BYLAWS OF THE CHRISTIAN COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE

As amended August 10, 2020

ARTICLE I NAME

Section 1:

The name of this organization is the Christian County Democratic Central Committee, herein after referred to as the Committee.

Section 2:

Any office or headquarters of this organization will be in Christian County, Missouri.

ARTICLE II PURPOSE

  1. To promote the welfare of the Democratic Party in Christian County

  2. To elect members of the Party to office in Christian County

  3. To support the election of Democratic state and national nominees

  4. To participate in Missouri and national Democratic Party decision making

ARTICLE III AFFILIATION

The Committee is hereby and shall continue to be affiliated with the Missouri State Democratic Committee and the Democratic National Committee, and is subject to the Constitutions of those organizations, which shall supersede these Bylaws when a conflict is determined to exist.

ARTICLE IV MEMBERSHIP

Section 1:

The membership of the Committee will consist of one committeeman and one committeewoman from each precinct, township, or ward within Christian County, in accordance with the Revised Statutes of Missouri (RSMO).

Section 2:

No person should be elected or should serve as a member who is not (for one year before the person’s election) both a registered voter and a resident of Christian County. (Chapter 115.607 RSMO).

Section 3:

Each committeeman and committeewoman will be elected by the registered voters of the precinct, township, or ward in which he or she resides. The members of the Committee will meet in the county seat no earlier than two weeks after each primary election, but no later than the third Saturday after each primary election (at the discretion of the Chair of the Committee) to organize and elect officers.

Section 4:

If any of the following events occurs to any county committee member, a committee vacancy will exist:

A. Death

B. Resignation

C. Ceases to be a registered voter of the precinct, township, or ward which he or she represents

D. Convicted of a criminal offense other than a misdemeanor after his or her rights to appeal are exhausted

E. The State Committee after finding by the Appeals Committee that a member has used the party name or resources in an unauthorized manner, votes to remove such a member

F. No qualified candidate files for committeeman or committeewoman in a precinct, township, or ward.

The Chair will call a meeting of the Committee, notice given not less than thirty (30) days after such vacancy occurs and in such manner as specified herein. In the case of the absence of the chair, or in the event of a vacancy for any reason in that office, the duties of the county chair will devolve upon the vice-chair. (Chapter 115.621.1 RSMO) A majority of the committee will elect another person to fill the vacancy who, for one year next before his/her election, will have been both a registered voter of and a resident of the county and the precinct, township, or ward. The person selected to fill the vacancy will serve the remainder of the vacated term. (Chapter 115.615 RSMO)

Section 5: Duties of Members

A. As a Committee

  1. To act as the governing body of the Democratic Party of Christian County, Missouri

  2. To assist Democratic candidates in the general election

  3. To raise funds for the Christian County Democratic Party

  4. To nominate candidates for special elections to fill vacancies, as provided by Missouri law

  5. To recommend candidates for state and local appointive positions not covered by civil service or merit systems

  6. To fill vacancies on the Committee in accordance with Section 4 of this article

  7. To provide assistance sought by Democratic officeholders, clubs, and voters in Christian County, Missouri

  8. They will have the power to fill vacancies in the Party ticket for county-wide offices pursuant to statutory provisions

B. As individual Committee members

  1. To jointly select persons as poll watchers (election boards) for nomination to the County Clerk. In the event no persons so nominated can serve, the Committee member(s) will do so if at all possible

  2. To supervise the general election campaign within each precinct, township, or ward

  3. To attend regular scheduled meetings of the Committee

  4. If appointed, to serve on any of the committees of the Committee

  5. To represent members of the Democratic Party residing within his or her precinct, township, or ward

  6. To make an effort to build a strong party organization within their area of the county. When feasible, to organize precinct, township, or ward clubs and to keep members of such a club informed about activities of the Party

  7. To represent views of party members in the precinct, township, or ward precinct to the Committee

  8. To greet newcomers to the precinct, township, ward, or county, and offer any assistance to the newcomer for their participation in the voting process in Christian County

ARTICLE V OFFICERS AND DUTIES

Section 1:

The officers of the Committee will be elected in compliance with the Revised Statutes of Missouri. A majority of the Committee members will elect the officers. If there are two or more persons nominated to fill a vacancy, a secret ballot shall be used to elect the person to fill the vacancy.

