Sponsor: Campaign & Candidates Working Group

Presenters/Contacts: Greg Jan (Oakland, 510-444-7336, gjan4@yahoo.com) and Mike Feinstein (Santa Monica, 310-392-8450, mfeinstein@feinstein.org)

Background and Purpose: These three separate but related proposals seek to establish a GPCA candidate endorsement process and re-establish a process for receiving and evaluating requests from candidates for GPCA financial support.

According to GPCA Bylaw 8.2.1, the tasks of the Campaigns & Candidates Working Group are to:

a) Educate Green Party members about GPCA electoral strategy;
b) Identify key political campaigns in which Green Party activists can play a pivotal role;
c) Identify registered Greens who would make credible candidates;
d) Promote and facilitate effective regional strategies for winning campaigns;
e) Train Green Party activists in methods of waging political campaigns;
f) Facilitate fundraising operations for GPCA-endorsed electoral campaigns.

Furthermore, GPCA Bylaw 9-1.2 states that the General Assembly "...shall approve the manner and method by which candidates for state or federal offices are endorsed or opposed."

Further Background: Currently, the GPCA does not have a candidate endorsement process. A previous ad hoc process adopted at the Fullerton December 2003 General Assembly expired on March 2, 2004.

The first two proposals deal with general election and primary election endorsements by the GPCA. They focus on races and procedures for statewide candidates for state and federal office, providing for General Assembly approval when possible and when timing does not permit, via a polling of the Counties.

For non-statewide races, there was disagreement upon on which races should and should not be the province of the state party. Concerns raised were that Greens on the state level would be asked to endorse candidates they did not know, who may be running in far away districts; that this took up limited state party time when there was already local/county endorsements available to these candidates; and that in lieu of direct knowledge the state should also not be put in the position of rubber-stamping a local/county position that it may not even agree with. A counter concern was that these categories of candidates should have a method for obtaining a GPCA endorsement if they wanted to have it. However, people holding concerns agreed to stand aside so that the proposals in its current form could be placed on the agenda for consideration by this General Assembly.

There has been a general consensus within the CCWG that, except in extraordinary circumstances, the GPCA should not endorse candidates in contested GPCA primary elections. The second of these proposals describes how such a circumstance might be identified.

The third proposal would re-establish the Campaign Financial Support Committee (CFSC) to make recommendations to the GPCA CC on disbursing support funds to GPCA candidates.

A county endorsement would be required for individual candidates to be considered (except on the state level, where state level endorsement would be needed). The overall process would be designed to consider candidates requests together, in order to promote a strategic prioritization of funds.

PROPOSALS: The following are three related proposals to be considered separately

PROPOSAL 2: GPCA CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT POLICY FOR PRIMARY ELECTIONS

1. The GPCA will not endorse Green Party members who are candidates in contested
Green Party primaries, except in extraordinary circumstances.

To establish if such extraordinary circumstances exist, the following process shall apply:

A. The GPCA CC must approve a statement of findings, that would clarify what are
the extraordinary circumstances and their significance for the GPCA.

B. If such a statement of findings is approved by the GPCA CC, an endorsement proposal
would be brought before the GPCA

2. Whenever possible, these endorsements shall be made by bringing the matter before the General Assembly, taking into account agenda distribution deadlines and other relevant procedural issues.

3. Where it is not possible to bring these endorsements before the General Assembly, the decision may be brought before the GPCA through a polling of the Counties.

4. The GPCA CC is not empowered to make these decisions on behalf of the GPCA.

5. This procedure applies to Primary Elections for the following offices:

A. Partisan statewide constitutional offices (Governor, Lt. Governor,
Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Controller, Insurance Commissioner)
B. Non-Partisan statewide constitutional offices (Superintendent of Education)
C. State Board of Equalization
D. U.S Senate

6. These are policies of the GPCA. County organizations and locals are encouraged to develop their own procedures and standards for endorsing or otherwise evaluating local candidates. The endorsement(s) of a county organization or local shall clearly indicate that it is an endorsement of that local or county organization.

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(Proposal 1 below will be decided upon as the agenda item that precedes this one, while Proposal 3 is on the Consent Calendar for Saturday morning. The three are presented here together to provide context, since they are separate but related)

PROPOSAL 1: GPCA CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT POLICY FOR GENERAL ELECTIONS

1. The GPCA may endorse Green Party members who are General Election candidates for the following offices:

A. Partisan statewide constitutional offices (Governor, Lt. Governor,
Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Controller, Insurance Commissioner)
B. Non-Partisan statewide constitutional offices (Superintendent of Education)
C. State Board of Equalization
D. U.S Senate

2. The GPCA shall not make any endorsements of General Election candidates who are not Green Party members.

3. Whenever possible, the GPCA shall make its endorsements by bringing the matter before the General Assembly, taking into account agenda distribution deadlines and other relevant procedural issues.

