Harris County Young Democrats
Constitution & By-Laws
ARTICLE 1. NAME
ARTICLE 2. PURPOSE
The purpose of this club shall be to assemble, educate, and mobilize young people who are interested in promoting the issues and candidates of the Democratic Party.
ARTICLE 3. MEMBERSHIP
ARTICLE 5. OFFICERS
ARTICLE 6. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee shall be composed of the officers of the club. They shall meet at the call of the President of any three members of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall: (1) Set the location and time of the next regular meeting; (2) Plan programs for meetings; (3) Suggest policy and initiatives for the club; (4) Approve an amount of funds that may be spent by the President and (5) Authorize expenditures of the club’s funds beyond regular costs previously approved for monthly meetings.
ARTICLE 7. MEMBERSHIP DUES
There will be mandatory dues for an annual membership. (See Article 3, Sec 4.) In addition, members are requested to contribute to the regular expense of maintaining the club to the best of their financial ability.
ARTICLE 8. CONSTITUTIONAL DEBATE DURING OFFICER ELECTIONS
In the event of Constitutional debate during officer elections or at the request of the President, a representative selected by the Harris County Democratic Party Chair shall serve as Parliamentarian and chief arbiter. This person cannot subsequently serve as an officer of the club for one year thereafter.
ARTICLE 9. ENDORSEMENTS
The Harris County Young Democrats can only make or announce an "Endorsement" or "Endorse" with the following procedure:
Section 1: Creating the Endorsement Committee:
Section 3: Voting Process during Endorsement Meeting.
ARTICLE 9. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
This constitution shall become effective when adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of members present and voting at the meeting. The officers herein shall be elected at the subsequent regular monthly meeting. Amendments to the constitution may be introduced at any meeting of this club and shall be voted on at the next regular monthly meeting. Amendments must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the regular monthly meeting; refer to Article 4, Section 5. The constitution and subsequent amendments will be kept by the sitting Officers of the club.
The previous constitution was passed on Wednesday, February 24, 1999, amended on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 by a two-thirds majority vote of members present and voting.
- Section 1. The name of the organization shall be the Harris County Young Democrats.
- Section 2. This organization shall be and official chapter of the Texas Young Democrats.
ARTICLE 2. PURPOSE
The purpose of this club shall be to assemble, educate, and mobilize young people who are interested in promoting the issues and candidates of the Democratic Party.
ARTICLE 3. MEMBERSHIP
- Section 1. Membership in this club shall be open to any Democrat who is 14 years of age or older, but has not yet surpassed the age of 40 years. Any eligible Democrat may become a member of this club by (a) completing a signed registration form, (b) submission of form to the Vice President, or in their absence submission to the President, and (c) attending a meeting after submission of registration form with dues. Membership will begin after adjourned of first meeting attended. All members of this club will also thereby become members of Texas Young Democrats.
- Section 2. A Democrat, for membership purposes, is any person who subscribes to the following pledge: “I (the undersigned person), do now support the principles of the National Democratic Party. Resignation from this club will release me from this pledge.”
- Section 3. The registration for membership shall contain the following information: (1) Name of member; (2) Address of member; (3) Member’s date of birth; (4) Date of registration; (5) The pledge enumerated in Article 3 Section 2; (6) Signature of member; (7) Name and signature of Vice President, or in their absence the President as a witness to registration. Any edits to the form will void registration.
- Section 4. Membership Levels to the Harris County Young Democrats shall be as follows: General Membership (ages 14- 40) $25. Candidate Membership $50. A Candidate Member is a voting member if they are age 40 and below, Young at Heart Membership (over the age of 40) $50, Young at Heart members are non-voting members of the organization.
- Section 5. Granting the Executive the power to enter into chartering agreements with High School, Junior College, and College Chapters. The Harris County Young Democrats will have the privilege to enter into chartering agreements with local Young Democrats Chapters at the High School, Junior College, and College level allowing their membership to become full Voting members of the Harris County Young Democrats.
