Article II.  Purpose

The purpose of this club shall be to foster the ideals of the Democratic Party. To fulfill this purpose, the club will provide a constructive role for the volunteer in Democratic politics, will contribute to Party leadership and responsibility, will promote harmony within the Party, will support the Party platform, and will assist in the selection of
Democratic candidates.

Article III. Membership

     Section 1. Eligibility
     Any registered Democrat may be a member of the Club. Students may be non-dues paying associate members without voting privileges.

     Section II. Good Standing
     Every eligible member whose annual dues are current shall be a member in good
     standing.

     Section III. Dues
     Dues, in the amount set by the membership, shall be due and payable upon joining
     the Democratic Club.  Thereafter, membership dues shall be paid annually at the
     beginning of every calendar year.  However, any new member paying dues after
     October 1st shall be deemed to be fully paid through December 31st of the following
     year.

Article IV. Officers

     Section 1.  Titles and Terms
     Officers of this Club shall be President, First Vice President, Second Vice President,
     Third Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer.
     They shall hold office for two years.

     Section II. Duties

A. President
The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer, preside over all meetings of
the Club, the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, appoint three
Members at Large to the Executive Committee and appoint all other committee
chairs, except as otherwise provided in these By-laws.

B. 1st Vice President
The 1st Vice President shall perform duties of the President in the absence of the President, serve as Chair of the Program Committee, and fulfill other duties
assigned by the President.

C. 2nd Vice President
The 2nd Vice President shall serve as Chair of the Membership Committee, keep the membership list current, and fulfill other duties assigned by the President of the Club.

D. 3rd Vice President
The 3rd Vice President shall serve as Chair of the Fund-raising Committee and fulfill other duties assigned by the President.

E. Recording Secretary
The Recording Secretary shall record and have custody of the Minutes of the General Meetings, of the Board of Directors Meetings, and of the Executive Committee Meetings and fulfill other duties assigned by the President.

F. Corresponding Secretary
The Corresponding Secretary shall prepare notices of meetings, Chair the Communications Committee, assist with the newsletter and other publications,
and fulfill other duties assigned by the President.

G. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial matters of the Club, keep the financial records, and make required filings with government entities related to the activities of the Club. The Treasurer with concurrence of the President may write checks for non-budgeted funds up to the amount of $99.00 without Board approval.

Section III. Elections
Elections shall be held at the first General Meeting in January of odd-numbered years and held by secret ballot. A majority of those members present shall be required to elect. The Nominating Committee shall consist of four members elected from the general membership and the chairperson appointed by the President. The Nominating Committee shall recommend one candidate for each elective office and give a report to the general membership at the December meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the January meeting before voting takes place.

Section IV. Vacancies
Should any officer fail to attend two consecutive General or two consecutive Executive Committee meetings without just cause, that office may be declared vacant upon written notification to that officer. The Executive Committee shall appoint a successor for the remainder of the term. Any such appointment shall be ratified at the next general meeting.  If an officer resigns, the Executive Committee shall follow the procedure indicated above.

Section V. Recall of Officers
Any club officer may be recalled from his/her office by a two-thirds majority vote
of the total official membership present and voting at a regular meeting of the Club. However, the number of official members present at such a meeting shall represent not fewer than 60% of the total official membership of the entire Club. The motion to recall any officer shall be communicated in writing to that officer at least seven days before the meeting. If he or she wishes, the officer facing recall must be given an opportunity to defend himself or herself regarding the charges that led to the recall. This defense must be given at the meeting before the vote occurs. The results of the vote shall be communicated in writing to the concerned individual.

Section VI Parliamentarian
The President shall appoint the Parliamentarian.

Article V Meetings

Section I. General Meetings
There shall be a minimum of six General Meetings each year, at least one of which will be held in January.  Other General Meetings shall be held at such time and place as specified by a majority of the Executive Committee.

Section II. Quorum
A quorum at any General Meeting shall be fifty percent (50%) plus 1 of the members present. A Quorum of the Executive Committee shall be fifty percent of the members present. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall be six or 50% + 1 of the number present, whichever is smaller.

Section III. Parliamentary Authority
Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be the parliamentary rules for all matters not provided in the By-laws.

Section IV. Notice of Meetings
At least seven days prior to a General Meeting, the Corresponding Secretary shall deposit in the regular United States mail a notice addressed to each member in good standing. The notice shall specify the time, place, date of the General Meeting; describe any proposed resolutions, endorsements, elections, filling of a vacancy in any office, and proposed amendments to these By-laws being considered at the General Meeting.  The mailing of the Club’s newsletter at least seven days prior to a General Meeting fulfills the Corresponding Secretary’s obligation to provide notice of
meetings. In months when the newsletter is not published, the Corresponding Secretary will prepare a postcard to be mailed to each Club member. The postcard will provide the required information regarding the meeting scheduled for that month.

