Bylaws for the Democratic Club of Coarsegold (DCOC)
I. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Democratic Club of Coarsegold.
II. Purpose
To promote Democratic principles by providing information on issues, advocating fair and responsible representatives whose voting record is consistent with the values of their constituency.
III. Affiliation
A. The Club is affiliated with the Madera County Democratic Central Committee (hereinafter called the Central Committee).
B. As a chartered and affiliated club of the Central Committee, the Club shall comply with bylaws of the Central Committee and the California Democratic Party, as they apply to fully chartered local Affiliates.
Membership Requirements
A. Qualifications: Any individual qualifies for Club membership if:
- The individual is a registered Democrat; or
- The individual is ineligible to vote (due to status as a minor, non-residency, or other legal impediments), but pledges to register as a Democrat when eligibility is attained; or
- The individual wishes to remain in the party of his or her choice, or is registered as decline to state” but wants to join as an nonvoting Affiliate Member, and
- Supports the purpose of the Club s stated in Article II, above.
B. Active Membership: A qualified individual shall be considered an active member only if:
- The member has attended at least one meeting prior to being eligible to vote and
- The member has paid all Club dues.
- A member shall be considered in good standing if their dues are current or they have asked for and received a waiver.
V. Dues
A. Each member shall pay dues on an annual basis as follows:
Individual $10.00
Household $15.00
Senior (over age 60) $ 8.00
Student (full time) $8.00
Affiliate $5.00
B. Dues are due upon joining, and thereafter no later than June 1, and payable by June 30 of each calendar year.
VI. Meetings
A. Regular meetings
- The Club shall hold regular monthly meetings on such day as the membership may determine from time to time.
- Regular meetings shall not be canceled more than 3 times within any calendar year and in no event shall more than 2 regular meetings be canceled in succession.
B. Special meetings
- Special meetings may be called by the chair at any time, on notice as specified below.
- In the absence of the chair, any two members of the steering committee may call a special meeting, on notice as specified below.
C. Notice of Meeting
- Notice of regular or special meetings shall be given at least 48 hours in advance to all active members, in any manner as follows:
Notice in writing by US mail
Notice in writing by e-mail
Telephone message
Social Media/Facebook
2. Notice of the meeting shall be deemed sufficient by any manner specified above if such notice includes the date, time and place of the meeting and is calculated to be received at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
VII. Rules for Meetings
A. The Club shall use the newly revised Roberts Rules of Order to govern parliamentary procedure at all official meetings of the organization, except as specifically noted in these bylaws.
B. A quorum for any official meeting of the club shall be 15 percent of the total organizational membership or ten members, whichever is smaller, as reported by the secretary.
C. Unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws, the Club may adopt events and conduct regular business with a vote of 90 percent of the voting members present at any meeting and approval of all members of the steering committee whether present at the meeting or not.
D. The Club may pass resolutions not related to endorsements with a vote of 2/3 of those present and voting at any meeting.
E. A process to consider the endorsement of candidates must be approved prior to any suggestion of endorsements. If the discussion of an endorsement process is noticed in the meeting agenda, such process must be approved by at least 2/3 of those present and voting at any meeting. If the discussion of an endorsement process is brought up from the floor as New Business, such process must be approved by at least ¾ of those present and voting at any meeting. Under no circumstances may the Club consider the endorsement of a candidate for public office who is not registered with the Democratic Party. The minimum threshold for endorsement in a race with multiple Democratic candidates is 2/3 of the members present and voting.
F. The Club may suspend specific portions of these bylaws and/or Roberts Rules of Order for purpose of emergency business by a vote of 2/3 of the membership present at a meeting, unless the item to be suspended calls for a higher qualification. In such case, the percent specified in that portion of the bylaws shall be required to suspend that text. The motion to suspend shall call out the particular section of the bylaws proposed to be suspended.
G. Changes to the constitution and bylaws not specifically referenced elsewhere must be noticed to the membership at least 72 hours before the vote in question and must be approved by a majority vote of the Club, or 2/3 of the members of the steering committee.
VII. Officers
A. Club officers shall consist of a steering committee of not less than 3 or more than 5 members elected from the membership. They shall be selected to serve one-year terms of office. The scope of this Committee will be to cooperatively direct the Club in a manner to best benefit the Purpose of the Club.
B. Steering Committee members shall rotate in the chairmanship role of the Club meetings.
C. The members of the Steering Committee shall be responsible for the functions of Secretary, Treasurer and the respective reports to the general meetings.
D. At least one member of the Steering Committee must relinquish their seat annually to a new Steering Committee member.
E. The Club shall be represented at meetings of the Central Committee and any California Democratic Party Regional meetings at which it may be entitled to membership. A person may serve as a representative to more than one outside body if the club membership approves and will report to the club membership at a regular meeting, event of such meetings.
F. The Club is encouraged to appoint a publicity officer, who shall have the responsibility to develop and implement a plan to increase the visibility of the Club among Democrats within the Coarsegold area.
G. The Steering Committee may appoint Club members to serve in other capacities as needed.
H. The Club may elect such other officers as may be deemed necessary from time to time to conduct Club business.
I. Prior to the California Democratic Party deadline, the steering committee, Chair or Treasurer will select the club representative(s) to vote at the Regional Pre-endorsement Conference(s) from the roster of current members, in good standing, equally apportioned between men and women, to the extent possible.
ADOPTED THE 10th DAY OF AUGUST, 2003.
Adopted and Revised the 12th day of September, 2003.
Adopted and Revised the 11th day of January, 2004.
Adopted and Revised the 11th day of January, 2005.
Adopted and Revised the 12th day of February, 2006.
Revised this 11th day of November, 2006.
Revised this 12th day of December, 2006.
Approved as amended this 13th day of January, 2007.
Approved as amended this 28th day of June, 2017.