Article 1 Organization Name

Section 1: The name of the organization shall be the SaddleBrooke Democratic Club (hereinafter referred to as the Club).

Article 2 General Purpose

Section 1: The general purpose of the Club shall be to promote the philosophy and policy of the Democratic Party and to function as a Political Organization subject to the laws and rules of the State of Arizona for Political Organizations.

Section 2: To carry out the Club’s responsibility in section I the Club shall devote itself to any or all of the following goals:

· A, help elect Democrats to public office on a local, state and national level;

· B, support the Legislative District 26, Pinal County, Arizona State, and the National Democratic organizations;

· C, raise funds to enhance our efforts to carry out our responsibilities;

· D, participate in voter registration campaigns on our own or in joint efforts with other organizations;

· E, have an ongoing membership recruitment program;

· F, review local, state and national legislative proposals and issues for the purpose of supporting, opposing or suggesting changes in any such legislation or issue.

Article III Membership

Section 1: Membership in the Club shall be open to all full or part-time residents of the 8th and 15th precincts of Pinal County, Arizona who reside in a Home Owners Association in the development known as SaddleBrooke. Such residents who are registered to vote as Democrats are eligible to become full members and may serve as officers of the Club and vote in the election thereof. Those residents registered as Independents, NOP, etc and who are supportive of the general purpose of the Club are eligible to become associate members.

Section 2: Residents of the 8th and 15th precincts of Pinal County, Arizona who do not reside in SaddleBrooke are not eligible for membership. However, those who are supportive of the general purposes of the Club may be recognized as associates (”associates”) and invited to participate in certain designated Club activities.

Article IV Officers, Terms of Office and Duties

Section 1: The officers of the Club shall be: Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer. The position of Secretary may be filled by two individuals, each serving as Co-Secretary. All references to Secretary herein shall include any Co-Secretary.

Section 2: Officers shall be elected for a two (2) year term. The election of officers shall take place at the first meeting of the Club in January in odd-numbered years.

Section 3: Duties of Officers

Chairperson, the Chairperson shall be the official spokesperson for the Club. He/She shall preside at all official meetings of the Club. He/She shall be a Co-signer on all accounts of the Club. The Chairperson is an ex-officio member of all committees of the Club except the nomination and election committee.

Vice Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson shall, in the absence or inability to serve of the Chairperson, assume all of the duties of the Chairperson.

Secretary, the Secretary shall record the official minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Club. The Secretary maintains all the official records of the Club including minutes, membership roster, official correspondence, and other records of importance. The Secretary at each meeting shall read or provide a copy of the minutes of the previous regular meeting and the minutes of any special meeting that may have been held since the last regular meeting. In the absence of the Secretary, the Chairperson shall appoint a temporary Secretary to make the official recording of the minutes.

Treasurer, the Treasurer shall maintain custody of all monies of the Club. For this purpose the Treasurer shall, with the approval of the membership, open a checking account in an insured financial institution for the safe keeping of all Club funds. The Treasurer shall provide a report of the financial status of all Club accounts at each regular meeting of the Club. Said report shall be attached to and become part of the official minutes of the meeting. The Treasurer shall not disburse any funds of the Club that have not been previously approved by the membership at a regular or special meeting or by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall file any papers with the Secretary of State required to be filed by the laws and rules of the State of Arizona for Political Organizations and shall file such periodic reports with the Secretary of State as required by law or rule.

Article V Standing and Special Committees

Section 1: Definitions, Standing Committees are committees that have a function this is ongoing had have a responsibility to report to the membership on a regular basis. The initial Standing Committees are the Steering Committee, Precinct Committee, Membership Committee, Program Committee, Publicity Committee, and Communications Committee. The list of Standing Committees may be modified from time to time by the membership at a regular or special meeting. Special Committees may be established from time to time as needed by the Chairperson or the Steering Committee. Except for the Precinct Committee which is governed by state statute, members of both Standing and Special Committees shall be appointed by the Chairperson with approval of the membership.

Section 2: Steering Committee, the Steering Committee shall be made up of the elected officers of the Club and the chairs of the Standing Committees. The Steering Committee shall meet prior to each regular meeting of the Club at a time and location set by the Chairperson (including telephonic meetings) for the purpose of setting an agenda for the regular meeting. The Steering Committee shall have the authority to approve the expenditure of funds of the Club not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) between regular meetings of the Club. All formal actions of the Steering Committee must be reported to the membership at the next meeting. A quorum (the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson and four additional members of the Steering Committee is required to formally conduct any official business.

