El Paso County Young Dems Charter

PREAMBLE

We, the El Paso County Young Democrats, hereby dedicate ourselves to empowering young people to engage in the democratic process through education, opportunity, and action to promote our progressive values and strengthen our influence in politics.

ARTICLE I

Name and Affiliation

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be “The El Paso County Young Dems” and may be appropriately referred to as “EPCYD”.

Section 2. This organization shall, without objection, be affiliated with the Colorado Young Dems.

Section 3. This organization shall, without objection, be affiliated with the El Paso County Democratic Party.

ARTICLE II

Guiding Principles

Section 1. This organization shall be beneficial to Young Democrats.

Section 2. This organization shall support Democratic candidates for office. As representatives of younger Democratic voters, this organization will primarily focus on supporting and endorsing Young Dem candidates. If there is no Democratic candidate or Democratic-affiliated candidate for office, this organization, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, may choose to support or endorse an independent or unaffiliated candidate.

Section 3. This organization may endorse or oppose non-candidate ballot initiatives by a unanimous vote of the executive Committee. If any Committee member chooses to recuse themself from such a vote due to a conflict of interest or similar reason, a “unanimous vote” in this circumstance shall be defined as all voting Committee members, excluding the recused member.

Section 4. The Executive Committee and this organization’s members shall not endorse or oppose candidates or ballot issues when representing themself as a representative of this organization, unless this organization expresses support, as per the previous Sections of this Article.

Section 5. As countywide representatives, this organization shall promote and support the development of other chapters of Young Dems including but not limited to high school, college, local, and county chapters.

ARTICLE III

Membership

Section 1. All Young Democrats in El Paso County shall be eligible for membership in this organization. A Young Democrat is defined as:

1. Any person who has not yet attained the age of thirty-six (36)

2. Any person who wishes to be identified as a Young Democrat, and either

a. is registered Democrat or Unaffiliated, or

b. has not yet attained the age of eighteen (18)

Section 2. Eligible Young Democrats may be required, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, to register for membership with The El Paso County Young Dems to be an active member of this organization.

ARTICLE IV

Executive Committee

Section 1. This organization shall be governed by an Executive Committee, composed of a Chair, Vice Chair, Second Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary elected by popular vote of the membership. With an additional two members from each associated club elected by the respective club’s membership and an additional three members nominated and confirmed Cabinet Members, for a total of Eight (8) members plus two per associated club.

Section 2. The Chair shall be responsible for nominating an official member of The El Paso County Young Democrats to fill three cabinet positions, comprising the Growth Team Leader, Action Team Leader, and Support Team Leader. After being nominated, the nominee must then be confirmed by The El Paso County Executive Committee by a vote of no less than a majority before ascending to the position in which the candidate was nominated.

1. Cabinet Officials serve at the behest of The Chair of The El Paso County Young Democrats and thus can be removed from post by The El Paso County Young Democrats Chair without a vote of The El Paso County Young Democrats Executive Committee.

2. For all legal purposes, Cabinet Officials are to be considered Executive Committee members with equal voting privileges and obligations regarding Article IV of this document.

Section 3. A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be defined as forty percent (40%) of committee members.

Section 4. The Executive Committee shall meet at least six (6) times each year, with no more than two (2) meetings in any month qualifying to meet this obligation. In the event the Executive Committee does not meet this obligation, the Committee shall be considered dissolved and a popular vote of the membership shall be held to determine a new Committee administered by the Colorado Young Dems.

Section 5. An automatic Motion to Vacate is made following a member of the Executive Committee’s absence from the entirety of two of the committee’s meetings in a row. In the event an executive Committee member fails to meet this obligation, this may serve as grounds for removal by a Super-majority vote with two-thirds of the other members of the executive Committee in favor.

Section 6. Serving as an Executive Committee member of this organization is contingent on maintaining eligibility as a member. In the event an executive Committee member loses that eligibility (i.e., due to change in age, political affiliation, or residency), and, upon ten (10) days notice, that Committee member either cannot or does not come into compliance with the requirements for membership, he or she shall be removed from the Executive Committee effective as of the next Executive Committee meeting. At the discretion of the Executive Committee, a member of the Executive Committee who no longer meets the membership eligibility requirements due to age may continue to serve through the end of their respective term.

