Preamble

In order to promote a better America – with equality, opportunity, and freedom – within a just
and strong society, we dedicate ourselves to organizing the participation of Democratic college
students in the State of New York. Our mission as a student organization is to help elect
Democrats from the grassroots level up, train and engage new generations of democratic student
activists, shape the Democratic Party with voices from America's youth, and to become a potent
political voice on the issues that impact the student population. In this mission, we call for full
participation of all New York students, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin,
religion, physical handicap, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation or gender identity.
Understanding the importance of participation in the Democratic Party to the preservation of our
values and principles, we, Democratic college students, do hereby associate ourselves and adopt
this Constitution as the College Democrats of New York. The College Democrats of New York is
the official student outreach arm of the New York State Democratic Committee and is part of the
College Democrats of America, the official student outreach arm of the Democratic National
Committee.

Article 1: Name, Purpose, and Structure.

Section I. Name. The name of this organization shall be the "College Democrats of New York,"
hereinafter referred to in the document as CDNY.

Section II. Purpose. CDNY, as the collegiate arm of the Democratic Party, pledge to support the
philosophy and purpose of the Democratic Party. Furthermore, CDNY declares their intention to
support efforts to increase the participation of college students in Democratic Party affairs. To
these ends, CDNY shall educate and train their members so that they may be better able to:
A. Educate students about the philosophy of the Democratic Party;
B. Assist in the election of local, state, and national Democratic candidates and;
C. Work to bring more people into the political process.
D. Overall, to achieve the goals of CDNY and the Democratic Party

Section III. State Regions. For the purposes of assuring that colleges in all areas of New York
are represented, the state shall be divided into seven state regions: the Capital Region, the
Central New York Region, the Finger Lakes Region, the Hudson Valley Region, the New York
City/ Long Island Region, the North Country Region, the and the Western New York Region
A. The New York City/Long Island Region shall include all colleges in the Bronx, New
York, Richmond, Kings, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk counties;
B. The Hudson Valley Region shall include all colleges in Greene, Columbia, Dutchess,
Ulster, Sullivan, Orange, Putnam, Westchester, and Rockland counties;
C. The Capital Region shall include all colleges in Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady,
Saratoga, Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie, Fulton, Montgomery, and Washington
counties;
D. The Central New York Region shall include all colleges in Oneida, Oswego, Madison,
Onondaga, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Chenango, Broome, and Tioga counties;
 E. The Finger Lakes Region shall include all colleges in Cayuga, Seneca, Yates, Ontario,
Wayne, Monroe, Livingston, Schuyler and Tompkins counties;
F. The North Country Region shall include all colleges in the Warren, Essex, Clinton,
Franklin, Hamilton, St. Lawrence, Herkimer, Lewis and Jefferson counties; and
G. The Western New York Region shall include all colleges in the Orleans, Genesee,
Wyoming, Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua counties Chemung, Steuben and
Allegany counties;
Starting in 2011 and following once every two years, the CDNY executive board shall reevaluate
the makeup of chapters in individual regions, and vote on any changes necessary to keep regions
balanced and viable. A majority of the Executive Board members are needed to make any
changes.

Section IV. Members.

Members of CDNY organization shall consist of the following entities:
A. The Executive Board;
B. The State Council;
C. The chartered Campus Chapters; and
D. Membership at large
Section V. Structure. CDNY shall serve as an umbrella organization for chartered Campus
Chapters. While CDNY will coordinate with each organization, they remain separate entities
under the CDNY. The overall structure of the CDNY shall be as follows:
A. The Executive Board, which shall define and carry out the direction of goals of CDNY.
B. The State Council shall be the official voice of chapters within CDNY.
C. The chartered Campus Chapters shall be the most basic and fundamental unit within
CDNY.
D. The membership at large shall be composed of all the members of the chartered chapters
as well as college students wishing to be known as College Democrats at institutions in
New York that lack a chartered chapter. These individuals must have the best interests of
the Democratic Party, College Democrats of America, and CDNY at heart, regardless of
sex, race, ethnic origin, religion, physical handicap, socioeconomic status, or sexual
orientation.

Article 2: Executive Board.

