GGP Response: O.C.G.A. (Official Code of Georgia, Annotated) makes a distinction between “political parties” and “political bodies” (Title 21 “Elections,” Chapter 2 “Elections and Primaries Generally,” Article 3 “Registration of and Committee Organization of Political Parties and Bodies”), and sections 21-2-110 through 21-2-113 define parties & bodies and the second-class status of bodies. GGP is a registered political body with the GA Sec’y of State, as required.
Article 4 “Selection and Qualification of Candidates and Presidential Electors” addresses the rights and responsibilities of political bodies in Part 3 “Nomination and Qualification of Independent Candidates, Candidates of Political Bodies, and Presidential Electors” (sections 21-2-170 through 21-2-172) and Part 4 “Nomination of Candidates of Political Bodies for Statewide Public Office by Convention” (sections 21-2-180 through 21-2-187). State nominating conventions are explicitly discussed in section 21-2-172 “Nomination of presidential electors and candidates of political bodies by convention,” but this section speaks only to Georgia’s governance of a political body’s state convention, and GGP complied with this section filing updated rules for our 2008 state convention (3May08, which elected our presidential electors and our delegates to GPUS Nominating Convention). GGP further complied with the provisions of 21-2-187, “Holding of conventions; filing notice of candidacy,” when we filed timely affidavits of candidacy for the 15 Presidential Elector candidates to the US Electoral College, as nominated by our state convention 3May08.
None of these preceding sections speak to “the selection of delegates to a national convention,” but GGP is providing copies of these sections so that GPUS can confirm our status. Moreover, nominees to national conventions are dealt with only in a section that explicitly applies only to Georgia’s “political parties” (and not to Georgia’s political bodies like GGP). That section is Article 5, “Presidential Preference Primary,” sections 21-2-190 through 21-2-200. Please note that the language of this section mentions only “parties,” of which GGP is not one (in Georgia law). GGP does not qualify to hold a “presidential preference primary” election until we qualify to be a full political party in Georgia. Instead, we documented our presidential preference ballot as part of our state convention 3May08, and certified the results to the Sec’y of State.