Bylaws

Article I- The Pirate Party of Pennsylvania

1. These bylaws shall govern the Pirate Party of Pennsylvania, hereafter referred to as the Party. 

Article II- Object

1. Mission
   1. Give Voice to the core values of the Party.
   2. Adopt and promote statements of policy which implement these Core Values.
   3. Nominate and assist in the election of Pirate candidates for local, state, and national offices, and support Party and Party-endorsed candidates for public office.
   4. Foster and support a robust network of mutual aid and direct action. 
   5. Promote the growth of local Pirate Parties, and assist in their activities. 
   6. Engage in any other activities incidental or related to the above.
2. Scope
   1. The Party shall conduct its activities primarily within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
3. Core Values
   1. We stand for open culture. No one should have the power to prevent the free exchange and expression of ideas, tools, or works.
   2. We stand for transparency and openness. Government activities should not be hidden from the public.
   3. We stand for individual privacy. The amount of oppression in a society is inversely proportional to its privacy protections. Individuals must be free to make personal decisions that do not harm another person.
   4. We are anti-monopoly. No monopoly should be able to prevent works, tools, or ideas from: being freely used, expressed, exchanged, recombined, or taught; nor to violate individual privacy or human rights. A creator’s right to be compensated for their work or idea is only acceptable within these limitations.
   5. We stand for individuals over institutions. Universal human rights apply only to human beings, and not to corporations, limited liability organizations, or other group entities.
   6. We are a post-ideological values-based meritocracy. We place all options on the table. We choose a specific approach because the available evidence shows that it is the best way to promote our values. We do not make decisions based merely on tradition, popularity, authority or political expediency.
   7. We are egalitarian. We believe in equality and a level playing field. We accept input from all sources, and we value all people equally.
   8. We actively practice these values. We hold ourselves accountable for our own adherence to these principles.

Article III- Membership

1. A person shall become a member of the Party by fulfilling all of the following qualifications:
   1. Completing and submitting an application.
   2. Paying such dues as prescribed by the Board of Directors. 
   3. Explicit agreement and support with the Core Values. 
   4. Refrain from actions that uphold or defend the carceral and militarist state, or wield state or corporatist  power to enforce systems of oppression. 
2. Dues
   1. The Board of Directors may from time to time determine the dues necessary for membership in the Party.
3. Party Discipline
   1. Members may be censured, suspended, or expelled upon the ruling of the Board of Directors, as detailed below
      1. Censure: A member whose actions or inaction results in a censure duly passed by the Board must mitigate damage as directed by the Board, and refrain from repeating the infraction. They also become ineligible to serve in any elected or appointed capacity within the Party for a period of up to one year (at the discretion of the Board) from the date of the infraction.  
      2. Suspension: A member whose actions or inaction results in a suspension duly passed by the Board is subject to the requirements of a censure, forfeits their membership in the Party, and cannot rejoin the Party for a period of up to one year (at the discretion of the Board) from the date of the infraction. 
      3. Expulsion: A member whose actions or inaction results in expulsion duly passed by the board forfeits their party membership, permanently. They can only rejoin the party at the discretion of the Board of Directors. 

Article IV- Local Parties

1. Any group of two or more members in good standing residing in the same county, shall, upon their request to the Party be recognized by the Board of Directors as a “County Party”. Any group of two or more members in good standing residing in adjoining unrecognized counties, shall, upon their request to the Party, be recognized by the Board of Directors as a “Regional Party”. At least one member in good standing residing in each county included in the regional party must submit a request for recognition to the Board of Directors. The county or regional party must select an executive board consisting of two or more people. Individual counties that are part of a regional party may become a county party through the submission of a request for recognition as described. Any remaining counties after such recognition shall continue to be recognized as a regional party regardless of geographic configuration. 
2. Purpose, Scope, and Qualifications
   1. Each Local or Regional Party must assist in carrying out the object of the Pirate Party of Pennsylvania, as laid out in Article II of the bylaws. They shall conduct activities consistent with the Bylaws and Rules of the Party.
   2. Each local party will be encouraged to maintain at least one (1) mutual aid direct action project, as defined in the Party platform. 
3. FEC Compliance
   1. Before engaging in federal election activities, local parties must ensure they are knowledgeable in the applicable rules and regulations. Local parties shall not contribute or expend funds on federal election activities without the prior written approval of the Board of Directors. 