Section I. Authority and Responsibility.
The responsibilities of the Executive Board shall be as follows:
A. Determine the agenda and policy of CDNY
B. Coordinate all statewide activities and events
C. Formulate a state platform, to be approved and adopted at each year’s Convention.
D. Hold the right to independently endorse candidates engaged in Democratic primaries that
reflect the values and goals of CDNY.
i. CDNY shall endorse a candidate with a 2/3rds vote of the executive board.
Section II. Executive Board Composition.
The Executive Board shall consist of: The President, the Vice-President, the Legislative Director,
the Communications Director, the Finance Director, the Development Director, the Membership
Director, the Secretary, as well as the Chairs of the seven regions.
**The positions of Vice President, Membership Director, and Development Director were
created as of the 2009 CDNY Convention. These changes are reflected in Amendment III.
All positions will be elected once yearly at the General Elections at the CDNY convention for
terms beginning on May 15th of the year in which they were elected until May 14th of the
following year. The procedure for Executive Board elections is stated in Article 7.

Section III. Duties of the President.

The President shall:
A. Attend and preside over meetings of the Executive Board, and provide seasonal
reports to the Executive Board;
B. With the assistance of the Vice President, will be responsible for the implementation
of the goals of the CDNY as set by the Executive Board;
C. Reaching out to and maintaining ties with Democratic elected officials, Democratic
campaigns, and Democratic-leaning organizations in the State;
D. Appoint ex-officio members of the Executive Board with the advice and consent of
the Executive Board;
E. Establish committees to facilitate CDNY’s goals as needed and appoint members to
them with the advice and consent of the Executive Board; and
F. The President, with the advice and consent of the Executive Board, shall have the
ability to create additional non-voting positions, and appoint individuals to fill those
positions.

Section IV. Duties of the Vice President.

The Vice President shall:
A. Assist the President in the performance of his or her duties;
B. Act as President when the President is unavailable or unable to perform his or her
duties;
C. Assume the office, powers and duties of the President upon the President’s death,
resignation, removal, or inability to perform duties;
D. Oversee current projects of the Executive Board in CDNY in consult with the
President;
E. Have the authority to deal directly with leaders of other State Federations and College
Democrats of America with consent of the President;
F. Oversee and direct the activities and goals of the regional chairs; and
 G. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her
choosing with consent of the President.

Section V. Duties of the Political Director.

The Political Director shall:
A. Attend Executive Board meetings, assist in determining the goals of the CDNY, and
provide monthly reports to the President on the first Sunday of every month;
B. Along with the President, be responsible for the implementation of the Legislative
goals of CDNY, as set by the Executive Board;
C. Identify political issues on the state and local levels that affect college students and
organize CDNY lobbying efforts;
D. Act as the liaison between CDNY and the political campaigns and elected officials
that CDNY supports, and also orchestrate and execute all CDNY campaign invasions;
E. Act as the liaison between CDNY and other organizations – including but not limited
to – College Democrats of America, the New York State Young Democrats, The
Democratic Lawyers Council, Unions, and other Progressive organizations; and
F. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her
choosing with consent of the President.

Section VI. Duties of the Communications Director.

The Director of Communications Shall:
A. Attend Executive Board meetings, assist in determining the direction and goals of the
CDNY, and provide monthly reports to the President on the first Sunday of every
month;
B. Along with the President, be responsible for the implementation of the
communications goals of the CDNY as set by the Executive Board; including, but not
limited to, developing and implementing a coherent message strategy;
C. Maintain the CDNY press list and public relations;
D. Notify media of all events of the College Democrats in an attempt to ensure media
coverage;
E. Organize and execute all of CDNY’s communications, electronic and otherwise, both
within the CDNY membership and to outside organizations; and
F. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her
choosing with consent of the President.

Section VII. Duties of the Finance Director.

The Finance Director shall:
A. Attend Executive Board meetings, assist in determining the directions and goals of
CDNY and provide monthly reports to the Chair on the first Sunday of every month;
 B. Along with the President and Development Director, be responsible for the
implementation of the financial goals of the CDNY as set by the Executive Board;
C. Along with the Development Director, report to the President on the financial outlook
of the organization;
D. Maintain CDNY's financial records;
E. Have the power to approve all expenditures up to $50. Any expenditure in excess of
$50 must be approved by a majority Executive Board vote;
F. Set fundraising goals for CDNY and work with the President and Development
Director to reach those goals;
G. Maintain organizational compliancy with the Federal Election Commission (FEC);
and
H. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her
choosing with consent of the President.

