Constitution of the Upstate Young Republicans
Adopted July 13, 2004
Amended November 23, 2005
ARTICLE I -- NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Upstate Young Republicans.
ARTICLE II -- MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to provide a welcoming and effective avenue by which Upstate Young Republicans can become involved in the party at a grassroots level, become educated about current issues and the political process, and interact with other young Republicans and party leaders.
ARTICLE III -- OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the club shall be:
a. To develop and maintain an Upstate-wide Young Republican organization;
b. To bring young people into the Republican Party;
c. To provide our members with opportunities for political expression and recognition;
d. To provide our members with opportunities to learn about the political process and the pertinent political issues of the day;
e. To provide our members with opportunities to become involved in and contribute to the development and betterment of the Republican Party within the Region and across South Carolina and the United States; and
f. To support the principles, objectives and platform of the Republican Party and to work for the election of all duly nominated Republican candidates. The club shall not, as an organization, seek to influence the nomination of any Republican primary candidate; further, the club shall not, as an organization, seek to influence the election of any candidate for Republican Party office at any level.
ARTICLE IV -- FEDERATION MEMBERSHIP
The club shall be a member of the South Carolina Federation of Young Republicans (SCFYR), which is a member of the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF).
ARTICLE V -- MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Active -- Any person who is at least eighteen (18) years of age but not
over forty (40) years of age inclusive and is a registered Republican
residing in South Carolina is eligible for active membership in the club.
Section 2. Associate -- Any registered Republican not meeting the requirements for
active member status may be an Associate member and shall have all the
rights and privileges of active members, except that he/she may not vote
or hold club office.
Section 3. Honorary -- Honorary members shall be those people so designated by a
3/4 vote of the active members present at any regular meeting of the club.
Section 4. Dues -- Annual dues for active members shall be $20.00 for a single
membership and $35.00 for a married couple. Annual dues for associate members shall be $15.00.
Section 5. Members in Good Standing -- Members in good standing shall be active
members who have paid dues for the current calendar year.
Section 6. Expulsion -- The club may, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those active
members present at a regular meeting, expel from the club any member
for any act or conduct deemed unfriendly or hostile to the best interests
of the club, provided that:
1. The executive committee has reviewed such proposed action and has made a recommendation;
2. That such member has been notified of the executive committee’s recommendation by certified mail at least one (1) week prior to the meeting;
3. And that such member has had the right and opportunity to present his defense, either himself or through a representative.
Notice of the charges against the member and a recommendation of the
executive committee must be included in the call of the meeting, and
must be received by the membership at least seventy-two (72) hours
prior to the beginning of the meeting.
ARTICLE VI -- ELECTED OFFICERS
Section 1. Designation -- The elected officers of this club shall be the Chairman,
Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. All officers shall hold office
from the Annual Meeting until their successors take office.
Section 2. Terms -- The terms for all elective offices shall be one year. No elected
officer shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.
Elected officers shall serve without compensation and must be active
members in good standing with the club.
Section 3. Vacancies -- A vacancy in an elective office shall be filled by means of
an election of the membership if more than six months of the unexpired
term remain. If fewer than six months remain, the vacancy shall be
filled by an election of the executive committee.
ARTICLE VII -- POWERS & DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1. Chairman -- The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the club and
the executive committee, appoint committees, supervise the activities of
the club, represent the club in official capacity and perform all other
duties incidental to the office.
Section 2. Vice Chairman -- The Vice Chairman shall preside in the absence of the
chairman and shall perform other duties as designated by the chairman.
Section 3. Treasurer -- The treasurer shall collect and pay out all club funds as
directed by the executive committee. He shall deposit such funds in a
depository designated by the executive committee and shall keep
accounts open at all times for inspection. He shall render accounts of
the transactions and the financial condition of the club at each regular
meeting and shall submit an annual written report to the club at the
January meeting. He shall be the chairman of the finance committee
and shall perform other duties as assigned by the chairman.
Section 4. Secretary -- The secretary shall be responsible for taking minutes at all
meetings of the club and the executive committee and shall submit a
copy of said minutes to the executive committee. He shall also be
responsible for the mailing of all announcements and/or notices and
shall perform other duties as assigned by the chairman.
ARTICLE VIII -- EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1. The executive committee shall consist of the elected officers of the club,
the immediate past chairman, and the chairmen of the standing
committees.
Section 2. Duties -- The executive committee shall plan and oversee all club
activities.
Section 3. Meetings -- Executive committee meetings shall be held at such times
and places as the board shall decide, and each executive committee
member shall receive at least five days notice from the chairman unless
said notice is waived by individual committee members. A majority of
the executive committee shall constitute a quorum. Meetings of the
executive committee are open to all club members.