Section 2:

The officers of the Committee will consist of a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson, who will be duly elected members of the Committee, one of whom will be a woman and one a man; and a Secretary and a Treasurer, one of whom will be a woman and one a man, but who need not be members of the Committee. If the Secretary or Treasurer is not a member of the Committee, then he or she will have non-voting ex-officio status on the Committee.

Section 3: Duties of the Officers

A.  Chairperson - The Chair of the Committee will preside at all meetings of the Committee and (within such limitations as may be prescribed) act for the Committee when it is not in session. The Chair will be responsible for the general direction and coordination of the campaigns and affairs of the Party in Christian County, subject to direction of the Committee.

B.  Vice-Chairperson - The Vice-Chair will preside over meetings of the Committee in the absence of the Chair, and act as Chair in the absence of the Chair in other duties and responsibilities of the Chair.

C.  Secretary - The Secretary will maintain a record of the meetings of the Committee, send notices of all meetings of the Committee to area public media, and/or personal notices of all meetings (if so directed by the Chair or Committee). The Secretary will also care for, make available for appropriate use by the Committee, and promptly turn over to any successor Secretary all votes files prepared by the Committee. The Secretary will attest to the signature of the Chair for any official documents found necessary by the Committee.

D.  Treasurer - The Treasurer will countersign all checks with the Chairperson. The Committee may call on the Treasurer at various times during the calendar year for the amounts of receipts, disbursements, and balance, and such other information as the Committee may want to review. The Treasurer will report the financial status of the Committee in detail at every regular scheduled Committee meeting. The Treasurer may be required by the Committee to give bond in such sums as may be required by the Committee. In addition, the Treasurer will disburse funds as budgeted or approved by the Committee.

Section 4:

The Chair may appoint a Corresponding Secretary who need not be a member of the Committee. If such a Corresponding Secretary is not a member of the Committee, he or she will have non-voting ex officio status in the Committee.

Section 5:

The Chair may appoint a Parliamentarian who need not be a member of the Committee. If the Parliamentarian is a non-member of the Committee, he or she will have non-voting ex officio status.

Section 6:

The Chair may appoint a Sergeant-at-Arms who need not be a member of the Committee. If not a member of the Committee, The Sergeant-at-Arms will have non-voting ex-officio status.

Section 7: Term of Office

The officers of the Committee will be elected every two years at the statutory meeting held not earlier than two weeks after each primary election, but no later than the third Saturday after each primary election, at the discretion of the Chair of the Committee. Officers will serve until their successors have been so chosen or they have been replaced as provided for in Article IV, Section 4. Appointive officers may be replaced at any time by the Chair.

Section 8:

The officers of the Committee should endeavor to attend all meetings. If any officer is unable to attend a meeting for any reason, they should notify the Chair or Vice Chair prior to the meeting. If any officer fails to give notice prior to his or her absence, the absence will be considered unexcused. Any officer with two or more unexcused absences within a six-month period may be deemed to have vacated his/her office

ARTICLE VI MEETINGS

Section 1:

Meetings of the Committee will be held upon call of the Chair whenever he or she thinks it to be in the interest of the party or when requested to do so in writing by fifteen (15) percent of the members of the Committee. The Chair will call at least four (4) meetings of the Committee during each year.

A.  Proxies – Any member of the Committee may give his or her signed proxy to any other member of the Christian County Committee, provided, however, that no person will be allowed to vote more than two (2) proxies and whenever the Committee acts as a nominating committee to select a candidate for county wide office, a member must be present in person to vote. Each proxy must specify the name of the person entitled to vote the proxy.

B.  Quorum - A quorum for a regularly scheduled, or a specially called Committee meeting will be one-fourth (1/4) of the Committee Members, including proxies, except for business requiring a majority vote of the Committee as provided for in Chapter 115 RSMO.