Section VIII. Duties of the Development Director.

The Development Director shall:
A. Attend Executive Board meetings, assist in determining the directions and goals of
CDNY and provide monthly reports to the Chair on the first Sunday of every month;
B. Along with the Finance Director, report to the President on the financial outlook of
the organization;
C. Organize and execute all fundraising activities of CDNY – this includes but is not
limited to – fundraising events and/or physical and electronic solicitations;
D. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her
choosing with consent of the President.

Section IX. Duties of the Membership Director.

The Membership Director shall:
A. Attend Executive Board meetings, assist in determining the directions and goals of
CDNY and provide monthly reports to the Chair on the first Sunday of every month;
B. Along with the President, be responsible for the implementation of the membership
goals of the CDNY as set by the Executive Board;
C. Coordinate activities between other College Democrats chapters with consent from
the President;
D. Assist regional directors in cultivating new college chapters, as well as helping
support current chapters ;
E. be responsible for chapter certification; and
F. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her
choosing with consent of the President.
Section X. Duties of the Secretary.
The Secretary shall:
A. Attend Executive Board meetings, assist in determining the directions and goals of
CDNY and provide monthly reports to the President on the first Sunday of every
month;
B. Supervise elections of CDNY positions and tabulate results
C. Set up CDNY Executive Board meetings (including, but not limited to conference
calls), and record the minutes of each Executive Board meeting; and
D. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her
choosing with consent of the President.

Section XI. Duties of the New Media Director.

The position of New Media director shall be an appointed position, and hold a non-voting seat on
the Executive Board.
The New Media Director shall:
A. Attend Executive Board meetings, assist in determining the directions and goals of
CDNY and provide monthly reports to the Chair on the first Sunday of every month;
B. Update and ensure the maintenance of the College Democrats online presence;
C. Along with the Communications Director, develop a coherent online communications
strategy; and
D. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her
choosing with consent of the President.

Section XII. Duties of the Regional Chairs:

Each Regional Chair shall:
A. Attend Executive Board meetings to assist in determining the directions and goals of
CDNY and provide bi-monthly reports to the President;
B. Along with the President, Political Director, and Membership Director, be responsible for
the implementation of the political and membership goals of the CDNY as set by the
Executive Board;
C. Act as a representative of all the Region’s chapters;
D. Assist in reaching out to and maintaining ties with Democratic elected officials,
Democratic campaigns, and Democratic-leaning organizations in the Region;
E. Reach out to people interested in starting new Regional chapters and assist them in
forming a new chapter;
F. Preside over monthly meetings with their respective chapter Presidents and then submit a
report of the condition of the region to the Vice-President. These meetings may be in
person or on conference call;
 G. Perform such duties as the President may assign and take on projects of his or her
choosing with consent of the President.

Section XIII. Meetings: The Executive Board shall meet on a regular basis determined by the
President or the majority of the Executive Board. Three (3) days notice of said meeting must be
given to all Executive Board members.

Section XIV. Annual Strategic Plan: No later than one month following the State Convention,
the Executive Board shall establish a set of goals for the year in which every officer will be
assigned official duties. All officers will be required to submit written reports on the first Sunday
of every month to the President detailing their pursuit of these objectives.

Section XV. Quorum. A quorum of the Executive Board shall be a majority of the elected
officers of the Executive Board members present, in person, by conference calls, or by electronic
communication.

Section XVI. Vacancies. A vacancy shall be declared when a member of the Executive Board
dies, resigns, or is removed from office. If the vacancy is in any position other than the President,
the President shall nominate a successor who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority
vote of the remaining Executive Board. If the Chair of any particular region is vacant, then the
Vice-President shall serve as Chair of the Region lacking a Chair until a successor is nominated
and confirmed.
If position of the President becomes vacant, the CDNY Executive Board shall refer to the line of
succession listed in Article 2, Section XVII, Part C.

