Constitution of the Prince Georges County Young Democrats

Article I. Name

This organization shall be named the Prince Georges County Young Democrats (PGCYD) and shall be affiliated with the Young Democrats of Maryland (YDM) and the Young Democrats of America (YDA). PGCYD is the official youth arm of the Prince Georges County Democratic Central Committee. PGCYD is a strong and active organization providing the next generation of leadership and empowering the community through political education and social activism throughout Prince Georges County.

Article 2.

Mission

The Young Democrats of Prince Georges County shall be an organization devoted towards increasing the political and social activism of Young Democrats in Prince Georges County. This goal will be furthered through involvement in political campaigns, developing leadership techniques, promoting Democratic Party principles, helping Young Democrats obtain elected and appointed offices, and working on issues which are important to young people and the people of Prince Georges County.

Article 3.

Membership

Section 1. Full membership in the PGCYD is open to any individual who has not reached his or her fortieth (40th) birthday and who either: 1. Resides in Prince Georges County; or 2. Works in Prince Georges County; or 3. Is a student in a college or university located in Prince Georges County? A person must renew his or her membership with PGCYD annually by submission of a membership form and dues set at Ten Dollars ($10.00) per person. Dues shall be waived for enrolled high school students and college students upon proof of valid school identification. Identification may be a school identification card, school transcript or

letter of enrollment. The Executive Board shall reserve the right to grant a waiver of dues upon receipt of a hardship form which the Executive Board shall make available on the chapter website or some other means. Section 2. Honorary membership may be granted to those individuals who have rendered outstanding service to the ideals and principles of the Democratic Party. Honorary members will be allowed to speak and attend meetings, but are not entitled to make motions, vote, or hold office or chair any committees. Honorary members may include out of county residents, alumni members, as well as individuals over the age of 40. Honorary membership shall be granted upon nomination of the president and an affirmative vote of three-quarters (3/4) of the members present during a regular scheduled meeting.
Section 3. Any member in good standing of PGCYD shall be able to declare themselves a candidate for election to the Executive Board. No member who has not been a member in good standing of the organization for at least one (1) year shall be a candidate for President of PGCYD.

Section 4. PGCYD shall be the parent chapter for chapters in local High Schools, Community Colleges, Colleges, Universities or Professional schools which are located within Prince Georges County, Maryland recognized by the Young Democrats of Maryland and the Young Democrats of America. Section 5. The membership list of PGCYD may not be divulged without a unanimous vote of the Executive Board. Section 6. Members may create caucuses that represent an area of diversity within PGCYD. Members interested in a caucus shall create Bylaws for the proposed caucus, which must be approved by the Executive Board. Caucuses must be approved by a majority vote at the next general body meeting in which the caucus wishes to become active. Temporary recognition may be granted to a caucus by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Executive Board. This temporary recognition shall be considered valid until the next General body meeting of PGCYD. Members shall only create caucuses which are in existence and active in the Young Democrats of Maryland or the Young Democrats of America.

Article 4. Elected Officers

Section 1. The officers of PGCYD shall consist of a President, Executive Vice President, Vice President of Programming, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President of Communications, Vice President of Membership and Central Committeeman and

Central Committeewoman. A member shall hold only one elected position within PGCYD except in extenuating circumstances. Section 2. The President shall function as chief executive and administrative officer of PGCYD, and shall preside over all regular, special, and Executive Committee meetings. The President shall make all appointments, with consent, as well as appoint any special vacancies to the Executive Committee, and shall serve as representative for the organization in all official functions to all external organizations or shall appoint a designee in their stead and otherwise perform all of the duties that are ordinarily the function of the office. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees of PGCYD. Section 3. The Executive Vice President shall assume all responsibilities of the President in case of unavailability, absence, resignation or impeachment of the President. The Executive Vice President is responsible for the coordination of all committees and ensuring the smooth function of PGCYD. Section 4. The Vice President of Programming shall be responsible for ensuring efficacious operation of all programming, including special events, of PGCYD. The Vice President of Programming shall plan and coordinate programs of an educational, civic or social nature for PGCYD members. In the event that both the President and the Executive Vice-President are unable to fulfill their duties, the Vice President of Programming shall assume the office of President. The Vice President of Programming shall serve as chair of the Event Planning Committee and voting member of the Finance Committee and create the Programming Calendar for submission to the Executive Board for approval. Section 5. The Secretary shall function as recording officer and custodian of all records of PGCYD. The Secretary is responsible for keeping accurate records and minutes of all meetings and publishing the minutes of meetings, attendance records, and the delivery of all correspondence. The Secretary shall make available copies of the minutes to the previous meetings and distribute them in advance of each meeting and cause to be delivered all notices of meetings to those persons entitled to vote at such meeting. The Secretary is responsible for keeping up to date the official membership rolls, in collaboration with the Vice President of Membership, of PGCYD. In collaboration with the Treasurer, the Secretary shall determine who is a paid member in good standing of PGCYD. The Secretary shall also perform other duties as requested by the President or Executive Committee. The Secretary shall serve as chair of the Elections Committee.

