Democratic Club of West Orange County

Revision Date June 22, 2005

ARTICLE I NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Democratic Club of West Orange County (hereinafter called DCWOC).

Section 2. Purpose

A. The purpose of DCWOC shall be to advance the goals of the Democratic Party (hereinafter called the Party), through public policy and political issue analysis, education, fund-raising, recruitment, coordination with other Democratic groups, and other activities to benefit the Party.

B. DCWOC shall support the broadest possible registration in the Party, and recruitment of DCWOC membership without discrimination on grounds of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, or economic status.

ARTICLE II. AUTHORITY AND PROCEDURES

Section 1. Authority

DCWOC operates under the authority of the Orange County Democratic Central Committee (hereinafter called the Central Committee), and in compliance with its chartering requirement.

Section 2. Procedures

A. All regular and special meetings of DCWOC shall be conducted in accordance with these bylaws and Robert's Rules of Order.

B. All actions of DCWOC shall be by vote of a majority of members present, provided a quorum of the Board of Directors is present. C. In accordance with the Central Committee charter requirements, DCWOC:

1. May not take a position in support of a candidate for partisan office other than a Democrat;
2. Shall pay the required charter dues;
3. Shall support the County, State and National Democratic Party;
4. Shall support the platform of the State and National Party;
5. Shall cooperate with other Democratic organizations in Orange County;
6. Shall provide annually to the Central Committee a roster of names, addresses and telephone numbers of all regular and associate members, and a copy of the bylaws.

D. DCWOC shall support the National, State, County and City Democratic candidates.

E. DCWOC shall contribute to the Democratic discussion and recommendations on Democratic Party platforms.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP, DUES AND VOTE ENTITLEMENT

Section 1. Membership

A. Membership of DCWOC shall be drawn principally from residents of West Orange County.

B. There shall be three types of members (hereinafter called the general membership):

1. A regular member shall be 18 years of age or older, and registered as a Democrat;
2. Associate members shall be those persons not yet eligible to register to vote, and,
3. Ex-Officio members shall be those elected officials who are Democrats and who wish to participate in DCWOC activities.

Section 2. Dues

A. There shall be four (4) categories of dues:

1. Students, Seniors and Associates
2. Individuals
3. Families
4. Patrons

B. The amount of dues in each category shall be recommended by the Board of Directors and presented to the General Membership for approval at the Annual Meeting.

C. Dues shall be paid annually on the anniversary date of membership. Those who have not paid by three months after the anniversary date shall be considered to have forfeited their membership. Voting privileges will not be denied during the grace period.

D. DCWOC fiscal year shall be the calendar year.

E. Membership is effective 30 days after receipt of dues.

F. Payment of dues shall not be obligatory to anyone for whom it constitutes an economic hardship, and after due consideration with approval of the Board of Directors.

Section 3. Vote Entitlement

All regular members, except Ex Officio and Associate members are entitled to vote on DCWOC decisions.

ARTICLE IV. MEETINGS

Section 1. Meetings

A. There shall be at least four General and four Board of Directors meetings annually, including the Annual Meeting. The date and time of the meetings shall be set by the Board of Directors.

B. Notification of a General Meeting is to be mailed to the General Membership within two weeks of the meeting, and at least one week prior to the meeting.

C. Board of Directors meetings shall be regularly scheduled throughout the calendar year, and announced in advance to the General Membership.

D. Board of Directors meetings are open to the General Membership.

E. As a community service, all General Meetings shall be open to the public unless designated in advance "For Members Only".

F. The Annual Meeting of the Club shall be held in October for the purpose of electing officers.

G. Special meetings may be called by the President with approval of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE V. OFFICERS

Section 1. DCWOC Officers

A. The officers shall be President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer and the Past President.

B. The officers are empowered to act in emergencies in the interim between regular meetings of the Board of Directors.

C. The Board of Directors shall be composed of the officers and chairs of standing committees, and shall be responsible for implementing the goals and maintaining the financial viability of the DCWOC. D. No officer shall be eligible for election for more than two years in succession for the same office, except by special approval of the membership.

Section 2. Election of Officers

A. The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee of three members by September 15, one of which shall be chosen from the membership at large and two from the Board of Directors, to nominate officers for the coming year.

1. The Nominating Committee shall submit nominations for DCWOC officers at the October General meeting. The nominations must have been presented in writing to the General Membership in the newsletter announcing the October meeting.
2. Nominations may be made from the floor at the October meeting, providing the persons nominated have agreed to their nomination. The nominations will then be closed and voting will then be held.
3. The officers shall be installed at the first Board of Directors meeting in January and assume their full duties on that date.

ARTICLE VI. DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1. President

A. The President shall preside at all General and Board of Directors Meetings, shall appoint the Parliamentarian, shall establish special committees with approval of the Board of Directors and shall be an Ex-Officio member of every committee except the Nominating Committee.

B. The President shall have supervision over all affairs of the DCWOC and shall be the official spokesperson for the DCWOC.

C. The President shall appoint the Standing and Ad-hoc Committee Chairperson. The Standing Committees shall be: Finance, Nominating, Public Relations, Fund-Raising, Legislation and Campaign Support and Voter Registration.

D. The President shall present an annual report that highlights the past year at the end of the term of office. This report shall be printed in the January issue of the newsletter.

