Bylaws - SILICON VALLEY YOUNG DEMOCRATS

ARTICLE I: NAME AND AFFILIATION

Section 1 Name
1. The name of this organization shall be the Silicon Valley Young Democrats (hereinafter, “SVYD”).
Section 2 Affiliation
1. SVYD will be chartered with, and affiliated with the California Young Democrats (CYD), California Democratic Council, Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee, California Democratic Party, and through the California Young Democrats affiliated with Young Democrats of America.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: Membership Types:
1. SVYD shall have two types of membership: (1) Active Members; and (2) Associate Members.
2. Active Member Identification Guidelines: Membership shall be open to persons who are at least 14 years old and not more than 35 years old who reside or work in Santa Clara County, and are registered with the Democratic Party, or if not eligible to vote, have pledged support to the Democratic Party. The term of Membership runs until the end of an SVYD Year. An Active Member shall be identified as members who have paid dues and have attended at least two SVYD Membership Meetings and/or SVYD Events in the past twelve (12) months.
3. Associate Member Identification Guidelines: An Associate Member shall be identified as those whom do not qualify as members, but live within California, are registered to vote, and have paid Associate Member dues. Associate Members do not have voting privileges.
Section 2: Dues
1. SVYD shall have three types of dues: (1) Active Member; (2) Student/Low Income Active Member; (3) Associate Membership. Dues may be collected at any time and shall remain in effect for twelve (12) months from date of payment. Dues shall not be pro-rated.
2. Active Members shall pay annual dues of $20.00, and they will receive one or more direct reminders of their next date of annual payment of dues as it approaches.
3. The dues may be reduced by the President or Financial Director to $10.00 for students and any others of limited financial means and will be considered Active Members.
4. Associate Member dues are $100.00 annually.
Section 3: Active Membership Privileges
1. All Active Members are entitled to the following, without limitation:
  1. One vote on any issue being voted upon at any meeting of the membership. Active Members shall have the power to vote upon all matters of general interest to SVYD. Notably, Active Members are prohibited from voting by proxy at any meeting or in any election and only Active Members present at a meeting are entitled to vote.
  2. Eligibility to participate on any committee. Committees and subcommittees organized by officers may be composed solely of eligible individuals chosen by the organizing officer. Likewise, committees may also be open to all eligible members.
  3. Attendance at all meetings of the Membership and other activities. However, attendance at some activities may be contingent upon financial contributions, admission fees or space limitations.
Section 4: SVYD Year
1. An SVYD Year shall begin on July 1 and end on June 30 of the following calendar year.

