LeftUpToUSBylaws
TableofContents
I.MissionStatement(pg.1)
II.GroupMemberRoles(pg.1)
III.FullGroupMeetingGuidelines(pg.2)
IV.StandingCommittees(pg.3)
V. Voting(pg.4)
VI.AmendmentofBylawsandOtherNotes(pg.5)
FurtherReading
VII.FullGroupMeetingStructure(pg.6)
VIII.OperatingCommitteeGuidelines(pg.7)
IX.OperatingCommitteePositions(pg.8)
X.CommitteeGuidelines(pg.9)
XI.CommitteeMeetingStructure(pg.10)
XII.Appendix1Subcommittees(pg.11)
XIII.Appendix2(pg.12)
Note:SectionsIVIareineffectasof6/5/16
I.
MissionStatement
Weareansweringthecallforaprogressivepoliticalrevolutionbyactivelyorganizingto
engageandeducatethecommunity,collaboratingwithotherlocalactivistgroups,and
advocatingforlocalcandidatesandissues.
II.GroupMemberRoles
1. Members:Anyonewhowantstobeamemberisamember.
1.1)ActiveMembers:Anyonewhohasattendedatleastoneofthefollowing:FullGroup
meeting,Committeemeeting,LeftUpToUsEvent,orworkedononeofourprojectsinthe
previoussixmonths.
1.1a)Committee/SubcommitteeMembers:Anyonewhowantstoparticipateinany
committeemaydoso.Allmembersareencouragedtoparticipateinatleastone
committee.
1.1b)SubCommitteeOrganizers:Eachsubcommitteesorganizeristheperson
responsiblefororganizingandsettingtheagendaforthatcommitteesmeetingsand
projects,andforfacilitatingcommitteecommunicationinbetweenmeetings.
1.2)OperatingCommitteeMembers:Nineelectedpeopleresponsibleforaddressingissues
inbetweenregularlyscheduledmeetings,andsettingmeetingagendas.Some
decisionmakingwillalsobedelegatedfromtheFullGrouptotheOperatingCommittee.
1.2a)Moderators:TwopeoplewhoensurethatFullGroupmeetingsstayontrackand
thatallpeoplehaveachancetobeheard.
1.2b)CashHandlers:Twopeoplewhoareresponsibleforcountingprojectcollections
andensuringthattheyarespentproperlyontheirspecifiedpurpose.
1.2c)MinutesTakers:Twopeoplewhotakemeetingnotesandfacilitate
communicationwithinthegroupinbetweenmeetings.
1.2d)StandingCommitteeOrganizers:OrganizersoftheEducation,Outreachand
LogisticsCommittees.TheyarealsomembersoftheOperatingCommittee
III.FullGroupMeetingGuidelines
1. TheoperatingcommitteemustorganizeaFullGroupmeetingat2pmonthelastSundayofevery
month.
1.1)Allmeetingsareopentothepublic,butnewcomerswhoaredefiant/belligerentwhenbeing
remindedtoberespectful/followthemeetingguidelinesmaybeaskedtoleave.
2.Duringeachitemofdiscussion,theoneoftheModeratorsscanstheroomforanyoneraisingtheir
handandaddsthemtotheStack
http://cultivate.coop/wiki/Taking_Stack_(Meeting_Facilitation_Technique).
3.Membersarestronglyencouragedtostayontopicandsaveofftopicthoughtsfortheopenforum.
3.1)Membersdonotspeakoutofturnunlesstheyaredirectlyansweringaquestionorobjecting
toanaspectofadecisionmakingprocesswhichiscurrentlyunderway.
3.2)After10minutesonanyonetopic,discussionisended.Attheendofanydiscussion,the
Moderatorasksifanyonewouldliketoproposeavoteonanythingwhichwasdiscussed.
3.3)Whensomeoneproposesavote,someonemustsecondtheirexactwording.Then,a
Moderatorasksifanyonewouldliketomakeanamendment.Ifsomeonemakesone,thismust
alsobeseconded.Then,aModeratorasksagain,buttheprocesscanonlyrepeatoncemore,if
morethantwoamendmentsaremade,theissueisdeferredtoacommittee.
3.3a)Deferreditemswhichneedtobedecidedbeforethenextfullgroupmeeting,ordo
notclearlyfallunderthepurviewofonecommitteearedeferredtotheOperating
Committee
3.3b)Anytimesomethingistobedeferredtocommittee,anyactivemembermay
proposecreatinganewsubcommittee.Creationofanewsubcommitteerequiresatleast
5peopletojoinit,aswellasayesvoteofapprovalfromamajorityofactivemembers
present.
