ARTICLE I - NAME AND AFFILIATION
Bylaws
Table of Contents:
Preamble
Article I - NAME AND AFFILIATION
Article II - MEMBERSHIP
Article III - PARTICIPATION
Article IV - PARTY OFFICES
|Article V - ELECTIONS
Article VI - COMBINED INTERIOR HOUSE DISTRICTS CAUCUS
Article VII - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Article VIII - AD HOC COMMITTEES
Article IX – MYRTLE THOMAS AWARD COMMITTEE
Article X - CHANGES TO THE BYLAWS
Article XI - RULES AND PROCEDURES
Article XII - ELECTIONS AND ENDORSEMENTS
PREAMBLE
We, the Democrats of Interior Alaska, who reside within the boundaries of current Alaska State House Districts 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36, have joined together to adopt these bylaws in order to promote the platform of the Party, elect Democratic candidates to local, state and national office, secure passage of legislation supported by Democrats, and apply these principles.
Section 1) Name: The organization name shall be Interior Democrats of Alaska.
Section 2) Affiliation: Interior Democrats of Alaska is affiliated as a Tier II Regional Organization of the Alaska Democratic Party, as defined in the Alaska Democratic Party Plan of Organization.
Section 3) As an official adjunct of the Democratic Party, recognized under authority of the Alaska Democrats Party Plan, the Interior Democrats will adopt and conduct its affairs in accordance with written rules that are consistent with that plan.
ARTICLE III - PARTICIPATION
Section 1) Monthly meetings and events of the Interior Democrats are open to attendance by members of the public. Best efforts shall be made to hold monthly meetings and events in places that are in compliance with the "Americans with Disabilities Act" ADA. No meetings or events may be held in buildings owned and/or operated by an organization or individual that discriminates against individuals in accordance with Article II, Section 2.
Section 2) Monthly meetings shall be every 4th Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm, unless otherwise notified.
Section 3) Notice: All meetings shall have a one (1) week notice. Effort will be made to post meeting notices in the local media.
Section 4) Meetings may be canceled by a simple majority of the Executive Committee. All efforts shall be made to notify members as soon as possible.
Section 5) Voting: Each member in good standing is entitled to one vote.
Section 6) Members of the Interior Democrats shall encourage young people, women, minorities, and others from traditionally underrepresented groups, to participate as members of the Interior Democrats organization.
Section 7) Good standing means members who attended the last district caucus or who have attended two meetings in the last six months, either by person or telephonically, or as designated by the Chair.
Section 8) Disruptive behavior at a meeting will not be tolerated and an individual may be removed from the meeting by the Chair.
ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP
Section 1) Membership in the Interior Democrats shall be open to voters who are registered Alaska Democrats and reside within House Districts 31-36.
Section 2) Discrimination based on: gender, race, religion, or lack thereof, economic status, sexual orientation, ethnic identity, national origin, physical disability, and/or color, in the conduct of the affairs of the Interior Democrats is strictly prohibited.
ARTICLE IV - PARTY OFFICERS
Section 1) Officers: Officers of the Interior Democrats shall be Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Events Coordinator.
Section 2) Any registered Democrat in good standing and who is a legal resident of House District 31-36, shall be eligible to hold only one (1) Interior Democrats position at a time.
Section 3) Responsibilities of the officers are as follows:
i) CHAIR: The Chair sets the agenda and presides at business meetings, Executive Committee Meetings, keeps order, ensures fairness and impartiality, and protect members' rights. The Chair is the official spokesperson for the Interior Democrats and represents the Interior Democrats on the State Central Committee. The Chair signs all legal documents, supervises officers and activities of the Interior Democrats, supervises ad hoc committees, appoints ad hoc committee chairs, and submits a Chair's report at each business meeting. The Chair calls for election of officers and makes all arrangements for officer elections.
ii) VICE CHAIR: The Vice Chair shall assume the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair. If the Vice Chair does not wish to assume the duties of the Chair, they may continue as acting chair until such time as an election for the chair can be held.
iii) SECRETARY: The Secretary shall attend all Executive Committee and monthly business meetings and shall keep, or cause to be kept, minutes of the proceedings of such meetings. The Secretary shall attend to the giving and serving of all notices, and shall perform such additional duties as these Bylaws require or the Executive Committee shall assign.
iv) TREASURER: The Treasurer shall be the banking officer of the Interior Democrats and shall receive the monies of the Interior Democrats and ensure the payment of all obligations. The Treasurer shall prepare a financial report for presentation at each business meeting and will file all required reports of the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC) or the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Additionally, the Treasurer shall make regular reports and disbursements to the Alaska Democratic Party as outlined in the Party Plan. Upon vacating the office, the Treasurer shall turn over all financial records to the Chair.
v) EVENTS COORDINATOR: The Events Coordinator shall organize and coordinate events for the Interior Democrats as directed by the Chair.
