Affiliation Guide

This Guide provides information for those seeking to build a new county or campus Green chapter and receive affiliation with the Green Party of Pennsylvania.

What is an affiliate chapter?

A:

An affiliate chapter of the Green Party of Pennsylvania can be either a County or Campus organization of Green Party members.  Affiliates are officially recognized entities of the Green Party and have voting power in the State Committee of the Green Party of Pennsylvania.  

What is the benefit of affiliation?

A:

Affiliated Committees are able to put forth proposals and hold voting power in the State Committee of the Green Party of Pennsylvania through delegate representation.

Affiliated County Committees hold authority to endorse candidates for local elected office within their county boundary.  County Committees that fall within State/Congressional Districts share endorsement authority for those offices.  Where no County Committee exists the State Committee has primacy over all election endorsements.

Who can help me with questions?

A:

The Green Wave Committee is available to assist individuals with day to day questions about organizing affiliated chapters.  Green Wave is organized regionally in Pennsylvania.

Find your regional Green Wave representative here

What does a County/Campus need for affiliation?

A:

To become a County or Campus affiliate of the Green Party of Pennsylvania the following is required:

1 - Draft rules/bylaws by which the Committee shall be governed.

2 - Elect a Committee consisting of no less than a Chair and Treasurer.

3 - Campus Greens must have at least 5 members registered as Green in Pennsylvania and at least 2 member must be registered as Green within the County or campus boundary.

4 - Present rules and elected Committee in front of the State Committee of the Green Party of Pennsylvania for affiliation approval.

 

Once approved for affiliation.

1 - The Committee must file final rules with their County BCEL or Campus governing office and return executed documents to the Green Party of Pennsylvania.

2 - Abide by executed rules/bylaws.

3 - Elect delegates to the State Committee of the Green Party of Pennsylvania.  

Why do I need Bylaws/Rules?

A:

Bylaws and/or rules ensure that governance of your committee is performed with transparency and that internal disputes and conflict can be avoided. They provide a basic road map by which your committee is run and serve as a legal set of operating rules.  As a political body, your county Bureau of Commissions, Elections, and Legislation or Campus Governing Office may require bylaws/rules to ensure your authority in election matters.

In seeking affiliation with the Green Party of Pennsylvania you commit to the values of the Green Party.  The State Committee may cancel its recognition of any Committee if such Committee were to become unviable or engage in activities that are in blatant opposition to Green values, including but not limited to failure to adopt democratic internal procedures.

Bylaws/rules can be as simple or complex as a Committee sees fit for it's needs.  An example of bylaws which may be minimally acceptable can be accessed here.

How many delegates to the State Committee are allowed?

A:

Each affiliated County Committee is allotted one Delegate for each one percent or fraction thereof of the Green Party active voter registration in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Each affiliated Campus Committee can elect up to two Delegates.  No more than one Campus Green Delegate can be male. 

How do I find registered Green Party members?

A:

Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation (BCEL) can provide voter registration information for at the County level.  This is typically provided for a small fee or free of charge depending on the level of detail requested and may included party affiliation, registrant address, and if available registrant phone number.

Locate your County BCEL here

State-wide voter registration information can also be purchased from the Pennsylvania Department (DOS) of State BCEL.  This may be more suitable for individuals searching for state-wide or regional data which would otherwise come from many County BCEL.  The requester can select data by desired county or state-wide, as desired.

Acquire state-wide voter date from the PA DOS here

Several times during the year the Green Party of Pennsylvania will retrieve state-wide voter registration information from the PA DOS.  Individuals organizing Green chapters within Pennsylvania can request voter registration information for their target area from the Green Party of Pennsylvania and are encouraged to work with our regional Green Wave coordinators in their organizing efforts.

Locate your regional Green Wave coordinator here

Does the Green Party of Pennsylvania have other data I can access?

A:

The Green Party of Pennsylvania does have proprietary data, such as volunteer and supporter information, collected from affiliate chapters and former campaigns.  This data may be accessible to organizing Committees.  Work with your regional Green Wave representative for access to this information.

The Green Party logo and artwork may be available for use by those Committees who seek to use the unifying and standardized brand of the Green Party of the United States and the Green Party of Pennsylvania.  Use of any supplied artwork must follow the Branding Guidelines adopted by the Green Party of the United States.  Committees are permitted to develop artwork and branding of their own if desired.

Where can I find more information about organizing?

A:

The Green Party of the United States has additional organizing resources that are publicly available at www.gp.org/organizing_tools including information on how to conduct meetings and establish meeting roles and responsibilities.


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