4. Where it is not possible to bring the decision before the General Assembly, the decision may be brought before the GPCA through a polling of the Counties.

5. The GPCA CC is not empowered to make these decisions on behalf of the GPCA.

6. Other than for the offices mentioned above, the GPCA will not consider endorsements for Green Party members who are General Election candidates for other offices, leaving the question of endorsement to the local/regional level.

7. These are policies of the GPCA. County organizations and locals are encouraged to develop their own procedures and standards for endorsing or otherwise evaluating local candidates. The endorsement(s) of a county organization or local shall clearly indicate that it is an endorsement of that local or county organization.


PROPOSAL 3: GPCA CANDIDATE SUPPORT RESOURCE ALLOCATION PROCEDURE

1. Non-partisan municipal, county and special district races, California state legislature and U.S. House of Representative

To be considered for GPCA financial (or other resource) support, a Green Party candidate for these races must first receive the endorsement.of the County Council (or other County decision-making body) in which the district is located.

It is recommended, but not required, that endorsements by Green locals in the district are received as well.

2. Partisan statewide constitutional offices (Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State; Non-Partisan statewide constitutional offices (Superintendent of Education); State Board of Equalization; U.S Senate

To be considered for GPCA financial (or other resource) support, a Green Party candidate for these races must first receive the endorsement. of the GPCA, via either a decision of the General Assembly or a polling of the counties.

3. In the case of special circumstances (e.g., large voting districts with multiple county organizations; circumstances of special elections), support may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

4. To receive requests for support, the GPCA Coordinating Committee will re-establish the Campaign Financial Support Commitee (CSFC), which will make recommendations to the GPCA CC to disburse campaign support funds.

The CFSC will consist of two members from each of the CCWG, Finance Committee and the GPCA CC.

5. Candidates will be required to fill out a questionnaire and submit it to the CFSC.

6. The CFSC will establish a procedure with deadlines, to ensure that it can receive requests and make recommendations in a timely manner so that the GPCA CC can consider candidate requests together, in order to promote strategic prioritization of funds.

Timeline: Adoption at the next plenary in Ventura County, April 29th-30th, 2006.

Resources: Time and energies in presenting endorsement requests to a General Assembly or to County GP’s by polling. Appointments by the CC, Finance Committee and CCWG to constitute a CFSC. GPCA CC will need to include a candidate financial support fund in its annual work plan and budget.

Attachments: Endorsement Procedures Temporarily Adopted December 2003:

The process by which the GPCA endorses Green Candidates running for partisan office shall be as follows:
1. Organizational Structure
1-1. The Campaigns and Candidates Working Group (CCWG) is responsible for facilitating the endorsement of partisan candidates.
1-2. Endorsements for candidates running for the statewide constitutional offices shall be ratified by the General Assembly.
1-3. Endorsements for candidates running for the State Assembly, State Senate, and the
U.S. House of Representatives shall be ratified by the statewide consensus polling process.
2. Candidate Endorsement Process
2-1. Candidates must demonstrate support from Green Party County Organizations in their electoral district by submitting endorsements in writing from locals to the CCWG and CC. If for any reason there are counties that don't endorse a candidate, the CC and CCWG will in good faith continue the endorsement process without local endorsement.
2-2. Each candidate must complete a brief questionnaire describing their candidacy and submit it to the CCWG for approval.
2-3. The CCWG shall recommend campaign endorsements and submit them to the appropriate body for ratification.
3. Procedures for Ratification
3-1. The General Assembly
Upon recommendation of the Campaigns and Candidates Working Group, the General Assembly of the GPCA may endorse candidates for the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Board of Equalization and the U.S. Senate.
Uncontested pre-primary endorsements shall be by consensus or 80 percent of the voting delegates at the first plenary past the filing deadline. Voting may not take place before the filing deadline.
Post-primary endorsements shall be determined by consensus or 80 percent of the voting delegates at the first plenary.
3-2. Statewide Consensus Polling
Until March 2, 2004, Green Party candidates for the State Assembly, State Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives shall be endorsed by the following process:
a. The CC and CCWG will conduct the polling of GPCO's in a uniform and impartial manner.
b. The question presented will be "are there any concerns“? If there are none, the endorsement will be made official.
c. If there are unresolved concerns, the endorsement decision will be made by the General Assembly.
4. Sunset
a. This proposal sunsets March 1, 2004
5. Reconsideration

a. This proposal shall be brought back to the General Assembly at the March Plenary for reconsideration.

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2002 Candidates Questionnaire (CCWG)

1. Have you been endorsed by your local?
2. What other endorsements do you have?
3. Are you running on the GPCA platform?
4. What is and has been your activity with the Green Party?
5. Who is your competition?
6. What resources do you have?
7. Why do you think that you are electable?
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