3.4)Oncenomemberhasanymoreamendmentstopropose,aseparateshowofhandsvoteis
takenforeachversionoftheproposal
3.5)MemberscanvoteYes,No,Table,orAbstain.Anabstainvoteisequaltonotbeing
presentforthevote.Atablevoteaddsonetothetotalnumberofvotes,butnottotheyesor
nototals.Howavoteisinterpretedisdictatedbytheguidelinesofthevotingsection.
IV.StandingCommittees
1. LOGISTICSCOMMITTEE
1.1)Proposesideasandrules,which(pendingdemocraticapprovalfromtherestofour
members)aretoguideandimprovetheinnerworkingsofLeftUpToUs.
1.2)Responsibleformakingsureinternalgroupcommunicationisworkingaseffectivelyas
possible.
1.3)Maintaincomplete,accuratelistsofallMembersandofallActiveMembersofLeftUpToUS
1.4)ResponsiblefortherevisionandprintingofallGroupdocumentsandliterature,including
theseBylaws.Theseshouldallcontainaccuraterevisiondatesandbemadefreelyavailableto
anyone.
2.EDUCATIONCOMMITTEE
2.1)OrganizesLeftUpToUsmembersfortheexplicitpurposeofeducatingourselvesona
particulartopic(usually,butnotnecessarily,onerelevanttolocalpolitics).
3.OUTREACHCOMMITTEE
3.1)ReachesouttothepublictorecruitnewLeftUpToUsmembers.
3.2)Reachesouttothecommunitytoincreasepoliticalawarenessandengagement.
V.Voting
1. OnlyMemberswhohavebeenActiveMembersforatleast24hourscanvote.
2. VotingonCandidatesforpositions:
2.1)AllActiveMembersareeligibletorunforanything,includingthemembercurrentlyholding
theposition.Thereisnolimittohowmanytimesamembercanrunforsomething,orbe
reelectedtothesameposition.
2.2)AllOperatingCommitteepositionsareupforelectioninJulyandJanuaryofeveryyear.
2.3)Memberscanrunformultiplepositionsatonce,butcanonlyeverholdonepositiononthe
OperatingCommittee
2.4)Candidatesareelectedusingapprovalvoting,whichmeansthatpeoplecanvoteforas
manycandidatesastheyapproveoffortheposition.
2.5)Alltiesarebrokenbyavotewherepeopleselecttheirfavoritecandidate
2.5a)Intherareeventofa3+waytie,peopleselecttheirfavoritecandidate,andthetop
twovotegettersarethensubjecttoarunoff
2.6)Moderator,CashHandler,andMinutesTakerpositionsgototoptwovotegettersforeach
2.7)Nocandidatecangetintoapositionwithunder50%approvalfortheposition,ifcandidates
whowouldbeelectedfailtomeetthisthreshold,thenominationprocessstartsoverandanew
voteisconducted
3.VotingonProposals:
3.1)Onlythemosthighlyapprovedversionofaproposalcanbepassed
3.2)Passageofaproposalinafullgroupmeeting,duringtheoldbusinessportionofthe
meeting,requiresthat50%ofhandsraisedwereforYes
3.3)Passageofaproposalinafullgroupmeeting,duringthenewbusinessoropenforum
portionofthemeeting,requiresthat75%ofhandsraisedwereforYes
3.4)Passageofaproposalinacommitteemeetingrequiresunanimousapproval
3.5)Passageofaproposalatanymeetingrequiresfiveactivememberspresent
3.6)Defeatofaproposalatanymeetingrequiresthat50%ofhandsraisedwereforNo
3.7)IfthemostapproveversionofaproposalfailedtomakeeithertheYesorNothreshold,it
istabledtoacommittee.
4.OperatingCommitteemayvotethroughsimplemajoritytodeclareanyissueimportantenoughto
warrantaprolongedvoteofallactivemembers.Therulesguidingthesealsoapplytovotingtoamend
thesebylawsorremovesomeonefromtheOperatingCommittee:
4.1)Avoteofallactivemembersmustbeopenandpublicforatleast10days,andan
opportunitytodiscussandcastavoteatafullgroupmeetingmustbeapartofthis
4.2)Votesarentfinaluntilvoteisclosed.Atthispoint,anymemberwhohasntvotedyes,no,or
tablewillnotbecountedtowardsthetotalnumberofvotescast.
VI.AmendmentofBylawsandothernotes
1. AnyamendmentstothesebylawsmustbesubmittedbyanActiveMemberto
info@leftuptous.orgwiththesubjectlineBylawAmendmentProposalanddisplayedpublicly
onlineforatleast(5)daysbeforeanyonecanvoteonthem.Allamendmentsrequirethe
approvalof3/4thsofavoteofallactivemembers(seevotingsectionabove).Thisdoesnot
applytoappendicestotheBylaws.
