This page shows the 2001 version of the by-laws, which was replaced by the current version in November, 2007. See the current version on the By-Laws page. This page is kept for archive and historical purposes only.
Purpose
This organization is dedicated to increasing participation of the
citizens of the 34th District in governmental affairs, increasing
the efficiency of government and implementing the ideals and principles
of the Democratic Party in order to provide for all the people,
the highest degree of justice, opportunity, and general welfare.
.
Article I: Policy
Section 1. In January of every odd numbered year, this organization
shall reorganize pursuant to the by- laws of the King County Democratic
Central Committee (KCDCC) and the Democratic Party of the State
of Washington.
Section 2. These by-laws are superseded by the by-laws of the entities
listed in Section 1.
Section 3. The governing principle of this organization which shall
guide our policies and actions is to promote the ideas of the Democratic
Party, especially via the election of Democratic candidates who
support those concepts, and/or the platforms of the county, state,
and national Democratic Party.
Section 4. This organization shall support nominees of our party
who qualify under the guidelines of these by-laws, and who merit
it by their records and reputations. This organization may also
endorse primary candidates.
Section 5. Proxy votes or absentee ballots are not acceptable for
conducting any business of this organization. Article II: Membership
Section 1. All 34th District precinct committee officers (PCOs)
are members of this organization.
Section 2. The election of PCOs shall be governed by the laws of
Washington State and KCDCC.
Section 3. Other residents of the 34th district are qualified to
become voting members, provided that they::
a. are a legal resident of the 34th District;
b. will publicly and truthfully declare themselves to be
Democrats; and
c. pay dues.
Section 4. Other Democrats from outside the district who pay dues
may be non-voting members.
Section 5. Dues shall be established as $15 per person. A household membership shall be available for $10 for each additional person living at the same address. The executive board shall have the authority
to establish additional levels of dues above this for the purposes
of fund raising.
Section 6. Inability to pay the full amount of dues shall not be
a bar to membership in this organization. In that instance, a qualified
member shall be credited with having paid dues if they have paid
any amount between $3.00 and $15.00.
Section 7. The membership year shall be January through December.
Section 8. PCO vacancies may be filled via a majority vote of eligible
PCOs present and voting. Twenty (20) PCOs or twenty (20) percent
of eligible PCOs, whichever is less, shall constitute a quorum sufficient
to approve new PCOs.
Article III: Meetings
Section 1. Membership meetings shall be held each month on a set
day established by the Executive Board.
Section 2. A meeting shall be duly authorized when written notice
has been mailed to the members of the date, time, location, and
purpose of the meeting, at least ten days in advance.
Section 3. A quorum shall consist of 20 voting members, or 20 percent
of the voting membership, whichever is less.
Section 4. Executive board meetings shall be held each month, and
the membership shall be notified of the date, time, and location. a. A quorum shall consist of five board members. b. A special executive board meeting may be called by a majority
of executive board members.
Section 5. A special membership meeting may be called for a specific
purpose(s) by written request of 25 voting members, or two-thirds
of the executive board. Special meetings are subject to these by-laws.
Section 6. All meetings of this organization shall be open to the
membership.
Article IV: Executive Board
Section 1. The executive board shall consist of the elected officers,
the elected state and county delegates, the elected county alternate
delegates, the appointed parliamentarian, and the appointed standing
committee chairs.
Section 2. The elected officers shall be elected at the biennial
reorganization meeting in January by a majority of the eligible
voters present and voting. a. Only PCOs are eligible to vote for chair, vice chairs,
delegates, and alternates. b. All voting members may cast votes for treasurer and secretary.
c. All elections shall be conducted for one office at a time.
Section 3. All board members shall be voting members of this organization.
(changed October 13, 2004)
Section 4. Delegates and alternates shall be elected in accordance
with the state and county by-laws, including the designated divisions
by gender. The position title is committeeman or committeewoman.
Section 5. The parliamentarian shall be appointed by, and serve
at the pleasure of, the chair.
Section 6. The standing committee chairs shall be appointed by
the chair of the organization.
Section 7. Members of the executive board shall serve beginning
with their election or appointment, and until the biennial reorganization
meeting, resignation, or removal from office.
Section 8. An executive board member may be removed from office
for just cause, provided that:
a. the chair receives and validates a written petition signed by
20 PCOs that lists specific charges and calls for a vote of no confidence;
b. the person so charged is notified in writing and given a complete
bill of particulars;
c. the membership is given 30 days notice in writing of the pending
vote; and
d a no confidence vote of two-thirds of the PCOs present and voting
by signed ballot succeeds. The person so removed shall be notified
by mail of this action if s/he is not present for the vote results.
Section 9. The board shall submit a budget to the membership for
adoption and set the proposed agenda for meetings. The board may
propose and/or recommend policies, resolutions, and endorsements
to the membership.
