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ADOPTED: July 13, 1992, and amended thereafter on June 10, 2006 ARTICLE I: NAME The name of this organization
shall be the ARTICLE II: ORGANIZATIONAL AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE The Committee is organized under
the authority of and in accordance with the Code of ARTICLE III: DUTIES
OF THE COMMITTEE It shall be the duty of the
Committee, as well as each officer and member thereof: Section A: To
organize and to keep up-to-date the bylaws of the Democratic Party within the
Section B: To
promote the Party Plan and Democratic principles within the Section C: To
encourage voter registration and voting in the Section D: To
support Democratic Party nominees in all elections; Section E: To
raise funds for the Democratic Party and Democratic Party nominees for
office; and Section F: To
organize and appoint election officials to work in all general and special
elections in the Code of ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP Section A: Membership
on the Committee shall consist of those registered voters in the full as currently
established by the Committee. Section B: An new member becomes eligible to vote on Committee
matters 30 days after becoming a member and paying dues in full. Section C:
The Committee may vote by a majority of eligible Committee members
present and voting to bestow a lifetime membership upon individuals who have shown continued support
to the Committee. Individuals
receiving a lifetime membership will not have to pay membership dues from the
date of the vote or from some other date established by the Committee. ARTICLE V: ELECTION
OF OFFICERS Section A: The
Committee shall reorganize during the period between the first Saturday in
December in odd-numbered years and the second Wednesday of the
following January. The Committee must
determine the date of this reorganization meeting and communicate that
information to the State Party by November 1 of each odd-numbered year. Section B: At
the reorganization meeting, there shall be elected the Chairperson, First
Vice-Chairperson, Second Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Director
of Outreach, and Sergeant-at-Arms; the positions of Secretary and Treasurer
may be combined. The terms of office
shall coincide with the terms of their election to the Committee for a period
of two years. Section C: A
vacancy in any office on the Executive Committee shall be filled by a
majority of those members present and voting at a regular meeting. ARTICLE VI: DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS: Section A: The
Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Committee. He or she may appoint committees that he or
she deems necessary.
The Chairperson shall be an ex-officio member of all committees. The Chairperson shall perform such other
duties as are required by the Bylaws, the Party Plan and the Code of Section
B: The
First Vice-Chairperson shall preside at any meeting if the Chairperson is
absent and perform all duties delegated by the Chairperson, and
shall have the authority of the Chairperson when the latter, for any cause,
is unable to act. He or she serves as
the chairperson for the Membership Committee, which shall be appointed by the
Chairperson and shall make such reports to the Committee as required. Section C: The
Second Vice-Chairperson shall preside at all meetings if the Chairperson and
the First Vice-Chairperson are absent and shall perform all duties
delegated by the Chairperson, and shall have the authority of the
Chairperson, for any cause, is unable to act. Section D: The
Secretary shall keep records of each meeting and shall provide timely written
notice of all meetings. The minutes shall be printed and distributed to
the members at the next regular meeting. Section E: The
Treasurer shall be responsible for all funds of the Committee and shall
deposit all funds in a bank in the name of the Committee. He or she shall pay all bills by check and
make regular reports to the Committee.
He or she shall perform all other duties delegated by the Chairperson. Section F: The
Director of Outreach shall identify communities of interest; existing and
emerging ethnic and/or minority communities; young voters; recently naturalized citizens;
and minorities as well as leaders from within those groups; establish
dialogue with those groups; and encourage participation in the Democratic
Party. Section G: The
Sergeant-at-Arms shall maintain order at all Committee meetings. Section H: A
Parliamentarian for the Committee and a Precinct Captain for each voting
district shall be appointed by the Chairperson. The Parliamentarian
shall ensure that the Committee’s meetings proceed according to the current
edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, in all cases that those rules are
applicable and do not conflict with the Bylaws, the Party Plan and the Code
of Virginia. The Precinct Captains shall reside
within the voting district that he or she each represents. The Precinct Captain shall be responsible
for voter registration within his/her voting district, for assisting the
First Vice Chairperson in increasing membership in the Democratic Party and
shall perform all duties delegated to him/her by the Chairperson. ARTICLE VII: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE An Executive Committee shall be
created that shall consist of the Chairperson, First Vice-Chairperson, Second
Vice-Chairperson, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Director of Outreach, any
state elected officials, and any State and Central committee members. The Executive Committee shall have
the power to act for the Committee in any manner, except as to those matters
that the Committee reserves for itself in these Bylaws. ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS There shall be at least four
scheduled regular meetings during each year.
Meetings shall be called by the Chairperson; by any twenty members of
the Committee if a signed call is filed with the Secretary no less than seven
days before the proposed meeting; and by a majority vote of a regular meeting
of the Committee. A quorum for all
meetings shall consist of 15 percent of the current membership. ARTICLE IX: APPEALS Any member of the Committee may
appeal to the First or Seventh Congressional District Democratic Committee
any decision, deadlock, or failure of the Committee to act. ARTICLE X: REMOVAL Any member of the Committee who
fails to perform a duty assigned to him or her may
be removed from Committee membership. The member must be given at least ten
days written notice, and an opportunity to rebut such charges before the
Committee. Removal shall be by a
majority of eligible Committee members present and voting. ARTICLE XI: AMENDING BYLAWS These Bylaws may be amended by an
absolute majority of the paid membership of the Committee at any time. These Bylaws may also be amended
by a simple majority of a quorum of the current membership present and voting
at any meeting if notice is given and the proposed amendment is mailed to all
members not less than ten days before the vote on the amendment. ARTICLE XII: PRECEDENCE OF RULES AND LAWS The rules governing the Committee
shall be the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, in all cases that
those rules are applicable and do not conflict with the Bylaws, the Party
Plan and the Code of Virginia. |