2.Amendmentstothebylawsmustbesubmittedinthisformat*:
1.) SpecifywhichLUTUBylawsSectionandSubsectionyouwishtoamend.
2.) SectionExactlyAsWorded
3.) ProposedBylawsAmendment
4.) RationaleforChange
*SeedetaileddocumentinAppendix1
Notes:
3.Thedecisionmakingprocedureslaidoutinthesebylawsonlydeterminewhetheraproposed
actionwillbetakenonwiththefullorganizingcapacityofthegroupbehinditand
withLeftUpToUSsnameattached.IfaproposaldoesnotpassLeftUpToUSsdecision
makingprocedures,MembersarestronglyencouragedtonetworkoutsideofLeftUpToUS
meetingsandonlineforumswithotherMemberstoorganizeonbehalfoftheirideas.
FURTHERREADING:
VII.FullGroupMeetingStructure:
1. Openmeeting(1530min)
1.1)ReadMissionStatement
1.2)Quicksummaryoflastmeetingsminutes.(Briefoverviewoftopics.Anyonecanask
forelaboration.Anonlinecopymustbeavailableforanyoneinattendanceandoneof
theMinutesTakersisencouragedtohaveapapercopyonhandaswell)
2. OperatingCommitteeReportandStandingCommitteeReports(3045min)
2.1)Committeesreportoncurrentactionitemsthattheyandtheirsubcommitteesare
undertaking,whattheprogressisontheseundertakings,andCommitteeOrganizers
answerquestionsfromthegroup.DecisionsthatweremadebytheOperating
CommitteeandotherCommitteesmustalsobereportedhere,andtheFullGroupmust
begiventheopportunitytoofferdissent.
3. OldBusiness(3045min)
3.1)ItemsdeferredfromthecommitteestotheFullGrouparediscussedandvotedon
here.
4. NewBusiness(1530min)
4.1)Anythingelsethatwassubmittedforfullgroupdiscussionpriortothemeeting
online/inwritingarebroughtuphere.
5. OpenForum
5.1)Peoplefromthefloorcanbringupanythingduringthistime.
.
6. CloseMeeting(510min)
6.1)Minutestakersgooverwhatwetabled,passed,andreiterateswhatweneedtodofrom
here
VIII.OperatingCommitteeGuidelines:
1. TheOperatingCommitteepurposeistoaddressissuesinbetweenregularlyscheduled
meetings,tosetmeetingagendas,anddiscuss/voteoncertainissuesdeferredtoitbythe
groupandothercommittees.
2.TheOperatingCommitteeconsistsofthetwoModerators,twoCashHandlers,two
MinutesTakers,andleadorganizersofthethreestandingcommittees(ninetotalmembers).
3.TheOperatingCommitteemeetspriortoeachFullGroupMeeting,andcreatesanagenda
outlineforthemeeting.OperatingCommitteemeetingsmustberecorded.
4.OperatingCommitteemeetingsfunctioninaccordancewithRobertsRulesOfOrder,withthe
followingexceptionsforproposalswhichweredeferredtotheOperatingCommittee:
4.1)Proposalswhicharetimesensitivemaybediscussedandvotedononlineand
implementedoutsideofscheduledmeetings
4.2)Onallproposals/proposals+amendments,OperatingCommitteeMemberscancast
aYesvote,aNovote,oravotetoDefertheissuetothefullgroup.
4.3)AproposalwithfiveYesvotesfromtheOperatingCommitteeisconsidered
decided(thoughitcanbeoverturnedbyFullGroupvoteifthereisanobjectionwhenits
announcedatthenextFullGroupmeeting.)FiveNovotesarerequiredtoshootdown
aproposal.OperatingCommitteeMemberswhoarentpresentatameetingmay
choosetomaketheirvoteremotelyonceallsidesofthediscussionhavebeenpresented
tothem.ItemsthatmeetneithervotethresholdwilldeferbacktotheFullGroup,during
theOldBusinessportionofthenextFullGroupmeeting.
5.AllmembersareencouragedtositinonOperatingCommitteemeetings,buttheyhaveno
vote.
6.RemovalofOperatingCommitteeMembers:
6.1)FailuretoattendtwoconsecutiveregularlyscheduledFullGrouportwoconsecutive
OperatingCommitteemeetingresultsinanautomaticvoteforremoval.
6.2)ThegroupmembersreservetherighttoremoveanyelectedOperatingCommittee
memberwitha3/4voteofallactivemembersatanytime.
