Constitution

Article I: Name, Purpose, and Affiliation

Section A. Name

The name of this organization shall be the University of Michigan College Democrats, hereafter in this document referred to as the “College Democrats” or the “group.”

Section B. Purpose

The University of Michigan College Democrats pledge to support the philosophies, principles, and candidates of the Democratic Party, and to strive to increase student interest and participation in Democratic affairs. To these ends, the College Democrats will work to acquaint students and other voters with the philosophies, issues, and candidates of the Democratic Party, to register voters on campus and in the community, and to assist in the election of local, state, and national Democratic candidates.

Section C. Affiliations

The University of Michigan College Democrats shall be affiliated with the College Democrats of Michigan, the Michigan Democratic Party, and the Michigan Youth Caucus. It is recommended that the group also be affiliated with the College Democrats of America and Young Democrats of America.

The College Democrats shall be a registered student group of the University of Michigan.

Article II: Membership

Section A. Composition

There shall be two types of members within the University of Michigan College Democrats:
General Members, and Members in Good Standing.

Section B. Eligibility

To be eligible for membership in the University of Michigan College Democrats, one must be currently enrolled as a student at the University of Michigan or have been enrolled as a student at the University of Michigan during the previous academic semester (excluding spring and summer terms).

Additionally, membership requires an honest intention to uphold the principles of the Democratic Party. This includes not being registered or closely affiliated with any other local, state, or national political party.

Section C. General Members

An individual who meets the above criteria becomes a General Member upon attendance at his or her first meeting with the University of Michigan College Democrats.

Section D. Members in Good Standing

An individual who meets the above criteria becomes a Member in Good Standing upon
attendance at his or her fifth meeting of the University of Michigan College Democrats, with all three meetings coming during the combined current and immediately previous academic semesters (excluding spring and summer terms). The individual shall be considered a Member in Good Standing after, not at, his or her third meeting with the College Democrats.

Members in Good Standing each shall have one vote in votes held at the College Democrats’ general meetings.

Section E. Revocation of Membership

A member who is found not to have met the eligibility requirements, or one whose conduct is found by the Executive Board to be inconsistent with the aims of the group, shall be subject to revocation of membership.

In order for membership to be revoked, a Member in Good Standing must charge the accused with misconduct during a meeting of the Executive Board. The accused shall be fully informed of his or her charges and given an opportunity to be heard, either orally or in writing, before final vote by the Executive Board. Majority vote against the accused member shall result in immediate revocation of membership.

Section F. Group Procedure

In its membership requirements, the University of Michigan College Democrats shall not
discriminate on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, physical handicap, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation.

Article III: The Executive Board

Section A. Composition and Authority

The College Democrats shall have an eleven-member Executive Board (or “Board”), composed of four elected Officers and seven appointees of the Chair. The elected positions shall be Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary. The Executive Board shall be the primary agenda-setting and policy-making body of the College Democrats.

Section B. Meetings

The Executive Board shall meet regularly, upon request of either the Chair or the majority of the Executive Board. All meetings shall be well-publicized and conducted at reasonable hours and locations.

Section C. Quorum

Quorum at an Executive Board meeting shall consist of no less than 51% of the total members of the Executive Board.

Section D. Voting Procedures

All votes regarding group policy, agenda, and other matters shall be decided by majority vote of the Executive Board, unless otherwise noted in this document.

Each Board Member, elected or appointed, shall have one vote, unless otherwise noted in this document.

Ties in Executive Board votes shall be broken at the next general meeting by majority vote of the Members in Good Standing. If the Members in Good Standing do not offer a majority opinion, the Chair shall be given the opportunity to cast the tie-breaking vote. If the Chair declines to vote, the Vice-Chair shall be given the same opportunity. If the Vice-Chair also declines to vote, the tie-breaking vote shall be passed to the Treasurer, then the Secretary.

