CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE DEKALB COUNTY YOUNG REPUBLICANS CLUB PREAMBLE We believe the principles enumerated in the United States Constitution present the best way to bring a truly representative government into existence. We believe in the strength of the individual to best control his or her own destiny and in the government s responsibility to protect the individual in his or her "pursuit of happiness." We believe that the government should provide equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity to all regardless of race, creed, color, national origin or sex. Further, we believe that it is the Republican Party which best seeks to promote these truths. We, therefore, bind ourselves together as members of the DeKalb County Young Republicans Club to aid the Republican Party in the advancement of these principles pursuant to this Constitution and Bylaws (hereinafter referred to as the "Constitution and Bylaws") of the DeKalb County Young Republicans Club. ARTICLE I NAME The name of this organization shall be the DeKalb County Young Republicans Club (the "Young Republicans"). ARTICLE II OBJECTIVES The main objective of the Young Republicans shall be to promote the truths and ideals set forth in the preamble to this Constitution and Bylaws. Specifically, the Young Republicans shall endeavor: (a) County; To develop and maintain a Young Republican organization in DeKalb (b) To foster awareness and allegiance to and support for the Republican Party principles, objectives, and platform of government and public service; (c) To work for the election of duly nominated Republican Party candidates; (d) To bring young people into the Republican Party, to provide opportunity for their political expression and recognition, to train them as political workers, and to provide a practical means by which they may contribute in the development and betterment of the Republican Party; and (e) To network with other young republican clubs for the mutual benefit of the Republican Party as a political force.
ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP Section 1. Annual Membership. Membership in the Young Republicans shall be considered annual, from January 1 to December 31 of each calendar year. Section 2. Active Membership. Anyone between the ages of eighteen (18) and forty (40) who (a) works or resides in DeKalb County, (b) is a citizen of the United States, (c) is a registered voter in the Republican Party, and (d) shall adhere to the purposes and objectives of Young Republicans as expressed in this Constitution and Bylaws, shall be eligible for active membership (each, an "Active Member"). Section 3. Associate Membership. Any person not eligible to be an Active Member pursuant to Article III, Section 2 of this Constitution and Bylaws, may be voted an associate member (each, an "Associate Member"). Associate Members shall not be eligible to vote on any matter before the Young Republicans and cannot hold an elected or appointed office in the Young Republicans. Associate Members may be appointed to a committee, but cannot chair the committee. Section 4. Honorary Membership. Honorary members shall be those persons so designated by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Active Members in good standing at any regular meeting of the Young Republicans (each, an "Honorary Member"). Honorary Members shall not be eligible to vote on any matter before the Young Republicans and cannot hold an elected or appointed office in the Young Republicans. Honorary Members may be appointed to a committee, but cannot chair the committee. Section 5. Dues. Annual dues for Active Members shall be fifteen dollars ($15.00) per person, twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per married couple, and ten dollars ($10.00) per high school or full time college student. Annual dues for Associate Members shall be ten dollars ($10.00) per person. Annual dues shall be paid in full on or before January 31 st of each calendar year. Members in good standing shall be all Active Members who have paid dues for the current year. Section 6. Eligibility to Vote. Any Active Member in good standing shall be eligible to vote on any matter coming before the Young Republicans for a vote, except that newly admitted Active Members and inactive members paying their dues to become Active Members in good standing, shall not be eligible to vote until the meeting next succeeding their admission as an Active Members. Section 7. Expulsion. The Active Members of the Young Republicans may, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those Active Members in good standing present at a regular meeting, expel from the Young Republicans any member for any act or conduct deemed unfriendly or hostile to the best interests of the Young Republicans; provided that the Executive Board has reviewed such proposal for expulsion and has made a recommendation and that such member has been notified by certified mail of the recommendation of the Executive Board at least one (1) week prior to the meeting and that such member has had the right to present a defense. Notice of the charges against said member and the recommendation of expulsion must be included in the 2