Section 3: Precinct Committee, the Precinct Committee shall be the liaison between the Club and the precinct committee organization as established by state statute. The Club is fully supportive of the precinct committee organization’s efforts to communicate, educate, and motivate the voters of precincts 8 and 15 in furthering the General Purpose of the Club.

Section 4: Membership Committee, the Membership Committee shall design and implement a program to recruit members and associate members into the Club. The Membership Committee shall report periodically to the membership on the status of its efforts.

Section 5: Program Committee, the Program Committee shall organize speakers, activities and other events to both educate and inform the membership pursuant to the General Purposes of the Club. The committee shall report periodically to the membership about future programs.

Section 6: Publicity Committee, the Publicity Committee shall have the responsibility to publicize activities and events of the Club and the precinct committee organization. The Publicity Committee shall report periodically to the membership of the Club.

Section 7: Communications Committee, the Communications Committee shall develop and implement the infrastructure necessary for the Club to communicate effectively with members , state and county party organizations, other local clubs and organizations, and the voters of precincts 8 and 15.

Section 8: Finance Committee, the Finance Committee shall function as set forth in Article VIII of these by-laws.

Section 9: The Chairperson, with the approval of the membership may appoint such other committees as are needed to effectively carry out the purpose and goals of the Club.

Article VI Meetings

Section 1: There shall be a regular meeting of the membership scheduled each month. The day of the week and the time of the day for the meeting shall be set by the membership at its first meeting of each odd numbered year. The time and date may be changed at any subsequent regular meeting, but such change shall require a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members in attendance. If the regular meeting conflicts with a national holiday or some other significant event the Steering Committee may reschedule the meeting to a more convenient date.

Section 2: Except when in conflict with these By-Laws, Robert’s Rules of Order (revised), shall govern the conduct of business at any regular or special meeting of the membership. The Club shall purchase a copy of Robert’s Rules Order (revised) to be placed in possession of the Secretary to be available at all regular and special meetings of the Club.

Section 3: Special membership meetings may be called with a minimum notice of at least ten (10) days by the Chairperson; by a quorum of the Steering Committee; or by a petition signed by a minimum of fifteen percent (15%) of the members of the Club.

Section 4: A quorum of ten (10) members shall be required to conduct business at any regular or special meeting of the membership. Absent a quorum, the assembled members are entitled to meet as a committee of the whole and submit their recommendations to the Steering Committee for consideration and possible action.

Article VII Election of Officers

Section 1: At the November membership meeting in even numbered years, the Chairperson shall appoint a Nomination and Election Committee. The purpose of the committee is to find and recommend members (excluding associate members) who are willing to be nominated for the officer positions. Following the committee’s recommendations at the December meeting, additional nominations may be accepted from the floor. In the event the nominee is not present, the committee or the person making the nomination must present a signed letter of acceptance for the position he/she is being nominated for, or the person’s name will not appear on the ballot. Once the nomination process is complete, the Nomination and Election Committee will conduct the election by secret ballot at the next regular club meeting in January, unless there are no contested positions in which case the election will take place by acclamation. Only members (excluding associate members) of the Club whose dues are paid an current shall be allowed to vote. The person receiving the most votes for each office shall be determined to be elected. There shall be no absentee ballots allowed. The newly elected officers shall assume their office upon the acceptance of the election committee report by the membership.

Section 2: If for any reason an elected officer position becomes vacant during their term of office the vacancy shall be announced as soon as possible at a regular meeting of the Club. A special election shall be held at the next regular meeting of the membership to fill the announced vacancy.

Article VIII Finances

Section 1: The finances of this organization shall be derived from annual dues and augmented by contributions and monies raised through fund-raising events.

Section 2: The annual dues for regular and associate members of the Club may be set from time to time by the Steering Committee with the approval of the membership. At the recommendation of the Chairperson, the Steering Committee may waive the requirement for annual dues by any person or household if in its judgment that would be in the best interests of the Club.

Section 3: The Treasurer shall be the Chairperson of the Finance Committee and shall report to the membership of the Club on a regular basis.

Article IX Amendments

Section 1: Proposed amendments to these By-Laws may be introduced at any regular meeting of the Club. Proposed amendments shall be in written form. Proposed amendments shall be referred to the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee shall review any such proposed amendment(s) for structure and continuity to the existing By-Laws. The Steering Committee shall report the proposed amendment(s) in written form with its recommendation to the next regular membership meeting. The report of the Steering Committee shall require a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members in attendance for adoption.

Approved and Adopted, February 20, 2001;
Amended November 2002;
Amended May 2005;
Amended April 2006