ARTICLE III: EXECUTIVE BOARD AND OFFICERS

Section 1: Executive Board
1. The Executive Board shall be comprised of the SVYD Officers, each Officer having one vote on each issue before the Executive Board.
2. The Executive Board shall not have the sole power to establish agenda or discussion items for SVYD meetings. That power is shared with the Active Members.
Section 2: Officers
1. The Officers shall be a President, Vice President, Membership Director, Financial Director, Secretary, and Political Director.
2. All Officers shall be Active Members of SVYD.
Section 3: Officer Duties and Powers
1. The SVYD Officers shall have the following duties and powers. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Bylaws, the Executive Board retains the power to override any act or function of any Officer by a simple majority. The following are required duties of all Officers:
  1. All officers shall represent the collective interests and integrity of the General Membership.
  2. All officers must read and be familiar with the SVYD bylaws.
  3. All officers must be familiar with Roberts’ Rules of Orders.
  4. All officers must upon election, immediately take an FPPC training course at the earliest available time.
  5. All officers are responsible for transference of duties and training of their successors.
  6. If there is a Political Action Committee (PAC), all officers are responsible for ensuring the timely filing of a Form 410, notifying the FPPC of a change of leadership and responsibility.
  7. The Executive Board by majority vote may alter, limit, or override any decision of any officer.
2. President: The President shall be the chief representative of SVYD. The President shall represent SVYD at California Young Democrat Conventions and Executive Board Meetings. The President shall have the following duties and powers:
  1. Attend all events sponsored by the Silicon Valley Young Democrats or ensure that the Executive Board is represented by another Officer;
  2. Attend all the Northern California Regional Meetings of CYD or ensure that the Executive Board is represented by another Officer;
  3. Serve as delegation chair to the CYD state convention or ensure that the Executive Board is represented by another Officer;
  4. Act as the SVYD media spokesperson.
3. Vice President: The Vice President shall have the following duties and powers:
  1. Establish the agenda for each SVYD meeting with the Executive Board;
  2. Preside over all meetings;
  3. Appoint chairpersons of all standing committees, as needed;
  4. Be an ex-officio member of all SVYD standing committees;
  5. Remove anyone from any appointed position with majority support of the Executive Board;
  6. Be Acting President in the absence of the President, automatically assuming all powers, duties, and responsibilities of the President. If there is a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President shall automatically vacate the office of Vice President and fill the office of President, assuming all powers, duties and responsibilities associated with that position until an election can be held at the earliest possible General Membership Meeting. For the purposes of Executive Board and General Meetings, if assuming the role of Acting President, they will still only have one vote.
4. Membership Director (MD): The MD shall have the following duties and powers:
  1. Actively preside over SVYD membership and recruitment.
  2. Encourage members to attend SVYD events and support SVYD-endorsed campaigns.
  3. At the discretion of the President and Executive Board, the MD shall chair the Membership Committee.
  4. Record meeting attendance
  5. Develop and keep a current membership list:
    1. The list may not be shared outside of the Executive Board and chartered organizations
    2. Maintain and update SVYD mailing lists;
    3. Verifies membership prior to elections and all votes, assisted by the Secretary.
    4. Assist the President; and
    5. For the purposes of organization chartering and affiliation, confirmation of membership list must be completed prior to chartering processes each year.
5. Financial Director: The Financial Director shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
  1. Maintain a copy of each check issued from the SVYD account, keeping records accurate for 4 year intervals;
  2. Present financial statements to the Executive Board and General Membership at each regularly scheduled meeting;
  3. Must be present at any General Membership or Executive Board Meeting when an expenditure vote is made and must certify in advance SVYD’s financial ability to make any expenditure, or if unable to be present, must give that certification to another officer;
  4. Handle disbursements, receipts, banking relationships, legal financial statements including those required by law, tax responsibilities, and in general, any and all bookkeeping responsibilities;
  5. Be the primary signer of financial accounts, forms, checks, and payments;
  6. At the discretion of the President and Executive Board, the Financial Director shall chair the Finance Committee.
6. Communications Director: The Communications Director shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
  1. Record and distribute SVYD meeting documents;
  2. Record meeting minutes;
  3. Assist with collection of documents and electronic media for website and Social Media;
  4. Serve as SVYD Historian, maintaining SVYD photos and archives;
  5. Use Social Media to promote the goals of vision of SVYD;
  6. Assist the President and MD with promotional club and event tasks;
  7. Responsible for updating and maintaining the archive of all online passwords associated with SVYD;
  8. Implement SVYD’s media strategy, as set forward by the Executive Board; and
  9. At the discretion of the President and Executive Board, the Communications Director shall chair the Communications Committee.
7. Political Director: The Political Director shall have the following duties and powers:
  1. Develop and organize political trainings, forums, political education, and other political activities;
  2. Communicate relevant political information to the Executive Board and General Membership in a timely manner;
  3. Provide notice of SVYD endorsement opportunities to candidates for office; and
  4. At the discretion of the President and Executive Board, the Political Director shall chair the Endorsement and Resolution Committees.
  5. See Article VII for additional duties.
Section 4: Officer Election & Term of Office
1. Elections of Officers will be held at the June General Membership Meeting of each year.
2. The order of elections of Officers will be as follows: President, Vice President, Membership Director, Financial Director, Secretary and Political Director.
3. Newly created positions begin at the SVYD year, where they will be elected with the rest of the Executive Board Officers.
4. The term of office for each Officer shall be one SVYD year and shall expire the day before the General Membership Meeting following the election. This will allow for an overlap of Executive Boards during the Executive Board Meeting preceding the Officer Elections.
5. Nominations will be accepted at the May and June General Membership Meetings.
Section 5: Vacancy, Interim, Resignation & Removal
1. Vacancy in any of the offices may result in an interim position that shall be appointed by a majority vote of the Executive Board. An interim officer shall serve until the next General Membership Meeting.
2. Any officer may submit a resignation to the Executive Board, who will then inform the General Membership. The resignation is effective immediately or as specified by the Executive Board.
3. At these conditions, any Officer shall be removed and the Officer’s removal will be final, without exception:
  1. Upon the conclusion of two unexcused absences from a General Membership Meeting or Executive Board Meeting.
  2. Should the officer not fulfill their duties as listed in the bylaws
  3. Upon an officer resignation, the General Membership shall be notified of the vacancy, giving them at least a 21-day notice before the next General Membership Meeting at which nominations are opened and an election held to fill the seat. If the next General Membership Meeting falls within less than 21 days, the election will occur at the following General Membership Meeting.
4. Any Officer shall be removed from office under the following procedures:
  1. Executive Board Removal: Except as otherwise provided, the Executive Board may remove a sitting Officer upon 14 days written notice to the subject Officer of the time and place of the removal vote and a written statement of the grounds for removal. A majority vote of the Executive Board is required to place the vote on the agenda. A simple majority open vote of the Executive Board is required to remove the subject Officer. The subject Officer must be given a reasonable opportunity to be heard at the meeting prior to the removal vote.
  2. Officer Removal by Membership: Except as otherwise provided, the Active Members may remove a sitting Officer by submitting a written petition for removal identifying the subject officer, the grounds for removal, and the signatures of 20% of the Active Membership. Upon receipt of the removal petition, the President shall send 14 days written notice to the subject Officer including the time and place of the removal vote and a written statement of the grounds for removal. The President shall place the removal vote on the next available General Membership Meeting agenda. A simple majority vote of the Active Members present and voting is required to remove the subject Officer. The subject Officer must be given a reasonable opportunity to be heard before the removal vote.