Board Members also shall be considered Members in Good Standing and shall possess all
relevant rights and responsibilities. They shall be permitted to vote in all votes held at general meetings of the College Democrats, unless otherwise noted in this document.

Section E. Duties of the Board Members

The Chair shall:

1. Be the Chief Executive Officer of the College Democrats;
2. Preside over all general and Executive Board meetings;
3. Act as the official representative of the College Democrats to other groups and the media;
4. Carry out the mandates, policies, and directives of the Executive Board;
5. Delegate tasks and responsibilities to other members of the College Democrats;
6. Make appointments to fill the Executive Board and other vacancies;
7. Make emergency and immediate decisions when it is not reasonably possible to consult the
Executive Board.

The Vice-Chair shall:

1. Assist the Chair in the performance of his or her duties;
2. Temporarily act as Chair when the Chair is temporarily unable to perform his or her duties;
3. Permanently assume the office of the Chair upon the vacancy of that office;
4. Perform such duties as the Executive Board or Chair may assign.

The Treasurer shall:

1. Coordinate all fundraising activities;
2. Manage the budget and group accounts;
3. Maintain complete records of all financial transactions relevant to the group;
4. Perform such duties as the Executive Board or Chair may assign.

The Secretary shall:

1. Maintain current and accurate attendance records;
2. Maintain current and accurate lists of General Members, Members in Good Standing, and
Board Members, including email lists and other lists when appropriate;
3. Record and, if necessary, distribute minutes of all meetings;
4. Perform such duties as the Executive Board or Chair may assign.

All other Board Members shall:

1. Involve themselves in committees created by the Executive Board to address the work of the organization;
2. Perform such duties as the Executive Board or Chair may assign.


Article IV: Elections, Appointments, and Removal

Section A. Calendar

Elections shall be held between Feb 15 and March 15 each year to fill the positions of Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary. Appointments of the remaining Board Members shall be made shortly thereafter. The new Officers shall take office on between March 1 and April 1. Actual dates will be selected and announced by the Chair, with majority approval by the Executive Board.

Section B. Eligibility

Any Member in Good Standing is eligible for election or appointment, provided that the individual meets all eligibility requirements for Members in Good Standing.

Section C. Election Procedure

Elections shall be held at a well-publicized general meeting of the College Democrats, with all Members in Good Standing eligible to vote in each election, unless otherwise noted in this document. Each candidate shall have an opportunity to speak on his or her own behalf, and all candidates in a particular race shall be given equal time to speak.

After the candidates speak there will be a question and answer period. After the question and answer period there will be an anonymous written comment period. All members in good standing may comment, except for other candidates for the same office. The comment period will be moderated by at least 2 members, nominated by the executive board and approved by the members in good standing by a simple majority vote. Unconstructive comments will be removed by the moderators and the remainder will be presented in equitable ways. Candidates will have equal amounts of time to address the comments about them.

The Chair shall be elected before any other Officer.

If a candidate earns a majority of votes in a particular race, he or she shall be declared the winner. In all other cases, the top-two vote-getters will enter a runoff election. The candidates who receive a majority of votes in a particular race shall be declared the winner.

In the event that two or more candidates finish in a tie for the most votes in an election, all other candidates shall be eliminated, and a runoff shall be held between the remaining candidates. If this, too, results in a tie, the election shall be turned over to the current – prior to the election – Executive Board. All candidates not involved in the tie shall be eliminated, and the Executive Board shall hold another runoff. A Board Member who is a candidate in the runoff is not eligible to vote. The candidate who receives the most votes in the runoff shall be declared the winner. In the event of another tie, the prior-to-the-election Chair, if not a candidate in the runoff, shall cast the tie-breaking vote. If the Chair declines or is ineligible to vote, the tie-breaking vote shall be passed to the Vice-Chair. If the Vice-Chair declines or is ineligible, the tie-breaking vote shall be passed to the Treasurer, then the Secretary.