ARTICLE IX -- CLUB MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular -- Regular meetings of the club shall be held at the times
designated by the executive committee of the club. All club members
must be notified at least ten (10) days prior to each regular meeting.
Section 2. Special -- Special meetings of the club may be called at any time by the
chairman, by the executive committee, or by signed petition of ten (10)
percent of the active members. Written notice must be given the
membership at least one (1) week in advance of such special meeting.
Such written notice shall contain a summary of the matters to be
considered and only such matters shall be discussed.
Section 3. Annual -- The annual meeting of the club shall be the regular meeting in
January of each year. Only those persons who have been members for
thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting may vote during the annual
meeting.
Section 4. Quorum -- A quorum shall consist of twenty (20) percent or three (3) people of the active members, whichever is greater.
ARTICLE X -- ELECTIONS
Section 1. Annual -- The election of officers shall be held at the annual meeting in
January and officers-elect shall take office at the end of that meeting.
Section 2. Nominations -- All candidates for club office shall be nominated from
the floor during the annual meeting. Only active members in good
standing may nominate a candidate for club office. Nominators shall be
give an opportunity to make a nominating speech on the candidate’s
behalf during the annual meeting. Further, all candidates for club office
shall be given an opportunity to speak during the annual meeting.
Section 3. Ballots -- Voting in all contested races shall be by secret ballot. No
proxy or absentee ballots shall be allowed. Fifty (50) percent plus one
of the votes cast shall constitute a majority for election. If no candidate
garners a majority of the votes cast on the first ballot, the two candidates
receiving the most votes will be voted upon in a runoff election.
Section 4. Meeting Chairman -- The Chairman will appoint a special Meeting
Chairman for the Annual Meeting. This appointment shall be
announced at the meeting one month prior to the Annual Meeting, and
shall be subject to the approval of the membership. The Meeting
Chairman shall not be a candidate for any elected club office.
Section 5. Tellers -- The Meeting Chairman shall appoint at least two (2) tellers
who shall dispense, collect and tabulate the vote. The tellers shall not be
a candidate for any elected club office.
ARTICLE XI -- COMMITTEES
Section 1. Standing -- The standing committees shall be as follows: Finance,
Membership, Public Relations, and Social. The Chairman may appoint
and remove chairmen of the standing committees with the approval of
the elected officers. If necessary, elected officers may be assigned to
chair committees.
Section 2. Special -- The Chairman, with the approval of the elected officers, may
appoint special committees as deemed necessary.
Section 3. Finance -- The finance committee shall be responsible for the
development and implementation of activities to raise funds for the club.
Section 4. Membership -- The membership committee shall be responsible for
actively and aggressively recruiting new members for the club, as well as
working to ensure that current members renew their memberships each
year.
Section 5. Public Relations -- The public relations committee shall be responsible
for promoting the club and its activities, both within the Republican
Party and to the general public.
Section 6. Social -- The social committee shall be responsible for organizing social
activities for the club’s members.
ARTICLE XII -- CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT
Section 1. Endorsement -- Neither the club, nor the executive committee as a
whole, nor any officers in their official capacities, shall in any way
endorse or oppose the candidacy of any Republican in a primary
election or any individual running for Republican Party office at any
level. Further, neither the club, nor the executive committee as a whole,
nor any officers in their official capacities, shall endorse any candidate
who is a member of any party other than the Republican Party.
Section 2. Penalty -- Violation of Section 1 of this article by the executive
committee as a whole or by any officer shall constitute grounds for a
vote of censure and/or removal from office by the club membership
following the voting and notification procedures outlined in Article V,
Section 6.
ARTICLE XIII -- PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Section 1. Authority -- The rules contained in “Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised”
shall govern all proceedings except when inconsistent with the
constitution and by-laws of the club.
ARTICLE XIV -- AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Submission -- A proposed amendment to this Constitution shall be
submitted in writing to the Secretary at a regular meeting of the club, at
which time it shall be read to the members. The amendments shall be
discussed and voted upon at the next meeting.
Section 2. Amendment -- This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3)
vote of those active members in good standing present at any regular
meeting, provided that Section 1 of this article has been complied with.
ARTICLE XV -- RESOLUTIONS
Section 1. Any member in good standing may bring forth a written statement of
some conviction that they feel the club should share.
Section 2. Resolutions will be adopted by a simple majority vote of the members
present and in good standing at a regular meeting of the club.
Resolutions adopted by the club are to be kept in the permanent files
maintained by the secretary.