Article V- Officers

1. The Pirate Party of Pennsylvania Board of Directors (PPPBOD) shall consist of the following officers:
   1. The Captain or Chair, who shall manage all administration and operations of the PPPBOD, act as the chairperson and primary spokesperson of the party, and facilitate PPPBOD meetings.
   2. The Quartermaster who shall assist the Captain in administration and Operations of the PPPBOD and will also function as Captain if the Captain is unable to attend or chair a meeting or in the event that the Captain’s chair is vacant until such time the PPPBOD can elect a new Captain.  They will also bring cases of discipline against Party members for cause, such as for failure to maintain all of the qualifications of membership established in Article II Section 1; for misrepresenting the principles of the Party; for endorsing or campaigning, in the name of the Party, for a candidate for public office in opposition to one nominated by the Party; for running for office in the name of the Party or for purporting to have been nominated or endorsed by the Party without having received such nomination or endorsement; or for other reasonable cause. 
   3. The Beancounter or the Treasurer, who shall manage all accounts of funds and the recording and reporting those funds to members, governmental campaign finance agencies and the general public.
   4. The Scribe or Secretary, who shall keep records of the minutes and logs for meetings, tally agrees, and maintain a database of the members who compose the PPPBOD as set forth in Art. III §a. They shall also administer social media accounts, advise the PNC on its image and reputation, readily communicate with the public and press, and orchestrate opportunities for Pirates to appear publicly. They shall also coordinate volunteers to maintain the on-line infrastructure of the party, such as its websites, blogs and wikis.
   5. The Mutual Aid & Swarmcare Coordinator, who shall research and develop mutual aid direct action opportunities for Party members and local parties. They will work to foster collaboration between different projects. They shall also welcome new activists and local parties into the swarm and continually measure the overall health of it. A typical task would be to call new activists just to make them feel welcome, and tell them when new events — social as well as operational — take place. They will act as the representative of the rank and file for board meetings. 
   6. Up to Ten (10) members at large,  At large members shall ONLY be elected during an Annual meeting of the entire Pirate Party of Pennsylvania where all members are voting members. Until elected, these positions shall remain vacant.
2. Eligibility 
   1. In order to be eligible to hold one of the positions set for in Article V, section A, they must be an active member of the Pirate Party of Pennsylvania.
3. Elections
   1. Elections for Officers shall occur:
      1. For all Officer positions, once every year at the Annual Meeting set forth in TBA.
      2. For an Officer position which is vacated out of schedule, as soon after the vacation as possible. The election procedure for an Officer position shall be as follows:
         1. Officers shall be elected by Schulze Method via silent ballot.
         2. Representatives to the PPPBOD shall be eligible to vote in the election.
         3. Prior to the election, the PPPBOD shall elect an Election Committee of at least three persons to supervise the silent ballot, and to independently calculate the results.

Article VI- Executive 

1. Purpose
   1. The fundamental purpose of the Pirate Party of Pennsylvania Board of Directors, hereinafter referred to as the PPPBOD, is to serve as the governing and organizing body for the Party.
   2. The PPPBOD shall adopt the most open, inclusive and egalitarian procedures and technologies available for running the Party’s web presence, for collaboration, and for conducting its own meetings.
2. Platform
   1. The PPPBOD may adopt such optional platforms and policies as it sees fit by consensus of the Board.
   2. None of the PPPBOD’s optional platforms or positions shall be imposed on local parties  or individual members. Party members are free to disagree with optional platforms and policies.

Article VII- Meetings

1. PPPBOD Meetings
   1. Meeting Notification- The PPPBOD shall meet at such time and place as may be determined by a call of the Chair, or by the request of one third or more of the members of the PPPBOD. Notice of the time and place of the meeting shall be communicated by phone or email to each member of thePPPBOD not less than fourteen days prior to said meeting, unless an earlier date is agreed to by consensus of the PPPBOD. If no meeting of the PPPBOD has been held during a calendar quarter, a meeting shall be held on the last Sunday of said quarter. All meetings of the PPPBOD are open to all members of the party in good standing except when in executive session wherein a motion may not be made or agreed upon. 
   2. Accessibility- The PPPBOD shall use the most effective and most inclusive collaboration tools available to meet and agree on decisions.
   3. Business shall be normally conducted via video conferencing over the internet with optional phone in for members who may not have access to good quality internet or who may be traveling.
   4. An in person meeting may be held if agreed upon by the PPPBOD setting a time, date and place during an official meeting.  It shall be the responsibility of the person who proposes the in person meeting to coordinate and reserve the meeting space.
   5. Quorum- A quorum of the PPPBOD shall consist of 3/5 of  members of the PPPBOD.
2. Annual Convention
   1. Arrangements- It shall be the responsibility of the Board of Directors to set the time, place, and schedule of events of the convention. Publicly accessible notification must be sent to the membership no fewer than 50 days in advance. Email and web site notification shall be used for notification purposes. 
   2. Accessibility-The PPPBOD shall use the most effective and most inclusive collaboration tools available to allow delegates to discuss and agree on business brought before the convention.
   3. Delegates- Every member in good standing of the Party, as of 1 year before the convention, shall be entitled to be a delegate at such convention. However, every attending member in good standing at the time of the convention may be a delegate if two thirds of the delegates present, in person, who meet the aforesaid 1 year requirement, agree to waive said requirement. Delegates must be registered Pirate  in Pennsylvania unless prohibited by law. 
   4. Credentialing Committee- It shall be the responsibility of the party membership committee to credential all pre-registered convention attendees prior to the day of the convention, and take all reasonable measures to ensure the convention is accessible to them, whether virtually or in person. On the day of the convention, it shall be the responsibility of the membership committee and party treasurer to credential all convention attendees. An accurate count of attendees shall be recorded, as well as an accurate count of all those meeting the 1 year requirement (as aforementioned in Section iii) and those not meeting said requirement. An accurate count of all voting delegates shall then be maintained by this committee throughout the convention until the close of business. In the absence of a functioning membership committee, it shall be the responsibility of the party chair to appoint a person or persons with access to the party database to act in this capacity. 
   5. National Convention- The delegates of the convention shall choose two representatives for the subsequent national convention of the US Pirate Party. 

