Want to Create a new County AZLP affiliate?
Here’s a simple 5 step process to create and maintain your Organization.
1. Create an informal group
The first step is to get together with a small group of friends or local activists and start having regular meetings. Your group should create some sort of public presence on the internet whether it be a website, blog, or social media page. It’s a good idea to reach out to other Libertarians throughout the state and the Arizona Libertarian Party State Board and to network with them.
There are numerous social media pages and groups at the state level such as the Arizona Libertarian Party page or the Arizona Libertarians group on Facebook. The AZLP.org Website is a good starting place to find these resources. The State Libertarian Party should be able to provide Voter lists for you to use to contact other Libertarians in your County.
2. Precinct Committeemen
The next step to organizing a County Party in Arizona is to get registered Libertarians elected in your County as Precinct Committeemen in their respective Precincts. This is largely governed by Arizona statues found in ARS 16-821 and ARS 16-822. This is done by filling out the requisite forms and petition with your County Elections Department. Your County Elections Department will have the forms available to do this.
This is normally done in May before the Primary Election. If your County Elections Department objects to filing on the grounds that your County Organization does not yet have ballot access, you can reference the court case: ARIZONA LIBERTARIAN PARTY INC v. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF COCHISE COUNTY No. 2 CA-CV 2002-0174.
3. County Committee organization
The whole number of Precinct Committeemen in a County constitute the County Committee of the Party. Pursuant to ARS 16-824, the County Committee must conduct a statutory Organizing Meeting no earlier than 10 days after the last organizing Meeting of any Party Legislative District Committees in your County, and no later than the second Saturday in January of the year following a General Election. This meeting must also be in compliance with the AZLP Bylaws and Constitution, and will be validated by our State Board.
At this meeting you must elect the following Officers: Chairman, 1st Vice Chairman, 2nd Vice Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary. According to statute, the Treasurer and Secretary may be the same person, allowing for only 4 Officers necessary. Only elected Precinct Committeemen may vote in an Organizational Meeting. You should also adopt and pass a draft of your new Party Constitution and Bylaws.
You must file a Political Committee Statement of Organization with your County and the Secretary of State. You will normally simply file it with the County and they will pass it on to the Secretary of State. The paperwork involved in this may include a financial disclosure document. It still simple to do. Each county gets one State Committeeman, and another as well, for every three additional elected Precinct Committeemen, your County Committee shall elect these State Committeeman. ARS 16-825, ARS 16-825.01, ARS 16-826, ARS-827, ARS-828.
Your State Committeemen may now attend a State Committeeman meeting and vote on Statutory issues at the State level. Although any registered Libertarian in the State can participate and vote on some issues at State Committee Meetings and run for non-statutory Board of Director Offices. Only State Committeemen may vote for Board of Directors Officers, Resolutions, Motions, State Platform changes or propose ByLaws changes. See the AZLP ByLaws Sections 22 and 23.
All applicable State election laws pertaining to Political Parties can be found under Title 16 Chapter 5 of the Arizona Revised Statutes. Title 16 Chapter 6 Article 1.1 ARS 16-905, ARS 16-906, ARS 16-907, ARS 16-908 are also useful to review, as this covers the establishment of Committees.
4. Ballot Access
To run Candidates for County level offices, a petition for Party recognition must be filed with the officer in charge of elections in your county (usually a County Elections Director or equivalent) in accordance with ARS 16-802 and ARS 16-803. You will need signatures from qualified electors (persons registered to vote) in your County equal to a minimum of 2% of the total votes cast for County Attorney in your County in the last election (ARS 16-802). This information can be found on your County Elections Department website.
This petition must be filed at least 180 days before the next Primary Election. Once this is completed, Libertarians can run for office in your County on the ballot. The other way you can obtain ballot access in your County is to have registered Libertarians equal to at least 5% of the total votes cast in that County for County Attorney at the previous General Election. ARS 16-804(A).
5. Continued Representation
Your group will need to insure continued representation for ballot access by making sure you have registered Libertarians equal to at least ⅔ of 1% of the total voter registrations in your County by October 1st of the year before General Election. ARS 16-804(B).
Upon Completion of sections 2&3 you will have State LP recognition and a minimum of 2 voting State Committeemen. You will also have 3 members on the State Executive Committee (Chairman and First and Second Vice Chairs).
Contact AZLP Leaders to get started.