Section 6. The Treasurer shall serve as the Chief Financial Officer of PGCYD. The Treasurer shall receive and disburse all funds of PGCYD and deposit all monies of PGCYD within ten (10) business days of receipt, in a FDIC insured banking institution whom has branches located within Prince Georges County in the name of Young Democrats of Prince Georges County. The treasurer shall record all receipts and disbursements from such accounts, the preparation and retention of the books and records and shall give a detailed financial report at each General Body and Executive Board Meeting. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the preparation and filing of all end of the year financial reports, federal and state tax reports as necessary. All disbursement checks over $200 must be cosigned by both the Treasurer and the President or Acting President. The treasurer shall also perform other duties as requested by the President or Executive Board. In collaboration with the Secretary the Treasurer shall determine who is a paid member in good standing of PGCYD. The Treasurer shall serve as chair of the Finance Committee and shall be responsible for the fundraising efforts of PGCYD and coordinate all PGCYD fundraising efforts with the Vice President of Programming and to create a fundraising plan, to be approved by the Executive Board. Section 7. The Vice President of Communications shall be responsible for coordinating all press and media-related activities that the PGCYD may be involved in; this includes writing press releases/media alerts and building relationships with media. The Vice President of Communications shall keep members and the public informed about PGCYD news and work toward increasing the visibility of PGCYD. The Vice President of Communications shall also perform any and all duties as requested by the President of the Executive Committee. The Vice President of Communications shall serve as chair of the Public Relations Committee. In the event that the President, the Executive Vice-President and the Vice President of Programming are unable to fulfill their duties, the Vice President of Communications shall serve as Acting President until the next General Body Meeting which at such time, the general membership shall elect a person for President to fill the vacancy for the duration of the vacant term if such term shall expire in excess of two months. Section 8. The Vice President of Membership shall be responsible for the recruitment and orientation of members for PGCYD. The Vice President of Membership shall work collaboratively with the Vice President of Communications to increase the visibility of PGCYD through brochures and special events for membership recruitment. The Vice President of Membership is responsible for keeping up to date the official membership rolls, in collaboration with the Secretary of PGCYD. The Vice President of Membership shall serve as chair of the Membership and Outreach Committee. In the event that the President, the Executive Vice-President, the Vice President of Programming and the

Vice President of Communications are unable to fulfill their duties, the Vice President of Membership shall serve as Acting President until the next General Body Meeting which at such time, the general membership shall elect a person for President to fill the vacancy for the duration of the vacant term if such term shall expire in excess of two months. Section 9. The Central Committeeman and Central Committeewoman shall be atlarge members of the Prince Georges County Democratic Central Committee (PGCDCC). They will perform their duties in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of both PGCYD and PGCDCC. They shall act as liaison to and update PGCYD on the current events and activities of PGCDCC. The Central Committeeman and Central Committeewoman shall serve as co-chairs of the Voter Registration Committee.

Article 5

Appointed Officers

Appointed officers may be appointed as the President sees fit, at the assent of a majority of the Executive Board.

Article 6

Committees

Section 1. The PGCYD may form standing or special committees as maybe deemed necessary. Special committees may be formed by a vote of the majority of members in good standing. The initial Standing Committees of the PGCYD shall consist of the Political Education Committee, Finance Committee, Election Committee, Membership and Outreach Committee, Event Planning Committee, Public Relations Committee and the Voter Registration Committee.

Article 7

Executive Board

Section 1. The Executive Board, also known as Board of Directors, shall be composed of the President, Executive Vice President, Vice President of Programming, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President of Communications, Vice President of Membership, Central Committeewoman and Central Committeeman. Section 2. The Executive Board shall be responsible for conducting the affairs of PGCYD in the interim between General Body Meetings. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of those Members in good standing, that are present and voting at a regular meeting of the PGCYD can overturn decisions reached by the Executive Board.

