DRAFT – As Recommended by the Steering Committee

Arlington County Democratic Committee Bylaws

(Revised January 2, 2008)

I. NAME.

The name of this Committee shall be the Arlington County Democratic Committee (hereinafter called "the County Committee").

II. PURPOSE.

The County Committee shall have those powers and duties necessary and proper to carry out the functions assigned to it by the Virginia Democratic Party Plan, to further the interests of the Democratic Party, to represent the Democratic voters of Arlington County in matters of Party and public policy, and to implement at the local level the platform and objectives of the Democratic Party.

III. MEMBERSHIP.

A. Composition of the County Committee.

1. Voting Members.

a. Precinct Representatives: Precinct representatives shall be elected in the even numbered years by Democratic voters residing in the respective precincts. Such election shall take place at a caucus called by the County Committee to be held coincident with the January regular meeting of the County Committee. Only those individuals who have filed their intention to run for precinct representative with the County Committee chair by the date prescribed in the call to such caucus and who reside in the precinct they wish to represent will be eligible for election by the caucus participants. The new precinct representatives shall assume their duties when elected and the County Committee shall reorganize, as provided in the Virginia Democratic Party Plan (hereinafter called “the State Party Plan”), at the organizational meeting. There shall be two representatives from each electoral precinct in Arlington County except that each of the fourteen (14) precincts which ranked highest in total number of votes cast for the Democratic candidate for Governor in the last preceding gubernatorial election shall have one additional representative. If the boundary of any precinct changes by law between reorganizations, any precinct representative no longer residing in that precinct may fill any vacancy on the County Committee for which he or she is eligible, or, in the event no such vacancy exists, may serve as a member at-large until the next election of precinct representatives.

b. The Officers of the County Committee;

c. Area Chairs: The Steering Committee shall divide the County into no more than thirteen (13) geographically compact areas composed of three to nine precincts. Area Chairs shall be appointed by the Arlington County Democratic Committee Chair (hereinafter the “Chair”) in consultation with the Precinct Operations Chair, subject to the approval of majority vote of the County Committee. Area Chairs shall be chosen within forty (40) days after the organizational meeting or whenever a vacancy occurs and shall serve for a term of the County Committee or until their successors are elected.

d. All members of the Democratic State Central Committee who reside in Arlington.

e. The immediate past chair of the County Committee if he or she resides in Arlington County.

f. The President (or his designee) and one representative designated by the Arlington Young Democrats, one representative designated by the Roosevelt Society, and a representative from each other Democratic organization designated pursuant to Article IX of these Bylaws as a part of the Democratic Party of Arlington;

g. Duly elected officeholders, elected to office as Democratic Party nominees or endorsees, who reside and vote in Arlington County, during their tenure as such officeholder;

2. Non-voting Members.

a. The Chair(s) and members of Joint Campaign Committees during their period of tenure;

b. Members of Standing Committees of the County Committee,

c. Precinct Leaders; and

d. Non-immediate Past Chairs of the County Committee who reside in Arlington County.

e. Members Emeriti The County Committee may, by majority vote, confer the position of Member Emeritus on any individual who has served as a voting member of the County Committee for at least ten years.

f. Duly elected officeholders, elected to office as Democratic Party nominees or endorsees, who do not reside in but represent Arlington County, during their tenure as such office holders, or a designee of such officeholder.

B. Eligibility.

1. Filing Requirements.

a. The County Committee may establish such requirements as are reasonable and not inconsistent with the State Party Plan for filing by candidates for the County Committee and shall have the right to examine the qualifications of any person who files his intention to be a candidate for election to the County Committee.

b. Any assessment of a filing fee shall be uniformly applied to all candidates for elected positions on the County Committee, regardless of the time at which their election occurs or whether the race for a seat is a contested one. No individual shall, by virtue of holding more than one position on the County Committee, be assessed more than one such filing fee.

c. Any filing fee revenues collected shall be available to defray the County Committee's costs associated with elections to the County Committee or for other purposes.