Section 7. Any Committee member who actively undermines The El Paso County Young Dems violates this Charter, repeatedly fails to attend or participate in The El Paso County Young Dems meetings or activities, repeatedly fails to execute their duties, or who otherwise similarly obstructs the mission of The El Paso County Young Dems, may be removed by a majority vote of serving Committee members. The Committee member(s) under consideration for removal must be notified via reasonable communication methods at least five (5) days prior to the intent to remove them. The Committee member(s) under consideration for removal may make an appeal on the record to the other executive Committee members prior to the removal vote.

Section 8. In the event of a vacancy on the Executive Committee, the Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement Executive Committee member from this organization’s membership by a Super-majority unanimous vote with two-thirds supporting to fill the remainder of the former Committee member’s term. Appointments to fill a vacancy shall be made within thirty (30) days of the vacancy.

Section 9. The Executive Committee shall have the power to create and dissolve special and/or temporary committees for specific purposes, defined by the Executive Committee. These committees shall be composed of any group of three (3) or more members, appointed by the Executive Committee.

Section 10. All expenses shall be made only to benefit this organization in following its guiding principles. Expenses over one thousand dollars shall be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

Section 11. The Executive Committee of this organization shall have sole authority over decisions of the organization, with the exception of the dissolution of the Committee. All decisions, except where stated otherwise, are considered binding with a majority vote of the entire Executive Committee.

Section 12. The members of the Executive Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

Chair: The Chair shall be the chief executive officer of the El Paso County Young Democrats, with all duties and obligations incumbent with the position, and shall carry out the mandate of the Executive Committees, issue the call to and preside at all meetings of the Executive Committees, serve as an ex officio member of all committees, supervise the business and financial affairs of EPCYD, oversee all targeted campaigns within the state, act as the public spokesperson for the El Paso County Young Democrats, and shall not be a voting member of any committee unless when acting as the tie-breaking vote when necessary.

First Vice-Chair: The First Vice-Chair shall perform such tasks as assigned by the Chair necessary to carry out the duties of the Chair. In the absence of the Chair, the First Vice Chair shall preside at all meetings and exercise all authority of the Chair.

Secretary: The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Executive Committees, maintain the files and records of the El Paso County Young Democrats, ensure meeting details are announced promptly, and perform other duties as requested by the Chair.

Treasurer: The Treasurer shall coordinate with the El Paso County Democratic Party to make all payments mandated by the El Paso County Young Democrats, provide written accounts of receipts and disbursements at each meeting of the Executive Committees, participate in the writing of each fiscal year’s budget, and oversee the fundraising efforts of the El Paso County Young Democrats.

Second Vice Chair: The Second Vice Chair shall perform such tasks as assigned by the Chair necessary to carry out the duties of the Chair. In the absence of the Chair and the First Vice Chair, The Second Vice Chair shall preside at all meetings and exercise all authority of the Chair.

ARTICLE V

Elections

Section 1. Elections of the Executive Committee shall be held within sixty days of The El Paso County Democratic Party Reorganization Elections. Alternatively, if cause demands, The Executive Committee can, with a unanimous vote and written approval from The Chair of The Colorado Young Dems, organize a snap election for all members of The Executive Committee.

Section 2. The current Executive Committee shall be responsible for organizing elections, including the date, time, and location, each providing for reasonable attendance and participation of members and candidates for the Executive Committee. The current Executive Committee shall work with the Colorado Young Dems to ensure best practices and Party rules are followed and may include the Colorado Young Dems Executive Board in the organization of the elections and creation of election procedures. No current Committee member seeking to serve on the Committee for the following year will be involved in the election. If all current Executive Committee members are candidates for the Executive Committee, the current Executive Committee shall work with the Colorado Young Dems Executive Board and the El Paso County Democratic Party Officers to identify an election committee to conduct the election, including but not limited to the verification of candidate and member eligibility and vote tallying.

Section 3. The election shall be announced and sufficiently publicized by the outgoing Executive Committee, including through all normal communication mediums no later than twenty (20) days prior to the date of the election.