E. The President shall appoint representatives to the Central Committee and other appropriate groups with the approval of the Board of Directors.

Section 2: First Vice-President

A. The First Vice-President shall be Assistant to the President, and preside in his/her absence.

B. The First Vice-President shall be responsible for the General Membership Programs with the consultation and approval of the Board of Directors.

Section 3: Second Vice-President

A. The Second Vice-President shall be responsible for Membership development and support, including the functions of Voter Registration and Membership Recruitment and Membership Retention Programs.

B. The Second Vice-President shall organize and maintain the "Telephone Tree".

Section 4: Recording Secretary

A. The Recording Secretary shall record and maintain the Minutes of General and Board of Directors meetings, including attendance lists and shall maintain all DCWOC records. He/she shall email a copy of the Minutes to each member of the Board of Directors following each scheduled meeting. A copy of the General Meeting minutes will be sent via email to the Board members and posted on the website.

B. The Recording Secretary shall assume the duties of Corresponding Secretary in his/her absence.

Section 5: Corresponding Secretary

A. The Correspondence Secretary shall maintain a copy of the membership list, and send a copy to the Orange County Democratic Central Committee each year, along with a list of new officers, the Bylaws and the required charter dues.

B. The Correspondence Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the DCWOC.

C. The Corresponding Secretary shall mail the newsletter.

D. The Corresponding Secretary shall assume the duties of the Recording Secretary in his/her absence.

Section 6: Treasurer

A. The Treasurer shall have charge of all DCWOC funds, authorize all legal obligations and make a full report to the Board of Directors at each meeting and provide a summary of the report for inclusion in each edition of the newsletter.

B. The Treasurer shall open (or renew) an account for the DCWOC at a bank or will contract with a political accounting company with the approval of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall authorize the Assistant Treasurer and the President to sign checks or to request reimbursements by the accounting company in the absence of the Treasurer. The Secretary shall record the authorized officer’s names in the Board of Director’s meeting minutes. Two Officer’s signatures, or documentation of approval maintained in the Treasurer’s records, will be required on all checks or reimbursement requests to the accounting company over One Thousand dollars ($1,000.00).

C. All checks, invoices and contracts shall be first received by the Treasurer who shall maintain a permanent photocopy file. All contracts shall be signed by the President and the Treasurer. In the absence of either the President or Treasurer, the Board of Directors shall appoint alternates.

D. The Treasurer is responsible to find out what reports are required from the Orange County Registrar of Voters and the state and federal agencies, and shall fill out or approve reports prepared by an accounting company and send them within the required time limits.

E. The Treasurer shall be a member of the Finance Committee.

Section 7: Parliamentarian

The Parliamentarian shall advise the President as to the proper procedures for the conduct of meetings, and shall rely on these Bylaws and Robert's Rules of Order.

ARTICLE VII. DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1.

The Board of Directors shall be responsible for establishing annual short and long-term goals for the DCWOC, to be approved at the March General Meeting.

Section 2:

A. To conduct the business of DCWOC in accordance with the policies and resolutions as decided by the General Membership and these Bylaws.

B. To schedule General and Board of Directors Meetings.

C. Fill officer vacancies (to be approved by the General membership).

ARTICLE VIII. QUORUM

A. No business shall be transacted in the absence of a quorum.

B. A quorum of the Board of Directors meetings shall be four.

C. A quorum of the General Meeting shall be a majority of the members attending as identified by membership lists.

ARTICLE IX. STANDING COMMITTEES

A. The following are general responsibilities of the Standing Committees as identified Article VI, Duties of Officers.

1. Finance: Prepare annual budget.
2. Public Relations: Edit newsletter, supervise speakers' bureau, prepare press releases, artwork, printing, copying and mailing.
3. Legislative and Campaign Support: Report legislative activity pertinent to DCWOC, present resolutions at General Meetings, and coordinate candidate endorsement.
4. Voter Registration: Prepare an annual plan for voter registration activity in conjunction with the Central Committee.
5. Nominating: Comply with procedures outlined in Article V. Section 2.
6. Fund Raising: Coordinate activities required to raise funds needed for operation of DCWOC.

B. Each Standing Committee is responsible for establishing its standing rules and procedures, and shall conduct activities which carry out the goals of the DCWOC as established by the Board of Directors.

C. The Chairperson of each Standing Committee is a member of the Board of Directors and shall provide a written report of its activities for inclusion in the Annual Report.

ARTICLE X. GENERAL POLICIES

Section 1. Parliamentary Procedure

On all matters of procedure not otherwise contained herein or in the standing rules of DCWOC, Robert's Rules of Order,latest revised edition, shall be the official guide.

Section 2: Amendment of Bylaws

The Bylaws may be amended at any General Meeting of the DCWOC by a two-thirds vote of the members present.

Section 3: Dissolution

Upon dissolution of the DCWOC, all funds and materials shall be transferred to the Orange County Democratic Central Committee.

Section 4: Removal from Office

A. An elected officer can be removed from office by resolution of a two-thirds vote of the Regular members at a General Meeting for such causes as missing three unexcused consecutive meetings or non-performance of duties, providing the membership and the officer have been notified ten days in advance of the meeting of the proposed action against the officer.

B. A member is removed from the DCWOC membership for non-payment of dues by the date required in these Bylaws, or for publicly supporting other than a Democrat in a partisan election.