As of the AZGP Statutory Annual Meeting on January 22nd, 2022, the Arizona Green Party has officially ratified sweeping revisions to our party bylaws through a unanimous vote of approval from the AZGP members at that meeting. Among these changes- which include efforts to make our party processes more democratic, efficient, and true to our 10 Key Values- is a significant change to the state party’s definition of an “AZGP Member” to require monthly/yearly dues payments to the party.
Why Dues-Based Membership?
From 2020 Green Party Presidential Candidate Howie Hawkins’ “The Case for an Independent Left Party: From the Bottom Up”;
If the Left in America is to challenge the capitalist two-party system, it will have to build a political party based on working-class independence from the corporate rulers and their political representatives in the Democratic and Republican Parties. To build that kind of party, it will have to build a mass-membership party that is structured quite differently from traditional American parties. Its members will have to be organized into local branches and finance their party with member dues, just as labor unions do, which is why unions have by far the most resources of any institution on the popular left. A dues-paying mass-membership party has been the missing ingredient in third-party politics throughout American history.
There are several reasons that the proposal to transition to dues-based membership was introduced and ratified. Financially, it allows our party to have an initially humble, but steady flow of individual donations to our county chapters to help fund their operations. Administratively, it gives us a method of keeping track of our currently active members, whether or not our county chapters gain or retain their ballot access and party recognition. Finally, and maybe most importantly, dues-based membership reinforces the collective ownership that we all as members have of this party, and ensures that the individuals who are “buying-in” to this party with their time, funds, and energy are the ones who have grassroots democratic decision-making power in our organization.
Dues-paying members exclusively are afforded the following privileges;
- The right to participate in and vote on state party issues at AZGP general membership meetings, including the nominations, elections, and/or recall of Officers of the State Committee
- The right to join and participate in any of the AZGP’s active Working Committees
- The right to submit proposals to the AZGP State Committee for consideration/ratification
- The right to be nominated and elected to an internal party position as an Officer of the State Committee following an initial 6-month period of active dues-paying membership.
- The right to be considered for an official endorsement/nomination for political candidacy by the AZGP
How to Pay Dues?
Members determine their own level of dues based on income or ability to pay.* Our suggested dues rate is a simple 0.3% of income. A few examples:
- $5 a month or $60 a year (for an annual income of $20K)
- $10 a month or $120 a year (for an annual income of $40K)
- $15 a month or $180 a year (for an annual income of $60K)
- $20 a month or $240 a year (for an annual income of $80K)
* The minimum dues required to be an AZGP member are $12 a year ($1 a month). The AZGP recommends $12 a year for those experiencing extraordinary financial hardship.
Dues may be paid as a donation(s) to the county chapter that is active where an individual resides. If there is no active county chapter in your county, individuals can retain an “at-large” membership with the AZGP by paying their dues directly to the state party through our website donation link at the same recommended rate. Every dollar goes towards building, growing, and maintaining the Green Party as an independent political party here in Arizona!
We’ve set up the following options to make participation as easy as possible. If you live in...
Maricopa County:
Pima County:
Anywhere outside of the above counties: