April Newsletter - #txlege, Annual State Meeting & more

April is here and the #txLege session has just over a month to go (Sine Die May 26). A couple weeks later will be our Annual State Meeting in Corpus (June 10-11).

Our work with the Texans for Electoral Competition coalition is going well, but we still need you to contact your Legislators and voice your opinions.

HB 25 will come to a floor vote soon, and HB3068 – our Texas Voter Choice Act – needs a hearing, please contact your State Representative asap to express your support for this bill, and why you want them to end the one-punch straight-ticket voting option that has maintained an unfair barrier to ballot retention for new and non-primary political parties, like us.

We are still in need of volunteers to help get all the legislative information we have from research and lobby efforts up onto our website. In Austin we could use more help with direct efforts at the capitol. If either is something you can do, let us know by email or txt 210-471-1791. This last month will be quick!

Coming up in June at our Annual State Meeting (ASM) in Corpus Christi, we will be considering bylaw and platform amendments for state and national party bylaws and platforms, electing our National Committee delegates, and a portion of the State Executive Committee (co-chair, secretary, and two at-large).

These people serve the party in these ways (generally):

NC: present proposals, participate in discussions, confer with outgoing NC members for historical references, vote on proposals before the body, update State Executive Committee and membership on conference calls (standing SEC agenda item).

SEC: per bylaws make decisions for the party between ASMs and State Conventions, in reality people who end up doing all the unpaid work of maintaining the state party infrastructure.

If you want something changed or added to the state bylaws, or the state or national platforms, amendments must be submitted by April 26. We do not make changes during election years so this is your chance (or wait until 2019). Preference is given to amendments brought forward by affiliated county parties.

Your local party has to elect delegates by May 15, 2017 and report them to the state secretary by midnight that day.

The bylaws for the county should include instructions on the selection of delegates, if they do not, the group gathered to nominate delegates must first decide how the selection will be done. If there is not consensus, a ⅔ vote (abstentions do not count toward result) is required. Approval Voting (Article II, Section 4) is the approved voting method for the Green Party of Texas.

For those who do not have an affiliated party, you must email the state party secretary by midnight May 15, 2017 with your intent to attend as a delegate from an unaffiliated county.

If you have been unable to participate in your local party because of personality or policy, you can submit grievances by May 1, via email to SEC At-Large member Mary Gourdoux, and we advise you to attend the meeting where delegates will be selected. If you are unable to get this information, include as much information as possible as to your attempts at contact with your local.

Thank you for your participation in helping to build an electoral party for the 99%!

Green Party of Texas
http://www.txgreens.org/