Ward Eight Democrats, Inc.

By-Laws
[Amended September 17, 2011]
ARTICLE I: NAME Section 1: The name of the organization shall be Ward Eight Democrats, Inc. ARTICLE II: PURPOSE It shall be the purpose of the Ward Eight Democrats, Inc. to meet the following objectives: Section 1: Cooperate with the initiative programs and functions of the D.C. Democratic State Committee Section 2: Increase party membership and voting responsibility in Ward Eight. Section 3: Contribute to the growth and influence of the Democratic Party in Ward Eight. Section 4: Establish and maintain communication with all segments of Ward Eight. Section 5: Promote and maintain harmony within the Ward Eight Democratic Party.
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Section 6: Increase citizen knowledge of, and participate in the political processes of this Ward, the District of Columbia and the Nation. Section 7: Develop Party unity. Section 8: Initiate and maintain communication with Democratic political organizations in other wards of this city; and Section 9: Support Party nominees for public office. ARTICLE III: OFFICERS Section 1: The officers of this corporation shall be the President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Recording Secretary, Correspondence Secretary and Treasurer. Section 2: Each officer shall be a registered Democrat domiciled and residing in Ward Eight. Each officer shall be a Ward Eight (8) resident for one year prior to running for office. Each officer shall attend four meetings prior to running for office. Section 3: The officers of this corporation shall be elected by secret ballot, by the members at the biennial convention as provided in Article VII, Section 6 of these By-Laws. Section 4: The term of office shall be two (2) years. Section 5: Vacancies. A vacancy in any office due to death, resignation, or removal for cause, shall be filled by recommendation of the Executive Committee with the approval of the membership at the net scheduled meeting. Persons elected through this process shall complete the unexpired term being filled. Section 6: Attendance at Meeting. Officers who cannot attend regular membership meetings or executive meetings shall notify the Recording Secretary or the President at a reasonable time prior to the meetings.
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Any officer absent from two (2) consecutive regular or two (2) consecutive Executive committee meetings, without notification, shall be deemed resigned. After two (2) consecutive unexcused absences, the Correspondence Secretary shall provide the officer written notification of this section. Section 7: Removal of Officers. Any member of the Executive Committee, including elected members of the Democratic State Committee, may be removed for cause which shall be deemed detrimental to the interest and purpose of the organization, by a twothird (2/3) vote of the membership present and voting. Prior to the removal of any officer, except as stated in Article III, Section (6a), the officer shall be notified in the writing by certified mail at least two (2) weeks prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting at which charges will be brought against him/her, through formal motion and a second. Where an officer is removed who is not present during the removal process, the Correspondence Secretary shall notify the person removed, in writing within two (2) weeks of the meeting where acted upon. The letter shall state the cause of removal, the effective date and shall be forwarded to the officers last known address certified mail. ARTICLE IV: DUTIES OF OFFICERS Section 1: President. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the corporation. The President shall: preside over all meetings of the Executive Committee, and of the members; see that all orders and resolutions are carried into effect; coordinate the work of the corporation; co-sign checks; perform such duties as may be assigned to him/her by the Executive Committee, except the Nominating Committee, and shall have the general powers and duties incident to the office of the President; appoint all committee chairpersons with approval of the Executive Committee (except the Nominating Committee); and be spokesperson for the organization. Section 2: First Vice President. The First Vice President shall, in the absence of the President, generally act as the President with all the powers of and subject to the restrictions imposed upon the President;
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perform such duties assigned to him/her by the President; is one of the co-signers of checks; performs all duties of the President in cases where the Executive Committee declares that the President refuses to perform his/her duties or if the President is disabled by injury or illness, until such time as the Executive Committee finds that the disability or refusal of the President to perform his/her duties no longer exist provided, however, the actions of the Executive Committee are ratified by the membership at the next regular meeting. The First Vice President shall chair the party and precinct organization committee, which shall meet at least quarterly. Section 3: Second Vice President. The Second Vice President shall, in the absence of the President and First Vice President, perform duties as defined under Article IV, Section 2, except co-signing of checks. The