Chapter 4 - Political Parties
CHAPTER 4 - POLITICAL PARTIES
ARTICLE 1 - MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES
22-4-101. Application; composition, election and qualifications ofcounty central committees; certificate of election.
(a) This article is applicable only to "major politicalparties".
(b) The county central committee of eachpolitical party consists of precinct committeemen and committeewomen elected inthe county at the regular biennial primary election. Each political party ineach precinct shall elect one (1) committeeman and one (1) committeewoman foreach two hundred fifty (250) votes or major fraction thereof cast for theparty's candidate for representative in congress in the last general election,but provided that no precinct shall be entitled to less than one (1) precinctcommitteeman and precinct committeewoman. Precinct committeemen andcommitteewomen shall be electors registered in the party and resident in theprecinct. The county clerk shall issue a certificate of election to theprecinct committeemen and committeewomen elected and concurrently notify thecounty central committee chairman. The certificate shall state the term ofoffice which shall begin on the day the primary election is canvassed and shallexpire on the date the next regular biennial primary election is canvassed. Ifa precinct boundary line is changed for any reason, the county commissionersshall determine the number of precinct committeemen and committeewomen to whichthe affected precinct is entitled.
22-4-102. Repealed By Laws 1998, ch. 100, 5.
22-4-103. County central committee vacancies.
Avacancy in the county central committee shall occur in the case of death,resignation, failure of a qualified candidate to be elected to a precinctcommitteeman or committeewoman position, or removal of residence from theprecinct. A vacancy shall be filled by the county central committee by electionof a registered elector resident in the precinct in which the vacancy existsand registered in the party or as provided by the party bylaws.
22-4-104. County central committee organizational meeting; notice ofmeetings.
Thecounty central committee shall meet and organize under the direction of thecounty chairman at the time and place determined by the county chairman withinthirty (30) days after the county chairman has received notice from the countyclerk that all of its members have been certified elected. The county chairmanshall also publish a notice of all meetings of the county central committee ina newspaper of general county circulation not less than two (2) days prior to ameeting.
22-4-105. County central committee odd year meeting; notice; electionof chairman, state committeeman and committeewoman.
Thecounty central committee shall meet at the county seat each odd-numbered yearat a time and place determined by the county chairman. The county chairmanshall publish notice of the meeting in a newspaper of general circulationwithin the county not less than ten (10) days before this meeting. At themeeting, the county central committee shall elect the chairman of the countycentral committee, one (1) state committeeman and one (1) state committeewomanand other offices as provided by the party bylaws. A state political party mayprovide in its rules for the election of additional state committeemen andadditional state committeewomen. Neither the chairman, state committeeman orstate committeewoman need be members of the county central committee.
22-4-106. County convention.
Thecounty convention of each political party shall meet in even-numbered years.
22-4-107. County convention delegates.
Delegatesto the county convention of a political party are the members of the countycentral committee, unless a political party provides in its rules for analternate method of selecting such delegates.
22-4-108. Delegates and alternates to state convention; countyplatform.
Thecounty convention shall elect from electors resident in the county andregistered in the party delegates and alternates to the state convention asapportioned by the rules of the party. The county convention may also adopt acounty platform.
22-4-109. Notice to state chairman of state committeeman andcommitteewoman.
Thecounty chairman shall immediately notify the state chairman in writing of thenames and addresses of persons elected to the offices of state committeeman andcommitteewoman.
22-4-110. Composition of state central committee.
Thestate central committee consists of state committeemen and committeewomen andcounty chairmen elected at the odd-numbered year meeting of the county centralcommittees, and of any other party officials provided by the bylaws of theparty.
22-4-111. State central committee organizational meeting; notice.
Thestate central committee shall hold an organizational meeting in odd-numberedyears, at which it shall elect from electors registered in the party achairman, secretary and other officers as provided in the rules of the party.The state chairman shall mail notice of the time and place of this meeting toeach member of the committee not later than ten (10) days before the meeting.
22-4-112. State committeeman or committeewoman vacancies.
