Bylaws

Article 1 – Name & Purpose

1.A. – Name – The name of this organization is the North Carolina Pirate Party (NCPP).

1.B. – Purpose and Mission – The purpose of the North Carolina Pirate Party is to continue the international Pirate movement and help it grow in the state of North Carolina. Our mission is to make political change at the local and state level, and promote the Core Values set out in the bylaws of the United States Pirate Party, which is the national party of the NCPP.

1.C. – Core Values – As established by the United States Pirate Party, we uphold our Core Values. In addition, the North Carolina Pirate Party includes two values (#8 & #9) pertaining to our state party:

1. We stand for free and 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 are anti-discrimination. Any discriminatory attitudes based on a person’s race, gender, sexual orientation, age or any applicable, non-controllable factor shall not be tolerated.
9. We believe in a market place of ideas. No political stance is too obscure or too outrageous to discuss. All ideas shall be discussed in an honest, serious and open matter to allow the greatest possibility of understanding and acceptance in our democratic processes.
10. We actively practice these values. We hold ourselves accountable for our own adherence to these principles.

1.D – Limitations of Donations – Donations intended for the North Carolina Pirate Party should instead be donated to the United States Pirate Party and earmarked for the NCPP. Donations may only be accepted from individuals. Donations from for-profit companies or 501(c)(4) or 501(c)(6) organizations is strictly prohibited for members and candidates.

Article 2 – Membership

2.A. – Definition – Membership in the NCPP shall be based on individual involvement. Those who donate to the state party monetarily, attend regular meetings, ask for a membership card or any combination of the three will also be considered a member.

2.B. – Membership Qualifications

• Members must be at least 18 years old to be considered a member. Those younger than 17 shall be considered a member of the Young Pirates of America, the youth organization associated with the United States Pirate Party, and not directly tied to the business dealings of the North Carolina Pirate Party. Members 18-24 shall be considered a member of the College Aged Pirates, allowing participation with the USPP and the YPA.
• Members must live in North Carolina.
• Members must be registered to vote in the state of North Carolina.

2.C. – Pirate Code – Members must acknowledge that they shall uphold the Pirate Code

2.D. – Disqualifying of membership – Those in bad standing with the United States Pirate Party shall not be granted membership to the North Carolina Pirate Party. Members who are in bad standing with the NCPP may be granted membership via unanimous decision from delegated chapter Captains. Membership may be lost in via unanimous decision via motion, debate and unanimous vote.

Article 3 – Chapters

3.A. – Definition – The NCPP shall be comprised of one hundred chapters, all to be referred to as “[NAME] Pirate Party” in official capacities.

3.B. – Chapter Membership – All members of the NCPP shall also be members of their appropriate chapters. Chapter membership shall be based on the county a member lives in.

3.C. – Chapter Rights – Chapters are granted autonomy on how they wish to operate their chapter in regards to running candidates in local elections, platform decisions, social media presence and representation in NCPP meetings, so long as each chapter commits to upholding our Core Values.

3.D. – Representation – All chapters must have one representative attending the NCPP meetings taking place once a month.

Article 4 – Meetings

4.A. – NCPP meetings – The NCPP shall meet once a month on an agreed time and day. Meetings shall take place via Discord, IRC, Jitsi or whatever median is decided upon. By default, meetings shall take place over Jitsi unless clearly stated otherwise.

4.B. – Meeting Attendance – NCPP meetings shall be open to any and all members. It is expected that at least one representative from all active chapters make an appearance to participate and update on the status of their chapter.

Article 5 – National Affiliation

5.A. – National Party – As stated above: the NCPP is the North Carolina state chapter of the United States Pirate Party.

5.B. – National Representation – In accordance to Pirate National Committee rules, one member of the NCPP must be in constant attendance during weekly Sunday meetings for continued state recognition. The Captain of the NCPP shall be the representative, unless an Alternate State Rep or Flag Hoister is elected.

5.C. – National Platform – The platform of the United States Pirate Party shall be adopted as officially part of the NCPP platform, and adjusted as is adjusted at the national level. This shall serve as the basis of our own platform.

