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Constitution of the Anne Arundel County Young Democrats
Our purpose will be to pursue the ideas of liberty, justice, and freedom for all regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or physical handicap. We will pursue these ideas through support of the Democratic Party and its ideas, ideals, and candidates. With these thoughts we establish this constitution.
Article I - Name
The name of this organization will be the Anne Arundel County Young Democrats.
Section 1: The Anne Arundel County Young Democrats will be chartered and affiliated with the Maryland Young Democrats, by and through the Maryland Young Democrats, and will be affiliated with the Young Democrats of America.
Section 2: Anne Arundel County Young Democrats will be charted with the Anne Arundel County Democratic Central Committee and work as closely as possible with all levels of the Democratic Party.
Article II - Membership
Section 1: Membership requirements for the Anne Arundel County Young Democrats will be the same as those of the Young Democrats of America, except that members must reside in, work in or be registered to vote in Anne Arundel County.
Section 2: Membership will not be affected by race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or physical handicap.
Article III - Officers
The Anne Arundel County Young Democrats will be composed of the Anne Arundel County Young Democrats Executive Board and the remaining members. The Executive Board will consist of the officers of the Anne Arundel County Young Democrats. The organization will have six (6) officers, one of which will be non-voting.
Section 1: The five (5) voting officers will be: President, Vice-President of Internal Affairs, Vice President of External Affairs, Secretary, and Treasurer.
Section 2: The one (I) non-voting member will be the Executive Director.
ARTICLE IV - Officer Duties
Section 1: The President will be the chief executive officer for the organization. He/she will preside over all chapter meetings. The President will have all the following duties and powers.
A. Establish administrative procedures not otherwise provided for by the Constitution or By-Laws of this chapter.
B. Act for and on behalf of the county chapter when they are not in session.
C. Attend all meetings of the State Young Democrats. When the attendance of the President is not possible he/she will appoint the next available officer and give said person his/her voting proxy.
D. Establish an agenda for each meeting of the county chapter (general and executive).
E. Serve as delegation chair to the State Young Democrats state convention.
F. Have a two hundred dollar ($200) transaction limit without approval of the Executive Board.
G. Appoint chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of all committees.
H. Be an ex-officio member of all committees.
I. Appoint an Executive Director without approval of the Executive Board to assist the President in the execution of the President's duties.
J. Remove anyone from any appointed position without the approval of the Executive Board or the general body.
Section 2: Vice President of lnternal Affairs. The Vice President of lnternal Affairs will have all the following duties:
A. Act as President Pro-Tempore in the absence of the President. In a case where the President's office becomes vacant, the Vice-President will become the President automatically and will assume all powers, duties and responsibilities associated with that position. The office of the Vice President then is vacant and will be filled by an appointment by the new President, pending approval of the Executive Board and the general body.
B. In consultation with the President, the Vice President of Internal Affairs will assist the President in developing a plan for the direction of the organization.
C. Advise the President of matters of City and County politics. Prepare a brief, monthly report of the issues that would be of interest to the organization.
D. Consult with the chair of the legislative issues committee.
E. Closely assist the President in the implementation of these directives.
F. Assist the President in the implementation of the day to day activities of the organization.
Section 3: Vice President of External Affairs. The Vice President of External Affairs will have all the following duties:
A. Chair the Recruiting Committee
B. Appoint a co-chairperson of the Recruiting Committee, pending approval of the Executive Board.
Section 4: Secretary. The Secretary shall have all the following duties and powers:
A. Keep accurate minutes of all chapter meetings (general and Executive Board) and distribute to the executive board within 4 calendar days of the previous meeting. Copies to be provided to the general membership at each meeting.
B. Assure publicity for all upcoming events and meetings.
C. Keep an accurate mailing list and phone directory of all members.
D. See to all correspondence of the chapter as directed by the President.
Section 5: Treasurer. The chapter Treasurer will be the chief financial officer of the organization and shall have all the following duties:
A. Chair of the Fundraising Committee.
B. Appoint a Director of Fundraising, pending the approval of the Executive Board.
C. Be responsible for developing fundraising ideas and soliciting donations.
D. Maintain accurate financial records for the organization.
E. Coordinate all financial activities, including any tax responsibilities with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
F. Advise the Chapter President and the Executive Board of the financial condition of the chapter.
G. If deemed necessary by the Executive Board, the Treasurer will file any reports for the State Democratic Party or the State Ethics Commission in a timely manner.
H. Write checks and make deposits as directed by the Executive Board. The Treasurer will not have the right to make financial transactions without the approval of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE V - Executive Board
The Anne Arundel County Young Democrats Executive Board will be the chief policy making body for the chapter.
Section 1: The Executive Board will have all the powers necessary for the proper and legal execution of all duties of the Anne Arundel County Young Democrats. The absence of a specific power or duty is not necessarily a denial of its existence.
Section 2: The Executive Board will meet no less than twelve (12) times during the course of one (1) fiscal year.
ARTICLE VI - General Body
The Anne Arundel County Young Democrats general body will meet no less than eight (8) times during the course of one (l) year.
ARTICLE VII - Elections
Section 1: Elections of officers will be held at the first meeting in February of each year. All terms are for one year.
Section 2: The order of elections will be as follows: President, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Vice President of External Affairs, Secretary and Treasurer.
ARTICLE VIII - Standing Committees
There will be two (2) standing committees. These committees will be the Fundraising Committee and the Recruiting Committee. Each of these committees shall have five (5) or seven (7) members depending upon the preference of the committee chair.
ARTICLE IX - Forming New Committees
The President or the Executive Board can form adjunct committees at any time for any reason they deem necessary.
ARTICLE X - Supporting Candidates
The Anne Arundel County Young Democrats will never oppose a Democrat candidate for political office, either by supporting non-Democratic candidates or by no supporting all Democrat candidates in a primary, nor will the chapter support a non-Democrat candidate, even if said candidate does not have a Democrat opponent.
ARTICLE XI - Constitutional Amendments
Amendments to this constitution must be submitted in writing to the chapter President and chapter Secretary at least two weeks (14 days) prior to the meeting at which the amendment will be considered. The President is obligated to place the amendment on the agenda for that meeting. The amendment will be considered approved if two-thirds (2/3) of the Executive Board and two-thirds (2/3) of the general body (in attendance) vote in favor of the amendment.
ARTICLE XII - Number of Offices
No one person may hold more than one elected office in Anne Arundel County Young Democrats organization.
ARTICLE XIII - Impeachment
Only the elected officers may be subject to impeachment. The President reserves the right to remove anyone from an appointed position. Procedures for impeachment will be as follows:
A. Any person holding an elected office within the chapter may be impeached if found guilty of failure to adequately perform his/her duties.
B. The person shall be notified of the charges against them no less than thirty days (30) prior to the meeting in which the impeachment will be discussed.
C. Members of the Executive B08rd who are not charged with negligence of their duties shall appoint a committee and chairperson to hear the testimony of the person or persons charged. The findings of the committee shall be final.
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