June 25, 2023

Green Party US – Steering Committee Meeting Agenda
Date: Sunday, June 25, Time: 8:00 pm ET

AGENDA

Observers are asked to remain muted and refrain from using the chat function. If someone wishes to speak to an agenda item, please respond to this address, above

I. Setup and Background
A. Facilitator: Darryl! Moch

B. Steering Committee Roll Call:
Craig Cayetano (co-chair – present
Margaret Elisabeth (co-chair) – present; joined call during first item of business
Darryl! Moch (co-chair – present
Alfred Molison (co-chair) – present; joined call during first item of business
Joseph Naham (co-chair) – present
Tony Ndege (co-chair) – present
Tamar Yager (co-chair) – present
Holly Hart (secretary) – present
Bob Stuller treasurer) – present; joined call during first item of business

Observers: Theron Gilliland, Jr., PA; Starlene Rankin, WA; Scott Laugenour, WA; Cassandra Lems, NY; Sandy Przybylak, NY; Gloria Mattera, NY

Establish Quorum (9 current members, quorum is 5)
7 (eventually 9) present, quorum met.

Approve Agenda (changes require majority, new items require ⅔)
Tamar asked to include Liaisons; agreed by consensus to include under reports.
Tamar asked to include discussion of possible meeting facilitators, and to add a Staff Report under reports. Liaison discussion was not taken up on the call.

II. New Business
A. CCC request for SC to appoint women members to fill open positions (CCC Co-chair Scott Laugenour will be available to answer questions, if needed). See Addendum A.
—
CCC co-chair Scott Laugenour reported that his approach was to vet the candidates against the committee’s membership criteria and report that to the SC. There was no internal CCC vote to recommend. CCC members are chosen by the NC through election or appointed by the SC. Appointments will run through next regular elections.

Margaret Elisabeth joined the call.

Tony asked if the potential members had received approval/support from their respective state parties or caucuses.

Alfred Molison joined the call. Bob Stuller joined the call.

Joseph asked what CCC members thought. Scott reported several had raised concerns about one of the applicants: about communication with candidates; about recent public speculations about the Green Party of Texas. He stated that the candidates’ email list (groups.io) is highly moderated. Some concern that both potential members have expressed limited time.

Tony proposed in the chat that this be taken up online. Darryl! recommended we take it up and perhaps speak with potential members about their availability.

Straw Poll: VOTE NOW (6) or DISCUSS FURTHER ONLINE (3)
Moch – online
Yager – vote now
Cayetano – vote now
Naham – vote now
Elisabeth – vote now
Hart – online
Ndege – online
Mollison – vote now
Stuller – vote now

However, an alternative was proposed:

ROPOSAL by Tony: to DISCUSS FURTHER ONLINE and VOTE AT NEXT MEETING
CONSENSUS, Tamar standing aside. This will be taken up online and placed on the next call agenda for a vote.

B. Funding request for upgrade to Pair server and cost justification. Margaret – explained technical aspects of the reason for the upgrade, and the ongoing denial of service attack. The upgraded server will resolve some/much of this problem. Tamar reported that at the staff meeting, Pair automatically upgraded us because they had to; they had to reboot too many times. Not sure the degree of upgrade, but Pair has been very reasonable. Cost is now $421/mo.

Holly asked if there was a greater degree of upgrade that would resolve the problem, and if so, what that would cost. Margaret replied that would not be available from Pair, but there is a service that can address this.

Alfred asked if mirroring exists and if that would help? Margaret explained that would not.

Darryl! ask that the treasurer note the changes (will be slightly over budget) to the line items in the budget.

C. Funding request from Missouri Green Party for $5000 toward Ballot Access petitioning effort. Tony reported that funding was approved last year. Their requirement is 10,000 approved signatures, they are aiming for 15-16,000 raw signatures. The effort would be more achievable now than in 2021-22, when no funds were approved; MOGP came close then, but did not make it. BAC approved the request by Consensus. MD, MO and NV are the three largest states that can achieve ballot access this year. Morale is also important, funding now would be a help. PROPOSAL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vdTUhg6iURvL8TnyRZ9TJGToBkEDT7v9/view

APPROVED, consensus
Tamar and Holly standing aside, noting that this is budgeted but unsure whether we have the funds. Bob reports funds are tight; would like to see more discussion of fundraising before we get further into the election cycle. Holly stated this would be a good expenditure, but if had been aware of funds might have suggested a lesser amount.

