BY-LAWS OF THE WASHINGTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CLUB

		BY-LAWS OF THE
		WASHINGTON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CLUB
		ARTICLE I
		NAME
1.		The name of this organization shall be "The Washington County Democratic Club."

		ARTICLE II
		PURPOSE
1.		The purposes of this organization are:

	(a)	To unite, stimulate, and encourage full participation in all Democratic Party activities.

	(b)	To cultivate, encourage, and support qualified Democratic candidates to run for public office.

	(c)	To educate and inform the public about civic and political matters.

	(d)	To provide a unifying organization for all Democrats in Washington County.

2.		Neither this organization or its’ elected officers, in their capacity as elected officers of the rganization, shall endorse a candidate before the results of a primary election.

		ARTICLE III
		MEMBERSHIP

1.		Any person who is a Democrat, as defined by the rules of the Democratic Party of Texas, is eligible for membership in this Club.

2.		Annual dues shall be due and payable on the anniversary date of the member’s initial payment of membership dues. A member may be removed from the membership roll ninety (90) days after their anniversary date if their dues are still delinquent on that date.

3.		For voting purposes on elective officers of the Club, eligible members shall be those whose dues have been paid prior to the beginning of voting in the election. Each member in good standing will be entitled to one vote.

4.		Each member in good standing shall be provided with an up-to-date version of the Club By-Laws at their request or thirty (30) days after any By-Law revision approved by the membership. Good standing is defined as those members who are current on their dues on the date of their request or on the date of production of the By-Laws as provided by this article.

5.		Dues for this organization are as follows:

	(a)	for active membership $10.00 per year

	(b)	associate membership $25.00 per year

	(c)	Friend of the Club $5.00 to $9.99 per month

	(d)	Sponsor of the Club $10.00 or more per month

6.		Any person eligible for membership whose age exceeds ninety (90) years is entitled to all of the privileges of membership without payment of dues.

7.		Any member in good standing of the Democratic Club of Blinn College is entitled to membership, upon application, without payment of dues.

		ARTICLE IV

		ASSOCIATE AND AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIPS

1.		Each individual associate or affiliate member shall possess the same rights and responsibilities as active member.

2.		Each associate or affiliate member shall be entitled to a certificate which denotes that members association or affiliation with the Club.

		ARTICLE V

		ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

1.		The officers of this organization shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer and Immediate Past President. These officers shall constitute the Board of Directors for this organization.

2.		Beginning thirty (30) days from the initial adoption of these By-Laws no one may serve as an officer who is not in good standing and who has not been enrolled in the Club for at least six (6) months prior to their nomination.

3.		The officers’ tenure shall be for one (1) calendar year which shall begin on January 1. The officer’s shall be eligible to run for not more than two (2) additional terms for a particular office in succession following their initial election to that office.

4.		The appointment and election of the Nominating Committee shall be made at the October meeting. The Nominating Committee shall consist of five (5) members who are in good standing. Beginning thirty (30) days following the initial adoption of these By-Laws members of the Nominating Committee must have been enrolled in the Club for at least six (6) months prior to their nomination. The President of the Club will appoint three (3) members to the Nomination Committee. One (1) of these appointees shall be appointed as Chair by the President. Two (2) additional members will be elected by the membership at the October meeting to serve on the Nominations Committee.

5.		At the November meeting the Nominations Committee will present to the membership a slate of the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

6.		The election of officers shall be held at the December meeting. Nominations for officers may also be made from the floor. If there is more than one nominee for any office, said election shall be by standing vote. In accordance with the rules of the Democratic Party of Texas there shall be no secret ballots for election of officers. The installation of officers shall take place at the December meeting. All books and membership rolls will be turned over to the new officers at the December meeting. The term of office of the newly elected officers shall begin on January 1 following the election and shall end the following December 31.