6.3)VacanciesamongtheelectedpositionsintheOperatingCommitteearefilledASAP
byavoteinaFullGroupMeeting.
IX.OperatingCommitteePositions
1. MODERATORS:
1.1)OrganizeandModerateallFullGroupMeetingsandOperatingCommittee
Meetings.
1.2)Oneleadsthemeetings,withtheothertakingstack
1.3)Maintainanofficialemailaddress,answeringallcorrespondenceordirectingitto
theappropriatepersonpromptly,andmakingcopiesofallcorrespondenceavailableto
theGroup.
1.4)ResponsibleforpickingupnecessaryslacktoensurethatallLeftUpToUSefforts
cometofruition.
2.CASHHANDLERS:
2.1)Countallmoneycollectedforaprojectduringapassingofthehatatameeting
andimmediatelyannouncethetotal
2.2)Leadgroupdiscussiononhowtobestalterthespendingproposaltoaccommodate
foranyoverageorunderage,withthegoalofspendingwithin$5oftheamountcollected
fortheproject.
2.3)Ensurethatthemoneyisspentasthegrouphasdirected.
2.4)Keeptrackofmoneycollectedandspentonalleffortsthatinvolvedmoney
3.MINUTESTAKERS:
3.1)KeepminutesofallGroupmeetingsandOperatingCommitteeMeetingsfurnish
minutesoftheGroupmeetingstoallGroupmemberswithin(3)daysofthemeeting.
3.2)Facilitatevotingduringmeetings,andallonlinepollingoftheFullGroupandthe
OperatingCommitteeinbetweenmeetings.
4.SPOKESPERSONS
3.1)Onefemaleandonemale,electedfromOperatingCommitteeaftereachelection.
3.2)ActasthepublicfaceandvoiceofLeftUpToUS.
X.COMMITTEEGUIDELINES
1. Allmembersarewelcometojoinanycommitteeatanytime.
2.StandingCommitteesmustelecttheirowntwoModerators,aMinutesTaker,andaCashHandler(if
needed).TheCommitteeOrganizercanbutisnotobligatedtotakeonanyoftheseroles.
3.Allproposalsputforthwithinthecommitteerequireapprovalofamajorityofactivememberspresent
toleavethecommittee.
3.1)Aproposalwithunanimousconsentataproperlyscheduledcommitteemeetingwith5or
morememberspresentisconsidereddecided(thoughitcanbeoverturnedbyFullGroupvoteif
thereisanobjectionwhenitsannouncedatthenextFullGroupmeeting).
Also,committeescannotunilaterallyapproveaprojectthatrequiresraisingover$100.
3.2)Proposalspassedbyacommitteebutwithoutunanimousconsentaredeferred.
3.2a)ItemsdeferredfromaStandingCommitteearesenttotheFullGroup,theOperating
Committee,oraSubcommitteeforfurtherdiscussionandvoting.Proposalswhichmust
bedecidedbeforethenextFullGroupmeetingaresenttotheOperatingCommittee.
NewideasthatfallunderthepurviewofaspecificSubcommitteegototheappropriate
Subcommittee.Otherproposalsaresentwhereverisdecidedbyaquickshowofhands.
3.2b)ItemsdeferredfromaSubcommitteegototheappropriateStandingCommittee
4.Acommitteeonlyhastheauthoritytomakedecisionsthatareclearlyinlinewiththefunctionwhich
theFullGroupvotedtocreatethecommitteefor.
5.SubcommitteesarecreatedduringFullGroupmeetingsorStandingCommitteemeetingstohandle
temporaryprojects,ongoingeffortsorgeneralfunctionsofthegroup.
5.1)Whenasubcommitteeiscreated,aclipboardispassedaroundandallinterestedmembers
areencouragedtosignuptobeincludedonthecommittee.Then,theModeratoraskswhichof
thesememberswouldliketobethetemporaryCommitteeOrganizer.Allvolunteersfor
CommitteeOrganizeraresubjecttoanapprovalvote(seevotingsection).
5.2)SubcommitteesareencouragedtoelectalongtermCommitteeOrganizerbyavotewithin
thecommittee,aftertheCommitteehasbeenfunctioningforatleastamonth.
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XI.CommitteeMeetingStructure
1. CommitteemeetingsfollowtheruleslistedintheFullGroupMeetingGuidelinessection,withthe
exceptionthatthemoderatormayallowmorethantwoamendmentsperproposal.