call of the meeting and must be received by the entire membership at least seventy two (72) hours prior to the beginning of the applicable meeting. ARTICLE IV ELECTED OFFICERS Section 1. Designation. The elected officers of the Young Republicans shall be the Chairman, Co-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer (the "Officers"). All elected Officers shall hold office until their respective successors take office. No elected Officer may serve more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same office; such Officers shall only be allowed to seek additional terms by a four-fifths (4/5) vote of the Active Members in good standing present at the annual meeting. Elected Officers shall serve without compensation and must be Active Members in good standing. From and after the first year, the Chairman, Co-Chairman, and Treasurer shall have each been an Active Member in good standing of the Young Republicans for at least one (1) year prior to entering office. Section 2. Vacancies. A vacancy in an elected office shall be filled by means of an election of the Active Members in good standing if more than six (6) months of the unexpired term remain. If fewer than six (6) months remain, the vacancy shall be filled by an election of a majority of the Executive Board. Upon vacating office, each Officer shall return all paper work to the Young Republicans within fourteen (14) days to be distributed to said Officer's successor. ARTICLE V OFFICERS POWERS AND DUTIES Section 1. Chairman. The Chairman shall preside at all Young Republican meetings and shall be the chief executive officer of the Young Republicans. The Chairman shall have the power to appoint all committee chairpersons and to remove committee chairpersons, with the prior approval of a majority of the Executive Board. The Chairman shall supervise the activities of the Young Republicans and perform all other duties incidental to the office of Chairman. The Chairman will be listed as a signer on a two (2) signature checking account for the Young Republicans. Section 2. Co-Chairman. The Co-Chairman shall preside at all Young Republican meetings in the absence of the Chairman and perform other duties as designated by the Chairman. The Co-Chairman will be a liaison between the Executive Board and all committees and will preside over the Membership Committee. Section 3. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall collect and disburse all funds as directed by the Executive Board, deposit such funds in a depository designated by the Executive Board and keep account thereof open to inspection by the Executive Board at all reasonable times. The Treasurer shall submit a report consisting of monthly receipts, disbursements, and beginning and ending balances of the Young Republicans' treasury at each meeting of the members and each Executive Board meeting. The Treasurer shall submit an annual written report to the Executive Board in February for the previous fiscal year. The Treasurer shall preside over the Finance and Fundraising Committee and perform such other duties as designated by the Chairman. The Treasurer will be listed as a signer on a two (2) signature checking account for the Young 3
Republicans. The Treasurer shall maintain a list of members of the Young Republicans who have paid their current annual dues. Section 4. Secretary. The Secretary shall be responsible for taking minutes at all meetings of the Young Republicans and the Executive Board and shall submit a copy of said minutes to the Executive Board within two (2) weeks of any applicable meeting. The Secretary shall be responsible for all Young Republican correspondence, including announcements and written notices and shall be responsible for maintaining a roster of the Young Republican membership, including both Active Members and Associate Members. The Secretary shall perform other secretarial duties as directed by the Chairman. The Secretary shall keep and maintain the minute book of the Young Republicans with all meeting minutes, adopted resolutions, notices, correspondence, and other Young Republican documents. ARTICLE VI EXECUTIVE BOARD Section 1. Duties. The Executive Board shall consist of the Officers and the immediate past Chairman, and shall oversee the management of all Young Republican activities, subject to any approval required of the Active Members in good standing. Section 2. Meetings. Executive Board meetings shall be held at such times and places as the Executive Board shall determine in its sole discretion. A majority of the members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum to conduct business at the applicable meeting and a majority of members of the Executive Board constituting said quorum may take any action properly coming before the Executive Board. Section 3. Electronic Communications and Notice. Electronic communications shall be an acceptable form of conducting business of the Executive Board, with quorum established. Notice must be given to each member of the Executive Board three (3) days prior to any meeting, electronic or otherwise. Section 4. Attendance. Any member of the Executive Board who misses three (3) consecutive meetings of the Executive Board, and does not show cause within fifteen (15) days, shall be considered to have resigned from his or her office. ARTICLE VII STANDING COMMITTEES Section 1. Appointments. Upon taking office, the Chairman shall appoint a chairman of each standing committee, as provided in this Article VII. The committee chairman shall appoint at least one (1) Active Member in good standing to be a committee member. Section 2. Standing Committees. The following shall be the standing committees of the Young Republicans: (a) Speakers, Programs and Publicity Committee. After a speaker is selected at the Executive Board meeting, this committee shall contact the speaker(s) to make arrangements for them to speak at an event or meeting. This committee shall also serve 4
as the "official hosts and hostesses" of Young Republican events. Members of this committee are responsible for the selection, publicity, and presentation of Young Republican sponsored events and event planning. (b) Membership Committee. The Membership Committee shall be responsible for actively recruiting new members for the Young Republicans. The Co- Chairman will be the chairman of this committee. (c) Technology Committee. The Technology Committee shall be responsible for creating and maintaining the club website, emails, and email lists as well as maintaining the club s presence on Facebook, My Space, and other electronic forums or means of communication. (d) Community Service Committee. The Community Service Committee will be in charge of community service involvement, such as voter registration drives. (e) Political Activities Committee. The Political Activities Committee will be in charge of items related to helping our Republican candidates seeking public office. (f) Finance and Fundraising Committee. The Finance and Fundraising Committee will propose a budget for each upcoming fiscal year and will propose and organize fundraising activities which will be supported by the entire membership. This committee will also assist the Treasurer in his or her duties and the Treasurer will be the chairman of this committee. ARTICLE VIII MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS Section 1. Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the Young Republicans shall be held at least eight (8) times per year. The date, time and location of the regular meetings will be decided by the Executive Board and will be provided to the membership at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to the applicable meeting. The Executive Board, provided that it gives prior notice to the membership, may change the date, time, or location of an upcoming meeting. Section 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Young Republicans may be called by the Chairman or by the Secretary upon the written notice sent at least seventy-two (72) hours in advance to the membership. The purpose of any special meeting shall be clearly stated in the meeting notice and no other business may be transacted at said special meeting. Section 3. Quorum. A quorum for the transaction of any business at a regular or special meeting shall consist of at least fifty percent (50%) of the Active Members in good standing and a majority of the Active Members in good standing present at any meeting with a quorum may conduct business properly coming before the Young Republicans. 5
ARTICLE IX ELECTIONS Section 1. Election Meeting. The election of Officers shall be held at the November meeting and officers-elect shall take office at the January meeting. Section 2. Nominations. At the September meeting the Chairman shall appoint a Nominating Committee, consisting of three (3) Active Members in good standing. The Nomination Committee will provide a list of valid candidates at the beginning of the October meeting, at which time the Chairman will call for nominations from the Active Members in good standing. All persons nominated from the floor at the October meeting will have qualifications verified by the Nominating Committee prior to the vote. Section 3. Elections. Voting in all contested races for any Officer position shall be by secret ballot and no proxies shall be allowed. A simple majority of the votes cast by the Active Members in good standing making up a quorum shall be necessary for election of an Officer. If a majority is not reached on the first ballot, the candidate receiving the fewest votes will be eliminated from the ballot until a total of fifty percent (50%) plus one (1) is reached. Section 4. Tellers. The Chairman shall appoint at least three (3) tellers who shall dispense, collect, and tabulate the ballots. The tellers shall not be candidates for any elected office. ARTICLE X CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT Neither the Young Republicans, the Executive Board, nor any Officers, shall in any way endorse the candidacy of any Republican candidate prior to the Primary Election, unless said Republican candidate is a filed candidate for office or said Republican candidate is a parent, spouse, sibling, or family member of the applicable Active Member, at which time they can endorse said Republican candidate, but not on behalf of the Young Republicans. ARTICLE XI STATE AFFILIATION Section 1. Affiliation. If it meets all requirements for admission, the Young Republicans shall be a member of the Indiana Young Republicans Federation and shall be subject to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Indiana Young Republicans Federation. Section 2. Convention. From and after the first year, the Executive Board shall nominate the delegates and alternates to the state convention and said delegates and alternates shall be elected by a majority of the Active Members in good standing present at the regular meeting one (1) month prior to the convention. 6
ARTICLE XII PARLIAMENTARY PROVISIONS Robert s Rules of Order, as revised, shall govern all meetings and proceedings of the Young Republicans, except where inconsistent with this Constitution and Bylaws. ARTICLE XIII RESOLUTIONS Section 1. Submission. Any Active Member in good standing may bring forth a written resolution by submitting said resolution to the Chairman at least two (2) weeks prior to any regular meeting of the Young Republicans. Such a resolution shall then be presented in writing at a regular meeting of the Young Republicans. Section 2. Adoption. Resolutions from Active Members shall be adopted by a twothirds (2/3) vote of the Active Members in good standing present at any regular meeting in which a quorum is present. ARTICLE XIV SEVERABILITY The provisions of this Constitution and Bylaws are hereby declared to be severable, and if any provision(s) hereof shall ever be deleted or amended, such deletion or amendment shall not affect the validity of any other provisions hereof. ARTICLE XV ADOPTION AND AMENDMENTS Section 1. Adoption of Constitution and Bylaws. This Constitution and Bylaws shall be in effect from the date it is adopted by a majority of the Active Members in good standing of the Young Republicans. Section 2. Amendment of Constitution and Bylaws. This Constitution and Bylaws may only be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of a quorum of Active Members in good standing at a regular meeting of the Young Republicans. Any proposed amendment shall be submitted in written form to the Secretary at any regular meeting. The amendment shall then be read aloud or presented in writing to the Active Members in good standing present. Reasonable notification of the proposed amendment must be sent to all members at least two (2) weeks prior to being voted upon at the next regular meeting of the Young Republicans. 7
Chairman: Print Name: Date: Co-Chairman: Print Name: Date: Treasurer: Print Name: Date: Secretary: Print Name: Date: 8