FRANKLIN COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE BYLAWS
In recognition of the responsibilities of the Franklin County Committeepersons, elected by the voters of their respective townships/ward to their constituents, and of their future responsibility to the Democratic Party to which they belong, the Franklin County Democratic Central Committee adopts the following Bylaws.
ARTICLE I
MEMBERSHIP
No person shall be elected as a member of the county committee who is not a registered voter of the county and of the committee district from which he or she is elected and has been a continuous resident of those jurisdictions for at least one (1) year. The membership of a county committee shall consist of a man and a woman elected from each township or ward in the county.
ELECTIONS
Members of the Democratic Central Committee of Franklin County shall be elected and hold office as provided for by the Missouri Statutes. Elections shall be held in even-numbered years during the August primary election. Applications for filing a candidacy for committeeperson shall be submitted to the County Clerk’s office by the filing deadline.
VACANCY ON COMMITTEE
Whenever any vacancy shall occur on the County Central Committee, a majority of the Committee present shall have the power to fill such vacancy by electing any qualified voter of the Democratic Party who resides in the township or ward to be represented. Such election is to be held at the next regular meeting following the meeting in which the vacancy is announced, and all committee
members are to be notified of the election. Reasons for creating a vacancy are death, resignation, or moving out of the district.
ARTICLE II
MEETINGS
The members of the Central Committee of Franklin County shall meet at an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant facility on the third Tuesday of August following a primary election in which they were elected for the purpose of electing officers. Preference shall be given to locations in the county seat prior to locations in other county municipalities. The Central Committee of Franklin County shall meet a minimum of six (6) times per year, no more than sixty (60) days apart.
All members of the Committee shall be notified, no later than December 31 of each year of all regular meetings for the following year. All members of the Committee shall be notified not less than seven (7) days notice of any changes in the listing of regular meetings. New members of the Committee shall receive a list of the regular meetings for the year within fifteen (15) days of assuming office.
All members of the Committee must have at least three (3) days notice of any Special Meetings which may be called by the Committee Chairman or by a majority of the members present of the Central Committee.
All meetings will be open unless the Chairman and/or a majority of the members present vote to hold a closed meeting.
All meetings of the Central Committee shall be held at the Franklin County Government Center in Union, Missouri, unless notified otherwise. A quorum of members needed at any meeting to conduct business shall be a number of seven (7) of the members of the Central Committee. A majority thereof attending any meeting shall be authorized to conduct business on behalf of the whole Committee.
ARTICLE III
PROXIES
Any member of the County Committee may give his or her signed proxy to any other person of the committee: provided however, that no person shall be allowed to vote more than two (2) proxies and whenever the County Committee acts as a nominating committee to select a candidate for countywide office, a member must be present in person to vote. Each proxy must specify the name of
the person entitled to vote the proxy.
RULES OF ORDER
The rules contained in “Robert’s Rules of Order”, as most recently revised, shall govern meetings of the County Committee in all cases where they are applicable and are not inconsistent with the Constitution or By-Laws of the organization.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
At the required statutory meeting, the County Committee shall organize by the election of one (1) of its members as Chairperson and one (1) as Vice- Chairperson, one (1) a man and one (1) a woman; and a Secretary and a Treasurer, one (1) a man and one (1) a woman, who may or may not be members of the Committee. All County Committee officers must reside within the County in which they serve. The County Committee may elect any other officers it deems necessary to properly carry out its duties.
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Chairperson: The Chairperson of the County Committee shall preside at all meetings of the County Committee and with such limitations as hereafter may be prescribed, act for the County Committee when it is not in session and have the general direction and control of the campaigns and affairs of the Party in the county subject to the direction of the County Committee. The Chairperson shall distribute election credentials to duly-elected committeemen and committeewomen.
Vice-Chairperson: The County Vice-Chairperson shall preside over the County Committee in the absence of the County Chairperson and act as the County Chairperson in the absence of the County Chairperson.