Section D. Rejection of Elected Candidates

Under the most extreme circumstances, the prior-to-the-election Executive Board shall have the authority to reject any or all elected candidates.

The Board, minus any Board Members who are candidates in the refuted election, shall vote on each candidate individually. A candidate shall be rejected if the Board votes to do so with a 3/4 supermajority. If the Board votes to reject a candidate, a new election shall be conducted within one week amongst the Members in Good Standing, and the rejected candidate shall be removed from consideration.

An elected candidate only shall be considered for rejection if the candidate seriously threatens the integrity or effectiveness of the University of Michigan College Democrats.

Section E. Appointments

Soon after the Chair takes office, the Chair shall nominate seven Members in Good Standing to serve on the Executive Board. A nominee shall be confirmed with a majority vote of the Members in Good Standing.

Section F. Terms of Office

All Officers and other Board Members, elected and appointed, shall have one-year terms. There shall be no limit to the number of terms an individual is able to serve.

Section G. Removal of Executive Board Members

Grounds for removal of Officers and other Board Members shall be defined as
misfeasance or nonfeasance of assigned duties, failure to meet eligibility requirements, or other reasons found by the Executive Board to constitute good and sufficient cause.

In order for a Board Member to be removed, a Member in Good Standing must charge the Board Member with a particular violation during a meeting of the Executive Board. The accused shall have an opportunity to defend himself or herself in front of the Board. After a minimum of one week, the issue shall be put to a vote in either the Executive Board or the Members in Good Standing, with the accused individual free to choose which body shall hear and vote on the case. The Board Member shall be removed if 3/4 of the selected body votes for removal.

Section H. Vacancies

A vacancy shall be declared when a member of the Executive Board dies, resigns, or is removed from office.

If the vacancy occurs in an Executive Board position other than the Chair, the Chair shall nominate a successor and submit the successor to the Members in Good Standing for confirmation. The nominee shall be confirmed with a majority vote of the Members in Good Standing.

If the vacancy is the Chair, the Vice-Chair automatically shall take the Chair’s seat. The new Chair then shall nominate a new Vice-Chair and submit the successor to the Members in Good Standing for confirmation. The nominee shall be confirmed with a majority vote of the Members in Good Standing.


Article V: Endorsements

Section A. General Endorsements

The University of Michigan College Democrats may endorse:

1. Any Democratic Party candidate for partisan public office;
2. Any Democratic Party candidate for non-partisan public office;
3. Any initiative, measure, advisory petition, or action consistent with the principles of the Democratic Party.

The University of Michigan College Democrats may not endorse:

1. Any non-Democratic Party candidate for any partisan or non-partisan public office;
2. Any Democratic Party candidate for public office while running against another Democratic Party candidate(s) in a primary;
3. Any initiative, measure, advisory petition, or action not consistent with the principles of the Democratic Party.

Section B. Student Government Endorsements

Candidates for student government elections who wish to be endorsed by the University of Michigan College Democrats must request such an endorsement in writing (or via electronic mail) to the Chair at least 14 days prior to the election for which they are seeking endorsement.

The General Board shall vote on all endorsements. The candidate seeking endorsement must receive 2/3 voted support of the General Board to be endorsed.

Campus political parties who wish to be endorsed by the University of Michigan College Democrats must request such an endorsement in writing (or via electronic mail) to the Chair at least 14 days prior to the election for which they are seeking endorsement.

In order for a party to be considered for endorsement, at least 2/3 of its candidates for the election in which the party seeks endorsement must have obtained the prior endorsement of the General Board (through the process described above). If this condition is met, the General Board may vote on endorsing the entire party. The party seeking endorsement then must receive 2/3 voted support of the General Board to be endorsed by the College Democrats.


Article VI: Amendments

This Constitution is a living document that is open to interpretation and amendment. Amendments may be proposed to the Chair (in writing) by any Member in Good Standing and shall be immediately adopted upon 3/4 vote of the General Board and 3/4 confirmation of the Members in Good Standing.