Table of Contents
Preamble
Article I: Name, Affiliation, Purpose
Article II: Memberships and Clubs
Article III: Officers
Article IV: Duties of Officers
Article V: Executive Committee
Article VI: Standing Committees
Article VII: Impeachment and Removal from Office
Article VIII: Parliamentary Authority
Article IX: Amendments
Article X: Ratification
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Preamble
We, the Waukesha West Young Democrats, in order to further the ideals and principles of the Democratic Party, do hereby establish this Constitution of the Waukesha West Young Democrats.
Article I
Name, Affiliation, Purpose
Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the Waukesha West Young Democrats.
Section 2: The Waukesha West Young Democrats shall affiliate with the Young Democrats of America and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
Section 3: The purpose of the Waukesha West Young Democrats shall be to support and elect candidates of the Democratic Party, to encourage a more pluralistic participation in the Democratic Party, and to increase the role for under-represented people in our government, society, and Party.
Article II
Memberships and Clubs
Section 1: Membership in the Waukesha West Young Democrats is open to those between the ages of thirteen and thirty-five, inclusive, that consider themselves Democrats.Membership shall be open to all persons without regard to race, sex, religion, economic status, disability, national origin, or sexual orientation.
Section 2: The basic organizational unit shall be the chartered club. Chartered clubs are autonomous and may operate in any manner not inconsistent with the Constitution of the Waukesha West Young Democrats.
Article III
Officers
Section 1: The elected officers of this organization shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 2: The Waukesha West Young Democrat offices of President, Vice President, Secretary/Historian, and Treasurer/Public Relations shall be elected at an annual convention for a term of one year by the voting members of that convention. All appointed officers shall serve one-year terms. All candidates for the office of President must have been a member of the Executive Committee during the previous term and be subject to re-appointment after each term.
Section 3: In the event of vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President shall assume the office for the unexpired term. Vacancy in any other office shall be filled by a vote of the Executive Committee at any duly called meeting where notice of election is given.
Article IV
Duties of Officers
Section 1: The duties of the President shall be to preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee; to administer and execute all rules adopted by the Waukesha West Young Democrats; to appoint with the approval of the Executive Committee any committees as may be needed to administer the rules and regulations of the Executive Committee; to appoint, with the approval of the Executive Committee, any other such positions deemed necessary by the President or Executive Committee, with said appointees having voting privileges on the Executive Committee.
Section 2: The duties of the Vice President shall be to preside at all meetings where the President is absent; to assume office of the President in case of an unexpired term; to perform any other such duties assigned by the President or Executive Committee.
Section 3: The Secretary/Historian shall keep minutes of all meetings of the Executive Committee and mail minutes out to members; prepare and keep a record of all club rosters; be responsible for developing and tracking a historical record of all Waukesha West Young Democrats' activities; review and report to the Executive Committee all charter submissions; and to provide a calendar of events to the staff of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
Section 4: The Treasurer/Public Relations shall have charge of all state funds; shall exercise control over all expenditures and income; serve as Chair of the Budget Committee; make a year-end report on expenditures and income to the Executive Committee.
Section 5: No officer may have more than one vote on the Executive Committee.
Article V
Executive Committee
Section 1: When the Waukesha West Young Democrats are not in convention, the Executive Committee shall be the governing body of this organization. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the general direction, operation, policy, and management of the Waukesha West Young Democrats.
Section 2: The voting members of the Executive Committee shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary/Historian, Treasurer/Public Relations, and those appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee.
Section 3: The President shall serve as Chair of the Executive Committee.
Section 4: There shall be at least four Executive Committee meetings per year. Beginning with the second meeting of each year, members of the Executive Committee must submit written reports to the Secretary, which will detail all of the activities which they have undertaken on behalf of the Waukesha West Young Democrats. Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the President or any three members with one week's written notice sent to each member.
Section 5: A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be seventy-five percent.
Article VI
Standing Committees
Section 1: The standing committees of the Waukesha West Young Democrats shall be State and Legislative Affairs, Resolutions, Budget, Fundraising, Financial Review, and any other such committees as the Executive Committee deems necessary. All of these standing committees are appointed with the approval of the Executive Committee.
