Two members in the state of Wisconsin have contacted me this week about starting an affiliate there. I started this forum thread for members in Wisconsin to discuss starting an affiliate there.

The only rule for affiliating a state organization with the Boston Tea Party is that the organization will run the party's Presidential ticket on the ballot (if the affiliate gains ballot access) in that state. It is up to the national committee to decide if it trusts that organization to do so. The criteria we have traditionally looked for are bylaws and a means of conducting business, such as a Yahoo! Group, Google Group, chatroom, teleconferences, or physical meetings. Don't let us keep you from getting creative and doing something else, but that is a template that has worked well for some of our affiliates before.

I suggest taking a look at the Boston Tea Party of Indiana for examples of bylaws, a Yahoo! Group and state convention business structure, and a party web site. Other BTP members can also post here to offer advice from their experiences starting and running state affiliates. I recommend talking to Jim Davidson, who started the Kansas affiliate which includes a fund for ballot access (also a good example for you to look at). As a former national chair, he oversaw the initiation of several affiliates and has advised many during their development.