[Lnc-business] Proposal for Online Convention

[Caryn Ann Harlos]

If it came down to impossibility for Austin even for the officers, then I
don't find it unreasonable to abide with the spirit of the Bylaws and the
plan that Mr. Nekhaila proposes is exactly what I would have in mind.  Each
state party knows their party better than we do and how to coordinate their
voting.

*In Liberty,*

* Personal Note:  I have what is commonly known as Asperger's Syndrome
(part of the autism spectrum).  This can affect inter-personal
communication skills in both personal and electronic arenas.  If anyone
found anything offensive or overly off-putting (or some other social faux
pas), please contact me privately and let me know. *



On Mon, Mar 30, 2020 at 7:09 PM Sam Goldstein via Lnc-business <
lnc-business at hq.lp.org> wrote:

> Steve,
>
> Thanks for your well thought out plan, however none of what you suggest
> is possible if we want to stay within the Bylaws.  There is also a very
> good possibility that not even the party officers would be able to make
> it to Austin.  The COC is working on and considering a range of options
> and will report back to the LNC in a timely manner.
>
> Stay safe and
>
> Live Free,
>
> ---
> Sam Goldstein, At Large Member
> Libertarian National Committee
> 317-850-0726 Cell
>
> On 2020-03-30 20:56, Steven Nekhaila via Lnc-business wrote:
> > Dear All,
> >
> > The way I see it, we have three viable options:
> >
> > 1) The velocity of the SARS-Cov2 virus deescalates and government
> > lockdowns and healthcare measures are so effective that despite not
> > having a vaccine ready, governments nationwide decide to lift
> > restrictions on movement and mass gatherings just as things are
> > starting to get better. Life as we know it is back to normal.
> >
> > 2) The lockdown measures stay in place as the SARS-Cov2 virus
> > continues to spread, social distancing is still the norm as the 10 day
> > doubling time keeps the curve flattened. Governments know that if they
> > lift restrictions then the velocity of spread will increase, thus
> > overwhelming our healthcare system more than it already is. Public
> > outcry and fear allow governments to double down on measures, while
> > some governments loosen the restrictions on businesses to allow for
> > some economic commerce while strict social distancing practices remain
> > in place. At this point, allowing a large public gathering in Austin,
> > TX is seen as a public health risk to local municipal workers and
> > residents, thus banned. Because the Libertarian Party Constitution
> > does not grant us the ability to have online meetings, or allow
> > alternative convention methods, or allow the LNC to decide how
> > conventions are held with a 8/10th vote or other threshold, then the
> > Party Officers meet in Austin with enough members for quorum to change
> > the rules and immediately adjourn convention, thus legally changing
> > our rules to assure that the legitimacy of our Presidential candidate
> > moving forward cannot be legally contested. At this point, we move on
> > to an alternative style meeting.
> >
> > 3) The lockdown measures stay in place as the SARS-Cov2 virus
> > continues to spread, social distancing is still enforced, and
> > representatives lack an exit plan as they are caught between a public
> > health crises and an economic crises. The Libertarian Party does not
> > wish to endanger its members and can no longer hold a convention in
> > Austin due to the imposed gathering restrictions. The LNC works with
> > the CoC to come up with an alternative convention plan, and executes
> > that plan...
> >
> > This is my plan, and I invite you to consider it:
> >
> > Having a Zoom convention with over one thousand members is possible,
> > but with the complexity of our rules and communication, execution will
> > likely be sloppy. Not to mention what could go wrong with giving over
> > 1,000 people a public livestream, credentialing, and etiquette
> > matters. Rather than an electronic convention, we utilize pre-existing
> > meeting infrastructure and resources which we regularly use and trust,
> > the State Chairs and State meeting tools.
> >
> > The convention could be structured through a hierarchy, delegates to
> > the State Chair and Secretary, the Chair to the LNC Secretary, the LNC
> > Secretary announces the results and the next round of balloting
> > ensues. Move the votes up the chain to the top, from the ground up. It
> > would involve trust, its crude, but it would work. Plus, all of the
> > State Chairs are used to holding meetings, which can be done over the
> > phone using services like Free Conference Call, where the call in
> > number can be used to positively ID delegates. Alternatively, users
> > can be on the call, and votes can be privately sent to the Secretary
> > of that state using voting software or simple tools like email,
> > messenger, and Whatsapp. The State Secretary would record the votes,
> > tally them up, the Chair would present the totals to the delegate body
> > while keeping them anonymous just as the Chair does at convention, and
> > then submit the totals to the LNC Secretary. Alternatively, we could
> > vote by voice to ensure rigidity of elections. Our teams are smart, I
> > am sure we can find a creative solution.
> >
> > The State Chair sends in the tallies to the LNC Secretary, she counts
> > the vote and announces the results, then we move forward. We could
> > organize multiple meetings at preset times to allow for votes to be
> > counted in the interim, or remain on the line until all states get
> > their votes in and we move on. If our members are willing to travel to
> > Austin amidst a national economic & health crises, I am sure they
> > would be willing to hold on the phone. The logistics would not be
> > daunting for most States, as the amount of allocated delegate slots
> > for much of the country is low to moderate, in Florida we have around
> > 54 delegate slots by last count. So we are more than average, however,
> > the logistics of organizing a phone conference or Zoom meeting of that
> > magnitude would not be challenging.
> >
> > This would be the simplest retro-fit solution to use the power of our
> > State affiliates and familiar technology to put the convention
> > underway. I am sure we can work out the finer details, but the
> > execution would be the easiest to plan for, sans there are no
> > restrictions on Austin. Time will tell if this is necessary, but with
> > the interest of our Party members health and representation on the
> > line, we can choose when to start planning.
> >
> >
> > In Liberty,
> >
> > Steven Nekhaila
> > Region 2 Representative
> > Libertarian National Committee
> >
> > Impotentes defendere libertatum non possunt
> > "Those without power cannot defend freedom"
>