The summary below will start getting you familiarized with what you would be doing to organize your county affiliate, but it will also give you some idea of what you would be doing after it is organized.

After we find enough people that have shown an interest in having an initial meeting, the Chair of the Membership Committee will set up a Zoom meeting with all that can attend. This will introduce you to the Regional Representative and the Chair of the Affiliates Committee.  At that meeting you will get to know them, they will provide you with additional information and you can ask them questions.  And they will be your primary LPF contacts after that meeting. Meanwhile, you can become a member of the LPF by completing the form  on https://lpf.org/get-involved/join/, if you have not already done that. It is free and takes only about 10 minutes.

Summary Of The LPF Document

 Organizing And Operating A County Affiliate

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17Wlky16yy87H8jctbDJ5jgomG1VDWMIi_I_QkYeh2mk/edit

One or two of you will get a list from the Florida Division of Elections of the voters registered as Libertarian in your county. All have name, home address, party affiliation and more, plus about 60% have phone numbers and 35% have email addresses.

This list will come on a spreadsheet with (1) suggestions on how to best use that information to contact libertarians and invite them to future affiliate formation meetings, and with (2) columns to: (a) track the results of the calls, emails and text messages and (b) identify the libertarians that were inclined to attend those meetings.

First, email, call, visit and/or text more libertarians in your county to encourage them to attend the organizational meeting. Then ask those that showed an interest in a meeting, including the original ones on my list, for a range of dates and times when they can attend. Or better, use a free internet program to schedule meetings, such as Doodle, to accomplish this more efficiently. Then select the time that fits the schedule of the most people.

Also, choose a location that is most convenient for the largest number of potential attendees, maybe a restaurant. Make sure to make a reservation specifically mentioning that it is a meeting of libertarians and your estimate of how many will attend. You should also ask for a separate room, if available.

Early Events

After having a couple of initial meetings to get to know each other and discuss plans, it is good to start participating in some events before the official creation of the county affiliate. For example, renting a table at a festival or gun show, speaking to a civic organization, participating in a parade, or attending city or county commission meetings to learn about local politics and give opinions on proposed laws and ordinances from a libertarian point of view.

Creating An Official County Affiliate

A county affiliate is a type of non-profit corporation that must have a Chair, a Vice Chair, a Treasurer and a Secretary. If a Secretary is not available, the Treasurer can act as one. These officers must be (1) registered to vote as Libertarian, and (2) be members of the Libertarian Party of Florida, which is free, can be done on https://lpf.org/get-involved/join/ in 10 minutes, and requires agreeing to the non-aggression pledge: “I oppose the initiation of force to achieve political or social goals”.

Your meetings are open to the public, but only those registered to vote as Libertarians (not necessarily LPF members) can (1) nominate officers and (2) vote on: (a) resolutions and (b) officers. All the libertarian registered voters attending have the same voting power as the officers.

The officers need to be nominated, their nomination seconded, and a vote of the attendees taken, with the one with a majority winning.

Adopt By-Laws, which you can start with available templates, and maybe a Constitution. Then, read the LPF Affiliate Checklist provided to you that shows the legal and party requirements and make sure that everything is covered. Send these documents with the Petition to Affiliate to the LPF Executive Committee for approval, with a copy of the minutes of the meeting where it was adopted.

Once the affiliate is approved at the next LPF Executive Committee meeting, send to your county Supervisor of Elections: (1) the officers’ information, (2) constitution and bylaws, (3) a copy of the minutes approving them and (4): (a) either a letter from the LPF Chair signifying approval or (b) a copy of the LPF Executive Committee Minutes where it was approved. Then bring these documents to the county Supervisor of Elections in person to complete their additional forms, and to establish a relationship with the people there.

After you are officially an LPF county affiliate the Treasurer needs to get an Employer Identification Number and open a bank account to receive contributions and pay expenses. Your affiliate is a tax-exempt organization under Internal Revenue Code 26 U.S.C. § 527, created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment, or defeat of candidates to federal, state, or local public office.

For more details on the approval process, the county Supervisor of Elections and the Treasurer’s functions, please read Creating an Official County Affiliate of Organizing in:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/17Wlky16yy87H8jctbDJ5jgomG1VDWMIi_I_QkYeh2mk/edit. This link also contains more details on the whole process of creating a county affiliate of the LPF.