2.Opening(10minutes)
2.1Minutesfromlastmeeting.(Briefoverviewoftopics.Anyonecanaskforelaboration)
2.2Readanyrelevantdocumentsthatgroupvotedoninpriormeeting
3.Business(3070minutes)
3.1After15minutesonanyonetopic,theModeratormustaskifanymemberwouldliketo
motiontoenddiscussion.Ifdiscussionisended,theModeratormustaskifanyonewouldliketo
proposeavoteonanythingwhichwasdiscussed.
3.2)Reports
3.2a)Organizerupdates/informscommitteeofanytopicsofimportance
3.2b)MinutesTakerProvidescopiesofanynewlyreviseddocuments
3.3)SubCommitteeReports
3.3a)SubcommitteeOrganizersupdateandinformcommitteeofanytopicsofimportance
3.4)OldBusiness
3.4a)Discussionitemswhichneverledtoaproposal/voteatthelastmeetingarebroughtup
here
3.5)NewBusiness
3.5a)Anythingsubmittedfordiscussionatleast(3)dayspriortothemeetingisbroughtuphere.
4.OpenForum(1530minutes)
4.1)Peoplefromthefloorcanbringupanythingduringthistime.
4.2)OrderoftalkingisdoneusingStackrulesformeetingswithmorethan5attendees.2minute
maxperpersoneachtime,canbeextendedto3minutesatdiscretionofModerator.
5.Closing(10minutes)
5.1)Minutestakergoesoverwhatwetabled,passed,andreiterateswhatweneedtodo.
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Appendix1
Subcommittees
4.BALLOTRESEARCHCOMMITTEE(subofeducation):
4.1)Researchesdetailsofupcomingelections.
4.2)Educatesthegrouponballotitemsandelectionrules.
4.3)Researchesandcreatesreportcardswithgradesonalllocalcandidates.
4.4)ProposeswhichcandidatesLeftUpToUSwillorganizefor.
5.ISSUES/PLATFORMCOMMITTEE(subofeducation):
5.1)Thiscommitteedoesnottakeactionofanykind,butinsteadgetstogetherregularlyto
discussissuesandsettheprioritiesandpositionswhichinformtheactionsoftheother
committees.
5.2)WillcreateandperiodicallyproposeamendmentstoofficialGroupplatform.
6.STRATEGY/ACTIONCOMMITTEE(subofoutreach):
6.1)Determineswhatnewactionswecantakeasanorganizationtohelpspecific
candidates/groups/issues
6.2)Evaluateseffectivenessofcurrentactions
6.3)Managesexternalorganizationrelationships.
7.ELECTIONOUTREACHCOMMITTEE(subofoutreach):
7.1)Plansandconductsoutreachtothecommunityregardingupcomingelections.
7.2)Engagesineffortstoincreasevoterregistrationandturnout
8.WEBSITECOMMITTEE(suboflogistics):
8.1)Maintainsleftuptous.org
8.2)MaintainsSocialMediaaccounts
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Appendix2
GuidelinesonWritingBylawsAmendmentProposals
Theseguidelinesprovidethebasicsonwritinganamendmentproposal.
AmendmentProposalsmustbewordedsothattheproposalisclear,concise,andcomplete.
Eachproposedamendmenthasfourparts:
SpecifywhichLUTUBylawsSectionandSubsectionyouwishtoamend.
SectionExactlyAsWorded
InsertthecurrenttextoftheLUTUBylawssectionthatyouwishtoamend.
ProposedBylawsAmendment
Writeyourproposedbylawsamendmentexplainingwhatyouwishtoadd,delete,orsubstitute.
Makesuretheproposalcaneasilybeunderstoodandrepliedtowithavoteof,Yes,or,No
RationaleforChange
Clearlyexplaintherationaleforyourproposedamendment.Statewhyyoubelieveyourproposal
isworthconsidering.HowwillitimpactorimprovetheLUTUinfrastructure?
SampleProposals
Example#1
SectionandSubsection:SectionII,Subsection1.1ActiveMembers
CurrentlyReadsAs:Anyonewhohasattendedatleastoneofthefollowing:FullGroupmeeting,Committeemeeting,
LeftUpToUsEvent,orworkedononeofourprojectsintheprevioussixmonths.
ProposedAmendment:DeleteLeftUpToUsEvent,
Rationale:ToensurethatActiveMembershaveattendedameeting.
Example#2
SectionandSubsection:SectionX,Subsection3.
CurrentlyReadsAs:Allproposalsputforthwithinthecommitteerequireapprovalofamajorityofactivemembers
presenttoleavethecommittee.
ProposedAmendment:Changeapprovalofamajoritytoapprovalofa3/4majority
Rationale:Increasethenumberofmembersneededtomoveaproposaltothefullmeeting.