ARTICLE IV: COMMITTEES

Section 1: Committee Existence
1. Except as otherwise provided in the Bylaws, the Vice President or the Executive Board can form, abolish, regulate, or modify committees at any time for any reason they deem necessary or proper. The Executive Board by majority vote may alter, limit, or override any decision of any Committee in this regard.
2. The Vice President shall appoint committee chairs subject to approval of the Executive Board. And, the committee chairs may appoint committee members to the committee they chair.
3. The general membership may also form committees by majority vote. Any such committee can only be abolished by majority vote of General Membership. General Membership shall appoint the chairs of such committees.
Section 2: Subcommittees
1. Subcommittees are categorized under any committee.
2. Subcommittees may be created at any time with a motion by an Active Member. The motion must be approved by the majority of the General Membership during a General Membership Meeting.
3. A subcommittee must be reapproved by the majority of the General Membership each year.
4. Subcommittee chairs shall be appointed by the Officer that oversees the standing committee that the subcommittee is designated under.
5. An active subcommittee must be chaired by a member in good standing.
6. The subcommittee chair must report on the subcommittee at each General Membership Meeting.
7. Subcommittee members may be appointed by the subcommittee chair.

ARTICLE V: SVYD GENERAL AND EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETINGS

Section 1: Parliamentary Procedure
1. The parliamentary authority of SVYD shall be standard code of parliamentary procedure outlined by Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.
Section 2: Regular Membership Meetings
1. The SVYD shall have no less than 10 General Membership Meetings during the course of one calendar year. General Membership Meetings require a seven day notice on the SVYD website or other official SVYD correspondence.
Section 3: Special Membership Meetings
1. Special Membership Meetings may be called with a four day notice to the General Membership by the President or two other Officers. Membership shall be contacted via email or written correspondence.
Section 4: Regular Executive Board Meetings
1. If Regular Executive Board Meetings are established, they shall be held with a seven day notice to the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall be contacted via email or written correspondence.
Section 5: Special Executive Board Meetings
1. Special Executive Board Meetings may be called upon a four day notice to each member of the Executive Board by the Chair or two other members of the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall be contacted via email or written correspondence.

ARTICLE VI: MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Section 1: Quorum
1. The Executive Board may not act without a quorum consisting of a majority of Officers.
2. The Active Members may not act without a quorum consisting of 10 Active Members. If SVYD has fewer than 18 Active Members on the roster, a quorum shall be a majority of the Active Members.
Section 2: Expenditures
1. No Member or Officer may represent him/herself as an agent of the Organization to commit or spend funds unless so authorized by the Executive Board.
2. All expenditures over $100 of SVYD funds shall be approved by a majority of the Executive Board, and the Financial Director shall notify the General Membership of such expenses before or during the next General Membership Meeting.
3. SVYD cannot make any political contributions of any amount to any candidate or political committee unless a PAC is established and in full compliance with FPPC regulations. Contributions to nonprofit organizations may only be made with a majority vote when there is a quorum during a regularly scheduled General Membership Meeting.
4. The Executive Board has the authority to commit or spend funds up to $100 without approval from the General Membership. All funds must be spent on behalf of the SVYD General Membership.
5. Reimbursements under $100 may be approved by the Executive Board. Any larger reimbursement amount shall follow (ii).
Section 3: Convention Delegates
1. Should SVYD be eligible to have more than one voting delegate, the President shall appoint the additional delegates who shall be eligible to represent SVYD upon approval of a majority of the Executive Board.
Section 4: Communications
1. Email and Facebook are the primary methods of communication for SVYD.
Section 5: Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee Representatives
1. To the extent SVYD is permitted to have a representative and alternate to sit on the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee, the SVYD representative shall be the President and two alternates shall be appointed by the President.
2. The representative and two alternates shall serve at the will of SVYD.
Section 6: SVYD Sponsorships
1. Only Active Members may be eligible for SVYD Sponsorships to events or trips.

