Even as it seeks to compete for state power, and thus look beyond its current membership in making electoral appeals, its strategy for doing that, and for all other things, is determined by the free deliberations of its membership. At the same time, the NP is far from anarchistic. We seek to advance the accountable exercise of public power, and, consistent with that, internal accountability in our own organization. And that requires organization and structure. Individual members are people.
Membership carries responsibilities and rights.
The central responsibilities it carries is the responsibility to uphold the principles and operating procedures of the NP and to advance the NP as an organization, in part by supporting it materially through dues. The dues structure is as follows. Members of a group thus affiliated with the NP can take out an individual membership as well. All affiliate member participants in NP decision-making bodies, at the local, state, or national level, must themselves be individual members. All membership dues are paid to the national office, which then rebates a portion of them to local and state organizing efforts.