Article V: Officers
Section 1. The chair: a. leads the executive board, presides over all meetings,
is the chief executive officer of the organization, is the spokesperson
for the organization, is an ex-officio member of all committees,
may appoint ad hoc committees and their chairs, delegates to other
organizations deemed appropriate, and any other duties as implied
by the title; b. represents the district as a member of the KCDCC executive
board; c. is authorized to declare vacant an office where the holder
has failed to attend three consecutive membership and/or executive
board meetings, provided that said board member has been notified
in writing of his/her removal; and may accept a board member's resignation.
Section 2. The first vice chair: a. succeeds the chair in the event that s/he resigns or is
removed from office until a special election is held. The vacant
office shall be filled as set forth herein at the next regular meeting
following written notice to the membership. The acting chair is
eligible to be elected chair at that time; b. presides over all meetings at the direction of, or absence
by, the chair; acts as a spokesperson for the organization at the
direction of the chair; provides any administrative duties as deemed
appropriate by the chair; serves as an alternate delegate for the
chair on the KCDCC executive board; and any other duties as implied
by this title.
Section 3. The second vice chair succeeds the first vice chair
in the event that s/he becomes the chair; performs any administrative
duties deemed appropriate by the chair, and any other duties as
implied by this title.
Section 4. The secretary is responsible for the minutes, any administrative
duty deemed appropriate by the chair, and any other duties implied
by this title.
Section 5. The treasurer is the chief financial officer of the
organization and shall receive and disburse all funds of the organization,
shall maintain proper financial records, including filing of PDC
reports, submitting a financial report each month for distribution
to the membership, and submitting an annual financial report in
a timely fashion, for distribution to the membership.
Article VI: Committees
Section 1. There shall be six standing committees: Outreach, Finance,
Legislative Action, Newsletter, By-Laws, and Membership. a. The Outreach Committee is responsible for recruiting,
educating, and training PCOs and other members of this organization.
Its Hospitality Subcommittee is responsible for providing food and
beverages (as they deem appropriate) for Organization meetings.
They will be reimbursed for these purchases by the Treasurer. b. The Finance Committee is responsible for creating and
overseeing an annual budget and for creating and executing a fund
raising plan which will meet the budgetary needs of the organization
on an annual basis. c. The Legislative Action Committee is responsible for consulting
and working with elected officials and KCDCC and State Democratic
Party Legislative Action committees to review, track and propose
legislation of interest. The Legislative Action Committee is responsible
for proposing resolutions, reviewing the resolutions proposed by
members, and educating the membership about issues that affect our
Organization. d. The Newsletter Committee is responsible for producing
and mailing the organization's monthly publication in a timely fashion.
It should include a meeting notice, an agenda, the previous month's
minutes, the treasurer's report, the chair's report, a calendar
of events, and any other information that may be of interest to
our members. A newsletter assembly subcommittee will be responsible
for assembly and mailing of the newsletter. e. The Membership Committee is responsible for keeping and
maintaining an accurate membership list and database, attendance
records, and determining members' voting eligibility. f. The By-Laws Committee is responsible for keeping the members
informed of the by-laws, for managing the amendment process, and
for assuring that the by-laws are consistent with the by-laws of
the King County Democratic Central Committee and the Democratic
Party of the State of Washington which supersede them.
Article VII: Endorsements
Section 1. This organization may choose to endorse a Democratic
candidate or ballot measure, provided that this action complies
with all of these by-laws.
Section 2. More than one candidate for the same office may be endorsed.
Section 3. The executive board shall propose rules and procedures
governing the endorsement time line and process and shall send written
notice of the rules to the members (newsletter is considered written
notice for this purpose) ten days prior to the meeting at which
the members vote on the rules. The membership shall adopt such rules
and procedures at least 30 days prior to the start of the endorsement
meeting. Adoption shall be by majority vote. If this organization
fails to adopt special rules governing endorsement(s) for a given
election, these by-laws will be the sole authority.
Section 4. The executive board may recommend endorsements to the
membership. In the absence of special rules, the membership may
accept the board's recommendation by a majority vote. If the board
declines to make a recommendation, or the membership chooses another
course, the membership may endorse, provided two-thirds of the eligible
members present and voting concur.
Section 5. Unless otherwise provided by the rules, voting shall
be by a hand count or a signed ballot if requested by a voting member,
with two tellers appointed by the chair who are acceptable to the
concerned parties, and where applicable, observers from each campaign
directly involved may monitor the count.
a. [Section Amended in June 2007 to read:] Only members in good standing by the end of the prior month’s meeting may vote, except that any member who had paid dues in the previous calendar year may vote if the membership is renewed at or before the meeting where the endorsement takes place.
b. Candidates may select two people, one of which may be the candidate,
to speak on their behalf. Each speaker will have two minutes.
c. Candidates who ask to be endorsed must complete and return any
questionnaire presented by this organization. Judicial candidates
need not answer any questions that would breach the Canons of Judicial
Conduct.