Section XVII. Removal. Executive Board members may be removed in the following manner:
A. Cause for Removal: Cause for removal shall be defined as malfeasance, misfeasance,
or nonfeasance of constitutionally-assigned duties, being convicted of a felony, or
upon other grounds found by all of the other members of the Executive Board to
constitute good and sufficient cause;
B. Process for Removal: To begin the process for removal, a member of the Executive
Board must make a motion for removal. After the motion is seconded, it will
automatically be layed on the table with no vote. The officer being removed must be
contacted that a motion for removal has been made and that it will be voted on at the
next meeting. Motion will come to a vote at the next schedule meeting. The motion
for removal needs two-thirds majority of the Executive Board.
C. Line of Succession: In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death
or resignation, the line of succession is as follows: the Vice President, the Political
Director, the Secretary, the Communications Director, the Finance Director, the
Development Director, the seven regions chairs in order of length of service to
CDNY.
Section XVIII. National Representation and Procedure.
A. National Council Representation: As specified in Article 3, Section III of the
Constitution of the College Democrats of America, the CDNY President and the next
highest-ranking member of the opposite gender shall represent CDNY on the CDA
National Council.
B. National Convention Voting Procedure: For the elections of College Democrats of
America National Officers, the members of the CDNY delegation shall determine by
majority vote the method by which New York’s votes shall be allotted. No member of
the Executive Board running for national office may participate in this vote.

Article 3: State Council.

Section I. Purpose. The purpose of the State Council shall be to provide a voice for state
chapters and the grassroots organizing within the organization.
Section II. Rights & Responsibilities. The State Council members shall make themselves
available to the Executive Board for advice. The State Council shall meet at the state convention.
Each NY State Council member shall be responsible for passing down relevant information to
their chapter's membership.
Section III. Membership. The membership of the State Council shall include one representative
of each chartered state chapter. The State Council shall elect a chair who shall:
A. Be a state chapter representative, and will be elected on an annual basis by the
membership of the State Council at the State Convention. In the event that no chair is
elected at the State Convention, a chair will be elected at the subsequent meeting, as
determined by the Executive Board.
B. Attend Executive Board meetings and advise in determining the goals of CDNY.
Section IV. Quorum. A quorum of the State Council shall be a majority of the members present,
in person, by conference calls, or by electronic communication of the State Council and a
majority of the Executive Board to constitute a Quorum.

Article 3: Campus Chapters

Section I. Definition. Chartered Campus Chapters shall be the most basic and fundamental unit
within CDNY. There may be only one Campus Chapter per college campus.

Section II. Purpose. As member organizations of CDNY, chartered Campus Chapters shall be
dedicated to educating members of their college community about the philosophy of the CDNY
and organizing them to further the interests of the Democratic Party. Each CDNY Campus
Chapter shall extend membership to all registered college students who wish to be known as
College Democrats regardless of sex, race, ethnic origin, religion, physical handicap,
socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation. For these purposes, a "college student" shall mean
an undergraduate or graduate student including those on approved temporary leave or absence
from their college.
Section III. Chapter Certification. Campus chapters applying for a charter shall at a minimum
provide the Membership Director with the names, permanent and school addresses, emails, and
phone numbers of all officers, as well as a chapter Constitution, charter, or set or by-laws. A copy
of the chapter constitution must be submitted. All CDNY chapters must also be certified by the
College Democrats of America. Chapters must apply for certification annually; all materials must
be submitted by May 21st of each year.

Section IV. Chapter Decertification:. Chartered Campuses may be decertified in the following
manner:
A. Cause for Decertification: As specified in Article 5, Section V of the Constitution of
the College Democrats of America, cause for revoking a chapter's charter shall be
defined as "malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance of assigned duties, or upon
other grounds by a member of the Executive Board" to constitute good and sufficient
cause.
B. Process for Decertification: As specified in Article 5, Section V of the Constitution of
the College Democrats of America, to begin the process for decertification, a member
of the Executive Board must charge the officers of the Campus Chapter in question
with the reasons for the decertification at least two weeks before the Executive Board
meeting at which the Chapter's decertification will be voted upon. Officers of the
Campus Chapter in question must be offered an opportunity at or before that meeting,
either in person, by phone, by mail, or by email, to defend their actions directly to the
Executive Board. A majority vote by the Executive Board shall rule on the Chapter in
question's decertification.

Article 5: The Membership at Large

Section I. Definition. The membership at large shall be composed of all the members of the
chartered chapters and college students wishing to be known as College Democrats at institutions
in New York that lack a chartered chapter who have the best interests of the Democratic Party,
College Democrats of America, and CDNY at heart, regardless of sex, race, ethnic origin,
religion, physical handicap, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation.