Avacancy in the office of state committeeman or committeewoman occurring bydeath, resignation or removal of residence from the county shall be filled bythe county central committee of the county in which the vacancy occurs withinthirty (30) days of such vacancy.
22-4-113. Delegation of functions to subcommittees.
Thestate and county central committees may delegate any lawful function to asubcommittee by majority resolution consistent with party rules, exceptelection of its officers.
22-4-114. Representation by proxy; qualifications.
Amember of a political committee or subcommittee may be represented at anymeeting of the committee or subcommittee by written proxy. A person holding aproxy must be a resident of the same political subdivision as the member herepresents. No person shall be allowed to vote more than two (2) proxies.
22-4-115. Date of party state convention.
Eachpolitical party shall hold a state convention in even-numbered years.
22-4-116. Calling of state convention; contents of notice.
Thestate chairman shall call a state convention by filing notice in the office ofthe secretary of state and of each county clerk not later than twenty (20) daysbefore the convention. The notice shall state the total number of delegates andalternates, and the number of delegates to which each county is entitled.
22-4-117. State convention members.
Membersof the state convention are the delegates or their alternates chosen by thecounty conventions, and the delegates or their alternates chosen at large bythe youth organizations of the political parties in accordance with rules oftheir respective party.
22-4-118. State convention powers and duties.
(a) The state convention has the followingpowers and duties:
(i) To nominate electors of president andvice-president of the United States;
(ii) To elect national committeemen andcommitteewomen;
(iii) To adopt a platform;
(iv) To select delegates and alternates tonational nominating conventions;
(v) To formulate or change the rulesgoverning the internal organizations of the party which rules must include:
(A) The time, place, manner of election andterms of office of party officers not provided by statute;
(B) The method of apportioning delegates andalternates to the state convention to each county;
(C) The method of selecting delegates andalternates to the national convention;
(D) The name, powers and duties of anystanding committee of the state central committee and the state convention;
(E) Rules of conduct for county and stateconventions;
(F) Powers and duties delegated to countyand state committees.
(vi) To conduct such other business as itdeems necessary or proper.
22-4-119. Certification and filing of rules and bylaws.
(a) The county party chairman and party secretary shall certifyall rules and bylaws promulgated, revoked or amended by the county centralcommittee and file them with the county clerk within thirty (30) days after theadjournment of the county central committee meeting.
(b) The state party chairman and party secretary shall certifyall rules and bylaws promulgated, revoked or amended by the state conventionand file them with the secretary of state within thirty (30) days after theadjournment of the state convention.
22-4-120. Certification of presidential elector nominees and partyofficers.
Thestate party chairman and party secretary shall certify the names of nomineesfor presidential electors and the names of the state and county party officerselected or appointed to the secretary of state immediately after theirselection.
ARTICLE 2 - FORMATION
22-4-201. Renumbered by Laws 1991, ch. 243, 3.
22-4-202. Renumbered by Laws 1991, ch. 243, 4.
22-4-203. Renumbered by Laws 1991, ch. 243, 4.
22-4-204. Renumbered by Laws 1991, ch. 243, 4.
22-4-205. Repealed by Laws 1991, ch. 243, 5.
22-4-206. Repealed by Laws 1991, ch. 243, 5.
22-4-207. Repealed by Laws 1991, ch. 243, 5.
22-4-208. Repealed by Laws 1991, ch. 243, 5.
ARTICLE 3 - MINOR POLITICAL PARTIES
22-4-301. Application of article.
Thisarticle is applicable only to minor political parties.
22-4-302. Composition and qualifications of minor party offices.
Eachminor party shall provide for a sufficient number of officers to govern theparty and shall have at least a state party chairman and a state party secretary. Each officer shall be a registered elector in the party. Officers shall beelected or appointed in accordance with party rules and bylaws.
22-4-303. Nomination of candidates.
Minorparties may nominate candidates to be placed on the general election ballotonly by party convention. Under no circumstances shall a minor political partynominate by the primary election process.
22-4-304. Certification of candidates; fees.
