Thursday, March 12, 2009

Regional Stability

Problem: Sometimes regional realignment is forced by a region falling just a few members short of the number required, leading to constantly shifting regions.

Solution: Allow a small margin so that regional associations can be more stable.


ARTICLE 8: NATIONAL COMMITTEE

2. The National Committee shall be composed of the following members:
       c. any additional members as specified below:
Any affiliate party with 10% or more of the total national party sustaining membership within affiliate parties (as determined for delegate allocation) shall be entitled to one National Committee representative and one alternate for each 10% of national sustaining membership. Affiliate parties may, by mutual consent, band together to form "representative regions," and each such "region" with an aggregate national party sustaining membership of 10% or more shall be entitled to one National Committee representative and one alternate for each 10% of national party sustaining membership. Any existing region whose total membership is less than the threshold for new region formation may nevertheless persist as a region unchanged in affiliate composition provided the shortfall does not exceed 0.5% of national sustaining membership. "Representative regions" may be formed or dissolved once every two years during a period beginning 90 days before the beginning of and ending on the second day of the National Convention, and notice of new formations or dissolutions must be given in writing to the national Secretary prior to the close of the Convention at which they take place.

3 comments:

The Mudslinger said...

Holdover from Denver.

Too wordy, and can be simplified:

"Any existing region whose total national sustaining membership is 0.5% less than the threshold for new region formation may nevertheless persist as a region unchanged in affiliate composition."

Dan Karlan said...

This is certainly an improvement, and the Bylaws Committee will consider this when we next meet. Thank you for your contribution.

Dan Karlan
Bylaws Committee Chair

The Mudslinger said...

Actually, I lost context there. It should have read,

"Any existing region whose total national sustaining membership is 0.5% or less under the threshold for new region formation may nevertheless persist as a region unchanged in affiliate composition."

The other way didn't make any sense as I had suggested it, which would have made it a persistence only if the number was exact, not ranged.