Article VI. Executive Committee

Section I. Functions
The President will call the Executive Committee into session when a decision affecting the Club must be made before the Board of Directors meeting takes place. In an emergency situation, the members of the Executive Committee may be contacted by telephone or e-mail. The actions of the Executive Committee shall be ratified at the next regular Board meeting.

Section II. Membership
Membership of the Executive Committee shall include all elected officers of the Club, the immediate Past President, ex officio, and three members at large.

Section III. Meetings
The President will call the Executive Committee into emergency session whenever the need to do so arises.  Since these meetings will be held in emergency situations, Executive Committee members may receive only 24 hours notice of the meeting.

Article VII. Board of Directors
Section 1 Functions
The Board of Directors shall approve all expenditures, carry out the Club’s business and perform any other duties provided for in the By-laws or in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised. A report on the actions of the Board of Directors shall be given at the next General Meeting. Actions of the Board of Directors may be overruled by a majority of the general members present at the General Meeting.

Section II. Membership
Membership of the Board of Directors shall include all Club officers, the immediate Past President, ex officio, current Committee Chairpersons, and three members at large appointed by the President.

Section III. Meetings
The President shall call a meeting of the Board of Directors at least once each month. Special Meetings may be called at any time by a majority of the members of the Board. For Special Meetings a majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum. In emergencies the Board may act by e-mail or telephone vote. The actions of the Board at Special Meetings shall be ratified at the regular Board meeting and reported at the next General Meeting.

Article VIII. Standing Committees
The standing committees of the Club are as follows: Financial Review, Candidate Recruitment, Fundraising, Communications, Membership, Nominating, Precinct Organization, Program, Voter Registration, and Telephone. Except for the Nominating Committee, the Chair of each Committee appointed by the President of the Club shall recruit and appoint all other members of that committee.

Article IX. Candidate Endorsement
Section I. Endorsement
The Club may support Democratic candidates in any partisan or non-partisan election only after these candidates have been endorsed by the Riverside County Democratic Central Committee.

Section II. Limitation of Guest Speakers
Since the Democratic Club may support only Democratic Candidates, candidates from other political parties will not be permitted to be guest speakers at any General Meeting of the Democratic Club during the period that these candidates are running for office.

Article X. Termination of Membership

Section 1. Cancellation for Disloyalty
Membership in the Democratic Club may be cancelled when a member demonstrates Democratic Party disloyalty
a. by registering as a member of another party
b. by publicly advocating that voters should not vote for the nominee of the
     Democratic Party for any partisan office
c. by publicly supporting a candidate from another party in a partisan race
    in which a Democrat is running
d. by committing fraud or malfeasance.

Section II. Motion to Cancel Membership
Any member of the Democratic Club of Southwest Riverside County may make a motion that an individual’s membership in the Club be cancelled for one of the reasons listed above. The motion shall state in detail the act(s) prompting the motion and shall be presented in writing to the Recording Secretary.  If the motion passes, action will be tabled until the next regular meeting.

Section III. Procedure for Cancellation of Membership
Within seven days the Recording Secretary will notify the member cited in the motion that his or her party loyalty has been questioned. The letter of notification shall include a) the names of the person who made the motion and who seconded it, b) the time and the place of the next general meeting of the Club, 3) that the cited member has the opportunity to attend that meeting and challenge the allegation(s). At the next general meeting, the maker of the motion and the cited member will have the opportunity to present the matter under scrutiny. The maker of the motion for cancellation will bear the burden of providing clear and convincing evidence to support his or her motion.  After both sides have been heard, the Club members will vote on the motion.  A two-thirds majority of members present and voting will be required for the motion to pass.

Article XI. Amendments
These By-laws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of members present after notice of such proposed amendment has been given in accordance with Article V, Section IV above.

Article XII. Disciplinary Jurisdiction
Club members and officers shall be subject to the rules, regulations, and disciplinary jurisdiction of the Central Committee as set forth in these By-laws and in the Standing Orders of the Central Committee.

Article XIII. Requisite Provisions
Requisite provisions not covered by these by-laws shall follow those of the Riverside County Democratic Central Committee Constitution and By-Laws where applicable.

Date: 2-18-09
                     
Gail Ferrell, Recording Secretary