October 2021 Labor Party Convention: Welcome to Barre VT!

LABOR PARTY CONVENTION: BARRE VERMONT

Party Bylaws

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I. CREATION & AMENDMENT OF PARTY BY-LAWS

1. Any Party Member may introduce changes to the by-laws. Changes shall be presented and discussed during the allotted time slot at the Convention.
a. If there are no objections within 24 hours, the by-laws will be automatically approved.
b. If there are objections, 24 hours will be given for the Members to discuss and make changes as a group; more time can be given by the Politburo if necessary.
c. Following that, a 72 hour vote will take place to approve or reject the by-laws.

2. Outside the Convention, changes to the by-laws shall be presented and discussed in a place designated by the Chair. They shall subsequently be approved or rejected by Party Members according to the procedures set forth in Section I-1.

II. CREATION & AMENDMENT OF PARTY PLATFORM

1. The Politburo, and any number of appointed Party Members, will have the initial task of creating the party platform and will be in charge of initial changes in subsequent Conventions. The platform shall then be presented to the Members, who will then be allowed to make objections and suggest changes to the platform.
a. If there are no objections within 24 hours, the platform will be automatically approved.
b. If there are objections, 24 hours will be given for the Members to discuss and make changes as a group; more time can be given by the Politburo if necessary.
c. Following that, a 72 hour vote will take place to approve or reject the platform.

2. Outside the Convention, changes to the platform shall be presented and discussed in a place designated by the Chair. They shall subsequently be approved or rejected by Party Members according to the procedures set forth in Section II-1.

III. ESTABLISHMENT & MANAGEMENT OF CONVENTIONS

1. The Labor Party Convention will start five weeks before the Atlasia Presidential Election, with the location of the Convention rotating among the three regions of Atlasia in alphabetical order.

2. Establishing the next Labor Party Convention shall employ the following process: Each Member is given 24 hours to nominate one city in the given region assigned for the next Convention, with the top three (3) nominations being placed on the ballot. Members will be given 24 hours to select their choice.

3. Each Labor Party Convention will have the following agenda:
   a. Updates and amendments of the Party by-laws
b. Updates and amendments of the Party platform
   c. Endorsements for the upcoming Atlasia Federal Elections and subsequent-month regional elections
   d. Special and irregular business put forward by the Politburo
   e. Establishment of the date and city for the upcoming Convention
   f. Election of new party leadership

4. The schedule of the convention shall be as follows:

(Note: "-7" refers to the seventh Friday before the presidential inauguration, "-6" to the sixth, and so on.)

-7: Convention opens, sign-in. Work on and edits to the bylaw and platform through the week.
-6: Bylaw/Platform work and other business of the politburo, and campaigning for the presidential primary.
-5: Presidential primary begins, to last three days.
-4: Downballot endorsement primary begins, to last three days, after a four day request period.
-3: Final week prior to election
-2: Federal election begins
-1: Politburo election cycle begins (conducted in accordance with Article IV)
0: New leadership takes office at the start of the day, Federal gov't at noon.
1: Endorsement primary for following-month elections, after four day request period, and convention site vote.
2: Convention must close by this date.

IV. ELECTION OF THE POLITBURO

1. Members will have 48 hours to declare that they wish to seek the following positions, beginning on the final Friday of February, June and October: Chair, Vice Chair, & General Secretary. There will then be 72 hours for campaigning, followed by a 48 hour election.

2. In the event of resignation or vacancy of the Chair position, the Vice Chair shall immediately assume the role on an interim basis. A special declaration period, campaigning period & subsequent election shall be held beginning on the first Friday at least 168 hours from the time of the Chair vacancy, with the same time-frames for each period as outlined in IV-1.

3. In the event of resignation or vacancy of the Vice Chair or General Secretary positions, the Chair shall appoint Labor Party Members to these offices for the remainder of their terms.