Second Vice President shall hold quarterly meetings with all the committee chairpersons. Section 4: Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary shall attend all regular, special and Executive Committee meetings. The Recording Secretary shall keep a record of all: meeting attendees (sign-in sheet), committee reports; shall maintain one book in which the By-Laws and rules of said book, and shall keep a record of all money received and disbursed by the organization; shall perform such other duties as may, from time-to-time, be assigned to him/her by the President. Finance reports from all activities of the organization shall be given to the Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary shall serve as a member of the Finance Committee. Section 5: Correspondence Secretary. Shall notify officers, committee chairpersons and delegates of their election, will furnish committee chairpersons with proper credentials; shall notify members of the Ward Eight Democrats meetings, assist the President in receiving and responding to correspondence, press releases or any printed materials, upon the direction of the President. Section 6: Treasurer. Shall have the responsibility for all funds of the corporation and shall deposit all monies of the corporation in a banking branch located in Ward 8 and/or east of the Anacostia River. The Treasurer shall keep full and accurate accounts of all receipts and
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disbursements, shall issue receipts for monies received and checks for expenses; shall co-sign all checks and vouchers of the organization as may be ordered by the Executive Committee, or majority of members; shall present a report of all financial transactions at regular and Executive Committee meetings. The Treasurer shall perform general accounting procedures relative to the Office of the Treasurer and such other duties as may, from time-to-time, be assigned, by the President. The Treasurer shall serve as a member of the Finance Committee. ARTICLE V: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Section 1: The Executive Committee shall be comprised of elected officers and chairpersons of all standing committees of the Ward Eight Democrats; public elected officials, (except Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners) any member of the D.C. Democratic State Committee; the top male and female officers of the Ward Eight Young Democrats, any chair of a local Democratic Party organization and the immediate past President of the Ward Eight Democrats, Inc. All members must reside in Ward Eight. Section 2: The Executive Committee shall have the powers to conduct the affairs of the corporation as may be required in the interest of the corporation and in the furtherance of its purpose, between regular meetings. The Executive Committee shall have such other specific authority as otherwise provided in these By-laws and may, from timeto-time be designated by the members without prejudice to the general grant of power. Section 3: The Executive Committee shall meet prior to each general membership meeting, as well as special meetings. One-quarter (1/4) of the members shall constitute a quorum. Special meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called at any time by the President, or at least one-quarter (1/4) of the voting members of the Committee, provided a written petition is submitted to the President stating the purpose of the meeting. Each member of the Committee shall be given a twenty-four (24) hour notice in advance of a special meeting. ARTICLE VI: PARLIAMENTARIAN
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Section 1: The Parliamentarian shall be appointed by the President Section 2: The Parliamentarian shall advise the presiding officer on questions of Parliamentary law and matters of procedures. ARTICLE VII: MEETINGS Section 1: Regular Meetings of the corporation shall be proposed by the Executive Committee and approved by the general membership at the general meeting following the convention to establish date, time and place of regular meetings. Section 2: Special Meetings of the corporation may be called by the President, a majority of the Executive Committee or fifteen (15) members of the corporation, provided a five (5) day written public notice stating the purpose of the meeting is sent out. Section 3: Meeting Site for all regular and special meetings shall be held in a facility accessible to all of the public. Section 4: A Quorum for a meeting shall be fifteen members inclusive of the presiding officer. Once a quorum has been announced, the meeting shall continue until it is adjourned. Section 5: An Agenda for each meeting shall be prepared by the Recording Secretary, consisting of all items of business as directed by the President or the Executive Committee. Any member may request of the President at the beginning of the meeting, that an item be placed on the agenda. Any item not printed on the agenda shall be considered with consent of the majority of members present and voting. Section 6: Biennial Convention. In September of every odd-numbered year a convention will be held for the purpose of electing officers, adopting a platform and amending the By-Laws. Voting on all ballots taken at the convention shall be predicted on the one person / one vote rule and done by secret ballot. Voting by proxy or in absentia is prohibited.

