Mission Statement

Our purpose will be to pursue the ideas of liberty, justice, and freedom for all regardless of race, color, sex, religion, age, handicap, national origin, or sexual orientation. We shall pursue these ideas through support of the Democratic Party, its ideals, and candidates. It is with these principles in mind that we establish this constitution.

Article I: Name

The name of this organization, or club, will be the Cabell County Young Democrats. (CCYD) CCYD will be charted with and affiliated with the West Virginia Young Democrats (WVYD). Through the WVYD it will be affiliated with the Young Democrats of America (YDA).

Article II: Membership

A. Membership requirements for the CCYD will be the same as those of the YDA:  must be under 36 years of age and must pay a nominal $5 per year for dues and members must be a resident or attend a high school or college in the county. If these requirements are met then a person will be put on the club roster by the Secretary.

 

B. In order to acquire voting rights, persons must fulfill the following requirements:

1. Must be a member of CCYD under the guidelines of Article II, Section A.

2. Must have paid dues by the adjournment of the final meeting of the prior semester.

3. Must have attended no less than four meetings during the prior semester.

C. At the final meeting of the prior semester, the Rules Committee shall meet to determine which members of CCYD have voting rights. Upon adjournment of the last meeting of the prior semester, a list of members with voting rights shall be published and this list shall be FINAL.

Article III: Officers

CCYD will have the following officers: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Public Relations Coordinator, and Webmaster. A member may only hold one office at a time.

A. President: Will be the chief officer for the organization. He/she will lead all meetings of the organization. The President shall have the following duties:

1. Preside over all club meetings and establish an agenda for them.

2. Represent the CCYD at all events relating to the club.

3. Act as a liaison for CCYD with other YD organizations. Attend WVYD Executive meetings or appoint a suitable replacement, and maintain a close contact with its members.

4. Serve as the delegation chair to the WVYD conventions.

5. Have a $50 transaction limit from the club account without prior approval from the club. The transaction must be reported as soon as possible to the club and receipts are to be given to the Treasurer. If a majority of other club members see this as an inappropriate transaction the money must be paid back in full.

6. Be an ex-officio member of all committees.

7. Establish reasonable administrative procedures not otherwise provided for by the Constitution or By-Laws.

B. Vice-President: Will assist the President and have the following duties:

1. Take the President’s place when he/she or must be absent from a meeting or other club event.

2. Fill the office of President if the office of President becomes vacant, until the next club election. An election for Vice-President will fill that position until the next regular election.

3. Fulfill any duties the President appoints the VP to do that do not directly conflict with other officers’ duties.

C. Treasurer: Will be the chief financial officer and have the following duties:

1. Maintain accurate financial records for the club, and report on them at each meeting.

2. Shall, along with the President, have access to the account, ATM card(s), bank statements, etc.

3. Shall be responsible for all financial duties, including taxes, bills, deposits, dues, etc.

D. Secretary: Will be the chief recording officer and have the following duties:

1. Keep accurate minutes and attendance records of club meetings. These records should be available to all club members.

2. Keep an accurate roster of the club that includes name, address, Social Security number, email, and phone of each member.

E. Public Relations Coordinator: Shall be the chief media officer and have the following duties:

1. Be responsible for all press releases and the club’s newsletter if it is deemed necessary.

2. Make contact with all media outlets that can be useful for the club.

3. Be responsible for ‘marketing’ of the club in the form of business cards, letterhead, web pages, flyers, etc.

F. Webmaster: Shall be the chief website manager and have the following duties:

1. Be responsible for designing and updating the website.

Article IV: Elections

The club shall have regular elections for all offices at the second meeting each spring semester. Nominations will be opened the meeting prior to the elections and reopened at the election meeting. A “second” is not needed for nomination.

The order of elections shall be as follows: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Public Relations Coordinator, and Webmaster. Each candidate will speak on his or her behalf and answer questions from the rest of the club. A candidate must be a member of the club in the semester in which the election is taking place and the semester prior to it. A member may only run for one office per election.

Voting rights shall consist of attendance at four meetings prior to the elections and being a full member of the club. Voting will be conducted by secret ballots and counted with all members present.

In the event of any office vacancies throughout the year, a temporary election will be held to fill that vacancy until the next regular election.

Article V: Committees

There will be four standing committees: Finance, Membership, Rules, and Communications. Ad-hoc committees may be created when necessary as long as their function does not directly conflict with another committee. Each committee will have a chair and the remaining members of the club will belong to two standing committees and any ad-hoc committee they wish. All of the committees shall have an equal number of members. All committees only have the power to make recommendations to the entire club or to work on certain projects deemed necessary the club.

1. Finance: Chair – Treasurer: The Finance committee is responsible for planning and implementing fundraising projects, and dues collection.

2. Membership: Chair - Secretary: This committee is responsible for recruiting and retaining members and planning activities that will achieve those goals.

3. Rules: Chair – Vice-President: This committee is responsible for making sure that the club and individual members abide by this Constitution or any By-Laws approved by the club, paying special attention to upholding the election rules. The Rules committee is also responsible for reviewing any amendments to this Constitution or By-Laws.

4. Communications: Chair – PR Coordinator: This committee is responsible for assisting the PR Coordinator with PR projects.

Article VI: Meetings

The club shall meet no less than twice a month during the fall and spring semesters and any other time deemed necessary. The President will call meetings when necessary, but must give the rest of the club adequate prior notice. The President will set the agenda for the club, but any member may discuss any issue before the club. All major club decisions will be put before a vote if there is any opposition.

Article VII: Amendments

Amendments to this Constitution must be submitted, in writing, to the President, Secretary, and Rules committee one week prior to the meeting at which the amendment will be considered. The Rules committee is obligated to make a recommendation and submit it and the amendment before the club for a vote. If 2/3 of the membership supports the amendment then it will be incorporated into the Constitution.

Article VIII: Endorsements

The CCYD shall not endorse any candidate running in a primary race. Members and officers are encouraged to work independently on Democratic primary campaigns, but CCYD as an organization shall not support one Democrat over another. Also CCYD shall not support candidates running as independents or in any other party, other than the Democratic Party, even if a certain candidate is unopposed by a Democratic challenger.

Article IX: Impeachment of Officers

Only CCYD officers may be impeached. Officers may be impeached if they are found guilty of violating this Constitution or any By-Laws established, failing to adequately perform their duties, or purposely doing harm to the organization. Impeachment procedures are as follows:

1. Charges are filed against the officer(s) by any member. Filing consists of announcing the written charges at a regular meeting of the club.

2. Those charged shall be notified within 24 hours of filing.

3. An impeachment hearing shall take place at the next regular meeting of CCYD that shall take place no sooner than one week after the filing of the charges and no later than two weeks. Two thirds of the membership must be present at the hearing.

4. At the hearing the accused shall have the opportunity to provide a defense. After that defense, or if no defense is presented, CCYD members shall discuss the charges and decide guilt or innocence based on a 2/3 vote done by secret ballot in the absence of the accused. The counting of votes and their tabulation shall be done in the presence of all members.

5. If impeached, the officer will be removed from office.

Article X: Absences

Elected officials to the CCYD shall have no more than three unexcused absences. An excused absence is qualified by telling another officer, preferably the president, that he/she will be unable to attend with just cause. Continuous lack of attendance may result in impeachment and removal of said elected official.