Tamar suggested the amount be disbursed incrementally, so they show they have spent a certain amount before more funds are disbursed, and we see how fundraising is going. Holly, Craig and Alfred supported this idea. Joseph noted that MOGP has stated they will return any unspent funds for other ballot access effort.

Margaret asked if other states are in line for funding requests.

PROPOSAL: To Approve $5000 in two increments of 50%. First $2500 ($15/hour for approx. 166 hour of work). Second portion would be disbursed pending MOGP report on how funds were spent.
APPROVED, consensus

D. Funding request from Media Committee to upgrade Streamyard subscription from the free version to Pro. This was included in the 2023 budget. Cost is $39/mo; estimated at or possibly discounted $468/yr. https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1mOpeBSTBPndwDeNYg_No_b-4HxqabFHZ

APPROVED, consensus

III. Standing Business –
A. Follow-up on Action Items —
1. Google 1 Subscription – done. Holly reported the subscription will allow us 2T storage space at $99/year, with another discount the first month.

B. Recap of Listserv Decisions
1. Donor list to Seattle candidate. Holly asked for a clear decision. Tamar stated that donor intent is important and our policy stipulates that donor lists are only given to state parties where the donors reside. Further, if we do this for one, we would have to do it for all, and that would involve a policy change in our Donors Bill of Rights. Logistics are also complicated. Tamar and Darryl! suggested sending out an eBlast on behalf of the candidate. Margaret said they would recuse themselves, as one of the candidates who would be affected. Margaret noted that the CCC has a process for candidates to apply for funds; one of their questions is for candidates to share their lists with GPUS, but there is no promise or offer for GPUS to share with the applicant. Presidential nominee will get the GPUS donor list (spelled out in policy) contingent on their sharing their list with GPUS. Noted the potential for misuse, and perception of unfairness.

Craig asked if an extra checkbox could be added to eBlasts allowing donors could agree to have their info shared with state parties.

Tony proposed offering to send a feature about the WA candidates to the national list. Darryl! recommends establishing this as a process for candidates who would like to engage and to be vetted by the CCC. Holly noted that we’ve already done this, but likes reinforcing this practice.

Result: Response is that we are not able to do that given the way our policy handles door intent and privacy. However, refer to CCC to see what opportunities may be available. GPUS donor list will not be shared.

2. Global Greens Conference in South Korea, mini palm cards – Austin Bashore, IC Co-chair. A member of the Fundraising Committee donated $400 to IC or YES for that purpose. Reported and PAID

IV. Reports
A. Staff Reports
Tamar reported that they discussed the Pair server. Finance Committee approved getting credit cards for staff, they can have a low credit limit with ability for small purchases.

B. Reports
a. Treasurer (Bob)
Finance committee had a very useful meeting. Bob will be added to the bank account, without taking anyone off for the moment. The Secretary will draft a letter to the bank stating what the line-up would be.

Bob will be calling on people with skills at creating the kind of financial reports we have been using.

There was a discussion of errant laptop and recovery of funds. No news.

b. Secretary (Holly)

Created basic instructions for Zoom meeting set-up, hosting and recording.
Met with CredCom Members to show where to find info; they have received a timeline.
Will issue call for more CredCom Members this coming week.
Will issue call online to the SC and then NC for Forum Managers this coming week.
Will seek transfer of relevant Google Folders – FundCom, FinCom, Media – may mean having to
remove and re-create.

C. Liaison Priorities – Daryll!
Darryl! mentioned ideas for Committee updates to SC; Liaisons to state parties; Overview of committee co-chairs’ “quarterly calls”

Margaret pointed out the liaison system is in the bylaws, although not entirely fleshed out. We should sort out and update, as needed. Darryl! mention that committees could do quarterly reporting at SC calls. Tamar suggested that the SC stick with the current system for 3 months, then discuss and see what and how to change, as needed. Remaining vacancies will be taken up online in the next 48 hours.