ARTICLE VII: ENDORSEMENTS

Section 1: Definition
1. Endorsements by SVYD includes, but is not limited to:
  1. The association of the SVYD’s name and logo;
  2. Any approved use of SVYD’s funds, if there is a PAC in good standing with FPPC regulations;
  3. The forwarding of candidate communications at the discretion of the Executive Board to the General Membership;
  4. SVYD Members’ time in recruiting volunteers for precinct walking, phone banking, or campaign office volunteering.
  5. An Executive Board Member or General Member, in acting for and on behalf of SVYD, may not use their title or affiliation to SVYD to endorse any candidate or issue if SVYD has not endorsed that candidate or issue position.
2. The Endorsement Committee:
  1. Endorsement committee members are established by the Political Director through a sign up process at a General Membership Meeting
  2. The Political Director may limit the size of the committee or remove members with the approval of the Executive Board
  3. Any individual who is a paid campaigner must recuse themselves from the race they are working on
  4. Prior to the endorsement process, any member of the Endorsement Committee must disclose any professional or personal conflict of interest with the candidate and may be removed from the process by the Political Director. This includes members of the Executive Board.
  5. Should the Political Director have a conflict of interest regarding any candidate, the President will direct the Executive Board on how the endorsement process for the race will move forward.
Section 2: Procedures
1. Only Active Members may recommend the endorsements of candidates or issues to the Endorsement Committee for consideration.
2. Contested/Uncontested Races and Issues
  1. Any Active Member may request that the Executive Board commence endorsement proceedings for a candidate or issue;
  2. The Executive Board shall schedule statewide constitutional, legislative, and CYD endorsement voting for the General Membership Meeting occurring at least one month prior to the CYD State Convention endorsements. If a special election is scheduled, the same rules will apply, with the endorsement vote of the General Membership occurring no later than the regularly scheduled General Membership Meeting immediately prior to Election Day.
  3. The Political Director shall make reasonable efforts to give all Democrats, seeking office in an election for which the SVYD endorsement is sought, notice of SVYD’s procedures for endorsements within seven days after the filing deadline.
  4. Notifications of endorsement votes within General Membership Meetings shall be made as outlined in Article 5.
  5. Candidate interviews may be conducted by the Endorsement Committee for any race at the discretion of the Endorsement Committee.
  6. The Endorsement Committee shall convene prior to any General Membership Meeting for which endorsement votes shall occur, to make recommendations on the races in question. A simple majority vote of the Endorsement Committee is required to present an endorsement recommendation to the General Membership.
  7. The endorsement portion of any General Membership Meeting must begin with a review of the endorsement process as outlined in the SVYD Bylaws and parliamentary procedure as stated by Robert’s Rules of Order presented by the Political Director for the General Membership.
  8. After hearing the recommendation(s) from the Endorsement Committee on the races in question, any Active Member may make a motion for endorsement, dual endorsement, or “no endorsement.” Any race considered by the Endorsement Committee is not required to be moved on by the General Membership.
  9. Any general membership endorsement vote must receive a simple majority to be adopted.
  10. In the case of Primary and General Elections, the endorsement made in the Primary Election shall be carried over to the General Election.
  11. At the request of any Active Member, a SVYD endorsement may be removed with a “motion to reconsider” or “motion to rescind,” both requiring a two-thirds vote of the General Membership.
3. Irregular elections
  1. Irregular elections are those elections which do not align with regularly scheduled elections, such as special elections, ADEM elections, internal CYD/CDP elections, and recall elections.
  2. In the case of special elections, should SVYD wish to endorse in a special election, the board shall make reasonable efforts to give all Democrats running for the position in question an opportunity to seek SVYD’s endorsement. Current or past members of SVYD may request an early endorsement, in which case the endorsement shall follow the process set out in Item 2 of Section 2.
  3. In the case of CYD/CDP officer elections, the board shall make reasonable efforts to give all candidates running for the position in question an opportunity to seek SVYD’s endorsement. Current or past members of SVYD may request an early endorsement, in which case the endorsement shall follow the process set out in Item 4 of Section 2.
  4. In the case of ADEM elections, SVYD may take up the endorsement process for any candidate running in a district within Santa Clara County on a case-by-case basis; SVYD may also take up the endorsement process for a slate of candidates. Given the large number of ADEM candidates in each election, SVYD is not obligated to reach out to all candidates running in ADEM elections in Santa Clara County to invite them to take part in our endorsement process.
  5. In the case of recall elections, SVYD may vote to endorse either Yes or No on a proposed recall with a simple majority of Active Members; SVYD may also vote– either in the same motion or in a separate motion– to endorse any Democrat running in the recall election. SVYD is not obligated to reach out to all Democrats running in recall elections to invite them to take part in our endorsement process.
  6. In the case of irregular elections that do not fall under these guidelines, the board shall determine the endorsement process.
4. Early endorsements
  1. At any time, a current or former member of SVYD running for office may request an early endorsement after announcing their candidacy.
  2. This enables the candidate to circumvent the standard endorsement process; for an early endorsement, the endorsement committee does not need to convene to interview the candidate and make a recommendation, and the board does not need to invite other Democrats running for the position to participate in the endorsement process.
  3. A motion to early endorse a candidate requires a two-thirds majority vote to pass. Membership may also vote to refer the candidate to the standard endorsement process or defer consideration of the early endorsement with a simple majority vote.
Section 3: Use of SVYD Assets by Endorsed Candidates or Issues
1. The following shall require a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board at an Executive Board Meeting at which a quorum is present:
  1. Approval of the use of SVYD’s funds exceeding $600 (if there is a functioning PAC in good standing);
  2. No funds shall be dispensed to any candidates and/or campaigns not endorsed by SVYD.
Section 4: SVYD’s Participation in State Party Endorsements.
1. As a chartered Democratic club, SVYD is entitled to participate in pre-endorsing conferences conducted by the California Democratic Party (“CDP”) at the regional level, as part of the CDP’s multi-step process for endorsing candidates and ballot propositions and initiatives. SVYD’s participation is governed by Article VIII, Section 3g(5)(c) the CDP Central Committee’s Bylaws (as amended November 2014), certain elements of which are described below.
  1. In the year prior to the pre-endorsing process, a roster of SVYD members in good standing and duly registered as members of the Democratic Party of California as of July 1 of said year shall be submitted to specified county and state party representatives in accordance with applicable party requirements. A “member in good standing”, and the status of such members included in the roster shall be certified by a President, Vice-President of Membership or Treasurer of SVYD.
  2. SVYD’s member representative(s) to a particular pre-endorsing conference shall be from a roster described above. As to those Assembly Districts in which SVYD members reside (e.g., AD 24, AD 25, AD 27, AD 28), SVYD may designate one representative who is a resident of such Assembly District for each full (not a fraction thereof) 20 members in good standing registered to vote in the Assembly District who were listed on the roster.
  3. The SVYD President shall select the representative(s) to the pre-endorsing conference, subject to agreement of the member and approval by the membership by majority of the vote at a general membership meeting, with the objective of equally apportioning representatives between men and women to the extent possible. As SVYD members who are also members of other club(s) may only be counted for representation once, the applicable Central Committee Regional Director will assign such members to SVYD or another club’s roster in accordance with the Central Committee Bylaws.

