The Coordinating Committee may propose budgets to the General Membership, expend funds, make public statements and take action on the key issues of our times. The Coordinating Committee may also form committees and recruit membership to those committees, assist GPRI members in doing their work on the various types of committees and settle any disputes that may arise within those committees. The Coordinating Committee shall be responsible for the notification of the General Membership regarding GPRI meetings and conventions as well as insuring those meetings are properly facilitated.The Co-Chairpersons shall lead the work of the Coordinating Committee.



2.4 OFFICERS
The Green Party of Rhode Island shall elect 4 officers at each convention, the two co-chairs (one male, one female) the Treasurer and the Secretary. When there are multiple candidates Instant Runoff Voting shall be used in the election of officers.

Delegates to the Green Party National Committee shall be elected for two year terms. One half of the delegation shall be elected at either a General membership meeting or the State Convention each year, with the other half of the delegation being elected the next year. In addition to serving on the CC, delegates to the national committee shall be responsible for being the conduit of information between the State and National Green Parties, and shall poll the membership whenever appropriate for a national vote.

Any Green Party officers or members leaving the CC between election cycles, can be replaced by a vote at the next GMM or State Committee meeting. Vacancies in the GPRI delegation to the Green Party of the United States Coordinating Commitee may be filled by the State Committee, or at the next General Membership meeting.

The GPRI CC is responsible for approving members of the various GPRI Standing Committees.


2.5 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS
State Conventions and General Memberships Meetings held by the GPRI shall be considered equivalent, with both meetings having the authority to direct policy and administrative actions. State Conventions shall be held in even years for the purpose of adopting a platform for the GPRI, the election of Coordinating Committee Members and officers of the GPRI and for the transaction of other business as may properly come before the convention. The nominees of the GPRI for senators and for representatives in congress, for the five (5) general offices and for membership in the general assembly as selected by the State Committee or by primary ballot shall be delegates to the State Convention of the GPRI.


2.6 DECISION MAKING
All bodies of the Green Party of Rhode Island shall seek consensus in all decisions, but shall have the ability to conduct votes when necessary. Administrative and meeting process decisions shall be by majority vote. Decisions on issues, whether in a platform, or as a decision to take action, shall require a vote of 2/3 of to voting members in order to pass. The various bodies shall always have the authority to create committees to take on various tasks.

2.7 STANDING COMMITTEES
The State Committee of the GPRI, in order to coordinate administrative and structural activities of the GPRI, may establish Standing Committees, which are committees that remain in session until or unless deemed unnecessary for the functioning of the GPRI and dissolved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the State Committee. Standing Committees shall be responsible for the formation of bylaws regarding the operations of their respective committees. These bylaws shall not be inconsistent with the bylaws of the GPRI and Rhode Island State Law. The various Standing Committees may propose budgets and request funding from the GPRI, subject to the approval of the Coordinating Committee. Standing Committees shall report to the GPRI CC, SC, and General Membership Meetings. All members of the GPRI are eligible to serve on Committees.


2.8 GEOGRAPHIC COMMITTEES
GPRI Members may organize themselves in to working groups or committees of all kinds, including committees based on legislative district, congressional district, town, city, ward, county or any other form of voting district(s). These committees may also be based on watershed areas. All GPRI members wishing to be involved in the activities of a particular committee or working group are eligible to do so, provided that when the committee is based on voting district the GPRI members are qualified electors within the voting district for which that committee was formed. When the State of Rhode Island has specific laws governing the activities, or manner of activity, regarding a particular type of committee, the applicable state laws shall be followed. The working groups or committees shall create their own bylaws for the functioning of that group in harmony with the bylaws of the GPRI, and Rhode Island State Law. These committees or groups shall register themselves with the GPRI Coordinating Committee and the appropriate Rhode Island governmental bodies.

Local groups are autonomous and are responsible for their own activities and finances. They are fully empowered to take on campaigns, actions, and alliances and are the base of all Green Party activities. Public statements by Local Groups should note that they are the statements of a Local Group and not those of the GPRI unless the LG has received an endorsement from the GPRI. Local Groups are encouraged to ask for support and they are encouraged to carry the load on campaigns that primarily effect their region.

