Constitution

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Contents 1 Preamble 2 Article I - Identity 2.1 Section 1: Name 2.2 Section 2: Purpose 2.3 Section 3: Governance 3 Article II - Membership 3.1 Section 1: Requirements 3.2 Section 2: Classes of Membership 3.3 Section 3: Responsibilities 4 Article III - Motions 4.1 Section 1: Classification of Motions 4.2 Section 2: Making a Motion 4.3 Section 3: Amendment Motions 4.4 Section 4: By-Law Motions 4.5 Section 5: Simple Measure Motions 4.6 Section 6: Presentation to party membership 5 Article IV - Coordinating Council 5.1 Section 1: Size 5.2 Section 2: Responsibilities 5.3 Section 3: Elections 5.4 Section 4: CC Meetings 5.5 Section 5: Removal 6 Article V - Committees 6.1 Section 1: Establishment 6.2 Section 2: Mandates 6.3 Section 3: Changes to Mandate 6.4 Section 4: Oversight 7 Article VI - Local Organization 7.1 Section 1 - Recognition 7.2 Section 2 - Revocation of recognition 7.3 Section 3 - Autonomy 8 Article VII - Adoption

Preamble

In the history of our nation, it has oft been said by many of our most illustrious figures that our government is one of, by, and for the people, with the purpose of preserving the rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It is in the spirit of these great minds that we have come together to exercise our right to reform a government which has grown hostile to and with politicians disconnected from the ideals upon which it was founded. We come together to exercise our rights as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America - to speak, to peaceably assemble, and petition government for a redress of grievances. In order to preserve these rights, and promote the ideals of transparency, efficient government, and participatory democracy, we hereby establish the American Pirate Party, otherwise known as APP.

The APP is founded on the principles of honest and transparent governance, free and reasoned discourse and the pursuit of intelligent means toward the betterment of all humanity. The APP strives to utilize technology in order to create a more productive society. The APP seeks to effect a more knowledgeable, informed citizenry and in so doing, make the United States government once again of, by and for the people. The APP asserts the liberty of every individual from oppressive interference whether it be government or corporation.

The members of the APP will have full power in all party actions. They may override, recall, and otherwise challenge any decision. Any member has the opportunity to be heard without being censored, and the opportunity to examine the performance of the leaders of the APP.

Full, public, and accessible transparency in all things will be the normal order of business at all levels of the APP, except in cases where disclosure of sensitive information; such as passwords, account numbers, or personally identifying technical logs; would prove detrimental to the APP without any meaningful contribution to the ideal of transparency.

Many minor, day-to-day decisions will be made by the committees, or the CC. This is in the interest of efficiency, so that the party base may focus on other efforts. It is not the intent to disenfranchise any member, and indeed, any member has not only the power but the responsibility to bring any concerns he or she may have to the attention of the CC, the committee to which his or her concern pertains, or to the membership at large. These powers exist, in full, at all times.

Article I - Identity

Section 1: Name

The name of this organization shall be The American Pirate Party. The organization shall hereafter in this document be referred to as the APP.

Section 2: Purpose

The Purpose of the APP is to create an environment that allows for the direct democratic creation of a platform from the ideals and beliefs of its members.

Section 3: Governance

The Constitution and Bylaws shall govern all aspects of this party including but not limited to all activities and persons operating on behalf of the APP. The Constitution shall have precedent over the bylaws and any other simple measure motion decided by the party. Any bylaw or simple measure motion that conflicts with the Constitution shall be null and void. Any simple measure motion that conflicts with a bylaw shall be null and void.

Article II - Membership

Section 1: Requirements

Membership shall be open to any and all people wishing to further the goals of APP.

Section 2: Classes of Membership

There shall be two classes of member: Verified and Unverified members

• Unverified members are all members wishing to be involved with the American Pirate Party.

• Verified Members are all members volunteering to verify themselves as federally registered voters in the United States of American in a process to be determined by the Coordinating Council.

Section 3: Responsibilities

Responsibilities of a member include, but are not limited to:

• Be polite and kind in all discussions to produce a productive environment.
• Be an informed citizen of local and national politics.
• Encourage members to vote in elections of all kinds.
• Be aware of activities and on-goings of the APP.
• Propose changes to encourage the growth and advancement of the goals of the APP.
• Bring to the attention of the party any action taken by any member that is not conductive to the goals of the APP.

Article III - Motions

Section 1: Classification of Motions

3 types of votes are defined: Amendments, By-Laws, and Simple Measures.

• Amendment Motions concern changes to this constitution.
• By-Law Motions concern changes to the by-laws of the APP.
• Simple Measures are the remaining actions that the APP may take.

Section 2: Making a Motion

Any member has the ability to bring forth any motion to the attention of the administering body of the APP.

Section 3: Amendment Motions

The requirements for an Amendment motion are as follows:

• An Amendment motion shall first be submitted to the Coordinating Council.
• The Coordinating Council has at least one week to review the Amendment motionto decide if it shall be presented at a general party meeting.
• The Amendment motion shall be announced and put on the agenda including the full text of the Amendment at least 2 weeks in advance the intent to discuss an amendment at the meeting.
• The voting shall be open to verified members only.
• Amendments require at least a seventy-five percent (75%) vote in the positive to pass.
• The quorum for such vote shall be defined as more than 75% of the votes from the largest ballot from the last 6 months and including the last 9 ballots.

