BYLAWS As amended May 15, 2023
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this organization shall be the TriValley Democratic Club, hereinafter referred to as the "organization".
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
It shall be the purpose of this organization to promote the maximum participation in the election of Democratic candidates for public office at the local, state, and national levels, to promote the general goals of the Democratic Party among all citizens of the district, and to inform and educate the public on issues relevant to Democratic values. And it shall include empowering Democrats with opportunities to have a positive political impact on people, the planet, jobs, justice and peace.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Qualifications. Membership shall be open to all registered Democrats and likewise, to young people (thirteen to eighteen years of age) whose intention is to register Democratic.
Section 2. Dues. The Executive Committee shall prepare a proposal for annual dues for various classes of members, such as individual, family, student or senior, and present the proposal to the membership at the October meeting. Students and persons 18 years of age and under shall have membership dues waived upon confirmation of status by executive committee. Upon approval by a majority vote of those members present and voting, the proposal will take effect for the following year. Initial dues are due and payable upon receipt of application for membership in accordance with Section 3 of this Article, and annual dues shall thereafter become due and payable on January 1 each year. The treasurer may accept dues in advance for the coming year from members who have paid for the current year already.
Section 3. Members in Good Standing. A new member shall become a “member in good standing” upon completion of application for membership and payment of initial dues. All members who have paid their annual dues by January 31 are considered “members in good standing”. If annual dues are not received by January 31, the member is considered delinquent, no longer a member in good standing, and not eligible to vote in the organization until their dues are paid for the current year. A member who has been delinquent for more than a year will be dropped from the rolls and must apply as a new member.
Section 4. Removal of Members. Any member who publicly supports a person of any other party for public office against a registered Democrat in any partisan election shall be subject to loss of membership or voting rights. Persistent disruptive behavior at meetings, public behavior that reflects unfavorably on the reputation of the organization, or other public behavior unbecoming of a member can also result in removal. Proceedings to remove must be initiated by a petition signed by at least ten members in good standing within the organization. Upon a 2/3 affirmative vote of those present and voting, the member will be removed and will no longer be eligible to be a member in good standing for a specified, appropriate period of time.
Section 5. Qualification for Voting. Members in good standing for 28 or more days shall be eligible for voting. The Secretary of this organization shall, upon request of the Presiding Officer, ascertain the qualifications of those present to vote on any issue brought before this organization. Those found to be disqualified shall be requested to abstain from voting, and their votes shall not be included in the tally of votes cast.
Section 6. Voting. Unless otherwise stated votes may be taken as a voice vote requiring a 50%+1 majority to pass. If the results are ambiguous a written vote may be requested by any member and conducted if seconded.
Section 7: Treasury funds. When approved by a vote the organization shall use treasury funds for the purpose of promoting the Democratic club, Democratic candidates, or initiatives in line with Democratic values that affect citizens of our district. Expenditures of funds for operation of the organization do not require a vote and may be approved by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE IV: MEETINGS
Section 1. General Meetings. General meetings of this organization shall be held at least once every three months in odd numbered years, and at least bimonthly in even numbered years. Such date and time of the regular scheduled meetings shall be set by the Executive Committee of this organization. Notice of said meeting, including agenda, shall be sent to the membership no later than 5 days prior to such meeting for any meeting which will include a vote on any endorsement as defined in Article VII, on election of representatives to a CDP pre-endorsement conference, on any change to the bylaws, on election of officers, or on removal of officers or members.
Section 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of this organization shall be called by the President, or on written request of at least five voting members. Any business to be conducted at a special meeting shall be included as agenda items on an agenda which must be submitted to the membership at least 5 days before the date of such meeting. No business except that included in the agenda that was submitted to the membership will be added to the agenda or transacted at a Special Meeting.
Section 3. Quorum. Whenever there are more than 40 voting members in the organization, a quorum shall be declared to exist at any general or special meeting at which 10 voting members are present. If the voting membership falls below 40 members, a quorum shall be declared when one-fourth of the voting membership is present. No proxies will be permitted.
Section 4. Online Voting. When deemed appropriate by the President or Executive Committee on-line internet meetings may be held. All effort shall be taken to follow all standard rules with open voting allowed if secret ballots prove unfeasible.