Article 8

Elections and Impeachment

Section 1. Elections shall be held at the January or February General Body Meeting held prior to the statewide Annual Convention of the Young Democrats of Maryland. A majority of members in good standing, present, shall elect officers. The membership of the PGCYD shall be informed of the time and place of the election and listing of offices to be voted upon at least three weeks prior to the actual election but no more than six weeks. The winning candidate shall receive a majority of the votes cast for office. If no candidate receives a majority, a run-off election between the two candidates receiving the most votes shall be held immediately following the original vote. Upon the possible failure to decide the runoff election, another election will be held seven days later at the same time. Newly elected officers shall assume the office immediately upon installation which shall take place no more than 30 days after the elections. . Section 2. The officers shall be elected in contested elections by secret ballot to serve for a term of one year. Absentee or proxy ballots are not allowed. The outgoing Secretary shall supervise the election unless said person is a candidate whereby a neutral party shall be appointed by the Executive Board to supervise the election. The officers will be elected in the order they are mentioned in Article 4 of this Constitution. Section 3. Any member in good standing of PGCYD shall be able to declare themselves a candidate for election to the Executive Board. A person shall be member in good standing of the organization for at least one (1) year prior to the election to run as a candidate for President of PGCYD. Section 4. A majority of the Executive Board or upon signed petition by one-third (1/3) of the active membership is required to bring impeachment proceedings against an officer. To remove an officer it shall take a vote of two-thirds of the Executive Board or the vote of three-fourths (3/4) majority of all members in good standing.

Section 5. Officers of PGCYD are subject to impeachment and removal from office for misfeasance, malfeasance, and nonfeasance or for failure to execute the office. Nonfeasance is considered the failure to attend three consecutive General Body Meetings and/or Executive Board Meetings of PGCYD andmay subject an officer to impeachment upon written notification from the President or by the Executive VicePresident if the President is subject to impeachment and removal of office. An officer may resign by submitting a written resignation to the President, unless the President is the resigning officer, in which case written resignation may be submitted to the Secretary. Section 6. Should any office other than that of President become vacant before said officers term has expired, the President shall appoint and the Executive Board shall confirm by a two-thirds (2/3) to elect an interim Officer to fill out the remaining term. If the office of the President becomes vacant and the designated successors in Article 4 are unable to assume the office, than a special election shall be called by the remaining officers to be held within sixty (60) days of the occurance of such vacancy.

Article 9

Meetings

Section 1. General Body Meetings shall be held at least six (6) calendar months per year, as designated by the Executive Board. The membership shall be notified of each meeting of the PGCYD with at least two weeks advance notice. General Body Meetings are open to the general public. However, only dues paying members are considered members in good standing and are eligible to vote on matters presented to the general membership. Section 2. The President, for good reason, can call special meetings. In addition, upon petition of one-fifth (1/5) of the membership in good standing, the President must call a special meeting. Notice shall be distributed to the membership as soon as possible. Section 3. Quorums shall consist of a majority of the Executive Board. No proxies or absentee ballots of any kind are permitted under any circumstances.

Article 10 Endorsements

Section 1. PGCYD shall not endorse or support the candidacy of any person for partisan public office prior to the nomination by the Democratic Party, except upon unanimous recommendation of the Executive Board. A two-thirds (2/3) majority of the members in good standing is necessary to veto a unanimous endorsement of support of the Executive Board. Section 2. PGCYD shall actively support the nominees and platform of the state and national Democratic Party, and shall conduct an aggressive campaign in support of the nominees of the Democratic Party.

Article 11 Delegates to the National and State Convention

Section 1. Any member in good standing of PGCYD can serve as a delegate to the National or State Young Democrat Convention subject to the requirements stated by the State Convention Rules and the National Convention Rules. Section 2. The President or their designee unless they are a candidate for office shall serve as the chairperson for the PGCYD delegation. If the President is a candidate for office at either of these conventions, than the delegation shall elect their own chairperson.

Article 12 Amendments
Section 1. This Constitution can be amended at any General Body Meeting by a twothirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting and in good standing, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing to the Executive Board prior to submission at the previous General Body Meeting.

Article 13 Parliamentary Authority

Section 1. The most recent edition of Roberts Rules of Order, shall govern the PGCYD in all cases that are applicable, so long as they are not inconsistent with this Constitution.

Article 14. Fiscal Year

Section 1. The fiscal year of the Organization shall be from March 1st to the last date in February.

Article 15. Nondiscrimination

Section 1. The organizations, officers, employees and persons served by PGCYD shall be selected in a non-discriminatory manner with respect to sex, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender identity, veteran status, disability, and religious opinion or affiliation.

Effective Date This Constitution shall become effective January 1, 2012.