2.9 DISTRICT COMMITTEES
There shall be a senatorial district committee for each senatorial district to consist of five (5) members where the senatorial district is contained within a single city or town, and to consist of seven (7) members where the senatorial district includes all or parts of two (2) or more cities or towns. There shall be a representative district committee for each representative district to consist of three (3) members where the representative district is contained within a single city or town, and to consist of five (5) members where the representative district includes all or parts of two (2) or more cities or towns. Senatorial and representative district committee members shall in the first instance be selected by the Co-chairpersons of the State Committee of the GPRI, in the method of their choosing. The members of the district committees shall be qualified electors of their respective districts. The members shall hold office respectively from the date of their appointment and until the next election of the committees, and thereafter until their successors shall have been duly elected, qualified and organized.

2.10 CITY, TOWN, AND WARD COMMITTEES
The GPRI voters in each ward of the cities of the state shall in every even year, at the primary election held to nominate GPRI candidates, elect a ward committee for each ward; provided however, that the ward committees in the city of Providence shall be elected quadrennially.

The GPRI voters in each town of the state shall in every even year, at the primary election held to nominate GPRI candidates, elect a town committee for the town.
The members of the several GPRI ward committees shall constitute the GPRI city committee for that city.

2.11 ORGANIZATION OF CITY, TOWN, AND WARD COMMITTEES
The initial formation and organization of the city, town and district committees shall be through appointment by the Coordinating Committee of the GPRI, who shall assist in the structuring and registration of the committee. Each city, each town and each district committee shall file with the secretary of state and with the local board a list of its officers and members within ten (10) days of its formation.

All city, town and district committees shall organize biennially in the month of January in every odd year; provided however, the GPRI City committee for the city of Providence shall organize quadrennially Each city committee organized under this section may elect not exceeding three (3) officers outside of its membership from among the GPRI members in the city. The officers shall, by virtue of their election, become members of the city committee and shall hold office until the next organization meeting of that committee.The chairperson for the GPRI City committee of the city of Providence shall appoint the members of a ward committee for the several wards of the city of Providence, as shall the chairperson for the GPRI City committee of the city of East Providence respectively.

2.12 RULES AND MANAGEMENT OF CITY, TOWN, AND WARD COMMITTEES
City, town and district committees of the GPRI, as with all committees of the GPRI, may make rules or bylaws not inconsistent with the rules or bylaws of the GPRI. and Rhode Island State Law. The general management of the affairs of the GPRI in the respective cities, towns and districts shall be vested in the city, town or district committee, respectively, subject to the bylaws of the GPRI.

2.13 WORKING GROUPS/CAUCUSES/OTHER COMMITTEES.
Working Groups/Caucuses/OCS shall arise to focus on any issue, campaign or action that the GPRI or any member of the GPRI feels needs some attention. The GMM, CC, or SC can call for the formation of a Working Group and any member of the GPRI can create one. Working Groups created by the GMM, SC, or the CC shall report regularly to the various bodies, and other Working Groups are encouraged to report.

Working Groups/Caucuses/ Other Committees shall set their own rules and schedules. The only constraint upon them is that they cannot take actions or issue statements in the name of the Party without clearance from the Party. The GPRI can issue a general or specific statement of support allowing a Working Group to take actions or issue statements in the name of the Party.



3. ENDORSEMENTS

3.1 ENDORSEMENT BY LOCAL COMMITTEE
Each town, ward, and city committee shall file with the appropriate local board the list of candidates in the town, ward, or city that have the endorsement of the committee.Three (3) officers of the committee shall sign endorsements by the town, ward and city committees.Each district committee shall file the list of endorsed candidates with the board of canvassers the of the city or town of residence of the senatorial or representative candidate, except that if the candidate is a resident of Providence the endorsement shall be filed with the secretary of state. Endorsements by district committees shall be signed by a majority of those members presently on the committee.