ARTICLE V: OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1. Officers. The officers of this organization and their duties shall be:
(A) PRESIDENT: The President shall: Preside at all meetings of this organization and the Executive Committee; with the Secretary, prepare the agenda and give notice for all meetings; appoint the chairs of the Standing Committees and Special Committees; be an ex-officio member of all Committees except the Nominating Committee; perform all other duties assigned by the Executive Committee and those duties which are inherent in the Office.
(B) VICE-PRESIDENT: The Vice-President shall: In the absence or disability of the President, assume all the powers and duties of that office; perform such other duties that may be assigned by the President or the Executive Committee; serve as an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee; perform all other duties inherent in the Office.
(C) SECRETARY: The Secretary shall: Keep all minutes of the meetings of this organization and that of the Executive Committee; with the President, prepare all agendas for such meetings and give notice of all special and regular meetings; at meetings with endorsement votes, be responsible for administering the voting, ballot counting and reporting results to the membership; perform all other duties as may be assigned by the President or the Executive Committee; perform such other duties which are inherent to the Office.
(D) TREASURER: The Treasurer shall: Be responsible for all funds of the organization; maintain complete records of income, expenditures, assets and liabilities; maintain a bank account for the organization and perform all banking transactions; ensure that dues notices are sent to members at the beginning of each year; receive and record all member dues, donations and other income, and provide a membership roster to the officers when requested; make disbursements to pay the bills of the organization; prepare and file all financial reports, documents and records required by law; present a monthly financial report to the organization; perform all other duties as may be assigned by the President or the Executive Committee; perform such other duties which are inherent to the Office.
Section 2. Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall be comprised of all the elected officers of this organization, along with the Chairpersons of the Standing Committees. The meetings of this Committee will be on call of the President or on the request of three members of the Executive Committee and shall be open to all members of this organization. The Executive Committee shall act to carry out the duties of the organization in an emergency or time limit situation, other than endorsements. A quorum for the Executive Committee shall be three members thereof.
Section 3. Standing Committees. The President shall create standing committees to support the purpose of the organization as defined in Article II and nominate a chair for the position. The standing committee and chair must be approved by vote at a meeting before the standing committee can conduct business and must be affirmed on an annual basis. If a new chair is chosen for the committee the committee may continue to conduct standard business but must nominate a new chair within 3 months and hold a confirmation vote at the meeting following the nomination. In such cases the chair may be nominated by current members of the standing committee or the President.
Section 3. Subsection A. Standing Committee Meetings. A standing committee shall meet at least once per quarter and may conduct business relevant to their purpose. If granted authority by a vote of members the standing committee may perform actions that would normally require a vote of the organization such as the expenditure of funds or endorsements.
Section 3. Subsection B. Permanent Standing Committees. There shall be at all times the following standing committees with the duties described below:
Membership Recruitment Committee: To recruit and maintain membership of the organization and organize events to help promote the visibility of the organization in partnership with the Hospitality Committee.
Hospitality Committee: To plan events including but not limited to the summer BBQ, Holiday Party, and recruitment events.
Communications Committee: To maintain the organization's communication platforms including but not limited to the website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Section 4. AdHoc Committees. At the discretion of the President or the Executive Board an AdHoc committee can be formed. An AdHoc Committee is limited in scope to work on a specific task with a clear timeline of no more than 1 year.
ARTICLE VI: ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Section 1. Nominations. In even numbered years at the October general meeting, the President, with concurrence of the Executive Committee, shall appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of 3 to 5 members. In even numbered years at the November general meeting, the Nominating Committee shall submit nominations, and nominations will also be taken from the floor. Terms of office shall be for two years beginning with the officers elected in the 2019 election.
Section 2. Elections of Officers. In odd numbered years the election of officers shall be held at the January meeting of this organization. In an election with 3 or more candidates for a specific office the election shall be held using single-winner ranked-choice voting or other instant-runoff voting system. The winner shall receive 50%+1 votes. Elections for officers shall be held by secret ballot. If only one name is placed in nomination for a given office, the Secretary may be requested to declare that person elected.
Section 3. Removal of Officers. Any officer of this organization may be removed from office for reasons such as failure or inability to perform prescribed duties, conduct unbecoming of an officer, failure to attend meetings, and reasons described in Article III Section 3 of these bylaws. Proceedings to remove an officer must be initiated by a petition signed by at least ten members in good standing with the organization. Upon a 2/3 affirmative vote of those present and voting, the officer shall be removed from office.
