2020 Convention

 

 

The purpose of the Maine Green Independent Party is to transform public policy
through the implementation of our 10 Key Values and be publicly visible as the

party that stands for the common good.

 

Welcome to the Maine Green Independent Party 2020 Annual Convention Welcome Center!

 

Table of Contents

Preparation

Convention Program

Convention Rules

Party Budget

Bylaws Amendment

2020 Platform Passage

Set Party Goals

State Committee/Officer Elections

Legislative Candidates

Endorsement of Lisa Savage for U.S. Senate

Presidential Nomination/Election of Delegates to National Convention

County Committees

District Committees

 

This will serve as the convention packet of materials registrants would normally receive at the registration table at an in-person convention.

 

PREPARING FOR TODAY'S CONVENTION

 

The first thing you will want to do to prepare for today's convention is to locate two emails that were sent to you at some point after you registered for the convention.

One email has your unique registration information for the Zoom conference, which was sent in a subject line titled "Maine Green Independent Party 2020 Annual Convention Confirmation."
The second email contains your unique registration information for Direct Vote Live, with a subject line titled "MGIP Convention Presidential Ballot - Do Not Forward."

Both emails will be sent again in the morning at about 8 a.m. so that the information will be newer in your inbox.

We recommend that you first login to DirectVote Live and have your browser save the password, so that if you are logged out do to inactivity, it will be easy to log back in with a saved password.

Keep the DirectVote tab open and readily available in your browser. When necessary to vote in an election, we will all be taking a few moments to go into DirectVote Live and cast our votes.

If you keep the tab available and open, so that you do not have to search for the link in your email again, the voting will be seemless and easy.

Once you have DirectVote Live set up in a browser tab, proceed to login to the Zoom conference using the unique registration information sent to you. When entering the convention, the name you entered on your registration form will be the name that is displayed during the convention.
Registrants will find themselves in a waiting room and will be allowed into the convention starting at 9 a.m.

During the registration period from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., microphones will be muted and registrants will be greeted by music, including music from local Maine Greens.

The chat board, which can be found by clicking a button titled "chat" on the Zoom screen, is where members will be communicting, socializing and providing guidance to each other on the peculiarities of using Zoom. Feel free to introduce yourself or ask any questions you may have about today's convention.

 

2020 Maine Green Independent Party Annual Convention Program

 

9:00 Registration
9:55 Blessing Dawn Neptune Adams
10:00 Nominate/Elect convention secretary (1st), convention chair (2nd)
10:10 Convention Rules and Guidelines / Zoom Tutorial
10:15 Welcome and introduction by senior co-chair Niomi Larrivee
10:30 Approve Party Budget, presented by Treasurer Allen Cooke
10:45 Amend Bylaws, Pass 2020 Platform, Set Goals
11:15 Speaker: John Rensenbrink
11:25 Elect Party Co-Chair
11:35 Elect Party Treasurer
11:45 Elect 5 At-Large State Committee Members
12:15 Speaker: Jake Kulaw of the Maine Lavender Greens
12:20 A Word from Our Legislative Candidates
12:35 Endorsement of Lisa Savage for U.S. Senate
1:00 Green of the Year Awards
1:10 Video Presentations from Presidential Candidates
1:30 Vote on Presidential Nomination
2:00 Speaker: Anna Trevorrow
2:10 Elect representatives to national and international party committees. Report on openings on various Green Party of the United States subcommittees.
2:30 Elect 12 delegates to GPUS national convention in proportion to presidential nomination votes
3:00 Elect four party electors (2 at-large, 1 from each Congressional district) [Ben]
3:10 Elect County and District Committees
3:30 Speaker: Closing remarks from co-chair Linnea Maravell
3:45 EXTRA TIME / SOCIAL TIME / ORGANIZING TIME

 

CONVENTION RULES

1. CONVENTION OFFICERS

    Convention proceedings begin by electing first a convention secretary, then a convention chairperson.

    The convention secretary will record all official decisions of the convention.
 
    The convention chairperson and two party co-chairs are convention facilitators.

    The convention committee may establish other convention officer positions as it deems fit. These other officers may be appointed by the committee in advance of the convention or appointed by the facilitators at the convention.

    A time keeper will keep facilitators informed of time apportionment limits.

2. FACILITATION

    Facilitators oversee a process aiming for consensus on all decisions of the convention. If consensus cannot be realized within reasonable time, facilitators may call for the decision to be made by majority vote.