Article 6: State Convention

Section I. Definition. A State Convention shall be held on an annual basis at a location set by the
Executive Board.

Section II. The purposes of the State Convention are:

A. To train and educate CDNY members in political techniques
B. To allow CDNY members to meet fellow College Democrats from across the state of
New York
C. To host Democratic political speakers.
D. To hold elections for all CDNY Executive Board positions.
Section III: Location. A certified campus chapter that shall be selected by a majority of the
Executive Board shall host The Annual Statewide Convention. Two consecutive Statewide
Conventions cannot be held in the same region.

Section IV: Membership. The State Convention shall be governed by the Temporary Rules of the
Convention, as adopted by the Executive Board prior to the Convention. Candidates for the
Executive Board must be enrolled as full-time or part-time student for at least one quarter or
semester of undergraduate or graduate education during the academic year following the
election.

Section V: Executive Board Elections.

A. Eligibility to be a Candidate: All candidates must be members in good standing at a
certified CDNY chapter. Only regional members are eligible to run for and vote for
regional positions. All candidates must be present at the CDNY convention.
B. Eligibility to Vote: Each CDNY member in good standing of a certified chapter who
attends and properly registers for convention, according to the procedure established by
the Executive Board and host chapter or chapters shall be considered a voting delegate
for his or her respective chapter
C. Nominations: Candidates shall have the opportunity to declare their intention to run for
an Executive Board position by filing a statement of candidacy with the Secretary prior to
the convention. Candidates may also be nominated by any two or more delegates from at
least two different chapters directly before their election.
D. Speeches & Questions: Each candidate shall be allowed the opportunity to give a speech
prior to voting. The maximum time that a candidate may speak shall be 5 minutes for
Presidential Candidates, 4 minutes for Vice Presidential Candidates, and 3 minutes for
each other office. Following all the speeches for a given office, delegates shall be allowed
to ask questions of all the candidates.
E. Election Chair: The Secretary shall chair the elections, except when the Secretary is a
candidate; in this instance the highest-ranking Executive Board member who is not a
candidate in the election in question shall chair the election. In the event that all
Executive Board members are candidates, the State Council Chair shall chair the election.
F. Voting:
i. The Secretary shall preside over all election other than her own. The Legislative
Director shall administer the election for Secretary.
ii. Each certified chapter shall be allocated five votes, plus one vote per delegate.
Each delegate from a non-certified chapter shall be given one vote per delegate.
iii. Elections for each office shall take place directly following the speeches and
questions of the candidates for that office.
iv. The Host Chapter shall receive a maximum of one more vote than the largest
chapter in attendance.
v. The order offices shall be elected in shall be: President, the Vice President, the
Political Director, the Secretary, the Communications Director, the Finance
Director, the Development Director, and the seven regions chairs.
 vi. In order to win, a candidate must receive more than half of all votes cast. If no
candidate receive this many votes, there shall be a runoff between the two
candidates receiving the most votes.

Article 7: Parliamentary Authority.

Section I. The rules contained in the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised
shall govern the CDNY in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not
inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the CDNY may adopt.

Article 8: Amendments
Section I. Procedures. This constitution can be amended by:
A. The Constitutional Committee shall advise the membership on revisions and amendments
to the CDNY Constitution annually at the State Convention. A two-thirds (2/3) vote at the
State Convention of those chartered Chapters present. For these purposes, each chartered
Chapter shall have one vote;
B. Unanimous vote in favor in two consecutive Executive Board meetings, provided that the
chartered chapters later vote by a majority in favor of the Amendment.

Amendment I
All members of the executive board and of all chapters of CDNY are expected to act in a moral
and ethical manner at all times when acting in their official capacity as members of CDNY.
Acting in a blatantly unethical manner can result in removal from office under the rules provided
in Article 2 Section VII.

Amendment II
An executive board member acting in an official capacity must share any and all information
received from national candidates with the chapters of CDNY, regardless of individual or other
preferences without expressing any bias or the exertion of undue influence. Any executive board
member found to have purposely withheld information on any candidates to aid one candidate
over another, can be removed from office under the rules provided in Article 2 Section VII

Amendment III
As of the 2009 CDNY Convention, the positions of Vice-President, Development Director, and
Membership Director, shall become elected positions. The duties of these offices are listed in
Article 2, Sections IV, VIII, and IX respectively.