Section 4: By-Law Motions

The requirements for a By-Law motion are as follows:

• A By-Law motion shall first be submitted to the Coordinating Council.
• The Coordinating Council has at least one week to review the By-Law motion to decide if it shall be presented at a general party meeting.
• The By-Law motion shall be announced and put on the agenda including the full text of the By-Law motion at least 1 weeks in advance the intent to discuss a By-Law at the meeting.
• The voting shall be open to verified members only.
• By-Laws require at least a sixty percent (60%) vote in the positive to pass.
• The quorum for such vote shall be defined as more than 75% of the votes from the largest ballot from the last 3 months and including the last 6 ballots.

Section 5: Simple Measure Motions

The requirements for a Simple Measure motion are as follows:

• A Simple Measure motion shall first be submitted to the Coordinating Council.
• The Simple Measure motion shall be announced and put on the agenda including the full text of the Simple Measure motion at least 3 days in advance the intent to discuss a Simple Measure at the meeting.
• The voting shall be open to all members of the APP.
• Simple Measures require at least a fifty percent (50%) + 1 vote in the positive to pass.
• The quorum for such vote shall be defined as more than 75% of the votes from the largest ballot from the last 1 months and including the last 3 ballots.

Section 6: Presentation to party membership

A member has the right to bypass presenting to the Coordinating Council if they so wish. This is accomplished by:

• Any member may present a motion to be polled by the general membership.
• If that motion receives 20% of the quorum for that respective motion it shall be voted on by the full party in 2 weeks since proposal.

Article IV - Coordinating Council

Section 1: Size

The Coordinating Council, hereafter referred to as CC, will be composed of the seven (7) candidates which garnered the most votes, as recorded by a Condorcet voting system.

Section 2: Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the CC shall be:

• To coordinate the actions of the different committees.
• To facilitate communication between the various committees.
• To resolve disputes among the committees.
• To provide feedback to the committees, so that they may work with common purpose toward the goals set by the voting membership of the APP.
• To facilitate the creation of new committees when necessary.
• To select from the APP membership a Treasurer and Deputy Treasurer, such selection to be ratified by a majority of all members.
• To moderate and maintain order in party meetings.
• To document all meetings, discussion and decisions made by the CC.

Section 3: Elections

Elections of CC members shall take place on the 7th of December annually. Any vacancies shall result in the announcement of the intent to open elections in one weeks time.

Section 4: CC Meetings

The CC shall at least hold bi-weekly meetings in a place open and viewable by all members of the APP. These meetings shall be documented and publicized for all to see, regardless of membership. These meetings shall at the minimum include discussion, a brief report by a representative from each committee and a brief Q&A session open to all members of the APP.

Section 5: Removal

Any APP member may call for the removal of any CC member. This type of removal shall be a By-law motion with a special exemption requiring just 50% plus one majority of active members participating in the vote.

Article V - Committees

Section 1: Establishment

Committees shall be established to see to specific responsibilities and goals of the APP. A best effort is made to limit the scope of each committee to be separate from any other. All Committees shall be open to all membership wishing to participate.

Section 2: Mandates

The committees and their specific mandates are:

• Public Relations, which shall distribute information to the public and to the party, coordinate promotional materials and public points of contact, and uphold the image and public perception of the APP at a national level and elsewhere as needed.
• Technology, which shall design and administer the technological solutions to further the interest of the APP and strive to release all work under free software licenses and to make available, for all interested groups, tools that help promote transparency and facilitate democratic decision-making.
• Legal, which shall see to all legal concerns of the APP and bring awareness of any upcoming problems to the APP.
• Platform, which shall create and maintain processes to receive feedback from the membership to encourage discussion on the position of the APP and research and make available materials which may be pertinent to such discussions.
• Transparency, which shall create and maintain processes to ensure votes are carried out fairly and transparently and shall ensure all records of meetings, votes, and other actions by the APP are documented and published properly.
• Financial, which shall organize fund-raising, receive and prepare budgets to be presented to the APP, make regular reports on the finances of the APP, and in general advise the APP on the finances of the APP.
• Membership, which shall organize and promote party member registration, validation, and communication.
• Campaign, which shall assist possible APP candidates in preparation for running for office, identify campaign opportunities, and create and maintain relationships to current holders of public office.
• Local Organization, which shall encourage and facilitate local involvement, and act as a point of contact for the local organizations.

Section 3: Changes to Mandate

No permanent committee shall have their mandate changed without a passage of a by-law.

Section 4: Oversight

Committees are free to pursue their mandates as they see best suited, within the oversight of the APP membership.

Article VI - Local Organization

Section 1 - Recognition

The APP shall have the power to officially recognize a chapter at any level or for any purpose, if such chapter brings forth a by-law motion. No petition may be heard unless a chapter meets the following criteria:

• Must contain at least 5 verified APP members.
• The chapter has at least agreed to the fundamental tenets of the APP
• The chapter presents a constitution and by-laws.
• If the chapter is a state chapter, it must submit official proof to the APP that it has started the process of getting official recognition by the state government

Section 2 - Revocation of recognition

Any chapter may have its official recognition revoked, if a by-law is presented and passed doing so.

Section 3 - Autonomy

Local organizations shall have broad discretion in decisions regarding it's own scope, with oversight from the national American Pirate Party.

Article VII - Adoption

This Constitution shall be adopted and in force upon ratification by 3/4 of the membership of the APP.