V. ROLES OF THE POLITBURO

1. Chair
a. The official leader of the Labor Party, unless there is a Labor Party President
b. Is in charge of the Convention process
c. Officiates Party voting
d. Gives the Vice Chair and the General Secretary goals and objectives for their given jobs
e. Is in charge of Party political strategy
f. Is allowed to create and/or appoint other Party officials as he or she sees fit
g. Ensures insubordination by other Members of the Politburo is handled within the caucus
h. Is in charge of GOTV operations for both the Party and allied factions, which includes supporters not officially registered with the Party

2. Vice Chair
a. Takes over for the Chair temporarily if the Chair requests a leave of absence or has been absent for 72 hours
b. Is in charge of Party recruitment in order to grow the Party
c. Responsible for keeping up with business at the Federal and regional levels, and makes sure that the Labor Party has an official stance on each issue; this will be done in collaboration with the rest of the Politburo and the advice of the Party
d. Deals with logistics and personnel

3. General Secretary
a. Takes over for the Chairman or Vice Chair if either the Chair and Vice Chair both have requested a leave of absence or both have been absent for 72 hours
b. Is in charge of candidate recruitment for all levels of government
c. Serves as a Congressional Whip, working with Members of Congress to find common ground and support for bills proposed by the Party

VI. ENDORSEMENT PROCEDURE

1. Endorsement elections will take place two (2) weeks before the respective election. Voting will last 72 hours. An additional primary for elections during the subsequent inauguration month shall take place beginning one week after Inauguration Day.

2. All Labor Party candidates in compliance with Sections VII-2a, VII-2b, & VII-2c are automatically endorsed by the Party.

3. If there are not enough Labor Party Members running in a given election, the Party may then endorse candidates from other parties who agree with the Party's principles and values, allowing our Party to endorse a maximum number of candidates, equivalent to the number of open seats in an election.

4. In order to be eligible to receive the Endorsement of the Labor Party, the non-Party candidate(s) must declare that he or she wishes to receive our Party’s Endorsement during the Endorsement suggestion period, which begins three weeks before the election and ends two weeks before the election. The candidate must also have a Laborite second the Endorsement nomination in order to be placed on the Endorsement Ballot.

5. Endorsement voting will begin immediately following the Endorsement Suggestion Period and will last for 72 hours. Votes for each non-Party candidate shall be cast and counted either as an affirmative, negative, or abstention. An abstention ballot is counted against a candidate's affirmative percentage as it applies in Section VI-6.

6. A non-Party candidate must receive affirmative preference from at least 60% of all Endorsement Ballots cast in order to receive the Endorsement of the Party. In the event there are more candidates with 60%+ affirmative preference than available Endorsements, they will be awarded from highest percentage affirmative preference downward. In the event of a tie in affirmative preference percentages between 2 or more candidates, the candidate or candidates who declared their intent to receive the Party's Endorsement first shall receive the Endorsement.

VII. PRIMARY PROCEDURE

1. Primaries will take place two (2) weeks before the respective election for all non-presidential races, and three (3) weeks before the respective election for presidential races. Voting will last for 72 hours. An additional primary for elections during the subsequent inauguration month shall take place beginning one week after Inauguration Day.

2. All Labor Party candidates are automatically endorsed by the Party, except for the following situations in which there will be a Labor Party Primary:
   a. There are multiple Labor Party Members running in a single-seat election
b. A Labor Party member is a presidential or vice-presidential candidate on a cross-party ticket

3. If there are multiple presidential/vice-presidential tickets consisting of Labor Party Members, but only one ticket is led by a Labor Party member then that ticket shall be endorsed.

d. In all other situations, a Primary shall be held in concurrence with the provisions outlined in Sections VI & VII
e. In the event there is a reasonable doubt about the qualifications or intent of the preferred presidential ticket as selected via Section 3a, 3b, or 3c, the automatic Endorsement can be suspended by a unanimous vote of the Politburo, with a Primary being held to select the winner

4. The loser(s) of a Primary are strongly encouraged not to run as an independent, as doing so will result in a loss of position within the Politburo, a denial of access to Labor primaries and the Endorsement of the Party in the subsequent three (3) Federal elections.

VIII. VOTING

1. All Members of the Labor Party who were registered with the Census Bureau as such at least 336 hours (two weeks) before the opening of any vote in a Convention, Primary, Endorsement, Politburo election, or expulsion are eligible to vote. The 336-hour registration requirement does not apply to persons joining the game as new citizens.

2. Voting in a Labor Party Convention, Primary, Endorsement, Politburo election, or expulsion will proceed in the following manner:

a. Voters shall mark their ballot with an “X” in the case of single-choice elections, and shall rank their preferences in the case of multiple-choice elections
b. In the event of a tie, a runoff election shall be held 24 hours following the end of the election, and shall last for 48 hours
c. In the event there is a tie in a runoff, the first person to request an Endorsement shall be the winner (in the case of non-Party Members) and the person with the highest number of [1] preferences shall be the winner (in the case of Party Members)

IX. MEMBERSHIP AND EXPULSION
1. Members whose actions are judged inappropriate or unbecoming of the Party may be subject to expulsion, initiated by a motion consisting of two (2) Party Members and one (1) Member of the Politburo.

2. A simple majority of those Party Members voting in favor of expulsion shall be sufficient to expel a Member, assuming the total number of Members voting in favor of and against expulsion is at least one-quarter (25%) of the Party's Membership.

3. All persons registered under the Labor Party with the Registrar General shall be granted membership in the Labor Party, unless they have been expelled via the procedures detailed above.

X. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP

1. The Congressional Leader is in charge of ensuring unity and cohesion among the Labor caucus in the House of Representatives as well as serving as the highest-ranking Labor Party elected official in the absence of a Labor President or Vice President.
a. Should the Speaker of the House of Representatives be a member of the Labor Party, the Speaker shall be designated the Congressional Leader.
b. Should the Speaker of the House of Representatives be a member of another party, the designation of Congressional Leader shall fall on the longest continuously serving Labor Party member of the House of Representatives.

2. The Senate Leader is in charge of ensuring unity and cohesion among the Labor caucus in the Senate as well as serving as the second highest-ranking Labor Party elected official in the absence of a Labor President or Vice President.
a. Should the Senate President Pro Tempore be a member of the Labor Party, they shall be designated the Senate Leader.
b. Should the Senate President Pro Tempore be a member of another party, the designation of Congressional Leader shall fall on the longest continuously serving Labor Party Senator.

Party Platform

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1. Every person has the right to quality healthcare free-of-charge. Nobody should be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

2. People should take priority over profit, and therefore every worker must be paid a fair wage with guaranteed benefits including paid sick leave and vacation time.

3. The wealthy must pay their fair share in taxes, and a progressive tax system should exist to increase wealth equality while ensuring those at the bottom aren’t unduly hurt.

4. Every student has a right to a good, free, and public education. College tuition costs should be drastically reduced or eliminated and there should be more incentives and funding for other alternatives such as trade schools.

5. Jobs should never be outsourced overseas. Trade agreements should protect workers on both sides.

6. Large corporations need regulation in order to avoid the harmful consequences of unregulated capitalism and neoliberal dogma.

7. People have a right to privacy and as such should be free from unwarranted government surveillance. Government censorship of media and communications should not exist for any reason.

8. All people should be free from discrimination as much as possible. Businesses and the government should not fire or deny service to people based on their race, gender, or sexual orientation.

9. Prisons should focus on rehabilitating offenders, not locking them up and forgetting about them. Prison conditions should be improved and for-profit prisons should not exist.

10. Drugs should be federally decriminalized and anyone convicted of drug possession should be pardoned.

11. All of the rights and protections enshrined in the Constitution should be defended.

12. Combating climate change, pollution, and the degradation of natural resources is important for the health of the environment and all people.