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An orientation for newly elected officers will convene at the first Executive Committee meeting after convention. Section 7: Notification. Every effort shall be made to contact Ward Eight Democrats by phone, fax, flyers, e-mail, and the media. Monthly mailings shall be made to all Ward Eight attendees of the convention, general and special meetings and special organizational events. ARTICLE VIII: MEMBERSHIP Section 1: Members of the organization shall be registered Democrats who reside in Ward Eight and subscribe to the purpose of the corporation. Whenever a member ceases to reside in Ward Eight, he/she is no longer entitled to membership of this organization. Section 2: A member may be identified by his/her voter registration card or name appearing on the D.C. Voter Registration roles. Section 3: The Ward Eight Democrats, Inc. shall actively recruit and seek to maintain members from all precincts of the Ward. Section 4: Any member may challenge the membership of another member provided that the member challenged can prove he resides in Ward Eight and is a registered Democrat. ARTICLE IX: TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP Section 1: A membership may be terminated by a change of party affiliation or a change of residency outside the boundaries of Ward Eight. ARTICLE X: VOTING PRIVILEGES Section 1: Each member shall be entitled to one vote, which must be cast in person and not be proxy. Section 2: In order to vote at any meeting, an individual must be registered as a Democrat in Ward Eight and a resident of Ward Eight. ARTICLE XI: COMMITTEES
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Section 1: Standing Committees. There shall be the following standing committees of the organization: A. Public Relations B. Finance and Fundraising C. Membership/Voter Registration D. Issues/Legislative Affairs E. Program Development F. Youth Outreach G. Senior Citizens Section 2: The President shall make the appointments of the chairs of the Standing Committees, which must be confirmed by the Executive Committee and ratified by the membership at a general meeting. These votes shall require a simple majority. Section 3: Ad-Hoc Committees. The President, the Executive Committee or the regular membership may create additional committees as may be deemed necessary. ARTICLE XII: USE OF ORGANIZATION NAME No personal shall use the name of this organization in any way which may indicate official sanction by this organization of any candidate, without prior authorization by the regular membership of this corporation. ARTICLE XIII: NOMINATION OF OFFICERS A five member nominating committee will be appointed at the May general meeting in the year of the biennial convention for the purpose of nominating candidates for the September convention. Nominations may be made from the floor of the day of the convention. ARTICLE XIV: NOTICES The Affirmative Action guidelines of the District of Columbia Democratic State Committee will be followed in notices for the annual meetings.
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ARTICLE XV: BOOKS AND RECORDS The Recording Secretary shall keep complete books of accounts and shall keep minutes of the proceedings of its membership, Executive Committee and committees. All books and records may be inspected by any member of its corporation for any purpose at a mutually agreed upon time. The requesting party shall give the Recording Secretary a fifteen (15) day notice. ARTICLE XVI: PROCEDURES WHERE BY-LAWS ARE SILENT Roberts Rules of Order, newly revised, shall govern the conduct of meetings, parliamentary procedure and duties of officers and other aspects of this organization in the absence of specific provision in these By-Laws. ARTICLE XVII: ENDORSEMENT OF CANDIDATES Section 1: Prior to the election conducted by the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics the Ward Eight Democrats shall hold a meeting for public endorsement. This meeting must take place at least 30 days before the election. The organization must also conduct a forum prior to any meeting where endorsement will be considered. Section 2: Endorsement in Primary Elections. Endorsement for Democratic Party office or for nomination as the Democratic candidate for office shall require sixty (60%) of those present and voting. A candidate for any particular office who obtains sixty (60%) or more of the votes cast for that office shall receive the endorsement of the organization. There shall be only one ballot for endorsement, which will be done by secret ballot. A vote for no endorsement shall always count equally with a vote for a candidate. Section 3: Endorsement in non-partisan general elections. The procedure in Article XVII, Section 2 shall apply. Section 4: Endorsement of initiatives, referendum and recall. The procedure in Article XVII, Section 2 shall apply.
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Section 5: The organization shall make financial and in-kind contributions to its endorsed candidates and positions, as well as distribute sample ballots with the officially endorsed slate. ARTICLE XVII: PRECINCT ORGANIZATION/REPRESENTATION Section 1: The President with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee shall appoint two precinct captains (a man and a woman) per precinct at the November meeting following the biennial convention. The presidents appointees must be ratified by the general membership at this meeting. Section 2: The duties of the precinct captains will be determined by the Executive Committee ARTICLE XIX: AMENDMENTS These By-Laws may be amended by a two-third (2/3) vote of the regular membership present and voting at the biennial convention, provided that such amendment has been presented to the By-Laws Committee for research and recommendation to the convention. A third (30) day notification of such recommended change shall be given to the membership by the By-Laws Committee. By-laws may also be changed at anytime provided that such an amendment has been presented and read at a regular scheduled monthly meeting. The membership shall have 30 days to consider the amendment and a vote shall take place at the next regular scheduled monthly meeting and will require a 60% vote for approval.

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