Our Constitution

We as Younger members of our community view the importance and necessity to build a political coalition of young people to combat fascism, racism, homophobia, sexism, and all other forms of bigotry and authoritarianism, via participation in political processes at all levels. To reach this goal we are officially grouping together under the Young Democrats of America to reach these goals. 

1. This organization shall be known as the Young Democrats of Grays Harbor or YDGH

2. The name, Young Democrats of Grays Harbor , YDGH or any combination, variation, or shortening thereof, is a valuable asset belonging to the organization, and shall not be used for publicity or sponsorship without proper authorization. YDGH is a chapter of the Young Democrats of Washington State. 

1. Regular Members

1. Reside in Grays Harbor County

2. Membership in this organization is open to all residents between the ages of 16 to 35 years old on a non discriminatory basis.

3. Attend, at least one meeting of the last 6 meetings.

2. Cause For Termination of Membership

1. Can not be expelled for any criteria, other than party preference or behavior not representative of the club or its values.

2.  Shall not engage in disruptive behavior

3. Membership may only be terminated with the consent of a majority of all other members

3. Requirements for Member Voting

1.  Member has to have attended a minimum of two meetings over the past 6 bi-weekly meetings (including the current meeting) in order to vote.

2. Be a declared Progressive and show support for The values of the democratic party

3. Ability to vote in any parent organization will be based on the qualifications of the parent organization.

1. The officers and specific duties shall be as follows:

Chair:

i.           Chief administrative officer of Young Democrats of Grays Harbor 

ii.        Facilitates meetings

iii.         Provides final approval for each meeting's agenda

iv.          Attends all meetings, including Executive Board

v.         Shall represent YDGH to YDWA or appoint a fellow member as designate. Responsible for participating in all conference calls with the YDWA general board

vi.       Represents YDGH at monthly Grays Harbor County Democrats meeting

vii.      Responsible for bringing in guest speakers

viii.        Responsible for handling all harassment and abuse within the chapter. This includes regulating social media comments/ posts that threaten the safety and well-being of our members.

viiii.        Responsible for appointing Committee Chairs subject to approval by majority vote of our members

iX.       Responsible for all room reservations and event bookings

Vice Chair:

i.           Assists the Chair in the performance of the Chair duties, and serves as acting chair in the event of her/his temporary absence.

ii.        shall act as parliamentarian when parliamentary questions arise

iii: shall act as Sergeant-at-Arms when called upon by the Chair

iV. takes concerns from members about the chair.

Treasurer:

i.           Processes all financial paperwork needed by the  to expend club funds and pay club bills

ii.          Maintain up-to-date financial records and give a financial report at each meeting

iii.        Report financial activity at meetings when relevant

iv.         At the end of each year, the Treasurer will generate a Statement of Financial Position, Cash Flows and  expenses for all fundraising activities and construct a preliminary budget to be submitted to the Executive Board

V. Treasurer create/leads convention committee of at least 3 members during convention season

Secretary:

 i.            Record and distribute accurate minutes of all general and Executive Board meetings in a timely manner.

 ii.       Assist the Chair in the creation of formal meeting agendas

iii.       Maintain an up-to-date YDGH membership list

iv.       Performs other duties as assigned by the Chair

2. Officer Election Procedure

1. The officers of this organization shall be elected every year at the annual election meeting which will take place During our first meeting in the month of December.

2. To be considered for election to any Executive Board position the candidate must be a member with voting rights and have been nominated and seconded by other members with voting rights

3. After all nominations have been made the candidate who was nominated first’s nominator will have 2 minutes to speak on behalf of their candidate, this time or any division of it may be ceded to any person in attendance other than the candidate. The candidate nominated first will then have 2 minutes to speak on their own behalf

4. All other candidates and nominators will have their speaking time in order of nominations as detailed above

5. All voting members will vote using a secret ballot tabulated by a tally committee of at least 3 members selected by the Chair (or Vice Chair if the Chair is being considered for an Executive Board position). The secret ballot will be processed using the system commonly known as Ranked Choice voting or Instant runoff voting, where members list their preferences by a number of 1 through 3.

6. In the case of no majority in a round of voting the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated and votes will be recast until there is a majority

3.. The chair may establish officers as necessary, with majority approval of the voting membership of the next meeting

4.. Officers are elected for one  year beginning immediately after their election till the end of the next election.

5..  Officers may resign if they submit their resignation two weeks prior to vacating their office

6. In the event of a vacated office, the vacated position shall be announced during the next general meeting and elections shall take place during the following general meeting.

7.    Officers can be removed by a 3/5ths majority vote of the Executive Board and general board membership. Notice of charges to be brought must be given to the membership at least seven days’ notice prior to a vote

8. All Officers must attend each Executive Board meeting unless approved prior to the meeting by the Chair or Vice Chair. If any Officer misses more than 3 (three) executive board meetings, they are subject to removal at the discretion of the Executive Board by a 2/3rds majority vote. All Officers must represent Young Democrats of Grays Harbor in a positive and appropriate manner.

8.  To be elected you need to be qualified as a voting member

Article IV- Endorsement Procedure

1. To be considered for Young Democrats of Grays Harbor endorsement, candidates must complete the questionnaire and candidates must be running as some form of progressive candidate.

2. All endorsement votes will be done via a secret ballot where all members including the chair may fill a ranked choice ballot listing candidates 1 through 3.

3. change to sole endorsements require a simple majority vote, 50%+1, to pass

4. Dual endorsements will only be given by a 2/3rd vote

5. The chair will notify the candidates of their endorsement status

6. The Secretary will issue a press release for each endorsement and update relevant social media

7. Any member may put forth a motion during endorsement procedures to avoid balloting in favor of a consensus vote for an endorsement, this motion would require a 2/3 majority.

1. The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern YDGH in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order YDGH may adopt.

1. Amendments to this constitution shall be adopted only by 2/3rds affirmative vote of members present and voting

2.   Amendments to the bylaws can be brought forth by any active member, in good standing, and shall require a simple majority vote of 50%+1 to be adopted.

3. Amendments can be brought by any member

4. Once an amendment is introduced, members will have at a minimum of one week to review the amendment before it is introduced

1. Young Democrats of Grays Harbor  shall meet on a minimum monthly basis for general board meetings.

2. Meeting times shall be determined after elections are held in December or modified as necessary as the year goes on.

3. The Secretary shall be in charge of maintaining sign-in sheets and uploading them to a Google spreadsheet shared with the board

1. We recognize the Democratic party and the progressive movement is a big tent

2. the Young Democrats of grays Harbor County shall recognize this diversity by allowing for and supporting of creating ideological and identity based caucuses within the Young Democrats of Grays Harbor County.

3. to create a caucus you shall need 4 voting members of the Young Democrats of Grays Harbor County, a constitution, and to apply with the chair.

4. After application with the chair, the caucus’ creation will be put up to a simple vote with the general body at the next meeting, while the motion is on the floor the caucus shall have 3 minutes for a representative to speak on the behalf of the caucus and it’s need to exist.

5. A caucus may be disbanded using a 2/3 majority vote amongst either the members of the caucus or of the general membership if a minimum of 25% of the caucus’s membership also votes in favor of the dissolution.

6. Caucus Chairs will have rights to join the executive board of the Young Democrats of Grays Harbor.

7. All caucuses must act respectfully to each other and the organization as a whole.

8. Neither the chair nor the vice chair of the Young Democrats of Grays Harbor may chair a caucus.