    All motions for a decision require a second, except for motions made by the facilitator 'without objection.'

    A facilitator will not facilitate an election of officers when that person is a candidate for the office being elected.

    Facilitators will recognize speakers as equitably as possible to allow all people who want to speak an opportunity to do so.

    Facilitators may institute time limits for speaking when necessary.

3. ELECTIONS

    Elections that are uncontested may be decided by consensus or majority vote indicated by vocal expression or show of hands.

    Contested elections are determined by paper write-in ballot or online voting.

    Elections for one position shall be determined by majority vote using ranked choice voting when necessary, or, when online voting is unable to hande RCV, rounds of runoff voting with one candidate being removed in each round until a candidate attains majority.

    Elections with multiple candidates running for multiple seats shall be determined by ranked approval voting. Each vote for a candidate regardless of rank is an equal vote; candidates with the most total votes are elected to the number of positions open. When a tie exists for a remaining position, rank determines the winner. When online voting is unable to handle ranked voting, ties may be resolved with subsequent voting instead of rank.

    A ballot-counting committee may be appointed by the convention committee or the facilitators. Any participant of the convention may observe the counting of ballots.
 
PARTY BUDGET
 
Approval of the party budget will be done in executive session. The budget will be displayed and presented during the convention.
 
BYLAWS AMENDMENT
 
The current bylaws may be viewed at https://mainegreens.org/organization/bylaws .
 
 There is only one amendment proposed this year, changing Article III to explicitly include caucus groups alongside local groups as part of the state party's operating structure:
 

Article III. Local and Caucus Groups

 

Members of the party meeting a minimum of four times annually shall be considered a local group or caucus of the party. The local group officers may communicate local concerns, questions, proposals, etc. of the group to the state committee, as well as relay information from the state committee to the group.  ....

 

Article III, Section C. Access and Notice

 

Any municipal or county committee or otherwise qualifying local group may propose items to the state committee for consideration of action.

 

The state committee shall provide notice, agenda and minutes of its meetings to any municipal or county committee or other qualifying local group. The state committee will keep the committees and groups informed of its actions and pose questions to them, via each local group's officers or designated contacts who have email addresses.

 
PASSAGE OF 2020 PLATFORM
 
The current platform may be viewed at https://mainegreens.org/about/platform .
 
The 2020 platform of the Maine Green Independent Party is proposed with some edits to reduce duplication, remove outdated policy proposals and to add opposition to the Central Maine Power corridor and support for Ranked Choice Voting into the platform.
 
The 2020 platform of the Maine Green Independent in its entirety, as proposed:
 

The Platform of the Maine Green Independent Party envisions a future based on the Ten Key Values of the Green movement.

Our vision focuses on a peaceful and prosperous community life characterized by values-based grassroots democracy, equal treatment and access for all people, environmental and economic sustainability, fulfilling and gainful work and leisure, and interdependence of individuals and their environment.

This platform is an evolving document, originally envisioned by the Maine Green Party of 1996. The party shall use this document to develop strategies and policies for moving our values forward.

This 2020 platform of the Maine Green Independent Party sets forth our vision of a new democracy, one which recognizes ecological balance as a priority for the betterment of humanity.

As an affiliated member of the Green Party of the United States, we endorse the national platform as our own, offering this state platform as a specific green vision for the State of Maine. This platform focuses on state issues, deferring to the national platform on issues of national scope. The Maine Green Independent Party reserves the right to differ on particulars of the national platform, and will note such differences if they should occur.

Ten Key Values


Community-based Economics
Decentralization
Ecological Wisdom
Feminism and Gender Equality
Future Focus and Sustainability
Grassroots Democracy
Non-Violence
Personal and Global Responsibility
Respect for Diversity
Social Justice and Opportunity

The Maine Green Independent Party seeks to achieve:

A basic income
Jobs with living wages
Equitable pay for men and women
Health care and housing as human rights
Universal Childcare
Accessible regional/statewide energy-efficient public transportation systems
Nurturing care and stewardship of the environment and natural resource

 

Plank on Economic Development

 

The Maine Green Independent Party realizes that international trade agreements place corporate greed above human needs. We oppose agreements that do not enshrine environmental, labor, and human rights above profits or the rights of corporations. Economic measurements must include pollution and the depletion of resources into the full accounting of production costs.

