Urgent Update on Constitution Party National Convention
Greetings All:
Cancellation of the Convention at the Union Station Hilton in St. Louis
As many of you are currently aware, due to the spread of the corona virus, the hotel in St. Louis has canceled our contract for the national convention which was scheduled to be held there from April 29th to May 2nd. Due to that cancellation, the party’s national officers have been evaluating the situation and last evening we held a conference call with the executive committee and have adopted the needed changes which are described below. The party bylaws allow for the party to call for electronically held meetings in the event of such events as the pandemic coronavirus situation that has arisen.
Alternative Convention Plans
The proposal that was approved unanimously by the executive committee will allow each person to communicate electronically from their respective homes thereby allowing us to comply with state laws that are currently enforce and provide maximum safety for our members.
In view of this I will itemize the keys elements of the adopted plans for the convention.
Dates and Times of the Convention
The national convention will now be held over a two- day period: convening on Friday evening, May 1, 2020 and concluding on Saturday, May 2 2020.
The convention convenes on Friday at 8:00 PM (Eastern Time)
The convention will reconvene on Saturday at 12:00 PM (Eastern Time)
All times will be given as Eastern Time so each of you will need to adjust your call-in schedules accordingly.
An agenda will be sent out in advance to each delegate with times and procedures for the convention.
Convention Committee Members
If you are a member of the Rules, the Credentials or the Platform Committee, the committee chair of those committees will contact you for any conference calls that will be deemed necessary to fill the requirements of the convention.
Due to the complexity of trying to hold the platform committee meetings electronically; it has been recommended that the 2016 platform be retained and adopted for 2020.
National Committee Members
Thirty minutes after the close of the national convention, the national committee will convene to election new national officers and regional chairmen for the next four years.
Executive Committee Members The executive committee will also be holding a meeting on Thursday April 30th prior to the opening of the convention and the time of that will be announced shortly.
Registration Fees for the Convention
It was voted and passed that the convention registration fee be reduced from $300.00 to $100.00. This will still allow the party to cover expenses that will be incurred. Refunds of $200.00 will be sent to each person, who has already registered. As soon as the refund from the hotel is deposited in our account, Sherry Phipps will begin issuing refunds to you.
Registration Deadline – April 15, 2020
With the additional measures needed to hold a convention telephonically, the executive committee voted to set a registration deadline in effect of April 15th.
All convention registration fees, state delegation fees and national committee dues must be paid by April 15.
An earlier cutoff date for everything was necessary for the officers and committee chairs to accomplish the work required to conduct an electronic meeting.
Instructions and details on how to participate in the convention and national committee meeting will be sent to each delegate and committee member. Those instructions will be sent out in advance through email. Please make sure you have provided us a good email address in your registration paperwork.
Cancellation of Hotel and Airline Reservations
Those of you who have made hotel and airline reservations will need to contact the hotel and the airlines to cancel your reservations. It is our understanding the airlines have been very accommodating in these situations.
Nomination of the Presidential Candidates
According to the Bylaws, in order for the name of any candidate for President to be placed in nomination it shall be necessary that such nomination shall have been approved by a majority of the delegates from two (2) states.”
States should submit their nominations to the National Secretary, Cindy Redburn, by April 22, 2020. Submit by email to cindyredburn [at] constitutionpartymo [dot] org
Nominations of National Officers and Regional Chairman and Co-Chairmen
We are also recommending that all candidates seeking to be nominated for national officer positions or regional chairs and co-chairs should submit their nominations and seconds to Cindy Redburn by April 22, 2020.
Submit by email to cindyredburn [at] constitutionpartymo [dot] org
Candidates are also encouraged to write brief summaries of why they are seeking the positions and what they hope to accomplish in their tenure. These summaries will be made available to the national committee members in their region. While nominations will be accepted from the floor, only 5 minutes will be allowed for each nominee to address the committee members on the call.
In summary then
the national convention will be held telephonically on Friday, May 1st and Saturday May 2nd.
Registration has been reduced from $300.00 to $100.00 and is due by April 15th. State delegation fees and national committee dues are also due at that time.
Registration and fees may be paid online.
For those who have already paid the $300.00 registration, refunds of $200.00 will be send to you as soon as possible.
All meeting times are listed as Eastern Time, so please adjust your schedule accordingly.
I hope this information has been helpful to all of you. It has certainly been a challenge for all of us.
For God, Family and Country.
Frank Fluckiger
National Chairman
Constitution Party