Hayward Area Democratic Club

(Established January 1, 2016)

Mission Statement:

The Hayward Area Democratic Club’s (HADC) mission is to promote Democratic Party

participation, support Democrats for elected office, work towards the principles,

platform and ideals of the Democratic Party, increase the number of Democrats in

Hayward and surrounding cities through voter registration, and promote social justice.

Article I: Membership

Section 1: Eligibility

Membership in the Hayward Area Democratic Club shall be open to any registered Democrat and family members, including those under the voting age (though they will not have voting privileges until they turn 18 years of age).

Section 2: Good Standing

A member shall meet the criteria to be designated as “A Member in Good Standing” by being current in their annual dues and a registered Democrat.

Section 3: Dues

A. Annual Dues shall be paid at the time of joining the HADC and renewals are payable each calendar year (January) in the amount determined by the membership. There will be an individual rate and a family rate. Members paying a family rate must live in the same household.

B. A lower tier option shall be available for those who have a financial hardship or those members who choose not to be a participant in the Political Action Committee (PAC).

C. Only those members whose dues are current and a member in good standing shall be eligible to vote, to hold office or to be named as a delegate to other bodies.

D. Anyone joining in one meeting will not be eligible to vote until the next regular membership meeting. Failure to keep dues current will result in the member losing good standing.

Article II: Affiliations

Section 1: Alameda County Democratic Central Committee (ACDCC)

A. The HADC must retain and renew its charter with the ACDCC on a bi-annual basis.

B. One club member in good standing may be appointed by the Executive Board as a representative to the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee (ACDCC). They will be required to pay dues and may participate but will not have ACDCC voting privileges.

C. Bi-Annually, the club may participate in the Pre-Endorsement Conference of the California Democratic Party (CDP). Club may elect delegates to be voting members in the conference, subject to the rules of the CDP, and the HADC Executive Board must notify its membership of delegate opportunities at least 30 days in advance.

D. The HADC will support the Eden Area United Democratic Campaign Headquarters during November general elections by donating funds and/or providing club members as volunteers.

Article III: Club Officers

Section 1: Titles and Terms of Office

A. Officers of the HADC shall be President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and Membership Director. All officers must serve as Executive Board members.

B. Officers shall be elected and installed at the January general meeting and shall hold office for two (2) years or until their successors have been elected and installed.

C. A nominating committee of at least two officers shall be convened in November to seek out potential officers to bring forward as a slate in January. Any member in good standing may be nominated from the floor to run for an officer position at the January meeting.

D. An officer’s status will cease immediately if they lose good member status.

Section 2: Duties of Officers

A. President

The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer; preside over all meetings of the Club and Executive Board; create meeting agendas, nominate committee chairs and be responsible for the overall direction of club activities, except as otherwise provided in these By-Laws.

B. Vice President

The Vice President shall perform duties of the President in his/her absence, serve as Program Director, and fulfill other duties as assigned by the President.

C. Secretary

The Secretary shall record and have custody of the minutes of all Meetings, send correspondence and notices of meetings or events and keep record of official actions and all formal reports of the club.

D. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial matters of the Club; keep financial records; and make required filings with government entities for the Club and report at the Executive Board meetings.

E. Membership Director

The Membership Director shall keep a current, updated electronic membership list and work to recruit new members to the club. The membership list will only be shared with the Executive Board and the CDP and ACDCC for chartering purposes.

Section 4: Removal of Officers

A. If an Officer chronically fails to attend Executive Board and/or does not conduct the duties required of her/his office without reasonable explanation (illness, family crises, etc), their position can be considered vacant. To fill the position for the remainder of term, the Executive Board Members will bring forward their recommendation to be voted on, at the next general club meeting and notify said officer electronically, at least 15 days in advance.

B. Officers may be removed for misconduct, party disloyalty or fraud by a majority vote of the general membership present and voting at a regular meeting of the club; all voting must be members in good standing.

C. The motion must be made in writing at least seven days before the meeting and the officer facing removal must be given the opportunity to defend themselves to the membership.

Article IV: Executive Board

Section 1: Board Members

A. All of the elected officers will serve on the Executive Board: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Director.

B. Club members in good standing may be appointed by the officers to the board as at-large members and will have decision making ability equal to the officers.

C. Committee Chairs may also serve on the Executive Board.

Section 2: Meetings

A. The Executive Board will convene monthly to plan and execute all club general meetings, events, policies, finances and activities and make necessary decisions for the clubs overall benefit. In emergencies or pending timely issues, the Executive Board may vote electronically. A majority vote of the Executive Board is necessary to conduct business.

B. Meeting notifications shall be sent out electronically to all Executive Board members no less than seven (7) days prior to the meeting.

C. A Quorum to conduct business shall be the President or Vice-President in attendance along with one (1) other elected officer and one (1) at-large member.

Section 3: Fund Allocations

A. The Executive Board may approve expenditures for $200.00 or less without the general membership vote; all larger expenditures must be voted on by the members in good standing at a general membership meeting.

Article V: General and Special Club Meetings

Section 1: Governance

A. All parliamentary procedures shall be determined by Robert’s Rule of Order.

Section 2: Quorums

A. General membership meetings shall require a minimum of six (6) members in good standing to enact club business.

Section 3: Proxies

A. No proxy or absentee voting shall be permitted at any meeting of the club.

Section 4: Notice of Meeting

A. Meeting notifications shall be provided to all members electronically or by phone no less than seven (7) days prior to the meeting.

Article VI: Committees

Section 1: Rules for Committees

A. Committees and/or Sub-Committees may be set up and disbanded as needed by the club on a permanent or temporary basis.

B. The Executive Board shall be in charge of appointing the Committee Chairs and the Chairs shall appoint the Committee Members.

Article VII: By-law Amendments

Section 1: Proposals

A. A club member in good standing may propose a bylaw change and must be supported by two seconds. The proposal must be in writing and contain the exact text proposed. It shall be read and discussed at two consecutive club meetings before being voted on.

Section 2: Adoption

A. Adoption of a proposed bylaw change must be approved by 60% of the voting members in attendance.

Article VIII: Endorsements

Section 1: Eligibility

A. The membership may endorse candidates, propositions, measures, resolutions, letters and other issues that come forward and are of special concern to the club.

B. Only candidates that are registered Democrats may be eligible for endorsement with no exceptions. The endorsement of candidates applies to partisan and nonpartisan offices and will occur at a general membership meeting after the close of filing.

C. No more candidates will be endorsed than there are offices available to be filled.

Section 2: Voting Rules

A. Candidates must attend a club forum (date and time set up by the Executive Board) and if unable to attend, they may appoint a proxy to represent them.

B. All endorsements must receive 50% plus one (1) of the voting members in attendance and who are members in good standing.

C. A new club member must join the club at the meeting prior to the endorsement meeting date, or 30 days in advance to be eligible to vote at the endorsement forum.

D. Ballots will be secret and include a no endorsement option.