than 5 full days, excluding Sundays and public holidays, shall be permitted for discussion of any major decision, and a voting period of not less than 72 hours, excluding Sundays and public holidays, shall be designated for any major decision.

17.4.4 All decisions of the Leadership Council not taken at a meeting of the GPVA that has been scheduled in accordance with Para's 10.6 and 10.7 must be confirmed and may be subject to revision at the next regularly-scheduled meeting.

18. Standing Committees

18.1 Establishment

18.1.1 The party membership may elect to establish Standing Committees as it may from time to time deem necessary to conduct party business.

18.1.2 Existing committees shall function until such time as they are dissolved.

18.1.3 Establishment of a committee shall be considered a major party decision.

18.2 Dissolution

18.2.1 The party membership may elect to dissolve a Standing Committee whose purpose has been accomplished or whose function is no longer needed.

18.2.2 Dissolution of a committee shall be considered a major party decision.

18.3 Records

18.3.1 The rules and archives of all GPVA standing committees shall be publicly accessible.