Section 4. Replacing Officers. Should an officer other than the President resign or be removed from office, the President will nominate a replacement at the next general meeting. This general meeting is to be scheduled with adequate five-day notice. At this meeting, additional nominations will be taken from the floor and voting will be held as per the rules in Article VI Section 2.
ARTICLE VII: ENDORSEMENTS
Section1. Endorsement Purpose. The organization endorses candidates and issues to promote our purpose and elect Democratic leaders. Endorsements shall be followed by directed action to support the enactment of endorsed policies and election of endorsed candidates. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee or a nominated standing committee to fulfill such an obligation.
Section 2. Endorsement Process. Endorsements may be brought forward by any member of the club and approved by the executive committee or a standing committee formed to ensure they meet the allowances in section 3 and 4. Each endorsement vote may be held only if it has been listed on an agenda sent to the membership at least 5 days prior to the meeting.
Section 3. Candidate Endorsements Allowed. The membership of this organization may endorse or withhold the endorsement of any candidate who is a registered Democrat in either partisan or non-partisan races. For candidate endorsements the organization shall take all reasonable actions to contact all Democratic candidates for the office and give each candidate a fair allotment of time to present to the organization. Furthermore, the endorsement vote shall be held after it is deemed likely that no additional Democratic candidates are expected to enter the race and for all candidates for a single race simultaneously. For any position the club can endorse no more candidates than seats to be filled.
Section 4. Voting. All endorsements held under the provisions of this Article require both a minimum of 6 YES votes and a minimum of 60% YES votes by eligible members present and voting; if either criteria is not met for any one candidate or issue, the position of the organization shall be “No Endorsement” on that candidate or issue. The 60% threshold is calculated as the total YES votes divided by the sum of YES and NO votes. Members are given the choice of YES or NO for each candidate or issue. Members eligible to vote on endorsements are defined as those members in good standing who have complied with Sections 1-5 of Article III Membership. Voting for endorsement of candidates shall be by secret ballot.
Section 6. Prohibition on Other Endorsements. No Officer or Member of this organization shall, in the name of the organization, endorse a candidate or an issue without the prior consent of the members of the organization as prescribed in this Article.
Section 7. California Democratic Party (CDP) Pre-Endorsement Process. When submitting a club roster to the chair of the chartering county central committee and/or to the cognizant regional Director for purposes of the CDP pre-endorsement conference, the roster will contain only members who are registered Democrats, who are in good standing, and who have paid current year dues, or have dues waived due to economic circumstances. The status of voting members will be certified by the President, Secretary or the the Treasurer. Voting members must meet these requisites by the deadline specified by the requesting organization. The organization’s representatives and alternates to the pre-endorsement conference will be elected at a general meeting of the organization by a vote of members in good standing in attendance and voting. Members receiving the most votes will be the representatives of the organization. Alternates will be the members receiving fewer votes than required to be a representative; alternates will be considered in descending order of the votes they received so that those who receive the most votes are given priority. The list of Representatives to all conferences shall adhere to the equal division rule, to the extent possible.
ARTICLE VIII: RULES AND REGULATION
Section 1. Parliamentary Challenge. Any member may challenge an action on parliamentary basis if they can cite a discrepancy between the action and the by-laws. Upon hearing such a challenge the presiding officer or an officer appointed by the President will be the parliamentarian. If the member finds the parliamentarian’s ruling unsatisfactory they may bring the challenge to the general membership. To bring a challenge to the floor it must be brought up as a point of order and seconded. The challenger and parliamentarian each will briefly make their case and then call for a general vote of the membership.
Section 2. By-Law Amendments. The President or Executive committee may propose amendments to the by-laws. To enact the proposal requires two meetings. Members must be notified 5 days or more prior to a general meeting. The proposal is then brought to the floor at that meeting whereupon discussion and amendments may be offered up by the membership and voted upon with a simple majority forwarding the amendments to the following meeting. The revised by-laws will then be shared to the membership at least 5 days before the following general meeting. At the second meeting to enact the bylaws amendments requires at least 66%+1 members in attendance to vote in favor and a minimum of 20% of the total membership voting in favor.