Article VIII- Nominations of Candidates for Office

1. Nominations-  Only the Pirate Party of Pennsylvania and its recognized local parties shall have the power to nominate candidates for Pennsylvania elected offices under the “Pirate Party” label.  
   1. Candidates for statewide office shall be nominated by delegates in convention for the ensuing election. In the absence of a Convention resolution not to run any candidate for an office, the PPPBOD shall have the power to nominate candidates for elections to be held prior to the next Convention for offices not filled in Convention and for statewide special elections with filing deadlines prior to the next convention. Delegates may also elect to agree to endorse a candidate from another party who they believe will uphold the core values of the Party.
   2. Candidates for district and local office shall be nominated by recognized local parties in good standing. Congressional and state legislative candidates in districts comprising more than one local or regional party jurisdiction shall be selected by a regional caucus of the recognized local or regional parties in the district. Members of the local or regional party or caucus may also elect to agree to endorse a candidate from another party who they believe will uphold the core values of the Party.
   3. At the request of a Party member in good standing from an area in a multicounty election district having at least one recognized local or regional party but not included in a recognized local or regional party, the PPPBOD may represent Party members not represented by a local or regional party in the regional nomination caucus. In such cases, the PPPBOD shall have one vote in the caucus regardless of the number of counties without a recognized committee in the district. 
   4. In the event of a tie vote in a regional nominating caucus, the tie will be broken by a vote of the PPPBOD. 
   5. In the absence of any recognized county or regional committee in an election district or county, the PPPBOD shall have the power to nominate candidates for any public office with the advice of members in that election district or county. 
   6. The PPPBOD shall have the power to nominate candidates for district and local special elections if local or regional parties fail to act and do not indicate an intention to act on a nomination within two weeks of a filing deadline, nominate substitute candidates as provided in the state election code, and select individuals whose names are to appear on statewide nominating petitions as proxies for President and Vice-President. 
   7. PPPBOD shall have the power to withdraw the Party’s endorsement or nomination of candidates for cause.  
2. Presidential Electors- The PPPBOD shall have the power to select Presidential Electors. 
3. Committee to Fill Vacancies- The PPPBOD shall have the power to name individuals to serve on the Committee to Fill Vacancies when required by law. 

Article IX – Committees

1. Working Committees- There shall be such working committees appointed by the Chair as the PPPBOD deems appropriate. Working committees shall exist at the discretion of the Board of Directors. 

Article X- Platform

1. Core Values and Their Implementation
   1. The Platform will include the core values of the Pirate Party of Pennsylvania, and implementation of those values in the form of planks. 
2. Platform Amendments
   1. The current Platform shall serve as the basis of all future platforms. At conventions, the existing Platform may be amended. Any change, addition, or deletion to the platform will be reached via consensus at the convention. The core values of the Party must always reflect the core values of the US Pirate Party, and may not be changed unless the core values of the US Pirate Party change. 
3. Deadline
   1. All proposed amendments to the Platform must be submitted in writing to the Party Secretary at least forty five days prior to the convention, for distribution to the membership at least thirty days prior to the convention. 

Article XI- Bylaws Amendments

1. These Bylaws may be amended by consensus of all the registered delegates at the Party convention. All proposed amendments to the Bylaws must be submitted in writing to the Party Secretary at least forty five days prior to the convention, for distribution to the membership at least thirty days prior to the convention.  

Article XII- Parliamentary Authority

1. Consensus Decision Making shall be the parliamentary authority for all matters of procedure not specifically covered by these bylaws.