I
PURPOSE
The organizes power
It should not read like a ceremonial description of the organization.
It should tell members how shared authority is organized, limited, exercised and reviewed.
OPEN →THE COMMON RULES
A members can actually use
A is not successful because lawyers can interpret it. It succeeds when an ordinary member can understand who has authority, how that authority may be used and what remedy exists when somebody exceeds it.
ILLUSTRATION / VISUAL — TO BE ADDED
II
STRUCTURE
Say what everything is
Member. Local. Convention. Regional Presidium. . Independent bodies. Officers. Administration.
The should define the parts of the system and the relationship between them.
OPEN →III
AUTHORITY
Say who may do what
Every office and body should have defined powers.
Important authority should not appear simply because somebody holds a senior title.
OPEN →IV
PROCEDURE
No hidden procedure
A usable rule should answer practical questions: Who decides? By what majority? By when? Who is notified? When does it take effect? Can it be challenged?
OPEN →V
PLAIN LANGUAGE
Precision without unnecessary obscurity
Complex ideas sometimes need careful wording. They do not need language designed for insiders.
Members should be able to read the rules that govern their own organization.
OPEN →VI
CONNECTIONS
Do not make members hunt
When one constitutional rule depends on another, the connection should be visible.
A member should not need to search fifty pages to discover that another rule changes the meaning of the one being read.
OPEN →