A.  Name and Affiliation.

    The name of this organization shall be the Shawnee Green Party.It is affiliated with both the Illinois Green Party and the Green Party of the United States.

B.  Purpose.

    The purpose of the Shawnee Green Party is to promote, in Southern Illinois, the Ten Key Values of the Greens, as defined in the Platform of the Illinois Green Party [see Appendix].The Ten Key Values are Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Grassroots Democracy, Nonviolence, Decentralization, Community-Based Economics, Feminism, Respect for Diversity, Personal and Global Responsibility, and Future Focus.
 

A.  Members. 

    The Shawnee Green Party shall be composed of individual members who reside in the Southern Illinois counties of Jackson, Perry, Union, and Williamson.

B. Meetings.
    The Membership shall meet at least monthly. A membership meeting shall not be empowered to take action unless all members in good standing have seven days’ prior notice of the meeting.

C.  Application.
    Individuals wishing to become members must submit an application to the Membership Chairperson, including an affirmation of commitment to the Ten Key Values.

D.  Dues.
    1.All members must pay dues or request a dues waiver based on need.
    2.The amount of dues shall be established by the Coordinating Committee (Article IV).
    3.Members who have paid current dues or received a dues waiver as certified by the Treasurer are members-in-good-standing.

E.  Privileges of Membership.
    All members-in-good-standing may participate in decision-making provided they have been a member-in-good-standing for at least three months after their admission, have paid current dues or received a dues waiver, and have attended at least one regular business meeting.

F.  Removal.
    1. Any member can be removed from the organization by a vote of four of the five members of the Coordinating Committee (Sec. IV.B), or by a 3/4
majority in a secret ballot vote of the members at a regularly scheduled Membership meeting.

    2.  The member affected shall have the right to hear the charges against them, the right to be heard and to present evidence, and the right to confront witnesses
against them.

    3.  A member may only be removed for a clearly defined cause based on the stated values of the organization.

    4. If a member is removed by the Coordinating Committee, the member can appeal that removal to a Membership meeting.
 

A. Election.
    The officers shall be elected by the Membership at a meeting in the first quarter of each odd-numbered year   

B. Officers and Their Duties.
    1. A Chairperson, who will (1) plan — in collaboration with the Secretary — an agenda in advance of each meeting, (2) appoint a Facilitator for each meeting, (3) be the organization’s primary spokesperson for authorized communication with the general public, and (4) be responsible for maintaining the basic functioning of the organization and seeing that its decisions are carried out.

    2. A Secretary, who will (1) plan — in collaboration with the Chairperson — an agenda in advance of each meeting, (2) keep minutes of meetings and disseminate them to the Membership, (3) publicize Party meetings and events, and (4) act as the Shawnee Green Party’s official correspondent and maintain its United States Post Office box and e-mail box.

    3.  A Treasurer, who will (1) collect membership dues, (2) maintain the Party’s checking account, (3) issue monthly financial statements detailing income and disbursements, and (4) file financial forms as required by law.The Treasurer can disburse funds only with the approval of the Membership or the Coordinating Committee.Recurring expenses, such as subscriptions, should be reapproved annually.

    4.  A Membership Chairperson, who will (1) manage applications for membership, (2) maintain a list of current members-in-good-standing, to be given to all members, and (3) engage in outreach and recruitment of new members.

    5.  An At-Large Member of the Coordinating Committee, who will participate as a member of the Coordinating Committee in its decision-making.

C.  Vacancies
    If a vacancy occurs in the position of any of the Officers, that vacancy will be filled for the remainder of the term by a special election at the next business meeting.
 

    There shall be a Coordinating Committee composed of the four Officers plus a fifth member elected by the Membership at a meeting in the first quarter of each odd-numbered year, for a two-year term.The Coordinating Committee shall be empowered to take action in the name of the Membership between the Membership meetings.Any member of the Coordinating Committee can call a meeting of the Committee.The Coordinating Committee is not empowered to take action unless all members of the committee have received reasonable notice of the meeting or of the proposal at issue.
 

A. The highest decision-making body of the Shawnee Green Party shall be the Membership, which shall be composed of all members in good standing.

B. Decisions made by the Shawnee Green Party and its committees will be by consensus among members present at a business meeting.In the event consensus cannot be reached, then a proposal may be approved by a 2/3 majority vote, except as otherwise designated in these Bylaws.
 

    These Bylaws may be amended by a 3/4 majority vote at a regular business meeting, provided that the Membership has been notified of the proposed amendment at least 25 days prior to the meeting.
 

    1) Ecological Wisdom. The Greens recognize that the Earth sustains all life processes. Green ecology moves beyond environmentalism by understanding the common roots of the abuse of people. Whatever we do to the web of life, we do to ourselves.

    2) Social Justice. Greens want to replace the worldwide system of poverty and injustice with a world free of all oppression based on class, gender, race, citizenship, age, or sexual orientation.

    3) Grassroots Democracy. The powerless suffer the most from resource depletion and toxic pollution. Greens believe in direct participation by all people in the environmental, political, and economic decisions that affect their lives

    4) Nonviolence. Greens reject violence as a way of settling disputes — it is shortsighted, morally wrong, and ultimately self-defeating. We are working to create a world where war is obsolete.

    5) Decentralization. Power and responsibility must be restored to local communities within an overall framework of ecologically sound and socially just values and lifestyles.

    6) Community Based Economics. Greens seek a new economics based upon the natural limits of the Earth, which meets the basic needs of everyone on the planet, under democratic, localized community control.

    7) Feminism. The Green movement is profoundly inspired by feminist values. The ethics of cooperation and understanding must replace the values of domination and control over others.

    8) Respect for Diversity. Greens honor the biological diversity of the Earth and the cultural, sexual, and spiritual diversity of Earth's people. We aim to reclaim this country's finest ideals: popular democracy, the dignity of the individual, and liberty and justice for all.

    9) Personal and Global Responsibility. Greens demonstrate a commitment to global sustainability and international justice through political solidarity and in personal lifestyles based on self-sufficiency and living lightly.

    10) Future Focus. Greens seek a society where the interests of the seventh generation are considered equal to the interests of the present. We must reclaim the future for our children and ourselves.