2. General Eligibility.

Any person who is a resident of Arlington County of voting age, subscribes to the principles of the Democratic Party and who files a duly executed certificate of eligibility with the Chair of the County Committee on a form which substantially complies with the requirements approved by the County Committee is eligible to become a voting member of the County Committee. If the Chair or any other member of the County Committee has reason to question the eligibility of a candidate for the County Committee, such information shall be made available to the County Committee at the earliest feasible date. The procedures to be followed in this event shall he the same as that outlined in Article III.D.1

C. Rights and Responsibilities of Members.

1. Party Responsibility. All voting members of the County Committee shall have the responsibility assigned to the County Committee by the State Party Plan for promoting the Party's interest in all general and special elections within the County. This responsibility shall include, but not be limited to, the registration of voters, perfecting the Democratic organization in the County, and performing all within their power to aid in victory at the polls in all elections of the Democratic Party's nominees, any candidate endorsed by the County Committee where there is no provision in law for making a nomination, and any independent candidate duly endorsed by a Democratic convention or caucus called in whole or in part for that purpose. The phrase “Democratic Party's nominee” shall include the Democratic Presidential Electors and/or Democratic candidates for the offices of President and Vice-President. Nothing in this Article shall be construed as requiring any member of the County Committee to support any candidate advocating discrimination on the basis of race, creed, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation or national origin. Nor shall any member of the County Committee be subject to removal from the County Committee for refusal to support a candidate advocating such discrimination.

2. Rights and Duties of Voting Members. It shall be the right of voting members to participate fully in all business of the County Committee and to speak for the Democratic voters of their respective precincts if elected pursuant to Article III.A.1.a or Article III.D.3 of these Bylaws. It shall be the duty of all voting members to abide by the Democratic Party Plan and these Bylaws, to attend meetings of the County Committee regularly, to campaign actively on behalf of all Democratic nominees and endorsees, and to fulfill such other responsibilities as the Chair shall assign. Failure to fulfill these duties may be cause for removal from the County Committee, in accordance with the procedure outlined in Article III D. I.

a. Precinct Representatives shall be responsible throughout the year for organizing the grass roots operations in their respective precincts according to these Bylaws and the guidelines established by the Chair for Precinct Operations. The primary duty of the precinct representative is to establish and maintain a precinct organization. Precinct representatives shall endeavor to recruit "precinct leaders" and sufficient numbers of additional volunteers to carry out the necessary precinct functions. The Precinct Representatives for a Precinct may forward a list of up to six persons to the Chair for Precinct Operations for consideration for presentation to the County Committee for approval as Precinct Leaders. Precinct representatives are also to coordinate the precinct leaders and additional volunteers in accomplishing the precinct function. Precinct functions may include: door-to-door and/or telephone canvassing of the registered voters in the precinct to provide information and materials about the Democratic candidates and to determine the voters preferences in the upcoming election (voter identification); providing voter registration and absentee voter information to Democratic Party supporters in the precinct as needed; recruiting workers to distribute literature, to assist with events, to raise funds for the County Committee and the Joint Campaign, to provide support for the Get-Out-The-Vote effort, and to provide other support to the Democratic Party and candidates nominated or endorsed by the Party.

b. Area Chairs will serve on the Standing Committee on Precinct Operations and provide liaison between the precinct representatives and the regional coordinators, where appointed, and/or the Precinct Operations Chair. The area chair shall assist precinct representatives when necessary and shall actively recruit candidates to fill vacancies on the County Committee from his or her area.

3. Non-voting members of the County Committee shall have all rights and duties of voting members except the right to vote on questions before the County Committee.

D. Removal and Vacancies.

1. Removal Procedure. Pursuant to the State Party Plan, any member found guilty of neglect of any duty imposed by the State Party Plan or by these Bylaws may be removed. Any member of the County Committee may bring such charges to the attention of the Chair. The Chair shall notify the individual charged and shall appoint a special committee to hear the charges. The charged individual shall be given ten days written notice by registered mail of the time and place of the meeting of the special committee. Such hearing shall be in executive session unless a public hearing is requested by the accused member. The special committee shall receive all pertinent evidence, and the accused member or his/her representative shall have the right to examine any witness. If the accused member, without valid excuse, fails to appear on the date set for the hearing, the special committee may proceed to conduct the hearing in the member's absence. If a majority of the special committee present finds that the charges are substantiated, then the special committee shall report its findings and recommendations to the County Committee at the next regularly scheduled meeting. The County Committee shall, by majority vote of those present and voting, take prompt action in determining whether the accused member shall be removed from the membership rolls of the County Committee. If a majority of the special committee fails to sustain the charges, then they will not be reported to the County Committee.

2. Suspension procedure. Any member charged with neglect of any duty imposed by the State Party Plan or these Bylaws shall be subject to suspension from his/her Committee office(s) by a majority vote of the Steering Committee. Suspension shall be for the duration of the removal procedures as contained in Article III.D.1. In the event that the charges are not sustained, the suspension shall be immediately terminated.

3. Filling Vacancies on the County Committee. Vacancies in elective positions shall be filled by election by a majority vote of the County Committee members present and voting. In filing vacancies for precinct representative, a preference shall be given for persons who reside in the precinct they seek to represent. However, vacancies may also be filled by persons residing in other precincts with a preference for contiguous precincts. No nominee for precinct representative shall be accepted over the objection of the other member(s) from that precinct until the next regularly scheduled meeting of the County Committee. No nomination submitted to the Chair orally or in writing fewer than fifteen (15) days before a meeting of the County Committee shall be considered at that meeting over the objection of ten percent of the present and voting members of the County Committee. Voting rights for a person filling a vacancy for an elected position shall begin at the conclusion of the meeting at which the person is elected.

IV. OFFICERS.

A. Officers, Terms of Office and Eligibility.

1. The Elected officers of the County Committee shall be a: Chair, Deputy Chair, Precinct Operations Chair, Finance Chair, Press and Public Relations Chair, Three Outreach and Visibility Co-Chairs, Communications Director, Newsletter Editor, Volunteer Coordinator, Secretary, Treasurer, Sergeant-at-Arms, and Parliamentarian.

2. The elected officers shall be elected at the organizational meeting of the County Committee and shall serve until the election of the successors at the next ensuing organizational meeting. Candidates for office may file with the outgoing Chair by the County Committee meeting prior to the organizational meeting, and the Chair shall announce at that time the names of all candidates. This paragraph shall not preclude any nominations from the floor at the organizational meeting.

3. The non-elected officers of the County Committee shall be up to three Precinct Operations Vice-Chairs, two Outreach and Visibility Vice-Chairs, a Program Chair, a Headquarters Chair, a Resolutions Committee Chair, a Computer Operations Director, a Technology/Web Coordinator, a Special Projects Coordinator, a Deputy Special Projects Coordinator, a Finance Vice-Chair, a Legal Counsel, three Deputy Volunteer Coordinators, a Deputy Secretary, a Historian, an Assistant Treasurer, a Print Manager, JJ Dinner Chair, and a Recruitment Director. The non-elected officers shall be appointed by the Chair, subject to the approval by a majority vote of the County Committee.

B. Duties of the Chair.

1. The Arlington County Democratic Committee Chair (the “Chair”) shall be the administrative director of the County Committee. The Chair shall perform all the legal responsibilities assigned to local party chairs by the Code of Virginia and the State Party Plan. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the County Committee and perform such other duties as pertain to the office as specifically described elsewhere in these Bylaws. The Chair shall serve as an ex officio member of all committees of the County Committee and may designate a representative to attend meetings of such committees. The Chair shall have direct responsibility for the organization of county conventions as provided for in Article X. The Chair shall be responsible for issuing the call for reorganization of the County Committee at the appropriate time. As many administrative tasks as possible should be delegated in order to perform fully the public responsibilities.

2. The Chair shall be the spokesperson for the County Committee and for the Democratic Party in Arlington and will, whenever possible, testify on behalf of the County Committee before governmental bodies and make public appearances to inform the public of policies, aims, and activities of the Party and the County Committee and to generate interest in Party and County Committee affairs.

3. During a candidate selection process, the Chair shall ensure that Party resources shall be made available equally to all duly qualified candidates seeking the Party's endorsement or nomination.

4. In the Chair’s absence or in the event of inability to perform these duties, they will be carried out by the Deputy Chair. In the event that the Deputy Chair is unable or unwilling to perform these duties, they will be carried out by an officer designated by the Chair, or, if the Chair is unable to so designate, by an officer designated by the Steering Committee.

5. Upon completion of the Treasurer’s term of office, the Chair shall appoint two voting members of the County Committee, or a Certified Public Accountant, to examine the accounts and records of the Treasurer. An audit report shall be made to the County Committee within sixty days of the appointment.

C. Duties of the Deputy Chair. In the Chair’s absence or in the event of the inability of the Chair to perform any duties of the office, the Deputy Chair shall assume those duties of the Chair. The Deputy Chair shall carry out additional duties designated by the Chair.

D. Duties of Precinct Operations Chair. The Precinct Operations Chair shall oversee all precinct operations, serving as the Chair of the Standing Committee on Precinct Operations, and will work directly with the Precinct Operations Vice-Chairs, area chairs, precinct representatives, and members of precinct organizations on all phases of precinct operations.

E. Duties of Precinct Operations Vice-Chairs. The Precinct Operations Vice-Chairs shall work directly with the Precinct Operations Chair and the Standing Committee on Precinct Operations on all phases of precinct operations and shall carry out the duties of the Precinct Operations Chair in the absence of the Precinct Operations Chair.

F. Duties of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall receive the funds of the County Committee and disburse them when duly authorized by the County Committee and shall be available to make a financial report at each regular meeting of the County Committee. The Treasurer shall maintain a ledger and keep a careful account of income and disbursements and, at the end of his or her service, shall turn over to the incoming Treasurer all funds, books, records, and property that belongs to the County Committee. The Treasurer shall make any financial reports required by law. The Treasurer shall prepare an annual budget for submission to the County Committee based upon the requests submitted by the officers.

G. Duties of the Assistant Treasurer. The Assistant Treasurer shall work directly with the Treasurer in carrying out the duties of that office and shall carry out all responsibilities as designated by the Treasurer.

H. Duties of the Chair for Finance. The Finance Chair shall be responsible for the oversight of all fundraising activities, including Special Events, conducted by the County Committee and for whatever other duties the Chair assigns. The Finance Chair shall chair the Finance Committee.

I. Duties of the Finance Vice-Chair. The Finance Vice-Chair shall work directly with the Finance Chair on oversight and coordination of all fundraising activities, including special events, conducted by the County Committee, and shall carry out the duties of Finance Chair in his or her absence.

J. Duties of the Chair for Program. The Program Chair shall be responsible for planning programs of general interest for regularly scheduled meetings of the County Committee

K. Duties of the Chair for Press and Public Relations. The Press and Public Relations Chair shall have primary responsibility for publicity about County Committee activities, policy statements and County Democratic conventions, caucuses and elections.

L. Duties of the Co-Chairs for Outreach and Visibility. The Outreach Committee Co-Chairs shall work to widen the public participation of Arlington residents, new voters, recently naturalized citizens and minorities in the activities of the Party and the County Committee and to generate interest in Party and County Committee affairs.

M. Duties of the Vice Chairs for Outreach and Visibility.  The Vice-Chairs for Outreach and Visibility shall work with the Outreach and Visibility Co-Chairs and the Standing Committee on Outreach to widen the participation of Arlingtonians in the affairs of the County Committee and to generate interest in Party and County Committee activities.

N. Duties of the Chair for Headquarters. The Headquarters Chair shall assume operating responsibility for the County Committee headquarters and for the records and equipment located therein.

O. Duties of the Computer Operations Director. The Computer Operations Director shall have primary responsibility for developing and maintaining the computer hardware, software and files of the County Committee, and shall keep a separate financial accounting apart from the Treasurer on costs of the computer operations.

P. Duties of the Technology/Web Coordinator.  The Technology/Web Coordinator shall maintain the County Committee’s website and shall help facilitate the County Committee’s activities related to voter and supporter identification technologies.

Q. Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall record the acts of the County Committee, be custodian of the Committee Bylaws and State Party Plan and incorporate therein all duly adopted amendments and revisions. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining a current roster of County Committee members' and a directory of names, addresses, and telephone numbers, and for transmitting that information to the state Democratic Party Chair. When requested by the Chair, the Secretary shall maintain a record of attendance at County Committee meetings, conduct the correspondence of the County Committee and maintain files of such correspondence. The Secretary shall receive any candidate filings from Party members seeking to represent Arlington on the Eighth District Committee and State Central Committee or at the Eighth District and State Conventions. At the expiration of his or her service, the Secretary shall turn over to the incoming Secretary all books, documents, records, and other property of the County Committee.

R. Duties of the Newsletter Editor. The Newsletter Editor shall send by mail to all members proper and timely notice of all meetings of the County Committee. As far as possible, such meeting notices shall take the form of a newsletter, which shall include the meeting announcement. The newsletter may have a wider mailing list than the County Committee. At the expiration of his or her service, the Newsletter Editor shall turn over all files and other records and property of the County Committee to the incoming Newsletter Editor.

S. Duties of the Communications Director. The Communications Director shall be responsible for coordinating the overall branding of the County Committee’s communications and shall chair the Communications Committee.

T. Duties of the Print Manager. The Print Manager shall solicit bids from area printers on behalf of the County Committee, the Joint Campaign and individual candidates for local offices and shall maintain a data base on printers' prices and past performance to assist the foregoing in obtaining high quality, low prices and on-time delivery of printed material.

U. Duties of the Volunteer Coordinator. The Volunteer Coordinator shall coordinate the activities of those volunteers and maintain a record of volunteers for use in recruitment for specific tasks and positions of the County Committee and the Joint Campaign.

V. Duties of the Deputy Volunteer Coordinator.  The Deputy Volunteer Coordinator shall assist the Volunteer Coordinator and assume such duties of the office of the Volunteer Coordinator as they shall mutually agree.

W. Duties of Recruitment Director. The Recruitment Director shall actively recruit individuals to participate in all levels of the activities of the County Committee, and shall promote awareness of the range of Democratic volunteer opportunities both within the County Committee and throughout the County.

X. Duties of the Sergeant-At-Arms. The Sergeant-At-Arms shall assist the Chair in planning, setting up for, and maintaining order and decorum at meetings, caucuses and conventions of the County Committee. The Sergeant-At-Arms shall be responsible for counting votes taken by a show of hands and shall lead the counting of votes taken by secret ballot. The Sergeant -At-Arms shall assist the Secretary in obtaining a record of all members present at meetings of the County Committee.

Y. Duties of the Parliamentarian. The Parliamentarian shall, upon the request of the Chair, advise the Chair of the Committee on questions of parliamentary law or procedure or on interpretation of these Bylaws. The Parliamentarian shall serve as Chair of the Bylaws Committee.

Z. Duties of the Special Projects Coordinator. The Special Projects Coordinator shall perform such duties and tasks as assigned by the Chair to assist in the administration of the County Committee.

AA. Duties of the Deputy Special Projects Coordinator. The Deputy Special Projects Coordinator shall assist the Special Projects Coordinator and assume such duties of the office of the Special Projects Coordinator as they shall mutually agree.

BB. Duties of the Resolutions Committee Chair.  The Resolutions Committee Chair shall chair the Standing Committee on Resolutions and shall be responsible for presenting resolutions to the Steering Committee and the County Committee.

CC. Duties of the Legal Counsel. Legal Counsel shall advise the Chair on legal issues pertaining to the County Committee.

DD. Duties of the Deputy Secretary. The Deputy Secretary shall assist the Secretary and assume such duties of the office of the Secretary as they shall mutually agree.

EE. Duties of the Historian. The Historian shall maintain the permanent records of the Committee, to include lists of names of office holders, the newsletter, campaign records and names of awardees. The Historian shall also interview major figures in party activities to develop an historical record both for the intellectual history of the organization and to aid future officers to better understand what activities have been adopted or rejected and why.

FF. All officers shall submit an annual budget to the Treasurer by March 1 and shall perform such additional duties as the Chair or the County Committee shall assign.

V. MEETINGS

A. Reorganization Meeting. The organizational meeting shall be held within forty (40) days following the caucus to elect precinct representatives. Only those members duly elected at the caucus and those members specified in Article III.A. 1.e., f., and g. are eligible to vote. The outgoing Chair shall call and act as temporary Chair of the organizational meeting of the new County Committee until a new Chair is elected. The business of the meeting shall consist of adoption of temporary Bylaws and election of officers in the order listed in Article IV A. 1. Upon completion of the organizational business, the County Committee may conduct such other business as would be in order at a regular meeting of the County Committee. In conformity with the State Party Plan, the Chair shall submit to the Chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia within ten days of the reorganization, the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the officers and membership of the County Committee.

B. Regular Meetings. The regular meetings of the County Committee shall be on the first Wednesday evening of each month except during the month of July. The date, time, and place of regular meetings may be changed by the Chair or by action of the County Committee. The Chair shall include an agenda of the subjects to be considered with the notice of the meeting. Matters not included therein may be considered upon concurrence of a majority of the members present. In conformity with the state Party Plan, permanent Bylaws shall be adopted no later than ninety days following the organizational meeting.

C. Special Meetings. A special meeting of the County Committee shall be held upon the request of any twenty five (25) voting members. The request for a special meeting, which must be in writing and signed by the twenty five members must state the purpose for which the meeting is requested, and it must be served upon the Chair of the County committee, or in the absence of the Chair for more then 72 hours, upon the Acting Chair. The Chair or acting Chair shall call a meeting to be held not later than ten (10) days from the receipt of such a request. A special meeting may also be called by the Chair in conformity with the State Party Plan. The Secretary shall mail written notices of any special meetings to voting members and to other members if possible not later than five days prior to the date of the meeting. The matters to be considered at the meeting shall be set forth in the notice and, unless otherwise ordered by the County Committee, shall be consider in the order requested, and no other business except that for which it is called shall be considered at such special meeting.

D. Quorum.  A quorum shall consist of forty (40%) percent of the voting members of the County Committee.

E. Voting

1. Proxy Votes. There shall be no proxy votes at any meeting of the County Committee or at meetings of any committees of the County Committee.

2. More than One Vote Per Person. No Individual shall, by virtue of holding more than one position on the County Committee, be entitled to cast more than one vote on any matter.

F. Open Meetings and Executive Sessions. All meetings of the County Committee shall be open to the public and to the press, except when specifically designated as executive sessions by the Chair or otherwise so declared by vote of a majority of the County Committee. Such action may be taken during any meeting of the County Committee and may apply to the meeting then in session or to a future meeting or meetings.

VI. STEERING COMMITTEE

Composition.  The Steering Committee shall be composed of the officers of the County committee, all members of the State Central Committee from Arlington, the immediate past Chair, a representative of the Virginia Partisans, the Senior Party Representative of the Arlington Young Democrats, the President of the Arlington Young Democrats or the President’s designee, and one representative of the Roosevelt Society. During each campaign the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Joint Campaign Committee shall serve ex officio on the Steering Committee. All voting members of the Steering Committee shall be residents of Arlington County.

Duties. The Steering Committee is authorized to and shall act on behalf of the County Committee between regular meetings of the County Committee; it shall engage in evaluation of the activities, aims, and policies of the County Committee and plan for the greater fulfillment of them and may make recommendations to the County Committee on matters before it.

Meetings. The Steering Committee shall meet monthly. Meetings of the Steering Committee shall be open to all members of the County Committee; advance notice of Steering Committee meetings shall be given to members of the County Committee by the most practical method. The Chair of the County Committee shall preside at all meetings of the Steering Committee and shall record the acts of the Steering Committee. The Chair shall report orally to the County Committee at its next following regular meeting on all significant actions and decisions taken at Steering Committee meetings held since the last preceding regular County Committee meeting; in addition, the minutes of Steering Committee meetings shall be available at any reasonable time, or read at any County Committee meeting upon the request of any voting member of the County Committee.

Special Meetings. The Chair of the County Committee may call a special meeting of the Steering Committee. The Notice of the Special Meeting must be given at least 48 hours in advance, and such notice must state the specific time and place of the meeting and the items to be considered. Unless otherwise ordered by the Steering Committee, the special meeting shall consider the items in the order stated in the notice. No other business, except the items stated in the notice, shall be considered at such special meeting. Notice of any Special Meeting must also be posted on the County Committee’s website.

VII. COMMITTEES.

A. Joint Campaign Committee. Each year the Chair shall appoint the Chair or Chairs of the Arlington Democratic Joint Campaign (ADJC) for that year. The Chair or Chairs of the ADJC will then, with the approval of the Chair of the County Committee, appoint a Joint Campaign Committee, which must include at least four members of the County Committee. In most cases the County Committee members who hold positions relevant to the Joint Campaign (such as the Precinct Operations Chair) will serve in that position on the ADJC Committee. The ADJC must have a Treasurer and it is the duty of that Treasurer to make any financial reports required by law. The campaign of each candidate on the November general election ballot will be represented on that year’s ADJC Committee. The Joint Campaign Committee shall have the right to select a campaign manager either from the County Committee or outside and may add to the Campaign Committee persons not members of the County Committee with the approval of the Chair of the County Committee. In the case of any conflicts between the Joint Campaign leadership and the Chair of the County Committee the matter will be brought to the Steering Committee of the County Committee, and then, if necessary, to the full County Committee for resolution. The Joint Campaign Committee shall serve for the duration of the campaign, and its Chair shall render a final report to the December County Committee meeting.

B. Standing Committees

1. Outreach and Visibility. The Outreach and Visibility Committee shall have at least five members and shall be open to both members and non-members of the County Committee. The Chair of the County Committee shall appoint the members. The purpose of this standing committee shall be to widen the public participation of Arlington residents, new voters, recently naturalized citizens and minorities in the activities of the Party and the County Committee and to generate interest in Party and County Committee affairs. The committee may provide background information, review proposed resolutions and assist the County Committee in anticipating important issues in the field of human and civil rights.

2. Resolutions. The Standing Committee on Resolutions shall have at least five members and shall be open to both members and non-members of the County Committee; the Chair of the County Committee shall appoint the members and the Chair. The standing committee shall meet as needed and be responsible for initiating and/or reviewing and recommending appropriate action by the County Committee regarding any resolutions to be presented to the County Committee.

3. Nominations and Elections. The Standing Committee on Nominations and Elections shall have at least five members and shall be open to both members and non-members of the County Committee. The Chair of the County Committee shall appoint the members and the Chair. The standing committee shall meet as needed.

4. Precinct Operations. The Standing Committee on Precinct Operations shall be chaired by the Chair for Precinct Operations and shall be composed of the Precinct Operations Vice Chairs and Area Chairs. The Chair of the County Committee may appoint additional members to the Standing Committee after consulting with the Chair for Precinct Operations.

5. Finance Committee. The County Committee Chair shall appoint a Finance Committee after consulting with the Finance Committee Chair. The Committee shall have at least five members and be open to both members and non-members of the County Committee The Finance Chair shall chair the Finance Committee. The Treasurer of the County Committee and the President of the Roosevelt Society shall serve on the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee shall be charged with the responsibility of raising funds and investigating new sources of financing Democratic Party needs.

6. Bylaws Committee. The Bylaws Committee shall be chaired by the Parliamentarian and shall also include the Chair of the County Committee and at least three other members of the County Committee appointed by the Chair. The committee shall meet as needed.

7. Communications Committee. The Communications Committee shall consist of: the Technology/Web Coordinator, the Computer Operations Director, the Newsletter Editor, the Press and Public Relations Chair, the Editor of the Roosevelt Society Newsletter, the keeper of the email list, and at least two other persons appointed by the County Committee Chair after consultation with the County Committee officers on the Communications Committee. The Chair of the County Committee shall appoint the Chair of the Communications Committee. This committee shall meet as needed and shall coordinate the communications efforts of the County Committee.

8. Quorum.  A majority of a standing committee’s members shall constitute a quorum. No standing committee may prevent an issue from being considered by the County Committee.

C. Special Committees. The Chair may, with the approval of a majority of the Steering Committee, appoint such special or ad-hoc committees as may from time to time be necessary.

VIII. ENDORSEMENTS, PUBLIC STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

A. Endorsements. The County Committee, as a Committee, shall not endorse any candidate prior to a primary, convention, or caucus. Any Party resources made available to candidates seeking the Party's endorsement or nomination shall be made available to all candidates on a non-discriminatory basis.

B. Public Statements and Releases. Any member may introduce resolutions proposing or endorsing matters of public or party policy, adoption of which shall be by a majority or those members present and voting. No person other than the Chair of the County Committee shall make releases or public statements in the name of or on behalf of the County Committee setting forth Party policy, nor shall any person disclose to the public actions taken by the County Committee in executive session, except by approval of the County Committee.

IX. ORGANIZATION OR GROUP APPROVAL.

An organization or group may be identified or recognized as a part of the Democratic Party of Arlington only if its constitution and bylaws have been approved by the County Committee and if the membership of such organization is open to all Democrats who meet any reasonable qualifications. Approved Democratic groups may be invited to designate an ex officio member of the County Committee.

X. OPEN DEMOCRATIC COUNTY CONVENTIONS AND CAUCUSES

A. Establishment of Open County Conventions And Caucuses. The County Committee may call an open Arlington Democratic Convention or Caucus with the Chair of the County Committee serving as Temporary Chair and the Secretary of the County Committee as Temporary Secretary of the Convention. Such open conventions or caucuses may conduct any business except matters exclusively reserved to the County Committee or to conventions or caucuses convened under provisions of the State Party Plan, such as the nomination of candidates for public office. Nothing in these Bylaws will prevent the convening of a party plan convention or caucus and an open convention or caucus on the same day at the same place, provided procedures are established to ensure only authorized delegates vote at the state Party Plan Convention or Caucus.

B. Participation. Every person who participates as a candidate or voter in a Democratic convention or caucus must be qualified to vote in the next ensuing general election or special election. No person shall participate in a Democratic convention or caucus who intends to support, endorse, or assist an opponent of any Democratic nominee or endorsee in such general or special election. Every resident of Arlington who believes in the principles of the Democratic Party is hereby declared to be a member of the Democratic Party of Arlington.

XI. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

The County Committee is authorized to hire a part-time or full-time Executive director, alone or in conjunction with other Democratic committees within the Congressional District that includes Arlington. The Executive Director shall be directly responsible to the Chair and shall not become a member of the County Committee. The County Committee will establish a job description and rate of compensation.

XII. AMENDMENTS.

These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the County Committee members present and voting at any regular County Committee meeting, provided that the proposed amendment has been submitted in writing and read at the previous meeting of the County Committee.

XIII. RULES OF ORDER.

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of business of the County Committee in all cases where they are applicable, except where inconsistent with these Bylaws or with the State Party Plan. These Bylaws shall remain in force at the end of the term of the County Committee until such time as temporary Bylaws are adopted pursuant to Article V.A. of these Bylaws.

 

1. November 7: Electoral Practices Commission (EPC) hosts program on Draft Working Paper at ACDC meeting. 2. November 16: EPC submits final report and recommendations to ACDC Chair. 3. November 19: ACDC Chair circulates EPC final report and recommendations to ACDC Steering Committee. 4. November 28: EPC Co-Chairs present final report and recommendations for discussion at ACDC Steering Committee; ACDC Steering Committee votes on resolution incorporating EPC final report and recommendations. 5. December 5: ACDC Steering Committee presents resolution for discussion and vote at ACDC meeting.