Article 6 – Leadership

6.A. – Definitions of Leadership Roles – Leadership within the NCPP shall be defined as the following:

• Captain or Chair, who shall manage all administration and operations of the NCPP, act as the chairperson and primary spokesperson of the party, and shall be the state representative for weekly PNC meetings.
• First Officer or Vice-Chair, who shall assist the Captain in managing the administration and operations of the NCPP, and act as secondary spokesperson of the party. The First Officer will conduct business on behalf of the Captain or the Quartermaster in the event that either is absent or incapacitated.
• Quartermaster or 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.
• Scribe or Secretary, who shall keep records of the minutes and logs for meetings, tally votes, and maintain a database of the members.
• Lookout or Branch Moderator, who shall ensure that disputes between members have an impartial party who will help produce a resolution. This person will also work with each local branch of the NCPP if free of squabble.
• Beancounter or Auditor, who shall ensure that NCPP funds were used appropriately.
• Swarmcare Sentinel, who shall welcome new activists 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 the next events — social as well as operational — take place.
• Web Admin or Director of the Online, who shall coordinate volunteers to maintain the online infrastructure of the party, such as its websites, blogs and wikis.
• Alternate State Rep or Flag Hoister, who shall attend PNC meetings in the absence of the Captain. This position may be held by multiple and other elected members.

6.B. – Leadership at the chapter level – All roles applicable to the NCPP may also be applicable to the chapters of the NCPP. Chapters are granted the autonomy to elect local leaders as they see fit. Chapters will be required to update the state party on leadership changes within one week of the change.

6.C. – Elections – Elections shall be held yearly during the North Carolina Pirate Convention, or NCPC. The date of the convention shall be decided by a vote, but cannot be held later than the end of the first week of December. Emergency elections can be call in a snap with 3/5ths approval from Chapter representatives. Chapters are expected and welcomed to hold their elections during the same period of the NCPP, but it is not required.

6.D. – Role Name – Those holding elected positions in the NCPP may rename their role in the party, so long as it is approved by the Captain/Chair and notified to the NCPP during the first possible meeting. Chairs changing the name of their role must notify the intent during the first possible NCPP meeting, then must be approved by a simple majority vote. All name changes shall be reverted to the above “Leadership Roles” upon the election of new officers.

Article 7 – Platform

7.A. – Definition – The platform of the NCPP shall be approved by and followed by all chapters of the NCPP. All decisions must be voted upon and adopted upon unanimous decision. Votes to remove policies in the platform must, once again, be approved by unanimous decision.

7.B. – Chapter Platform – Chapters are welcome to independently create platforms localized to their chapter. Adoption of local platform does not require NCPP approval. All chapters must include platform decisions voted upon for the NCPP as a whole.

7.C. – Chapter Approval – Upon the foundation of all chapters within the NCPP, a vote shall be held in regards to the platform as a whole. Platform decisions shall be made official upon votes of all applicable chapters.

7.D. – Suggestions – All platform suggestions shall be heard and discussed. Suggestions presented by chapter reps shall be discussed and decided upon on the day of suggestions.

7.E. – Interim Decision Making – All decision made previous to the formation of any and all NCPP chapters shall be considered an interim position. All platform policies shall be voted upon during or after the official formation of the chapters.

Article 8 – Candidates

8.A. – Definition – Candidates shall be considered anyone seeking elected office within the state of North Carolina, regardless of position sought.

8.B. – Qualifications – Candidates must meet the minimum qualification for their desired office as set out by the state of North Carolina, US government, or whatever election authority has set the rules. Candidates must also introduce themselves and intentions to North Carolina Pirate Party captain, as well as the Pirate National Committee of the United States Pirate Party.

8.C. – Endorsements – All candidates must acknowledge and accept the Pirate Code. All candidates must attend at least one chapter and national meeting every month.

8.D. – Campaign Section – All candidates shall be granted a page for their campaign and shall be promoted under the section titles Meet the Candidates! Candidates are welcome to create their own campaign site, but will otherwise be welcomed to edit their NCPP created page as they see fit.