V. Voting Queue
A. In the Queue — None

B Received for Queue — Proposal to Amend Rules Procedures Article X: Recognition of Declared Candidates for President
Sponsor: Mountain Party of West Virginia
Proposal may be viewed here and in Addendum C: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eLs6lUJa9kvKWCWmACp9y2-4IGAHKFxbQyOIZyH5uzA/edit?usp=sharing

Discussion of Findings:is73
Margaret read through the proposal and bylaws and presented three findings. They explained the SC Review process, SC Rules 6-5. SC needs to review; if needed ask sponsors to fix issues and re-submit. A proposal has to be clear in what it asks the NC to decide.

Finding 1: in the first paragraph to be replaced (10-1.2) the phrase “provided the other party is neither one of the two major parties nor another right-wing party.

This is unclear, how is a party determined to be right-wing? Who makes the determination on the NC whether or not a party is right-wing?

This finding can be resolved by explaining the criterion which makes a party right-wing and how that would be determined.

Finding 2: paragraph to be replaced (10-1.9) removes PNC Delegate section. There’s no clear reason why this is being removed – this section is regarding POTUS candidates and that they are officially recognized regardless of how many PNC Delegates a candidate has.

This finding can be resolved by retaining 10-1.9

Finding 3: Addition of paragraph 10-2.3 is unclear. Since the PNC and presidential debates take place during the election year, this paragraph is moot.

This finding can be resolved by removing the paragraph or changing the time frame which this is applicable.

Discussion:
Darry did not have findings, but he had concerns for the discussion period in understanding the rationale for changes, such as the amount of money needs to be raised – why the increase.

Tamar asked when this would take effect. Does the PCSC wait until this passes or fails? Do we use the current plan?

Tony disagreed with Margaret’s first two findings, not clear.

Holly stated that the PCSC is already behind. Some have recommended this be taken up for the subsequent election cycle. Here is no need for an NC vote to stick with current policy, but a change would require NC, so the proposal would need to happen fast.

Craig stated that the PCSC has been working on this for awhile, with various drafts. This is ready to go for this election cycle. Recommended working with wording during discussion phase. Would add that delegates need to be allocated properly and adhere to the process.

VOTE on FINDINGS
Tony had blocking concerns that #1 and #2 are not findings, or unclear; not sure about #3.

Finding #1
Moch – yes
Yager – no
Cayetano – yes
Naham – yes
Elisabeth – yes
Hart – yes
Ndege – no
Mollison – yes
Stuller – no
SUSTAINED, 6Y, 3N

Finding #2
Moch – yes
Yager – abstain
Cayetano – yes
Naham – yes
Elisabeth – yes
Hart – yes
Ndege – no
Mollison -yes
Stuller – yes
SUSTAINED, 7Y, 1N, 1 Abstain

Finding #3
Moch – yes
Yager – yes
Cayetano – yes
Naham – yes
Elisabeth – yes
Hart – yes
Ndege – no, doesn’t understand the finding
Mollison – yes
Stuller – yes
SUSTAINED, 8Y, 1N

All 3 findings will be sent back to Mt Party of WVA to respond and resubmit as they deem fit. If they make these changes and re-submit, the proposal will automatically pass. If it’s returned by the next SC meeting, the SC can choose to expedite sending it to the voting queue. PCSC will need to decide how to manage in the meantime.

VI. Old Business
A. Request to process YES funds to pay for AirBnB for member at Global Greens conference. –Darryl! reported documentation and email from YES authorizing expenditure and can go ahead and take care of the payment.

VII. Executive Session
A. Personnel: Staff benefits question; Job description – Tamar

DIScussion of whether we need to move back to Peoplekeep now or whether that can wait until the first of the coming year. Discussion of number of staff holidays; originally 12, had been increased to 15 by an SC member without the knowledge of the rest. Margaret believed this should not be discussed in executive session. Darryl! proposed we go with the 15 holidays. AGREED, consensus

MEETING ADJOURNED AT 10:45 PM ET

==================~~~~~~~~~++++++++++================

ADDENDUM A
A. Scott Laugenour
Co-Chair, Coordinated Campaign Committee
June 25, 2023

To: GPUS Steering Committee
GPUS National Committee

From: GPUS Coordinated Campaign Committee (CCC)

With reference to our May 23, 2023 letter to the SC and to my appearance before the SC on June 11, 2023:

The Coordinated Campaign Committee has vetted four women as it sought one or two new members, whose appointments to the CCC by the Steering Committee would correct the committee’s current gender imbalance.