- Section 6. The President Shall have the power by executive order to grant individual(s) the membership rank of “Young Democrat for Life” in the Harris County Young Democrats.
- Section 1. Regular meetings will be held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, unless announced otherwise by the President at the previous month’s meeting, and shall be called by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee by simple majority.
- Section 2. Special meetings shall be held when necessary and shall be called by the President and approved by a simple majority of the Executive Committee. Special meetings can also be called by a two-thirds majority vote of the general membership of the organization.
- Section 3. All members of the club shall be notified at least 7 days in advance of any meeting by Email and web-site. Mailed newsletter or postcard announcements shall also be encouraged.
- Section 4. The club in meeting assembled shall be the supreme policy-making authority of this club, subject only to this constitution.
- Section 5. No business shall be transacted at any meeting unless a quorum of at least 15 members or a two-thirds majority of the Executive Committee is present.
- Section 6. Persons eligible to vote shall meet criteria as defined in Article 3.
ARTICLE 5. OFFICERS
- Section 1. The officers and Executive Committee of this club shall be President, Vice President, Events Director, Development Director, and Communications Director.
- Section 2. All officers shall be elected at a regular club meeting in the month of February by secret ballot if race is contested, and shall serve for one calendar year. All members seeking an office for the coming year must notify the current president by the due date the president has established which is at least 21 days prior to the upcoming election.
- Section 3. All officers shall be elected by majority vote of members present, with run-off elections in cases where no one candidate received a simple majority.
- Section 4. Any officer may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote of members present and voting at any regular club meeting, provided that notice of this proposed action has been given at a prior meeting. Absent officers are strongly encouraged to send a proxy report.
- Section 5. In the event of a Presidential vacancy, the Vice-President shall assume the office of President until the next regular election is held. In the event of any other executive committee vacancy, the President shall have the power to appoint Members to the Executive Board with general approval. All appointments will only “Act” in the appointed role until confirmed by the voting body.
- Section 6. All officers shall serve on the Executive Committee of this club, and have the duties and powers stated in this constitution.
- Part 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the club and the Executive Committee of this club, and, with approval by a simple majority of the Executive Committee, may appoint Committee Chairs for the purposes of specific projects and goals. The President shall call regular and special meetings of the club and meetings of the Executive Committee. The President shall also be authorized to write checks from the club bank account, with the approval of the Executive Committee as detailed in Article 6.
- Part 2. The Vice President shall serve as the successor to the President in the event of a vacancy. The Vice President shall assist the President in all aspects of the President’s job shall serve as the chair for any regular membership or Executive Committee meeting that the President is not able to attend. The Vice President shall keep the listing of club members’ registrations, be responsible for verifying membership forms, and coordinate efforts to promote increased membership.
- Part 3. The Communications Director of the club shall organize and distribute meeting notices, press releases, newsletters, electronic communications (including website, social media, and email), advertisements for the club and keep minutes of the meetings to be presented upon request by the President of Executive Committee members.
- Part 4. Development Director shall coordinate efforts to increase funding for the club and shall keep records of the funds owned by the club and submit Political Action Committee finance reports. The Development Director shall also be the secondary person authorized to sign checks from the club bank account.
- Part 5. The Events Director shall manage the details of arranging for regular meetings and special projects or events and shall coordinate efforts to send members of the club to outside functions.
ARTICLE 6. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee shall be composed of the officers of the club. They shall meet at the call of the President of any three members of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall: (1) Set the location and time of the next regular meeting; (2) Plan programs for meetings; (3) Suggest policy and initiatives for the club; (4) Approve an amount of funds that may be spent by the President and (5) Authorize expenditures of the club’s funds beyond regular costs previously approved for monthly meetings.
ARTICLE 7. MEMBERSHIP DUES
There will be mandatory dues for an annual membership. (See Article 3, Sec 4.) In addition, members are requested to contribute to the regular expense of maintaining the club to the best of their financial ability.