Section 4) Officer Recalls: Any officer may be recalled for misfeasance, malfeasance or nonfeasance of assigned duties. The Executive Committee shall adopt procedures by which recall proceedings may be initiated, noticed, considered, and decided. The recall procedures adopted by the Executive Committee shall include direction regarding the confidentiality of proceedings and whether the proceedings are open to eligible members of the Interior Democrats. A recall vote must pass with a 2/3 vote at a business meeting. During an impeachment proceeding, the authority of the officer in question shall be suspended. Timing of procedures to recall the officer in question shall be determined by the Executive Committee at the beginning of the procedures.
ARTICLE V - ELECTIONS
Section 1) Officer elections shall be held at the October monthly meeting in odd years.
Section 2) Call for Elections: The Chair shall announce officer elections and nominations at the business meetings one month prior to the election.
Section 3) Officers' Elections: The officers' elections shall be called to order by the Chair at the beginning of the election meeting. The Chair shall relinquish the proceedings to an Election Chair, as selected by the Executive Committee, who will conduct the election, certify the results, and notify the Alaska Democratic party of the results.
Section 4) Voting: All voting for elections and caucuses shall be determined by a simple majority (fifty percent plus one) of the members in good standing present during the elections.
Section 5)Officer Vacancies: Should an officer vacate their position before their term expires, any member in good standing may be elected to that vacated office by a simple majority vote. The new officer shall be seated immediately following the vote.
ARTICLE VI - COMBINED INTERIOR HOUSE DISTRICTS CAUCUS
Section 1) The Interior Democrats shall hold a Combined Interior House Districts Caucus in even years, no later than 27 days prior to the Alaska Democratic Party State Convention or in conjunction with the District Caucus date as set by the Alaska Democratic Party.
Section 2) Proceedings of the Combined Interior House Districts Caucus shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
i) Election of House District Officers: Chair, Vice Chair, Young Democrat, Secretary, Treasurer, State Central Committee member, State Convention delegates, and a member to each of the following Alaska Democratic Party State Central Committees: Grievance Committee, Resolutions Committee, Party Plan Committee, Party Platform Committee, and the Credentials Committee.
ii) Adoption of proposed amendments to the Alaska Democratic Party Plan and Party Platform.
iii) Transmit proposed Resolutions to be presented to the State Resolutions Committee.
iv) Presentation of the Myrtle Thomas Award for Outstanding Service to the Interior Democrats.
Section 3) A House District may hold its own district caucus in accordance with the Alaska Democratic Party Plan.
ARTICLE VII - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1) The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Interior Democrats including the Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and the Events Coordinator and any Democrat residing in House Districts 31-36 who is also a State Party Officer (Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary or National Committee person, or Interior Regional Vice Chair).
i) A quorum of the Executive Committee will consist of a simple majority of members of the Executive Committee. Attendance may be in person, by telephone, or electronically.
Section 2) The Executive Committee is an agency of the Interior Democrats with authority to take all appropriate actions to promote the principles and activities of the Interior Democrats during intervals between business meetings, elections, caucuses, conventions, and other time-sensitive events.
Section 3) The Executive Committee shall have the authority to spend up to $1,000 (one thousand dollars), as needed between business meetings.
Section 4) The Executive Committee shall act as the grievance committee of the Interior Democrats and shall establish procedures to determine the validity of each grievance and make a determination in resolution of said grievance using Interior Democrats bylaws, Alaska Democrats Party Plan, and Robert’s Rules as needed in that order. From July through November in even years, the Executive Committee shall act as a campaign committee with the power to spend funds.
ARTICLE VIII - AD HOC COMMITTEES
Section 1) Ad hoc committees may be formed through a motion at a business meeting. Any member in good standing can be a member or Chair of an ad hoc committee.
Section 2) Ad hoc committees may be created to perform a specific task and shall be dissolved when the task is completed and the final report is given.