Endorsements by local committee shall be made prior to the last State Committee Meeting or a Green Party Convention held before June 28th of any given election year. The local endorsements shall be reviewed at that State Committee Meeting or Convention and can be overturned with a vote of at least three-quarters (3/4) of the voting members at the State Committee.

When local endorsements have been approved by the State Committee the endorsements shall be filed with the appropriate local board or the Secretary of State, as the case may be, not later than four o^(1)clock (4:00) p.m. of the day after the last day for filing declarations of candidacy.



3.2 ENDORSEMENT BY STATE COMMITTEE
The State Committee of the Green Party of Rhode Island or a Convention of the Green Party of Rhode Island shall be the deciding body on all endorsements for candidates seeking statewide office(s).The State Committee of the Green Party of Rhode Island or a Convention of the Green Party of Rhode Island shall be the deciding body and make endorsements for all offices that are not made by the appropriate local committees.

All candidates seeking endorsement by the GPRI shall be submitted prior or at the time of the meeting of the State Committee or Convention.

Statewide endorsements shall be made by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting members at the GPRI State Committee or Convention. Endorsements for local or Congressional candidates shall also be made by the State Committee, provided that no GPRI local committee has submitted candidates for review, and confirmed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the eligible members of the party present at the State Committee Meeting or Convention. Eligible members are those that live in the appropriate district.

In the event of a candidate seeking endorsement by the GPRI after the appropriate State Committee Meeting or Convention has taken place, the Coordinating Committee shall have the authority to endorse a candidate by a three-quarters (3/4) vote of the Coordinating Committee if the office sought by that candidate is not contested.

The Coordinating Committee shall be the authorized body to register endorsements, notify the appropriate local board, or the secretary of state if required, for local candidates in any contingency in which the appropriate town, city or district committee neglects, fails or does not exist to do so. The endorsements shall be filed not later than four o^(1)clock (4:00) p.m. on the second day after the final day for filling declarations of candidacy. The candidate(s) endorsed by the State Committee or Convention shall appear as the endorsed candidate(s) on the primary ballot in the event of a contested race, with the final nomination of the GPRI pending the results of the primary elections.

3.3 FILING DEADLINES
The State of Rhode Island requires candidates for office to file an intent to run in late June and to collect signatures on petitions during early July. GPRI endorsement and nominating processes shall take place at the appropriate time to meet state requirements. The GPRI shall use its usual methods to contact State Committee members about the SC meeting, and shall publicly announce the convention and let the membership know by the usual methods.

4. PRIMARY ELECTIONS

4.1 BALLOT WHEN CONTEST EXISTS
Whenever there is a contest within any voting district, a primary election shall be held in the voting district and the names of all candidates for state office shall appear on the primary ballot. Only the names of those candidates for local office and members of ward, town and district committees of the GPRI that are contested shall appear on the primary ballot.

4.2 DISPENSATION OF PRIMARY WHEN NO CONTEST.
Whenever there is no contest whatsoever within any voting district for the persons to be nominated or elected by the GPRI, no primary election shall be held in that voting district. The endorsements of the State Committee shall not be printed on the primary ballot but shall be considered the GPRI nominated candidates and printed on the ballot for the election for which the nominations are made.


5.0 AMENDING THE BYLAWS

5.1 The Bylaws of the GPRI shall be the rules that designate the ways in which the GPRI functions. As the Bylaws of the GPRI are an evolving set of rules, a Standing Committee shall be formed to continually address the content and further develop these Bylaws of the GPRI as deemed necessary by that Committee.

Proposed changes to the accepted Bylaws as formed by the Standing Bylaw Committee shall be submitted in writing thirty (30) days before the State Committee meeting in which the changes shall be voted upon.

All proposed changes shall be published in the notice that announces the State Committee meeting in which the changes shall be discussed. An amendment to the accepted GPRI Bylaws shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote in favor of the amendment(s) by the State Committee in order to be enacted. Bylaw amendments(s) passed by the State Committee can be overturned by a majority vote at a General Membership Meeting.