ARTICLE 8. CONSTITUTIONAL DEBATE DURING OFFICER ELECTIONS
In the event of Constitutional debate during officer elections or at the request of the President, a representative selected by the Harris County Democratic Party Chair shall serve as Parliamentarian and chief arbiter. This person cannot subsequently serve as an officer of the club for one year thereafter.
ARTICLE 9. ENDORSEMENTS
The Harris County Young Democrats can only make or announce an "Endorsement" or "Endorse" with the following procedure:
Section 1: Creating the Endorsement Committee:
- Part 1: An Endorsement Committee with be created with a Chair that is appointed by the President of Harris County Young Democrats. The Endorsement Committee Chair must be a member of the Harris County Young Democrats. The President of the Harris County Young Democrats has the authority to disband the Endorsement Committee and cancel the process at any time.
- Part 2: The Endorsement Committee Chair will create a committee that has at least (10) other officers on it from various backgrounds and fields of work/schooling. These officers will serve on the committee to interview, review questionnaires, and vet candidates. These individuals have to be approved by the Executive Committee.
- Part 3: The Endorsement Committee will choose the positions/offices they will allow for an Endorsement with a 51% majority vote within the Endorsement Committee. The Executive Committee must then approve the list of positions/offices the Endorsement Committee will be interviewing with a 51% majority vote and if there any positions/offices that the Executive Committee does not want to be interviewed, the Executive Committee will have the ultimate authority to veto those positions/offices.
- Part 4: Officers that are being paid by a candidate as a staffer or consultant cannot partake in the interviewing and voting process of that candidate’s position/office.
- Part 5 : Transparency Clause: If any candidate contacts any Officers then it is the responsibility of the Officer to report that interaction with the Endorsement Committee. If that Officer doesn’t report the interaction they will be removed from the Endorsement Committee.
- Part 6: Candidates running for public office will be contacted by the Endorsement Committee at least twice to complete a questionnaire and setup a time to be interview by the Endorsement Committee.
- Part 1: The candidates that have been interviewed, vetted, and everyone has reviewed their questionnaire, will be put to a vote within the Endorsement Committee. The Endorsement Committee officers have one whole point to give for a position/office but they can split a point (.5) among two candidates. If there are more than two candidates, the top two candidates with the most votes will go into a run off.
- Part 2: The Endorsement Committee will make Recommendations to the membership body during an Endorsement Meeting when the Endorsement Committee agrees by a 67% super-majority vote within the committee that they approve of a candidate for a position/office.
- Part 3: When a Recommendation is made the Endorsement Committee should have a description of why they Recommended the candidate for a position/office.
Section 3: Voting Process during Endorsement Meeting.
- Part 1: The membership body during an Endorsement Meeting will vote to approve of the Recommendations from the Endorsement Committee with a majority vote of 51% to become an Endorsement.
- Part 2: If the membership body does not approve of the Recommendation from the Endorsement Committee with a 51% vote then the floor can be opened to take nominations but they must be of candidates that the Endorsement Committee has interviewed, reviewed their questionnaires, and vetted for that specific position/office, if they do not meet these requirements they are null and void to be nominated to the membership body.
- Part 3: Once nominations are closed the membership body will vote on the candidates. If there are more than two candidates then the top two candidates go into a runoff. The membership body must approve one candidate by a 67% super-majority vote in order to get an "Endorsement" from the Harris County Young Democrats.
- Part 4: If no candidate can reach the 67% threshold during a nominated membership body vote, for a specific position/office then No Endorsement is made.
ARTICLE 9. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
This constitution shall become effective when adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of members present and voting at the meeting. The officers herein shall be elected at the subsequent regular monthly meeting. Amendments to the constitution may be introduced at any meeting of this club and shall be voted on at the next regular monthly meeting. Amendments must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the members present at the regular monthly meeting; refer to Article 4, Section 5. The constitution and subsequent amendments will be kept by the sitting Officers of the club.
The previous constitution was passed on Wednesday, February 24, 1999, amended on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 by a two-thirds majority vote of members present and voting.
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Political advertisement paid for by Harris County Young Democrats.
Political advertisement paid for by Harris County Young Democrats.