Section 2:

Committee members will be notified of such meetings by mail, telephone, or e-mail.

Section 3:

Meetings of the Committee will be open to any member of the Democratic Party as defined by the Revised Statutes of Missouri and the Constitution and Bylaws of the State Democratic Committee.

ARTICLE VII COMMITTEES

Section 1: Standing Committee: Executive Committee:

A.  The Executive committee is responsible for making time-sensitive decisions on behalf of the Committee by a majority vote.

B.  This committee will consist of the four Committee officers and three Committee members at-large. The at-large members will be nominated and elected at the next meeting of the Committee. If the Secretary or Treasurer are not members of the Committee, they will not be allowed to vote.

C.  The Executive committee shall meet as needed to resolve issues that must be addressed prior to the next scheduled meeting of the Committee. An Executive committee meeting can be called by the Chair of the Central Committee or any three members of the Executive committee.

D.  Any motions made shall concern monetary funds, legal contracts or covenants, or the protection of the good name of the Committee. Any action by the Executive committee may be overruled by the Committee at the next scheduled meeting.

E.  The minutes of the Executive committee shall be sent to all members of the Committee.

F.  A quorum of the Executive committee shall be a majority of its voting members.

Section 2: Ad Hoc Committees:

Special committees may be appointed by the Chair or elected by the Committee to carry out specific tasks and report back to the Committee. Upon completion of its charge, any ad hoc committee will be considered discharged and cease to exist.

Article VIII Christian County Democratic Central Committee Website Posting Policy

Section 1: The following procedures apply to the Central Committee

The purpose of our website is to provide information concerning local, state, and national Democratic candidates for office, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and other issues relating to our county’s Democratic Party.

Members of the Central Committee may publish information on this website, but must follow the process below to post information or request a change to the website:

A. Website Submission Requirements:

  1. Information must be submitted to the Chair of the Central Committee for approval (the Chair may designate another member to assist in this process).

  2. All subject matter should relate to the purpose of our website and supply a source citation, if applicable.

  3. Duplication should be avoided by providing links rather than recreating data already available elsewhere.

  4. Approved submissions will be sent to a Web Administrator for posting on the site.

B. Website Change Requirements:

  1. Requested changes must be approved by the Chair of the Central Committee and submitted to a Web Administrator.

  2. Requests regarding incorrect information or broken links will be corrected as soon as possible.

  3. Requests regarding revised site navigation, or addition of web pages, etc. will be reviewed by the Website Committee, with final approval by the Chair of the Central Committee or their designated person(s).

  4. Approved changes will be sent to a Web Administrator for correction and/or changing.

Section 2: The following procedures apply to Democrat Club of Christian County

A.  Postings on the Democrat Club of Christian County page do not require the approval of the Christian County Democratic Committee Chair. The Chair will be notified by email of a new Club posting.

B.  All postings on the Democrat Club of Christian County page must be about or concerning the Club.

C.  Any posting on the Democrat Club of Christian County page that the Committee Chair finds to be unacceptable, the Club must temporarily remove. The Committee Chair must notify the Club Chair by email that the posting is unacceptable. The Chairs of the Committee and the Club will attempt to resolve the issue before the next regularly scheduled Committee meeting.

D.  If the Chairs do not reach an agreement (posting remains temporarily removed), then the issue will come before the Christian County Democratic Central Committee at their next regularly scheduled meeting. The Committee will vote (quorum of Committee members required: Bylaws-Article VI. 1. B. Quorum) to resolve the issue. The Committee decision is binding on the parties.

ARTICLE IX RULES OF ORDER

The rules contained in the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order will govern meetings of the Committee and its subcommittees in all cases where they are applicable and are not inconsistent with the Constitution of the State of Missouri or with the Bylaws of this Committee.

ARTICLE X AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of Committee Members at any regular or special meeting of the Committee, provided that written notice of the proposed amendment or amendments has been sent to members of the Committee 14 days prior to the date of such meeting.

Bylaws revised and approved at August 10, 2020 meeting.