Two of the women were not interested in being appointed, although they did meet the criteria we had suggested:
Laura Wells (CA)
Robin Harris (FL)

The other two of the four women were interested, and they satisfied the criteria we had suggested:
Kamilah Harris (CA / National Black Caucus)
Nancy Wallace (MD / National Women’s Caucus)

I request that these two women – Kamilah Harris and Nancy Wallace – be appointed by the Steering Committee to serve as voting members on the Coordinated Campaign Committee until the next round of regular elections to the CCC has concluded. These elections are scheduled to be called in November 2023 following federal elections.

The criteria under which the CCC vetted the four potential appointees was:

– Election experience
– Likelihood to run for re-election when the regular elections are called
– Probability of obtaining support for that election from the respective state party or caucus

I have made myself available to be on the Zoom call for the June 25 meeting in case there are any questions that the Steering Committee wishes to ask me.

Respectfully,

Scott Laugenour
Co-Chair, GPUS Coordinated Campaign Committee

======================================================

ADDENDUM B
Dear National Green Party Steering Committee, Friday, June 9, 2023
C/O Alfred Molison, Craig Cayetano, Darryl! Moch, Joseph Naham, Tamar Yager, Margaret Elisabeth, Tony Ndege, Bob Stuller, and Holly Hart
The City of Seattle has the opportunity to make extensive change this election season as about half of the positions on our municipal legislature, the City Council, will be open and in need of strong, action-oriented human beings to step in and step up. I was born and raised in Seattle as a third-generation union worker and plan to bring our city into the future with an innovative policy platform informed by my Masters in International Relations and input from the local community.

I am reaching out personally because we need your help in making it into the General Election and if we can get the appropriate fundraising we can actually have a path toward victory.
Our campaign already has a core staff of 13 people now (2/3 volunteer) and over $29,000 in pending funds from Democracy Vouchers, and a platform of action fighting for issues like rent control, universal shelter, universal healthcare, and a Green New Deal for one of the richest and most inequitable cities in the country. The people of our city want to see change and are tired of the same people holding onto power and disregarding help for the houseless and rights for the working-class. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. We are the change we want to see in the world, and we need your help to make that happen.

We are up against strong moderate opposition in this race with other candidates actively being supported by the Mayor’s Office and conservative Councilmember Nelson. These candidates have made six-figure incomes in the non-profit industrial complex and millions in Big Maryjuana. They are stuck in old bureaucratic thinking instead of a policy agenda for the next century.
We need to raise $50,000 this month in order to be considered viable in this odd-year election and the Primary is coming up swiftly on August 1. We have a chance in this race, and if allowed to reach out to the Green Party’s National contacts could fundraise effectively and keep Seattle as progressive as we can and aligned with the 4 Pillars and 10 Key Values. Our ask is to allow fellow Greens in Leadership, Lisa Canar and Starlene Rankin to be able to call and email any donors of the Green Party who have given more than $100 in the past 10 years and ask for a donation.

We need your help to change Seattle. Can we count on your support? Yours in solidarity,
Ry Armstrong / Candidate for Seattle City Council District 3 / www.ry4seattle.com

=======================================================================
ADDENDUM C
Proposal to Amend Rules Procedures Article X: Recognition of Declared Candidates for President

Lead Sponsor: West Virginia Mountain Party
Co-Sponsors: TBA

Timeline/Type: 2 week discussion period, followed by 1 week voting period. 2/3 approval threshold.

Background: The Presidential Campaign Support Committee (PCSC) is tasked with facilitating the recognition process to assist GPUS, state parties, and media in determining which presidential candidates have adequately met the requirements for recognition, affording attention and support during the primary.

Previously adopted criteria were intended to set the pace for the Green Primary and establish minimum criteria for candidate success. The criteria for recognition in Rules and Procedures Article X were last revised on May 26, 2019. Based upon the observations of the process in 2020, the Green Party affiliate of West Virginia and its supporting co-sponsors are proposing revised metrics for a more attentive recognition process through a revision to Article X. The primary purposes of the revisions are to make the recognition criteria clearer, to make administration of the process more straightforward, and to protect the integrity of the Green Party.