Section 6. The endorsement of ballot issues shall follow this same
procedure. Section 7. This organization shall support and publicize
its endorsements in such ways it deems appropriate and necessary.
Article VIII: Resolutions
Section 1. Resolutions for consideration by the 34th District shall
be submitted in writing, signed by the proposer, to the Secretary
prior to or at the Executive Board meeting at which they will be
considered. The Executive Board shall schedule the resolution for
consideration at a subsequent meeting of the 34th District and may
research and recommend action on the resolution.
Section 2. If a resolution involves an issue or activity of a Standing
Committee, the Executive Board may forward the resolution to the
Committee for comment and/or clarification prior to the 34th District
meeting at which it will be considered.
Section 3. Resolutions shall be published or summarized in the
newsletter prior to the meeting at which they will be considered.
Section 4. The requirement for advanced written submission of a
proposed resolution to the Executive Board may be suspended by a
two-thirds vote of the membership present and voting at a duly called
regular meeting. All such resolutions must be submitted to the Secretary
in writing, signed by the proposer. Those resolutions adopted under
suspension of the rules must be published or summarized in the next
newsletter.
Section 5. Censure shall be defined to be an official public statement
by the Party disapproving the conduct of a member, Party official,
elected official, or candidate seeking Democratic endorsement. Censure
shall be by resolution and shall require a two-thirds vote of the
members present and voting. Notice requirements for a censure resolution
may not be waived. Separate written notice shall be given to any
person subject to censure at least 10 days prior to the meeting
at which the action will be considered and the person shall be given
an equal opportunity to respond in the newsletter. The Executive
Board shall be responsible for researching the facts of the case.
Section 6. The vote shall be by hand vote. The chair shall appoint
two tellers to report the tally. a. Only members in good standing by the end of the prior
month's meeting may vote. b. The chair will first recognize the maker of the resolution
for the purpose of speaking on its behalf. Speakers will alternate
con and pro thereafter. The maximum time allotted each speaker is
two minutes. The maximum number of speakers will be a total of four.
c. The Executive Board may propose special rules for consideration
of a resolution. Such rules shall be presented at the beginning
of the meeting and voted on at the time the agenda is considered.
Article IX: Accounts and Contributions
Section 1. This Organization shall maintain one non-exempt bank
account which shall comply with the PDC reporting requirements.
Section 2. All income shall be deposited into the non-exempt account.
Section 3. Expenses of the Organization a. All expenses for normal operations, party-building, get-out-the-vote
activities, and direct campaign contributions may be paid from the
non-exempt account. b. Candidate or ballot issue contributions, including the
specific dollar amount, must be approved by a majority of Organization
members. Organization endorsement of a candidate or issue shall
be a prerequisite for contributions. c. Two signatures are required on checks drawn on Organization
accounts, and these must be two of the following: the treasurer's,
the chair's or the 1st vice chair's.
Section 4. A three member committee selected at-large by the membership
shall meet annually to review the organization accounts, PDC and
FEC reports. The committee must make a written summary of their
findings which shall be available for review by the members, either
by printing it in the newsletter, if possible, or at the next meeting.
The report must be kept in the Organization files.
Article IX: Accounts and Contributions (Amended to include the
following section on October 10, 2001)
Section 5. Use of the district PCO and membership lists: The 34th
District Organization respects the privacy of its membership. There
are, however, uses of membership information that furthers the goals
of the membership and the organization. To this end, the following
policies shall guide release of membership information:
a. A PCO list, which contains information that is public record,
shall be available upon request to a District PCO without charge.
b. A PCO list, which contains information that is public record,
shall be available upon request to a candidate or issue campaign
for a nominal charge of $25.
c. A District member list, which is a list of PCOs and individuals
who have paid dues to the organization, shall be available upon
request to a District member without charge.
d. A District member list, which is a list of PCOs and individuals
who have paid dues to the organization, shall be available upon
request to a candidate or issue campaign for a nominal charge of
$35; however, it will be provided free to all District endorsed
candidates and issue campaigns and be considered an in-kind donation
with a $35 value.
The district organization has the right to refuse to give out any
list if it will be used for commercial purposes. A decision to refuse
access to a list shall be made by the chair, or. if not available,
the first vice chair, with timely review by the Executive Board,
if requested. A two-thirds majority of the Board is required to
override the decision of the chair or vice-chair.
The basic member information available on the list will be the
name, precinct represented, if a PCO, address, phone and e-mail
address, if available. Each non-PCO member shall have the option
to request that the District refrain from releasing their name and
any or all other personal information. The District membership application
shall include an option allowing the member to have the District
withhold their information for non-District use.
Article X: Amendments
These by-laws may be amended at any membership meeting by a two-thirds
majority vote, provided that written notice of the proposal is mailed
to each member as part of the meeting notice for the meeting at
which the amendment is to be considered.
Article XI: Parlimentary Authority
Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern this organization,
except where otherwise provided.
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2006 34th District Democratic Organization
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