Charter of the St. Joe Valley Greens

Adopted August 1, 1992

• Ecological wisdom
• Grassroots democracy
• Social justice
• Nonviolence
• Decentralization
• Community-based economics
• Feminism
• Respect for diversity
• Personal and global responsibility
• Future focus / sustainability

These values will be clarified through the ever-unfolding dynamics of study, discussion and action. The St. Joe Valley Greens shall be a local affiliate of The Greens/Green Party USA, the Indiana Green Confederation, and any other alliance or confederation agreed upon by the St. Joe Valley Greens in keeping with the purpose and values of this organization.

1. Affirmative action shall be taken within all parts of the organization to reach goals of gender, racial and social diversity and balance in the allocation of responsibilities among members. Additionally, participation in the organization shall be open to all interested people of St. Joseph County, Indiana, with a special effort made to seek the membership and leadership of those people who belong to historically disempowered social groups.
2. There shall be strict accountability of all parts of the organization to the membership base. Any decision made by delegates, by the leadership or by other parts of the organization can be rescinded or changed by the membership as a whole.
3. All delegates and the leadership shall obey imperative mandates, that is, they must follow the instructions of the bodies they represent. They are free to express their personal views but must state them as such, and they may abstain from implementing, but shall not act against, such mandates if their conscience dictates. Mandates of discretion may also be given.
4. All delegates and leadership shall always be immediately recallable by the body that chose them.
5. It shall be strongly encouraged that the responsibilities of all delegates and the leadership be rotated, on a staggered basis, to find the fullest and broadest participation of the membership.
6. Decisions of the organization and its duly constituted parts shall be made democratically only after all points of view are fairly and openly heard. Members shall vigorously strive to reach decisions by consensus. If consensus fails, then a vote may be taken. It takes 75% of the active members to approve any written draft amendments or changes to this Charter. It takes 66 2/3% support to recall delegates and leadership, and to sanction members. A simple majority (50%+1) is the minimum required to pass any other decision.
7. Members in the minority on a decision may publicly dissent from that decision and organize caucuses to promote their views, provided they clearly distinguish their position from that of the majority. Minorities may call for a procedure of political division in the allocation of imperative mandated votes. All minority positions of members are to be noted in meeting minutes.
8. Meeting minutes, financial records, membership lists and all other organizational records and materials shall be open to inspection by any member of good standing in the organization.
9. A full range of nonviolent strategies and tactics shall be considered permissible and desirable in pursuing Green social change, including but not limited to demonstrations, boycotts, strikes, lobbying, education, civil disobedience, direct action, electoral politics, and building alternative institutions.
10. The St. Joe Valley Greens shall follow The Greens/Green Party USA Charter sections 2.7 and 2.8 (1991) in regard to serious violations of membership standards, and to the process of review and potential sanctions by the organization.

1. Membership in the St. Joe Valley Greens shall be open to all people who agree with the Ten Key Values (Article 1) and the Political Practices (Article 2) as a framework for organizing and action.
2. Membership shall be arranged in three categories:
   • Active National members shall pay local/state and national dues, and participate actively in the local. Only Active National members are eligible to be delegates to national gatherings, and to vote on national issues.
   • Active Local members shall pay local/state dues and participate actively in the local. Active Local members may vote on local and state issues.
   • Supporting members are people who wish to support the work of the organization without being an active member or who live outside of St. Joseph County.
3. All membership dues shall be reduced or waived upon request by a member with a financial hardship.

1. The St. Joe Valley Greens Congress shall be the highest decision making body of the organization and shall meet at least biannually, just before the National Greens/Green Party USA Gathering and after Election Day. Special Congresses may be called with the approval of at least 20% of the active members. Written notice of all Congresses, that includes a list of proposed agenda items and proposals, shall be received by all members at least ten days before the meeting. A quorum of at least 50% of the active membership shall be required to make decisions. All active members have one vote. Proxy votes may be carried by active members and be counted toward meeting the quorum. Congresses shall have the charge to: review, amend, and ratify the Charter, by-laws, program, principles, and policies; election and recall of delegates and leadership; sanction members; review and amend the actions of delegates and leadership; charter, review and amend the actions of all working groups; review, initiate and set strategic and policy parameters for actions and campaigns.
2. There shall also be regular semimonthly meetings, one of which is dedicated to business matters and the other to education, discussion or action. At all business meetings the elected leadership and the delegates of any active working group shall attend, have a representative attend or send a report concerning their activities. All active members can participate in decision-making, each having one vote. These meetings conduct the organizational business only under the policy guidance of the Congress or on an interim basis between Congresses.
3. Working groups shall be formed as the need arises by the Congress or at regular meetings. They shall adhere to the Charter and by-laws, choose their own delegates, and take responsibility for working on projects broadly chartered by the Congress, or in the interim, by a regular business meeting.
4. The leadership of the St. Joe Valley Greens shall only have powers specified in this Charter. They shall be chosen by the summer Congress for a term of one year. No member may hold the same position more than two years in a row, or more than three years out of the last five. Affirmative action shall be taken to spread the skills and responsibility of leadership to as many different members as possible. The leadership shall include:

   Coordinators

   It is strongly encouraged to have one female and one male in this two-person position. They shall be the official spokespeople for the St. Joe Valley Greens, accountable to the membership and required to obey any imperative mandates or other decisions of the membership, within the limits of good conscience. They shall chair the regular meetings and the Congresses, be responsible for the organization of these meetings, solicit proposals and propose agendas. They shall also cosign, with the Treasurer, all required documents.

   Secretary

   Shall oversee membership application procedures, maintain membership lists, take minutes of regular business and Congress meetings, keep and make available to members all nonfinancial records, and perform general secretarial duties.

   Treasurer

   Shall have charge and custody and be responsible for all funds, prepare financial reports for meetings, cosign with the coordinators all required documents, develop and submit budgets, and perform general treasurer duties.

1. Committing The Greens of any of its affiliated locals or confederations to actions, endorsements, and other policy positions outside that body's decision making process;
2. Misrepresenting the decisions and policies of any such Green body;
3. Making false statements in an application for membership or affiliation to any such Green body;
4. Financial irregularities with Green funds;
5. Advocacy or practice of racial, sexual, national or religious oppression;
6. Advocacy or practice of violent political actions by The Greens or any of its affiliated locals or confederations;
7. Acting as a strike-breaker, agent provocateur, or government or corporate informer;
8. Acting to willfully disrupt the freedom of speech, press or assembly of any individual or body of The Greens;
9. Violating the principles of grassroots democracy as embodied in Article 2 of the Charter;
10. Continually failing, after receiving written notice, to participate regularly at the local level; or
11. Continually failing, after receiving written notice, to pay dues.

1. Each level of the confederation may sanction or exclude members of affiliates who behave in a manner inconsistent with the membership standards of The Greens as defined in Membership Standards & Process above.
2. Charges of violation of membership standards against any member or affiliate of The Greens may be made by any member.
3. No charges can be raised and no sanctions can be imposed for actions not explicitly proscribed in Membership Standards above.
4. Locals (or the next largest level of the confederation responsible for organizing in their locality) are responsible for reviewing the standing of the members who are charged with violating membership standards.
5. All charges shall be in writing. The accused and the accuser shall have the first option seeking a resolution of the conflict through the Mediation Council (of The Greens/Green Party USA) as both parties agree.
   • A copy of the charges will be sent to the geographically closest member available of the Mediation Council.
   • No charges shall be published or otherwise made public prior to the conclusion of the mediation process, without written consent of all parties involved.
6. If mediation is not agreeable or not successful, the case shall be handled expeditiously by a special committee selected by lot from the membership of the appropriate level of the confederation.
   • A written report will be prepared by the mediator(s) and sent to the special committee.
   • The substance of the conflict referred to the special committee must remain strictly confidential, with the exception of notice of the convening of the special committee and names of the parties involved.
   • The special committee shall hear charges, report finding, make recommendations, and then disband.
   • Findings of the special committee shall be reported to all individuals and groups involved, appropriate regional bodies, and the Mediation Council.
7. All members or affiliates charged with violations of membership standards shall have the right to appear, to bring witnesses, and to testify.
8. The burden of proof shall be on those making the charges. After hearing the report of the special committee and statements by those making the charges and by those charged, the membership assembly of the appropriate level of the confederation shall have the right to vote and sanction, including exclusion, by a 2/3 (66 2/3%) vote.
9. Sanctions may be automatically appealed to the next larger level of the confederation, up to and including the national Green Council and Green Congress. Appeals shall be heard at the next meeting of the appropriate body where the appeal has been duly warned by that body's normal procedures.