(a) The chairman and secretary of the statepolitical convention shall certify to the secretary of state the names of itsparty's nominees for United States senator, United States representative, allelective state offices, legislative offices and office of district attorney.
(b) The chairman and secretary of the stateor county political convention shall certify to the county clerk the names ofits party's nominees for elected county offices.
(c) The names certified to the secretary of state or the countyclerk shall be filed no later than the day before the primary election.
(d) Persons certified as nominees shall be members of thatparty, as shown by their affidavits of registration, at the time their namesare certified to the secretary of state or the county clerk.
(e) Each certification made under this section shall beaccompanied by the same application and fee required for the same office of acandidate seeking nomination by primary election. A certification notaccompanied by the application and fee is not valid.
22-4-305. Certification and filing of rules and bylaws.
Thestate party chairman and state party secretary shall certify all rules andbylaws promulgated, revoked or amended by the state convention and file themwith the secretary of state within thirty (30) days after the adjournment ofthe state convention.
22-4-306. Certification of presidential elector nominees and partyofficers.
Thestate party chairman and state party secretary shall certify the names ofnominees for presidential electors and the name of the state and county partyofficers elected to the secretary of state immediately after the stateconvention.
22-4-307. Calling of state convention, contents of notice.
The state chairman shall call a stateconvention by filing notice in the office of the secretary of state and of eachcounty clerk not later than twenty (20) days before the convention. The noticeshall state the eligibility requirements for voting at the convention.
ARTICLE 4 - FORMATION OF NEW PROVISIONAL PARTIES
22-4-401. Application of article.
Thisarticle is applicable only to provisional parties.
22-4-402. Petition; form; validity.
(a) Any group of persons desiring to form anew political party within this state shall file a petition with the secretaryof state not later than June 1 in any general election year in which the partyseeks to qualify for the general election ballot.
(b) The petitionshall be approved by the secretary of state prior to circulation and shallconform in substance to the following:
PETITIONFOR FORMATION
OF APOLITICAL PARTY
I know the contents of this petition including the names of theprovisional party officers and request that the ________ party be printed onthe ballot for the next general election. I am a registered elector for thenext primary and general election. (This statement shall appear at the head ofeach petition page.)
PROVISIONALPARTY OFFICERS
NAME ADDRESS
CHAIRPERSON __________________________________________
TREASURER __________________________________________
PETITIONERS
(Signature) (Printed Name) (Residence) (Date)
1. ___________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________
VERIFICATIONBY CIRCULATORS
I, ...., do hereby certify that I am a circulator of this petition,and I solely and personally circulated this petition, that all the signatures appearingherein were made in my presence from ....(month) ....(day), ....(year) through....(month) ....(day), ....(year), and to the best of my knowledge and beliefsuch signatures are those of the persons whose names they purport to be.
....(signature)
....(residence address)
(c) The name of the party printed on the petition shall consistof not more than two (2) words and shall not be identical to, nor similar to,the name of any existing qualified political party as determined by thesecretary of state, nor to the word "independent".
(d) To be valid, a petition shall contain the names andsignatures of registered electors equal in number to not less than two percent(2%) of the total number of votes cast for the office of United States house ofrepresentative in the last general election.
(e) The petition shall be circulated noearlier than April 1 of the year preceding the general election.
22-4-403. Circulation of petition; requirements.
Copiesof the petition may be circulated for signatures, but each separate page shallcontain the information required to be contained in the original petition. Anelector signing the petition shall also list his name, residence and the dateafter his signature, as provided on the petition form in W.S. 22-4-402(b).
22-4-404. Repealed by Laws 2002, Ch. 11, 1.
22-4-405. Verification of signatures on petition.
Thesecretary of state shall determine from the official list of registeredelectors whether sufficient valid signatures have been obtained on petitionsfiled with the secretary of state's office.
22-4-406. Officers and nominating procedures.
Aprovisional party shall be subject to W.S. 22-4-302 through 22-4-307. Under nocircumstances shall a provisional party nominate by the primary electionprocess.