York Township Democratic Organization

Bylaws

By-laws of the York Township Democratic Organization

Article I - Name

The name of this organization shall be: The York Township Democratic Organization.

Article II - Purpose

The purpose of this organization shall be the advancement of better government through the selection of outstanding citizens for elective offices and the election of all candidates of the Democratic Party.

Article III - Membership

1. All Democratic Precinct Committeemen of York Township, and any person qualified to vote in the Democratic Primary in York Township who supports the principles and programs of the Democratic Party, shall be eligible for membership in this organization.
2. All Democratic Precinct Committeemen in York Township shall be members of the York Township Democratic Central Committee whose prime purpose is the managing of the township caucus in compliance with the laws of the State of Illinois.

Article IV - Voting Rights

1. All committeemen have full voting rights.
2. All non-committeemen shall have full voting rights after attending at least two meetings during the previous twelve months, except where otherwise stated.

Article V - Open Membership

All public meetings of the York Township Democratic Organization shall be open regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, age, or sex.

Article VI - Meetings

1. The time and place of all public meetings of this organization shall be publicized fully to the general public, including time, place, date, and other pertinent information.
2. Meetings shall be held each month unless otherwise ordered by the members.
3. Members shall be notified at least five days before said meetings.
4. All notices shall include, whenever possible, a statement of the business to be conducted.
5. Special meetings can be called by the Chairman, by a majority of the Executive Board, or by 25% of members qualified to vote.

Article VII - Officers

1. The Executive Board shall consist of the Chairman, First Vice-Chairman, Second Vice-Chairman, Third Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, three members elected at large, all past Chairs of the organization (except any who choose to opt out) who are still Democratic precinct committeemen in York Township, and one member appointed by the Chairman.
2. Eligibility: The Chairman, First Vice-Chairman, and Second Vice-Chairman, and Third Vice-Chair must be elected committeemen and shall also be the Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the York Township Democratic Central Committee.
3. The Secretary, Treasurer, and other members of the Executive Board shall be members of the organization and need not be committeemen.

Article VIII - Nomination and Election of Officers

1. Nomination and election of officers shall be held at the first monthly meeting after the DuPage Democratic Central Committee Convention. (No later than thirty days.)
2. The Chairman, First Vice-Chairman, and Second Vice-Chairman, and Third Vice-Chair shall be elected by precinct committeemen by weighted vote. Other officers shall be elected by all members eligible to vote, one member — one vote.
3. All officers shall be elected for two-year terms.
4. 1. Any officer may be recalled for non-performance of duties, excepting as listed in subsection e below.
   2. Recall proceedings will be initiated upon a majority vote of the Executive Board, or upon the submission to the Board of a petition signed by members whose number at least equals 25% of current precinct committeemen.
   3. The Executive Board will schedule a vote to take place at a meeting of the organization not less than thirty days but not more than sixty days after the initiation of recall. Notice shall be provided to the membership, specifying the meeting date and time and the officer(s) to be recalled.
   4. Removing an officer requires a two-thirds majority, either of weighted vote of precinct committeemen present (if the officer is a chair or vice-chair) or un-weighted vote of all members present (for other officers). If such a vote succeeds, elections may be held immediately to replace the removed officer. If such replacement results in another vacancy (another officer resigns his current position in order to replace the removed officer) then elections may be held immediately to fill this vacancy as well.
   5. No officer may be recalled who has not served in his or her current position for at least six months, or whose term is due to expire in less than six months. Recall may not be initiated against the same officer more than once in any six-month period.
5. The Chairman shall not be eligible to run for more than two consecutive terms.

Article IX - Duties of Officers

1. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings, fill vacancies and nominate committeemen to fill vacancies to the County Chairman. The Chairman is the chief executive officer of the organization and an ex-officio member of all committees. In case of a vacancy in the office of the Chairman, the First Vice-Chairman shall succeed the Chairman until the Executive Board can arrange for an election, giving the membership at least a thirty-day notice. The Chairman shall initiate committees and appoint Chairmen for same as necessary.
2. The First Vice-Chairman shall exercise the power of the Chairman in the absence of the Chairman, and shall assist the Chairman in his duties.
3. The Second Vice-Chairman's duties shall be assigned by the Chairman.
4. The Third Vice-Chair shall serve as coordinator of election judges.
5. The Secretary shall be in charge of all files and records except those specifically required to be in the possession of the Treasurer. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to prepare necessary documents and to preserve such files and records as may be necessary. The Secretary shall preserve all past records and transfer same to his or her successor. The Secretary shall take minutes of all meetings and shall read the minutes of the previous meeting at each regular meeting.
6. The Treasurer shall have custody of all the organization's funds. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all financial reports required by State and Federal law. The Treasurer shall have written accounts of receipts and disbursements subsequent to the last previous report and they shall be available to each member of the organization at each regular meeting. The Treasurer shall submit records for annual audit by an Audit Committee.

