[Procedures] Re: RE: [Green-Rainbow] diversity seats

[Jamie O'Keefe]

My comments on Dan Keshet's points about using signatures to fill vacancies.

> 2) Signatures
> 
...
> 
> So, first: How would it work?  Putting aside diversity seats for a
> second, Green-Rainbow party members who want to fill a vacancy between
> Regional Conventions would have to get some (pretty low) number of
> signatures as a sign of support for their candidacy.

Ok, but getting the support of locals esp. their own fulfills this requirement, 
and where there aren't locals, we can require the approval of a number of 
members equal to 3 or 5 times the expected number of locals.

...

> In addition, I think having the State Committee appoint its own new
> members runs the risk of it getting out of step with the membership of
> the party.  I wouldn't want the members of the Massachusetts
> legislature to fill their own vacancies, because that's the job of the
> voters.  I don't think that this is a danger right now because I know
> many of the members of the State Committee and I trust them, but it's
> important to set the precedent when we're small and it doesn't matter
> as much.

You have a point, but as per state law, the state committee must vote to 
appoint these people.  We may have the bylaws force them to appoint them, but 
technically the need to vote to appoint new members.  

Also, while I am wary of this myself, I can see the possibility where a former 
state comm. who was considered ineffective or a quack (realizing that one 
person's quack is another person's revolutionary thinker ;-) talked a good game 
to voters in the new district and got the required signatures to get on.  The 
state comm. would have no way to prevent them getting back on, and leaving the 
seat unfilled for a better candidate.

I feel that if there is no oversight of these appointed seats by the state 
comm., then the number of signatures/locals that approve should not be pretty 
low, but not burdensome either.

> Let's say a particularly divisive issue came up, and there was a rush
> to fill vacancies.  I'd much rather see candidates out there lobbying
> all green-rainbows for signatures than see candidates lobbying other
> State Committee members for votes.

How do we decide when there are more candidates than seats?  Number of 
signatures collected?
 
> Now, this whole line of thinking only carries over partially to
> diversity members.  If they're there to represent people who aren't
> members of the party, then it doesn't seem right to ask them to get
> signatures from members of the party.

I thought they are here to represent underrepresented members of the party, not 
non-members.

peace,

Jamie

James O\'Keefe
Green Party Candidate for Massachusetts State Treasurer
jamesokeefe.org