If elected, Maine Green Independents will pursue:

Regional economic self-sufficiency
A state bank to hold all deposit dollars of Maine agencies.
Prevention of monopolistic practices and price gouging in essential markets such as heating oil, electricity, and gasoline.
Tax and incentive policies that reward businesses that provide living wages and employ sustainable resource practices.
Creation and retrofitting of industries that create jobs, spare the environment or save energy.
Tax penalties for businesses that create unsafe work places, low wages or increased automation that reduces jobs.
Safe, healthy living and working conditions for migrant laborers.
Employee buy-out and ownership of businesses.
Economic development and tax codes that favor Maine-owned and based businesses and self-employed persons.
Tax penalties for pollution and resource depletion.
Use of renewable and non-polluting heating systems and fuels.
Supporting community based cooperatives including agricultural ventures and daycare centers.
Rural economic development through production and consumption of locally produced organic food and products.
Hemp-based and other alternative-fiber industries; incentivizing the retrofitting and opening of closed paper mills to manufacture alternative-fiber products for an emerging eco-market.
Incentives to convert abandoned farms to produce fibers to supply a transitioning paper industry.
Development of rail and other transportation alternatives to car and truck use.
Purchase of equipment and materials whenever possible from within state of Maine.

 

Plank on Political Democracy

 

The Maine Green Independent Party believes that grassroots democracy is the best way to organize a civil and just society. We want:

The US Constitution amended to declare that money is not free speech and corporations are not people.
An end to corporate dominance and influence in politics.
A multiplicity of political parties in Maine.
Greater civic participation, especially among women and minorities.
A diverse legislature including women proportionate to their percentage in the population.

If elected, Maine Green Independents will pursue:

Appointing or electing women in leadership roles
Ranked choice voting for all statewide elections
Banning PAC, corporate and "soft" party contributions to all political campaigns in Maine.
Campaign spending limits.
Protecting the Maine Clean Elections law.
Easier ballot access
Protecting the referendum process.
Election Day in November as a state holiday.
Ratifying a U.S. constitutional amendment to allow national citizen initiatives and referendums.
Prohibiting contributions to initiative and referendum campaigns from entities that are not natural persons.
Amending the Maine Constitution to lower the voting age to seventeen.

 

Plank on Education

 

We expect public education to provide the following to all:

A learning environment free of corporate and military advertising.
Awareness of the individual's inherent rights as residents of the state, country and world.
Skills to use the tools and resources required to function in modern society.
Knowledge about the laws that govern communities.
Freedom to explore areas of interest.
A connection to the larger community.
A sense of personal, social and global responsibility.

The Maine Green Independent Party is committed to:

Alternative healthy eating options in public schools, including vegetarian/vegan, organic and locally grown foods.
Curricula and instruction equal to today's complex challenges.
Putting language on mandatory emergency cards to allow students and parents to opt-out from their contact information being provided to U.S. military forces.
Universal access and equity of education opportunity in a lifelong context.
Detracking school systems; ending the sorting of students based on perceived ability, which results in learners segregated by class and race.
Organizing schools as democratic educational institutions where students, teachers, administrators, parents, and the community, share responsibility.
Ending high stakes testing; funding schools based on need.
Community-based decision-making with neighborhood involvement.
Safe and healthy learning environments.
Universal access to state public post-secondary institutions for Maine residents.
Awareness in schools about gender-based societal pressures and their effects upon individuals.
Equitable distribution of public funds among public schools.
55% or more of the cost of elementary and secondary public education to be funded by the state.
Elementary school foreign language education.
Institute diversity, civil rights, and conflict resolution programs at all levels in grades K-12.

 

Plank on Health

 

The Maine Green Independent Party believes that the health of all people is both a personal and community responsibility. Human health is affected by our physical environment and personal behavior. It is the community's responsibility to support health maintenance for all and promote healthy behavioral patterns and preventative health practices. If elected, Maine Green Independents will pursue:

A state-funded single payer health care system with comprehensive healthcare for all, including vision, hearing, mental and dental health, regardless of ability to pay.
Financial support for public health, with an emphasis on community-based and preventive health care.
Eliminating toxins emissions and pollution.
Nutrition education.
Elimination of herbicide use.
Access to medical marijuana.
Dental services in rural areas.
A woman's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion; the availability of free abortion services.
Access to a broad range of services and complimentary therapies.
Supporting the training and services of alternative health care practitioners.
Individual access to regular monitoring of health, especially for individuals in high risk groups.
Mandatory labeling of all foods that have been genetically-engineered, irradiated, or to which chemical pesticides have been applied.
Access to prescription drugs, regardless of ability to pay.
Funding research into cause, prevention and treatment of disease, including the ways by which toxic chemicals cause disease.
The right to death with dignity.
Making Narcan and Narcan administration training freely available to save lives
Legalization of all drugs; making addiction treatment freely available without cost at point of service.
Free and comprehensive elder care services, including nursing care, death and dying counseling, physical and occupational therapies, orthotic care, and medical equipment and assistive devices