Article X - Amendments

These By-Laws shall be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at any regular meeting, provided that written notice of the proposed amendment has been given to the members at least one month in advance of the meeting.

Article XI - Parliamentary Authority

Parliamentary authority shall be Robert's Rules of Order (Revised), where not inconsistent with these rules.

Article XII - Endorsements

1. For the organization to endorse a Democrat running against one or more other Democrats, a three-fifths majority vote is required. Notice of such a vote shall be provided to the membership, as well as to all Democratic candidates for the office in question, at least three weeks in advance.
2. Endorsement of a candidate in a non-partisan election, or endorsement of an independent or another party's candidate in a race for which there is no Democrat on the ballot, is also subject to the restrictions listed in section 1.
3. A Democrat who has already won the party primary or who is unopposed by any other Democrat may be endorsed by a simple majority vote with no notice required.
4. Any endorsement, once made, may be rescinded by a simple majority, but such a vote is subject to the same advance notice requirements, if any, that applied to the original vote.

Amendment I

Article VIII - Nomination and Election of Officers, section 4. "The Chairman shall not be eligible to run for more than two consecutive terms." shall be eliminated.

Amendment II

Article IX - Duties of Officers, section 1. "In case of a vacancy in the office of the Chairman the First Vice-Chairman shall succeed the Chairman" shall be followed by "until the Executive Board can arrange for an election, giving the membership at least a thirty-day notice."

Amendment III

Article VII - Officers, sections 1 and 2, and Article VIII - Nomination and Election of Officers, section 2, Third Vice-Chair shall be added to the list of officers. Article IX - Duties of Officers, "The Third Vice-Chair shall serve as coordinator of election judges." shall be inserted as a new section following the existing section 3, and the following sections shall be re-numbered accordingly.

Amendment IV

Article VII - Officers, sections 1, following "three members elected at large," "all past Chairs of the organization (except any who choose to opt out) who are still Democratic precinct committeemen in York Township," shall be inserted.

Amendment V

Article VIII - Nomination and Election of Officers, section 4 shall be added as follows:

4. a. Any officer may be recalled for non-performance of duties, excepting as listed in subsection e below.

b. Recall proceedings will be initiated upon a majority vote of the Executive Board, or upon the submission to the Board of a petition signed by members whose number at least equals 25% of current precinct committeemen.

c. The Executive Board will schedule a vote to take place at a meeting of the organization not less than thirty days but not more than sixty days after the initiation of recall. Notice shall be provided to the membership, specifying the meeting date and time and the officer(s) to be recalled.

d. Removing an officer requires a two-thirds majority, either of weighted vote of precinct committeemen present (if the officer is a chair or vice-chair) or un-weighted vote of all members present (for other officers). If such a vote succeeds, elections may be held immediately to replace the removed officer. If such replacement results in another vacancy (another officer resigns his current position in order to replace the removed officer) then elections may be held immediately to fill this vacancy as well.

e. No officer may be recalled who has not served in his or her current position for at least six months, or whose term is due to expire in less than six months. Recall may not be initiated against the same officer more than once in any six-month period.

Amendment VI

Article XII - Endorsements shall be added, as follows:

Article XII - Endorsements

1. For the organization to endorse a Democrat running against one or more other Democrats, a three-fifths majority vote is required. Notice of such a vote shall be provided to the membership, as well as to all Democratic candidates for the office in question, at least three weeks in advance.

2. Endorsement of a candidate in a non-partisan election, or endorsement of an independent or another party's candidate in a race for which there is no Democrat on the ballot, is also subject to the restrictions listed in section 1.

3. A Democrat who has already won the party primary or who is unopposed by any other Democrat may be endorsed by a simple majority vote with no notice required.

4. Any endorsement, once made, may be rescinded by a simple majority, but such a vote is subject to the same advance notice requirements, if any, that applied to the original vote.

Amendment VII

Where officers are required to provide notice to the membership, posting the information in question on the organization's public web site and to the organization's email announcements list shall constitute sufficient notification, except for individual members who specifically request to be notified by non-electronic means.