Secretary: The County Secretary shall maintain or assist in maintaining a record of the meetings of the County. In the absence of both the Chair and Vice- Chair, the Secretary shall conduct regularly scheduled meetings. Within thirty (30) days after the election of officers of each County Committee held in accordance with the rules of such committee, the Secretary of such County Committee shall certify with the Chairperson of the State Committee the names of the persons elected as officers and the list of the members of the County Committee.
Treasurer: The County Treasurer shall counter-sign all checks with the County Chair. The County Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all financial matters pertaining to the Central Committee. The County Committee may call upon the Treasurer at various times during the calendar year for all the amounts of receipts and disbursements and such other information they may
wish to view. The Treasurer may be required by the County Committee to give bond in such sums as may be required by said Committee. The Treasurer shall file regulatory and other reports as required.
TERM OF OFFICE
The officers of the County Committee shall be elected every two (2) years at the statutory meeting on the third Tuesday of August immediately following the primary election and serve until their successors have been so chosen.
VACANCIES
If any of the following events occurs to any county committee officer, a vacancy in the office shall exist:
a) Death
b) Resignation
c) Ceases to reside in the County which he or she represents
d) Remains convicted of a criminal offense other than a misdemeanor after his or her rights to appeal are exhausted
e) Fails to attend at least one-half of the regularly scheduled county committee meetings during any calendar year
f) Is found by the Appeals Committee of the State Democratic Party to have used the party name or resources in an unauthorized manner. The County Chairperson shall call a meeting of the County Committee, notice thereof being given within thirty (30) days after such vacancy occurs and in such manner as specified herein. In the case of absence of the Chairperson, or in the event of a vacancy for any reason in that office, the duties of the County Chairperson shall pass to the Vice-Chairperson.
All Officers: Upon termination of their office, shall surrender all records and other property belonging to the Franklin County Democratic Central Committee to their duly elected successors.
ARTICLE V
MEMBERS
Responsibilities of Members – it is the responsibility of members:
As a committee:
1. Present the views of the State Party and the County Party to the citizens of Franklin County,
2. Seek out and assist Democratic candidates in the general election,
3. Raise funds for the Franklin County Democratic Party,
4. Nominate candidates for special elections (or appointments) to fill vacancies when an elective office is vacated prior to the term of office ending, as provided by Missouri law,
5. Recommend candidates for state and local appointive positions,
6. Elect fellow committee members to serve as officers on county, state, and congressional committees,
7. Nominate candidates for appointment to other county, state, and congressional committees such as redistricting committees and state party committees,
8. Fill vacancies on the Central Committee.
As individual Committee members:
1. Attend Central Committee meetings on a regular basis. Central Committee members not attending at least 50% of the Central Committee meetings in a calendar year may be asked by the Chairperson to step aside if another eligible person desires to fill that position. In the case of extenuating circumstances, an exception can be made by a majority vote of the Executive Committee,2. Build a strong party organization by identifying, communicating with, and encouraging all interested citizens to participate in the activities of the Franklin County Democratic party,
3. Convey the views of the State / County Party to individuals in their ward/township
4. Convey the views and concerns of the constituents in their ward or township to the Central Committee,
5. Assist constituents in dealing with government by acting as a direct link to government offices and elected officials,
6. Inform constituents in their ward or township of political activities and events,
7. Serve on any of the standing or ad hoc committees if appointed,
8. Participate in caucus meetings for the selection of state and national delegates for party conventions in presidential election years. Some county committee people also serve as delegates,
9. Attend community meetings such as city council meetings, planning/ zoning meetings, and County Commission meetings within their respective ward/township/county to communicate with those in the community who have concerns and to bring our (Central Committee) concerns and issues to the attention of elected and appointed government officials, 10. Welcome new residents and offer assistance to acquaint them with the election process in Franklin County and enable them to participate in Franklin County politics,
11. Promote Voter Education, Registration & Participation programs,
12. Participate in the election process by: identifying people within the community to serve as Democratic election judges and clerks, passing out literature, acting as poll watchers and challengers, along with other Election Day tasks,
13. Participate in the general election campaign within each ward or township
14. Assist party candidates with their campaigns in their respective township/ward by contacting voters for and with candidates, as well as endorsing candidates whenever possible. A County Committee shall have the power to censure any members who shall
be guilty of willful neglect of any duty imposed upon him or her or for failure to support the Party nominees at any election during his or her term of office. Such action shall not be taken without notice to the offending member and an opportunity for him or her to refute such charge.