Section 4. Only eligible and registered members of this organization may be candidates for the Executive Committee. Candidates may declare their candidacy at any time following the previous election but must declare their candidacy no later than ninety-six (96) hours prior to the time of the next scheduled election, in order to verify eligibility. Known declared candidates shall be included when all other candidates are being publicized. All candidates shall be given equal opportunity to be promoted through the means of this organization. Candidates for the Executive Committee need not be present on the date of election to be eligible. Nothing in this section precludes the current Executive Committee from establishing a deadline for members to declare their candidacy for inclusion in online ballots or early voting if such methods are used.

Section 5. The Executive Committee composed of a Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, and Second Vice Chair shall be elected by a popular vote of this organization’s membership.

Section 6. Voting may be conducted in any fashion that allows for the greatest participation of this organization’s membership but shall include in-person voting on the date of the election. All voting methods shall include reasonable assurance of security to prevent fraud or vote manipulation, including a method to ensure that only votes cast by eligible members are tallied. Election procedures shall be made available to all declared candidates.

Section 7. Votes shall not be tallied by any candidate for the Executive Committee, including candidates serving on the current Executive Committee. Candidates shall have the right to observe vote tallying.

Section 8. Any candidate for the Executive Committee may, with reasonable cause, challenge the outcome of the election. In the event of such a challenge, the current Executive Committee shall compile and organize all relevant election records for review by the leadership of the Colorado Young Dems, without the involvement of any candidates for the Executive Committee. The Colorado Young Dems may seek clarification from the Executive Committee, but the Committee should otherwise not be involved in the challenge investigation. If the leadership of the Colorado Young Dems determines that the outcome of the election was in error, the winners then determined by the leadership shall take office with the incoming Executive Committee, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Section 9. The total number of valid votes cast may be made public with the election results and must be provided to members upon request. Democratic Party Rules do not allow for secret ballots and The El Paso County Young Dems must retain records of ballots for review for a period of forty-five (45) days after any election.

Section 10. Executive Committee terms shall start seven (7) days from the day of the election. The current and incoming executive committee shall communicate about the organization’s business during this seven (7) day transition period.

Section 11. The Executive Committee members shall serve a term of one (1) year and are eligible for consecutive terms as long as they meet the criteria for membership. The term may be reasonably extended or shortened, by a unanimous executive committee vote, to accommodate the actual date of the election, provided the election falls within the guidance outlined in Article V, Section 1.

ARTICLE VI

Bylaws

Section 1. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to draft bylaws or other guiding documents beneficial to serving the purposes outlined in this Charter.

Section 2. No bylaws or other guiding documents shall supersede anything explicit or implied in this Charter.

Section 3. The Chair may appoint members to an Advisory Committee composed of Democrats who do not meet the age requirement to be considered Young Dems. At the discretion of the Executive Committee, the members of the Advisory Committee shall have the right to participate, but not vote, in Executive Committee meetings.

ARTICLE VII

Changes to Charter

Section 1. Changes to this Charter can be made only by a vote of the members of this organization. A majority of the voters must approve the change and there must be at least eight (8) members who vote.

Section 2. The Executive Committee can, at any time, call for a vote of the members to approve changes to this Charter. Such a vote must be sufficiently publicized by the Executive Committee, including through all normal communication mediums, held no sooner than twenty (20) days after the date of the announcement. In-person voting is not necessary for Charter changes so long as other reasonable means for voting are provided and voting eligibility is verified.

Section 3. Any member of this organization can propose changes to this Charter by collecting a number of valid signatures from eligible members equal to two-thirds of the number of voters in the last Executive Committee election, rounded up in case of a fraction. A vote on those proposed changes by this organization’s members shall take place at the discretion of the Executive Committee, but no later than the next scheduled Executive Committee election. Proposed changes and signatures can be submitted at any time, but must be submitted to the Executive Committee no later than ten (10) days prior to the next scheduled Executive Committee election for them to be voted on in that election. Proposed changes shall be sufficiently publicized by the Executive Committee, including through all normal communication mediums. Proposed changes shall not conflict with other parts of the Charter to be considered a valid request for changes.