13. The regions should protect access to abortion throughout the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.

14. The Labor party is welcoming to all immigrants and would generally oppose efforts to mass deport undocumented immigrants or build/expand a border fence or wall.

15. The government needs to strike an appropriate balance between gun rights and protecting public safety.

16. No Atlasian should be forced to live on the streets because they can't afford housing. The government must act to curb rising rents and prevent gentrification.

17. A national energy policy should place the needs of the many in a changing planet ahead of mere profit. The government should act to establish collective ownership of energy by the creation of an Atlasian Energy Authority founded on the principles of democratic governance and local control.

18. The government should act to establish collective ownership of the railways.

19. The incarceration pandemic in Atlasia must end. Maximum sentences must be decreased for all but the most serious crimes. Life imprisonment should be used sparingly.

20. Large banks should be broken up and a public bank should be established in each region.

21. Nobody is worth a billion dollars. The wealth should be redistributed from the richest of the rich to the people as a whole.

22. The right to free speech should be protected - including in schools and in the workplace. The right to assemble should not be hindered by fees, permits, or inhumane "control" tactics, including tear gas, rubber bullets, sound machines, or similar projectiles.

23. The Labor Party supports the territorial integrity of Palestine and of the Kurdish people, and endorses diplomatic efforts to establish independent states for both groups.

24. The Labor Party is a democratic socialist party. It believes that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone, so as to create for all of us a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are in the hands of the many, not the few, and where we live together, freely, in a spirit of solidarity, tolerance and respect.

25. Banks that are too big too fail are too big to exist. We recognize that large banks took down our economy during the Global Financial Crisis, and we believe that such large banks should be broken up. Also, we believe that high-risk investments in the stock market should come to an end. At the same time, we support expanding the power of the Federal Reserve and favor giving organizations like the SEC and other watchdog agencies greater power to regulate and intervene in the stock market.

26. The American government's military aggression against Iraq and use of torture on prisoners of war, prior to the establishment of the Republic of Atlasia, were crimes against humanity. Former U.S. President George W. Bush, and any Atlasians responsible for the atrocities committed during these conflicts, must be criminally prosecuted.

27. The Labor Party is committed to the idea of a strong welfare state that provides an economic safety net for the less fortunate citizens of Atlasia.

28. Atlasia is not the world's policeman, and our military spending should be drastically reduced. The presence of Atlasia's armed forces abroad, except where absolutely necessary, should be eliminated.

29. Emissions regulations must be tightened to protect the Earth from damage brought upon by greenhouse gases. Additionally, the government should facilitate new renewable energy construction and work with the private sector to create new renewable energy solutions and phase out fossil fuels. In our efforts to de-carbonize the power sector, Labor's energy approach is inclusive of all zero-carbon technologies, including hydroelectric power, geothermal, existing and advanced nuclear, and carbon capture and storage.

30. Policies such as upzoning are the primary means for which the dream of having a long-term residence either by owning or renting may be made more realistic for poor people, by increasing the amount of supply in the housing market.

31. Our cities must be revitalized by helping deal with entrenched cost-of-living issues made especially acute by NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) policies on local and state levels. Atlasians of all income levels ought to not be confronted with outrageous cost-of-living levels in the vibrant urban centers they dwell in.

32. The Labor party is a big tent party that caters to ideologies all over the left wing spectrum and is not inclined towards any one specific ideology.

33. Police are to be the keepers of peace, not the instigators of violence. The scope of policing should be reined in in order to protect our citizens from brutality.

34. The government should invest in research aimed towards developing technology which will curb or prevent natural disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes.

35. Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.

36. We believe people should be encouraged to come out of the shadows and not live in fear. We support a pathway to legalization and ultimately citizenship for undocumented peoples living in Atlasia, as well as for migrant arrivals. We also support accepting more migrants on the basis of asylum, in recognition of the often dangerous conditions that migrants flee.

All photos Wikimedia Commons

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