Section 2: The Budget Committee shall consist of at least four members and be chaired by the Treasurer. Each officer or committee chair shall submit a budget to the committee within thirty days following the beginning of the fiscal year. The Budget Committee shall submit a budget to the Executive Committee at the second meeting after the beginning of the fiscal year. The budget proposal shall include a plan of expected income and expenditures for the fiscal year. Upon approval by the Executive Committee, each officer or committee chair shall oversee expenditure of the funds allocated to their office. The Budget Committee shall meet at least four times during the year to review expenditures and to report to the Executive Committee. Alleged irregularities in expenditures shall be reported to the Budget Committee, which shall investigate said allegations and report to the Executive Committee. The Budget Committee shall assist the Treasurer in preparing a year-end fiscal report to present to the Executive Committee.
Section 3: The Fundraising Committee is charged with raising money sufficient to fund the activities of the Waukesha West Young Democrats. The President, Vice President, and Treasurer shall serve as ex officio members of this committee.
Section 4: Two months before the end of the fiscal year, the President, with approval of the Executive Committee, shall appoint three people, not including the Treasurer or members of the Budget Committee, to serve on the Finance Committee. This committee shall audit the income and expenditures of the Waukesha West Young Democrats for the past year.
Section 5: The State and Legislative Affairs Committee shall be responsible for tracking and evaluating legislation that affects this organization's members and advising the Executive Committee on what action should be taken in response. This committee shall have one chair responsible for State activities and one chair for Federal activities.
Section 6: The fiscal year of the Waukesha West Young Democrats shall begin February 28th of each year. This may be changed with a three-fourths vote of the Executive Committee
Article VII
Impeachment and Removal from Office
Section 1: The Executive Committee shall be the ruling body in investigations and enforcement of Impeachment proceedings against any officer or member of the Waukesha West Young Democrats. Decisions of the Executive Committee or the Convention will be final.
Section 2: The following shall constitute grounds for removal from office and/or revocation of membership: malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance of duties.
Section 3: The procedure for impeachment of any Executive Committee member or the revocation of membership in the Waukesha West Young Democrats is as follows: Any member of the Waukesha West Young Democrats may present a call for Impeachment or revocation of membership to the Executive Committee. The grounds for said action must be presented in writing to the Secretary and President, or the Vice-President and/or Treasurer if the Secretary or President are charged, at least 10 days before any action can be taken by the Executive Committee. In addition, the grounds presented may not be acted upon unless written notice is sent to every member of the Executive Committee at least two weeks before said meeting. The member(s) presenting the case for impeachment or revocation of membership shall be given an opportunity to address the Committee and present any evidence to support said charges. If a majority of the Executive Committee, present and voting not including the accused, decides by a unanimous vote to proceed with impeachment, the presiding officer shall appoint three members to investigate said charges and make a presentation to a special session of the Committee to be held within six weeks. If the Executive Committee declines to proceed, the matter shall be considered closed. The Secretary, or Treasurer if the Secretary is charged, shall notify the accused within five days of the date, time, and place of the impeachment proceedings. The accused shall have the opportunity to address the investigating committee if he or she so desires. At the impeachment proceedings, the report of the Investigating Committee shall be hard first, followed by the defense for the accused. The accused may present any evidence or testimony which they deem pertinent and shall have the right to be represented by counsel of their choice. After hearing the Investigating Committee's report and any defense, the Executive Committee shall by four-fifths vote of those present and voting remove from office or revoke the membership of the acused.
Section 4: In accordance with established customs of American jurisprudence, the accused shall have the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and shall not lose any of the rights or privileges as an officer or member of the Waukesha West Young Democrats. The exception to this shall be that the accused cannot vote in any proceedings affecting their status.
Section 5: All proceedings before the Executive Committee concerning removal from office or revocation of membership shall be held in open session with votes publicly taken and recorded. The only exception to this is if the accused asks for a closed hearing, which shall lead to all such proceedings being held in executive session.
Article VIII
Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in the current edition of Roberts' Rules of Order shall govern the Waukesha West Young Democrats meetings and all their committees and caucuses in all case in which they are not inconsistent with this constitution or the Democratic Party Plan of Wisconsin.
Article IX
Amendments
This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote. Amendments shall take effect immediately upon approval unless otherwise stated in this constitution.
Article X
Ratifification
This constitution can be ratified by a majority vote of the Waukesha West Young Democrats.