7.		If an officer shall neglect their duties for a period of three (3) consecutive months, the office shall be declared vacant by the Board of Directors and the President shall forthwith issue a call in writing to the membership that an election for that position will be held on a date certain at least thirty (30) days following the issuance of that call. Neglect is defined as failure to attend meetings, failure to call meetings, failure to fulfill the obligations of the duties of the office as defined below.

8.		Should the President neglect its duties pursuant to Article V, section 7, die, resign, or become incapacitated, the Vice President shall ascend to that office for the remainder of the term. In this case the office of Vice President shall be filled pursuant to Article V, section 7.

9.		There shall be no vote (s) by proxy for the nomination or election to any office of the Club.

		ARTICLE VI

		DUTIES OF OFFICERS

1.		The President shall preside at all meetings of the Club; appoint all committees except as otherwise provided herein, appoint special committees when the same are necessary and perform all general duties of President of this organization which include acting as spokesperson for the organization and act as Ambassador of this organization to any public or civic function which may increase the membership of the organization.

2.		The Vice President shall perform the duties of President should the President be absent or unable to serve.

3.		The secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Club, and the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall also keep all records for the Club, except those specifically assigned to others and shall keep a roll of the membership of the Club. The secretary shall also send out proper notices of all meetings and announcements at least two (2) weeks prior to the meeting or event.

4.		The Treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all money, received and disbursed, and shall provide sufficient copies of a report at each meeting for members in attendance to peruse. The Treasurer shall also receive the dues and forward all membership applications to the Secretary. The Treasurer shall also make all disbursements by check to be countersigned by the President. The Treasurer shall maintain a bank account for all monies received.

		ARTICLE VII

		BOARD OF DIRECTORS

1.		The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected officers and the Immediate Past President.

2.		The function of the Board shall be to plan the business of the Club to be presented to the membership for approval or disapproval, and to transact necessary business between regular meetings.

3.		The Board of Directors will have the authority to make expenditures for expenses up to $249.99.

4.		The Board of Directors shall meet at the call of the President.

		ARTICLE VIII

		MEETINGS

1.		This Club will have regular monthly meetings on the second Monday of each month. The place of the meetings will be the Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library. The Board of Directors shall be authorized to change the date, time, and place of the meetings provided the Secretary notifies the membership at least two (2) weeks in advance of any meeting.

2.		Voting shall be by voice vote except where indicated by Article V, section 6 and in cases where indicated by the membership.

3.		All meetings shall be held in accordance with the rules contained in the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order and shall be governed by the Club in all cases to which they are applicable and which they are not inconsistent with the By-Laws of the Club or the rule of the Democratic Party of Texas.

4.		The President or the Board of Directors may call any special meetings that are deemed necessary.

5.		There shall be no vote (s) cast by proxy at any membership meeting of the Club.

		ARTICLE IX

		COMMITTEES

1.		The Club shall have the following standing committees: Banquet, Nominations and Telephone.

2.		Either the President or the Board of Directors may appoint any other special committees as deemed necessary.

3.		Except as mentioned in other Articles, the chairman of said committees shall serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors.

4.		Each chairman shall present plans for any major activity to the Board of Directors for approval before any action is taken.

5.		An audit of the books shall be conducted by an audit committee appointed by the President. The audit committee will perform the audit during the month of December each year. An annual report shall be presented to the membership in January of each year.

		ARTICLE X

		AMENDMENTS OF THE BY-LAWS

1.		These By-Laws may be amended at any regular monthly meeting provided the amendment has been proposed in writing at the preceding monthly meeting and is mailed out, to the members in good standing on the date the proposed amendment was presented to the membership, at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting in which it is to be voted on.

2.		A three-quarters (3/4) approval vote of the members in good standing present at the time of the vote on the amendment shall be required to amend the By-Laws.

3.		There shall be no proxy vote (s) by any member on any proposed amendment to the By-Laws.

		Adopted by The Washington County Democratic Club on April 12, 1999

Washington County Democratic Club