Policy Proposals Ready for Debate | National Atheist Party

Policy Proposals: For Debate by General Membership

The five proposals listed below have met approval of the Advisory Board and Executive Board of the National Atheist Party and are submitted for consideration and debate through the month of June. Polling begins on the 25th and be held until the 30th of June. Debate, discussion, and presentation of evidence are encouraged in common forums such as the State Chapter Groups, the NAP Discussion Group and Meeting Hall, or the National Atheist Party’s main page.

Click the links below to review the proposals.

Proposal #1: PLATFORM IN SUPPORT OF LABOR

Proposal #2: REINSTITUTION OF GLASS-STEAGALL

Proposal #3: ORGANIZATIONAL NAME CHANGE

Proposal #4: TORT REFORM

Proposal #5 CORPORATE PERSONHOOD

The National Atheist Party differs from other political organizations in that our individual membership, general and registered, possess the opportunity to shape the direction of the organization as well as the platform, policies and values that form the foundation of the National Atheist Party. The primary mechanism, which serves these ends, is the National Atheist Party’s system for policy proposals. This process offers the opportunity for Registered Members to influence policy and debate directly three times a year.

Below you will find the schedule for this process

Please note:

Only a Registered Member of the National Atheist Party may submit policy proposals.
In order for a proposal to pass to a formal vote of registered members, a threshold surpassing 66% approval by general membership must be achieved.
In order for final passage and Charter inclusion, a threshold surpassing 66% approval by registered members must be achieved with the exclusion of any vote affecting the core principles and identity of the National Atheist Party. These must meet a threshold of 90% or greater approval by registered members for passage.

Policy Proposal Schedule

Dates	Actions	Details
May 1	Policy proposal process begins	Announce schedule.
May 22	Final day to submit policy proposals.	Deadline for members & policy committees to submit policy proposals for Board review
June 5	Policy proposals, &/or rationale for Board rejection of proposals are released for general & membership consideration, discussion, & debate	Board reviews whether proposals meet standards of clarity, relevance, & core principles. If a concern can be remedied, a rewrite is extended to proposer. If he/she approves, the proposal proceeds to announcement for general poll consideration. Debate, begins upon announcement. PCs may be brought in to review concerns with proposals that fall within their area of expertise, & during the month’s debate may take part & present their arguments, endorsements & research.
June 25	General Membership Poll released –Debate continues	Using SurveyMonkey poll, postable through a web article that can house & link other important information pertaining to the proposal(s). During this week debate continues.
June 30	Close of Debate & general membership poll. Announcement of results.	Once the poll is closed, results can be made public through article & general announcement, & because the original survey was housed on Survey Monkey, any that passed will be easy to include & edit into a the registered membership vote.
July 11	Official Membership Vote held	Proposals with exceeding 66% general approval will be e-mailed to only registered membership, who’ve registered as of 12:01 July 1^st.
July ASAP	Announcement	Announce results in all relevant means & share results.
July 31	Inclusion	Changes in policy or platform that should be amended in the Charter must be complete & updated by July 31^st.