Key improvements included in this revision:

– Acknowledging the Green Party’s commitment to supporting a viable presidential campaign with its fundraising criteria, with a qualifying threshold of $5,000 for one state (where no more than $250 per donor may count towards this threshold). Alternatively, a candidate is permitted to qualify through the small-donor route, with 250 individual donors each contributing at least $10, for a total raised amount of at least $2,500. Self-funded contributions are excluded from the metric, and no more than $250 per donor will count toward the metric.

– Amending the support criteria, requiring candidates to collect 250 verified signatures. In addition, candidates must develop and submit a nationwide ballot access plan.

– Assuring GPUS highlights only recognized candidates during the primary process, including those candidates who meet a new “provisional recognition” category, in which candidates who have met at least 50% of the financial requirement are eligible to participate in GPUS forums. Further, provisional status will expire January 1 of the election year, ensuring that only fully recognized candidates will be highlighted by GPUS in the election year.

– Clarifying the criteria for candidates’ websites, stating explicitly in the rules that social media does not fulfill the website requirement.

– Clarifying the affiliation criteria, allowing for dual affiliation with other progressive parties. In 2020, there was much confusion on this due to the lack of clarity in the rules, despite there being a precedent for the practice.

– Confirming the National Committee’s authority to rescind recognition, otherwise limited to the PCSC.

– Encouraging state parties and GPUS caucuses to adopt the criteria used by GPUS for their state’s own presidential primary procedures.

Finally, subsections 10-1.8 and 10-1.9, “Participation in State Primary Processes” and “PNC Delegates” respectively, will be omitted from the rules, as the subsections provide no quantitative or qualitative metrics applicable to Article X.

In summary, the revised Article X modestly raises the bar for presidential recognition, aiming to improve the presidential primary process while also establishing an inclusive, new provisional recognition system. This will clarify for candidates (and their supporters) the level of commitment necessary to launch a serious presidential campaign and help candidates plan ahead to meet necessary benchmarks toward GPUS recognition.

Proposal:

Article 10 of the GPUS Rules and Procedures shall be amended as follows:
No change to the title of article 10; no change to the heading of 10-1; no change to paragraph 10-1.1:

ARTICLE X RECOGNITION OF DECLARED CANDIDATES FOR THE GREEN PARTY NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT

Section 10-1 Assessment Metrics

The campaign of individuals running for the Green Party nomination for President will be assessed by the Presidential Campaign Support Committee (PCSC) using the following criteria:

10-1.1 Candidate Questionnaire: Candidate has submitted a completed Candidate Questionnaire as provided by the PCSC.

– – – – – – – – – –

Paragraph 10-1.2 which currently reads:

Shall be replaced with paragraph 10-1.2, which shall read:

10-1.2 Party Affiliation: Candidate is not a registrant or otherwise a party member of any state or national level political party in the individual’s primary state of residence except for a state party that is affiliated with GPUS or a party forming for the intent of GPUS affiliation in a state where there is no GPUS-affiliated state party. Notwithstanding and consistent with precedent, an exception shall be made for dual membership with a GPUS-affiliated party and another progressive party that shares Green values, provided the other party is neither one of the two major parties nor another right-wing party. Additionally, dual membership shall be void if the party permits its candidate or political action committees to accept funding from corporations.

– – – – – – – – – –

Paragraph 10-1.3 which currently reads:

10-1.3 Ballot Lines: Candidate has pledged in writing to the PCSC to appear on all offered statewide Green Party ballot lines.

Shall be replaced with paragraph 10-1.3, which shall read:

10-1.3 Ballot Lines: Candidate has pledged in writing to the PCSC to appear on all offered statewide Green Party ballot lines. Candidate has also submitted a nationwide ballot access plan demonstrating the campaign’s plans to appear on statewide Green Party ballot lines.

– – – – – – – – – –

Paragraph 10-1.4 which currently reads:

10-1.4 Website: Candidate has a dedicated website to promote the candidate’s candidacy, where the website is publicly accessible via a provided URL, is controlled by the candidate, is not shared with another campaign, clearly identifies that the candidate is running for the Green Party nomination, and has an online donation capability. Social media pages do not satisfy this requirement.