ARTICLE VI
STANDING COMMITTEES
Finance: The Finance Committee shall consist of the Treasurer and at least two members of the Central Committee. The Finance Committee is responsible for raising funds to underwrite the business of the Central Committee. Expenses in amounts of $100 or less shall be approved by the Treasurer and Chairperson. All expenses in excess of $100 shall be approved by a vote of the Central Committee prior to the expense being incurred; however, approval for time sensitive matters may be given by a majority of the Executive Committee. Such emergency expenditures shall be reported at the next full membership meeting.
Executive Committee: The Executive Committee is responsible for making time-sensitive decisions of behalf of the Committee by a majority vote. This committee will consist of the four Committee Officers and three other Central Committee members elected at large by the majority of the membership at the September meeting following the reorganization meeting. The executive committee shall meet as needed to plan and coordinate the direction of the Central Committee, resolve issues as they arise, and provide a sounding board for new ideas or projects.
Audit Committee: The auditing committee shall consist of at least two(2) Central Committee members, but no more than five (5), who are not Officers and represent different wards/townships. The information to be audited will be turned over to the auditing Committee between August 15 and September 15. The audit will cover the previous fiscal year beginning July 1 to June 30. After the audit is
completed, the report will be turned into the Central Committee Chairperson for review. The Central Committee will then review the audit report and take a vote for approval.
ARTICLE VII
AD HOC COMMITTEES
Ad hoc committees may be established by the Central Committee Chair as needed. Suggested possible committees include, but are not limited to, the following:
Communications Committee: To supervise the Central Committee website, press releases, and other external communications.
Headquarters Committee: To locate, arrange occupation of, and manage office space during election years.
Program Committee: To secure speakers as needed for Central Committee meetings.
Outreach Committee: To provide greeters at meetings, gather contact information from visitors, and maintain a list of persons wishing to receive meeting announcements or other notices.
ARTICLE VIII
SOLICITATION OF FUNDS
No one shall make, or cause to be made, any solicitation for donations, for the Central Committee unless the Committee, as a matter of regular business, has authorized the solicitation to be made and name by whom it shall be made. All collections of solicited funds shall be received in the name of the Central Committee, and receipts shall be given thereof in the Committee’s name.
ARTICLE IX
APPOINTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
If any employment opportunities or appointments become available to members of the Democratic Party within the County, the members of the Central Committee, with respect to their Townships, shall turn in to the County Chairman the Appropriate certification, properly executed; or, if they are not in agreement, see that the County Chairman is so advised. The County Chairman will then
execute or reject the application, as directed by the majority vote of the Central Committee.
ARTICLE X
ENDORSEMENTS
The Franklin County Democratic Central Committee may endorse only National candidates (President, U. S. Senate, U. S. Congress) prior to a primary election. The Central Committee at all times shall support and work for the Democratic candidates in the general election.
ARTICLE XI
AMENDING OF BYLAWS
These bylaws may be amended, and new bylaws may be adopted within a sixty (60) day period after the reorganizational meeting by a majority vote of the members in attendance at any regular or special meeting, provided however, a general written notice explaining the subject matter for the members to consider is circulated no less than 30 days in advance of such meeting. Changes or
amendments at any other time shall require a 2/3 majority vote of the total membership of the Committee.
Document last revised 01/28/2013.