ARTICLE VII: FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE

Section 1: Mission
1. The Fundraising Committee supports the club’s vision, mission, and overall strategic plan through effective committee activities designed to promote and acquire financial support. Funds acquired through fundraising are typically used for the direct benefit of SVYD. The committee receives general direction from the SVYD executive board and its members.
Section 2: Purposes And Restrictions
1. The coordination of events to raise additional funds for the SVYD and its activities.
2. Supporting the development of committee financial goals in collaboration with the executive board and membership in alignment with the clubs current goals and vision.
3. Shall conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness and results of fundraising activities.
4. Shall maintain confidentiality and strive to improve communication and the development of an open and cooperative relationship between committee members and board.
5. No Fundraising Committee member(s) shall voice an opinion that represents the committee without a committee vote.
Section 3: Membership
1. Membership on the Fundraising Committee shall be comprised of the following, who shall be officers of the SVYD PAC:
  1. Financial Director
  2. Political Director
  3. Vice President
  4. Two or more Committee Members from General Membership
Section 4: Meetings
1. The Fundraising Committee will meet a minimum of three (3) times during the fiscal year, in addition to as deemed necessary by the SVYD Financial Director.
2. Special meetings of the Fundraising Committee may be called by the Chairperson. Whenever possible at least forty-eight (48) hours notice shall be given. Minutes shall be recorded at all meetings.

ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS

Section 1: These Bylaws may be amended by a two thirds vote of the Active Membership present and voting at a meeting only upon two weeks written notice to the Active Members of language of the proposed Bylaw change as well as the time and place of the amendment vote.

ARTICLE IX: PARLIAMENTARY ORDER

Section 1: In all matters not contained in these Bylaws, authority rests in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.