Shall be replaced with paragraph 10-1.4, which shall read:

– – – – – – – – – –

Paragraph 10-1.5 which currently reads:
10-1.5 Signatures of Support: Candidate has collected at least 100 signatures of support from Green Party members acquired via an online signature submission form provided by the PCSC. The PCSC, assisted by state party officers, shall be responsible for verifying that at least 100 of the submitted signatures are valid signatures of Green Party members. Of the 100 verified signatures, no more than 50 may be counted from any one state, and signatures must come from at least five state parties.

Shall be replaced with paragraph 10-1.5, which shall read:

10-1.5 Signatures of Support: Candidate has collected at least 250 signatures of support from Green Party members acquired via an online signature submission form provided by the PCSC. The PCSC, assisted by state party officers, shall be responsible for verifying that at least 250 of the submitted signatures are valid signatures of Green Party members. Of the 250 verified signatures, no more than 125 may be counted from any one state, and signatures must come from at least ten state parties.

– – – – – – – – – –

No change to paragraph 10-1.6 which currently reads:

10-1.6 FEC Filing: Candidate has established a federal campaign committee for the current presidential campaign, as recognized in public listings of the Federal Elections Commission (FEC).

– – – – – – – – – –

Paragraph 10-1.7 which currently reads:

10-1.7 Fundraising: Candidate has demonstrated fundraising success consistent with running a viable national campaign by either (1) raising at least $5,000 where no more than $250 from any individual donor may count towards this threshold and least $300 must have been raised from at least five states, or at least $100 from at least ten states OR (2) having received donations of at least $10 each from at least 100 individual donors. This metric shall be verified through campaign finance reports filed with the FEC and posted on the FEC’s web site.

Shall be replaced by paragraph 10-1.7, which shall read:

10-1.7 Fundraising: Candidate has demonstrated fundraising success consistent with running a viable national campaign by either (1) raising at least $5,000 from any one state where no more than $250 from any individual donor may count towards this threshold OR (2) having received donations of at least $10 each from at least 250 individual donors. This metric shall exclude self-funded candidate contributions. This metric shall be verified through campaign finance reports filed with the FEC and posted on the FEC’s website.

– – – – – – – – – –

Paragraph 10-1.8 which currently reads:

10-1.8 Participation in State Primary Processes: Candidate participation in state primary processes shall be assessed by the number of states in which the candidate appears on the state government’s Green Party primary ballot or is included by name in the state party-run presidential preference caucus, convention, or online voting process. No minimum criteria is required for official recognition.

Shall be replaced paragraph 10-1.8, which shall read:

10-1.8 State Party Primaries: State Green Parties and GPUS Caucuses are highly encouraged to adopt the criteria in this Article X for official candidate recognition for their own presidential primary procedures. State parties are highly encouraged to place on their primary, caucus, or convention ballots only the names of those candidates who are officially recognized by GPUS.

– – – – – – – – – –
Paragraph 10-1.9 which currently reads:

10-1.9 PNC Delegates: This metric consists of the number of committed Presidential Nominating Convention (PNC) delegates awarded to the candidate so far based on data obtained by the PCSC in collaboration with other Green Party committees. No minimum criteria is required for official recognition.

Shall be removed entirely.

– – – – – – – – – –

No change to the heading of 10-2 nor to paragraph 10-2.1:

Section 10-2 Recognition Process

10-2.1 Granting Recognition: When a candidate feels that they have met the minimum criteria for metrics specified in Section 10-1, they must submit an application for recognition on a form provided by the PCSC. Once the PCSC confirms that the requirements of Section 10-1 have indeed been met, the PCSC will designate that candidate as “recognized”.

– – – – – – – – – –

Paragraph 10-2.2 which currently reads:

10-2.2 Rescinding Recognition: Once a candidate has been extended official recognition, such recognition may be rescinded by a proposal specifying cause and acted upon per the standard policies and procedures of the Presidential Campaign Support Committee, with a 2/3 vote of the committee. Grounds for rescinding recognition include a finding of significant fraud or misrepresentation in the application for recognition or a determination that the candidate is no longer seeking the nomination.