 

Plank on Energy

 

The Maine Green Independent Party believes in energy use that does not waste resources or cause environmental harm. In a world of finite natural resources, we cannot consume them without regard for conservation and sustainability. Individuals, communities, government and industry share the responsibility for making these changes. We believe in a no-waste policy of energy production and use. If elected, Maine Green Independents will pursue:

Preventing the construction of the Central Maine Power transmission line through the state from Canada to Massachusetts.
Standards for energy efficient buildings and appliance technology in new construction and retrofitting.
Primary reliance on renewable energy use in all public buildings.
Replacing the state fleet and public transport with hybrid, electric or fuel-efficient vehicles.
Incentives for homeowners and businesses who follow energy conservation practices and invest in new and retrofitted use of renewable energy sources.
Incentives for the purchase and use of fuel-efficient and fossil-fuel alternative vehicles.
Use of non-toxic materials, natural lighting in commercial and public buildings, and siting for optimum solar gain.
Alternative energy technologies, including active and passive solar, hydrogen, wind, low-head hydropower, alcohol, tidal, geothermal, bio-energy, methane and fuel cells.
Municipal access to Gulf of Maine wind energy turbines,
Ending subsidies for fossil fuel use and production.
Research efforts for increased efficiencies in wood and fossil fuel burning technologies.
Public transportation development and accessible and strategically arranged bike and walking paths.
Zero pollution, a healing ecosystem and clean and efficient renewable energy.

Plank on Natura Resources

 

The Maine Green Independent Party believes we must reassert our authority over what is allowed into our air and water. No individuals or companies should be allowed to destroy and poison our natural resources for any form or gain. We encourage stewardship of the Earth. The Maine Green Independent Party believes the following actions must be taken:

Eliminate toxic chemical emissions and solid waste pollution.
Develop ZERO TOXIC EMISSIONS for all businesses and forms of transportation.
Eliminate the production and use of pesticides.
Recycle all recyclable materials including batteries, compost all compostables, and forbid the importation of radioactive waste.
Manage wildlife and plant species based on biodiversity and the overall health of Maine's woods and waters, not on the pressures of special interests.
Phase out dragging, drift-netting and gill-netting.
Conserve and protect common fish-breeding and fishing grounds from coastal development.
Encourage training and hiring of out-of-work fisherman to patrol our shores and inland waterways for sources of pollution and illegal fishing.
Require accountable waste disposal from contained salmon farms.
Encourage sustainable, labor-intensive and chemical-free forestry practices.
Recognize Maine's offshore marine environment as a precious and threatened natural resource, and consider the risks imposed upon it by human development.
Publicly purchase available lands for the purpose of conserving it in perpetuity as an undeveloped natural resource.
Create a Maine Woods National Park and expand eco-tourism opportunities throughout the state.
Protect and conserve Maine's groundwater resources; regulate for-profit water extraction to prevent unsustainable depletion of groundwater.
Support access to clean water as a human right; support democratic control over decision-making on water control by local officials.
End all non-sustainable forest practices.

Plank on Sustainable Agriculture

 

The Maine Green Independent Party believes in supporting the use of locally grown food and supporting those small family farmers who provide us with this basic necessity of life. To that end we propose:

Supporting small family farms and eliminating bureaucratic paper work whenever possible.
Developing financial incentives to support the transition of farms from traditional farming to organic agriculture.
Legislating high end Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
Markedly reducing the use of pesticides with mandated sales reports from the State Board of Pesticide Control.
Regulation and notification regarding the use of pesticides inside buildings, especially in rental properties and public buildings.
Outlawing the labeling of toxic industrial waste as "fertilizer"; authorizing the Department of Environmental Protection to craft regulations on this subject.
Right-to-know labeling for all GMO containing food.
Banning persistent herbicides in fertilizer and compost.
Legislating a better system for chain of custody of those components of commercial compost.
Promoting agricultural diversification.