Section 3) Ad hoc committee Chairs shall be appointed by the Chair.
Section 4) Meetings of any ad hoc committee may be called by the committee chair or by the Chair of the Interior Democrats.
ARTICLE IX – MYRTLE THOMAS AWARD COMMITTEE
Section 1) The Interior Democrats have one (1) special committee, the selection committee for the Myrtle Thomas Award for Outstanding Service to the Interior Democrats, composed of previous winners of this award.
Section 2) The Myrtle Thomas Award Committee shall meet independently to select a recipient and act at will.
Section 3) Fahrenkamp Luncheon Speaker Series: The monthly Speaker Series is established to honor the late Senator Bettye Fahrenkamp. The coordinator of this event serves at the pleasure of, and in coordination with, the chair.
ARTICLE X - CHANGES TO BYLAWS
Section 1) The bylaws of the Interior Democrats may be temporarily amended by an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the Executive Committee for the reasons as follows:
i) To conform with changes in the Democratic National Committee's rules that would place these bylaws in conflict.
ii) To conform with Alaska Democratic Party rules that would place these bylaws in conflict.
iii) And to conform with national, state and local legislation that would place these bylaws in conflict.
Section 2) All temporary changes must be adopted or rejected at the next regularly scheduled business meeting. If approved, changes shall take effect after adjournment of the meeting.
Section 3) These bylaws may be amended by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of members present at a biennial caucus or duly called and properly noticed business meeting. These amendments shall take effect after the adjournment of the caucus or meeting at which they were adopted.
Section 4) Bylaws will be reviewed every ten (10) years at a minimum, or following redistricting, and revised as necessary.
ARTICLE XI - RULES AND PROCEDURES
Section 1) The Interior Democrats shall publish these bylaws on its website and shall submit them to the Alaska Democratic Party for publication.
Section 2) In the absence of other provisions, Robert's Rules of Order (as most recently revised) shall govern the conduct of all meetings, elections, caucuses and conventions of the Interior Democrats.
Section 3) Members shall be notified of meetings not less than seven (7) days prior to the meeting unless it is a regularly scheduled meeting.
Section 4) To receive a financial endorsement from the Interior Democrats, a candidate must sign an agreement that if they join a legislative organization not approved by the Interior Democrats, or engage in conduct which violates the Alaska Democratic Party code of conduct, then money directly given to the candidate must be repaid. The terms of repayment must be approved by the Executive Committee, unless repayment is waived by the committee.
Section 5) Meetings may be cancelled only by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee, and all efforts shall be made to notify members as soon as possible.
Section 6) The Interior Democrats may not make an endorsement, monetary or non-monetary contribution in a contested Democratic primary except as set forth in the Alaska Democratic Party Plan of Organization.
Article XII - ELECTIONS AND ENDORSEMENTS
Section 1) As a Tier II Regional Organization of the Alaska Democratic Party, empowered in the Alaska Democratic Party Plan of Organization, Article II (b) Elections and Endorsements, Section 3), the Interior Democrats may make pre-primary endorsements of Democratic candidates in non-statewide races if they have adopted procedures covering such endorsements.
Section 2) The Interior Democrats may only endorse candidates for City, Borough, and State offices that have been interviewed by the Endorsement committee.
Section 3) Borough and City office candidates may be: Endorsed or Recommended. Full endorsement allows the Interior Democrats to grant support.Recommended indicates that the candidate is the best available alternative among candidates for a specific office.
Section 4) State House and State Senate candidates may receive a sole or ranked endorsement.
Section 5) The interview questions will be composed by an Endorsement committee composed of the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and three additional Interior Democrat members in good standing. The Interior Democrats Chair may only vote in cases where the other members have a tied decision. Candidates for City and Borough races may not serve on the Endorsement committee when endorsing City and Borough office candidates. Candidates for State races may not serve on the Endorsement committee when endorsing State office candidates.
Section 6) The interview questions must be ratified or updated by a simple majority of the Interior Democrats in good standing at an Interior Democrats monthly meeting. If there are no changes from previous versions, the interview questions will be retained without review by the membership of the Interior Democrats.
Section 7) The Endorsement committee will conduct candidate interviews that shall be scheduled and conducted either in person or via video conference. Final recommendation(s) of the Endorsement committee will be presented to and voted on by the meeting membership at the next regular monthly Interior Democrats meeting. The membership’s decision(s) will be communicated to Candidates in a timely manner.