Shall be replaced by paragraph 10-2.2, which shall read:

– – – – – – – – – –

Paragraph 10-2.3 shall be added to read:

10-2.3. Provisional Recognition: During the year prior to the general election year, candidates who meet 50 percent of the financial requirement as well as completely meet all other criteria shall be granted provisional GPUS recognition and be allowed to participate in GPUS presidential forums and debates. Provisional recognition shall expire January 1 of the election year. Any candidate that fails to meet recognition requirements by this time will no longer be recognized by GPUS. The PCSC will maintain the status and publication of candidates with expired provisional recognition.

– – – – – – – – – –

Heading of 10-3 which currently reads:

Section 10-3 Access to Data and Resources

Shall be replaced with heading 10-3, which shall read:

Section 10-3 Access

– – – – – – – – – –

Paragraph 10-3.1 which currently reads:

10-3.1 Public Access: As part of its publicly-available information pages the PCSC shall include, as a minimum, the assessment metrics identified in Section 10-1 above for all candidates which the PCSC determines are actively seeking official recognition or which have already achieved official recognition. The PCSC shall also provide public access to the PCSC questionnaire submitted by each candidate.

Shall be replaced by paragraph 10-3.1, which shall read:

10-3.1 Public Access: The PCSC shall publish these requirements on its publicly available webpages. It shall also publish the status of officially recognized and provisionally recognized candidates, as well as these candidates’ PCSC questionnaires. The PCSC shall not publish the status or questionnaires of unrecognized candidates.

– – – – – – – – – –

Paragraph 10-3.2 which currently reads:

Shall be replaced by paragraph 10-3.2, which shall read:

10-3.2 Candidate Access: Candidates who are officially recognized shall, through use of fair, equitable and published procedures, be eligible for special campaign assistance offered at the discretion of the GPUS, which may include special postings on GPUS websites, use of GPUS contact lists, or special visibility on GPUS communication channels. GPUS shall not publish, on any of its websites, social media platforms, or other communications channels, including on the PCSC’s webpages, any news, features, positions, events, or other media of any presidential candidate who is not officially or provisionally recognized by GPUS.

– – – – – – – – – –

Paragraph 10-3.3 shall be added to read:

10-3.3 Candidate Forums: GPUS is not required to invite presidential candidates to any candidates’ forums, debates, panels, or other candidate events at its Annual National Meetings and other gatherings. During the general election year, should GPUS, its caucuses, or its committees hold a public forum or gathering to which it invites Green presidential candidates to speak, only officially recognized presidential candidates shall be invited to participate. During the year prior to the general election year, should GPUS, its caucuses, or its committees hold a public forum or gathering to which it invites Green presidential candidates to speak, only officially recognized and provisionally recognized candidates shall be invited to participate. State Green Parties are encouraged to adopt these requirements when inviting candidates to forums, panels, or other candidate events.

– – – – – – – – – –

No change to section 10-4 which currently reads:

Section 10-4 Vice-President

10-4.1 As per Section 5-11 of the GPUS Convention Rules, nomination of Vice-Presidential candidate to the Convention is made by the Presidential Nominee and the Convention votes on whether to affirm that individual. Therefore there is no official Green Party pre-convention ‘race’ or ‘contest’ for the Vice-Presidential nomination, nor shall recognition by the Presidential Campaign Support Committee or GPUS be considered or given to any individual claiming to seek the Vice-Presidential nomination.

IMPLEMENTATION/RESOURCES: The PCSC will promptly update its external and internal documents and tools used to gather and track candidates seeking recognition based on these metrics. In addition, the GPUS webmaster will update the GPUS Rules and offer their assistance to the PCSC in publishing and posting these changes elsewhere.

CONTACTS: Robert Smith, West Virginia Delegate & PCSC Member for West Virginia; Denise Binion, West Virginia Chair: contact@mountainpartywv.net

REFERENCES: Existing Article 10 as approved by National Committee on 5/26/2019: https://gpus.org/rules-procedures/#10

Changes to Article 10 with Strikethrough and Underline formatting: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17MGV5qx2KzQ3R2xu0RoceAzI-ZXVkl4sFQkq9f8tNCI/edit?usp=sharing

Green Party US – Steering Committee Meeting Agenda Date: Sunday, June 25, Time: 8:00 pm ET

AGENDA

Green Party US – Steering Committee Meeting Agenda
Date: Sunday, June 25, Time: 8:00 pm ET