Plank on Social Justice

 

The Maine Green Independent Party believes in the equitable, respectful, and humane treatment of all people. The following actions must be taken:


Ensure meaningful access to the courts for low-income individuals; increase the availability of free and affordable legal representation, advice, and information materials.
Improve the response to child abuse and overhaul the foster care system.
Continue to oppose the death penalty in Maine.
Eliminate racial profiling.
Strengthen and enforce laws against hate crimes of all types, domestic violence and child abuse.
Create support systems that provide basic needs to the people of Maine.
Oppose prejudice and discrimination in all its forms and increase the awareness of, and sensitivity to, differences among people.
End discrimination against LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities.
Support the sovereignty of the indigenous people of Maine, including the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy Nations and work with them to provide viable, cooperative economic ventures.
Advocate for the demilitarization of police and the implementation of citizen review or democratic oversight of police forces.
Support community policing and rapid response social work programs to replace traditional police use wherever possible.
Oppose the use of state National Guard forces being used in illegal foreign military operations according to international law, so that they can be available for emergencies.
Oppose the use of state National Guard forces being used against citizens exercising peaceful protests and freedom of assembly.

 

SET PARTY GOALS

 

The goals of the Maine Green Independent Party for 2020-2021 shall be to:

1. Support the development of municipal and county groups that will be equipped to recruit and support candidates, advocate for issues and be visible in their communities.

2. Recruit and support candidates for U.S. Senate and/or U.S. Congress, State Legislature and local offices, and inform membership on all the party's candidates.

 

ELECTION OF STATE COMMITTEE AND PARTY OFFICERS

 

For more information on the duties of the state committee and its officers, please review Article IV, particularly Sections B-D of the state party bylaws: https://mainegreens.org/organization/bylaws

 

LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES

 

Further information and links about our candidates may be found at https://mainegreens.org/elect/candidates .

 

ENDORSEMENT OF LISA SAVAGE FOR U.S. SENATE

 

Further information about the Lisa for Maine campaign may be found at https://www.lisaformaine.org/ .

 

PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION

 

The votes entered at our municipal caucuses earlier in the year and the votes made at this convention will be combined into a total that will be used to determine how many of Maine's 12 nationalo convention delegates will be awarded to certain candidates, no nominee or unpledged.

Every 8.33% of the total vote is equal to one delegate.

Our page on the presidential nomination will provide you with all the necessary links to learn more about the candidates: https://mainegreens.org/organization/caucuses/203-2020-presidential-nomination .

 

The tally from caucuses is as follows:

 

Howie Hawkins, 12

Dario Hunter, 25

Kent Mesplay, 1

No nominee, 10

 

The overall percentages to each candidate will be adjusted when convention votes are added to the tally.

 

COUNTY COMMITTEES

 

County committees for each of Maine's 16 counties are elected at this year's convention from nominations made at caucuses and nominations made on the convention floor.

 

Committees may be formed for counties with at least two nominations. Nominations from the convention floor will help us to fill vacancies. When there are less than two nominations in a county, forming a county committee will be deferred to the state committee for future action. Once county committees are formed, that committee may appoint additional members as it wishes.

 

The current standing nominations made from this caucuses earlier in the year are as follows:

 

Androscoggin

Andrea Winn, Mechanic Falls

(one more nomination needed)

 

Aroostook

Henry Bear, Houlton

Gwydion Griffith, Houlton

 

Cumberland

(at least two nominations needed)

 

Franklin

James Mitchell, Kingfield

(one more nomination needed)

 

Hancock

Cathy Kozaryn, Ellsworth

Benjamin Meiklejohn, Mount Desert

 

Kennebec

Lori Beaulieu, Fayette

David Dowdy, Fayette

Joseph Young, Fayette

 

Knox

(two nominations needed)

 

Lincoln

(two nominations needed)

 

Oxford

Peter Zack, Porter

(one more nomination needed)

 

Penobscot

(two nominations needed)

 

Piscataquis

Jaco Deertrack, Abbot

Samuel Swenson, Sangerville

 

Sagadahoc

(two nominations needed)

 

Somerset

(two nominations needed)

 

Waldo

David Gibson, Morrill

(one more nomination needed)

 

Washington

(two nominations needed)

 

York

Michael Barden, Limington

Alan Brown, Biddeford

Allen Cooke, Saco

Gil Harris, Limerick

Linnea Maravell, Saco

 
DISTRICT COMMITTEES

 

District committees for each of Maine's two congressional districts are elected at the convention. The sole statutory privilege given to district committees is to nominate a candidate for the ballot for U.S. Congress should a vacancy be created and a special election called for.

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