Valley County Democratic Central Committee Bylaws

Adopted April 30, 2022

Article I. NAME, PURPOSE, AND AUTHORITY

Section 1. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Valley County Democratic Central Committee and referred to in this document as the “County Central Committee.” The Valley County Democratic Central Committee is the County Central Committee for Valley County as set forth in the Bylaws of the Idaho Democratic Party subject to the additional provisions as set forth in this document.

Section 2. Purpose

The purpose of the County Central Committee is to act as a governing body for all members of the Idaho State Democratic Party who are residents of Valley County. The Idaho State Democratic Party is a political party as defined in Idaho Code 34-501 (1).

Section 3. Authority

The County Central Committee is organized and governed pursuant to the Idaho State Democratic Party Bylaws and to Idaho Code 34-502. The County Central Committee shall act consistent with local, state, and federal law and the Bylaws of the Idaho State Democratic Party.

Article II. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

The County Central Committee shall ensure the widest and fairest representation of its members in its organization and activities. All rules shall be adopted by procedures that assure the fair and open participation of all interested people. Discrimination in the conduct of Party affairs on the basis of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, economic status, philosophical persuasion, or physical disability shall be prohibited.

Article III. COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Section 1. Membership

Members of the County Central Committee include the following:

The members of the County Central Committee are the Precinct Captains, the Chair, the Vice Chair, the Treasurer, the Secretary, the State Committeeman, and the State Committeewoman.
The Legislative District Chair, if a resident of Valley County, is an ex officio member of the County Central Committee with full voting privileges.
Non-voting members of the County Central Committee shall include ex officio members listed below and standing committee chairs as determined by the County Central Committee.
Ex officio members of the County Central Committee include Democratic members of the Idaho State Legislature who represent Valley County, and Democratic officials of Valley County (Commissioners, Clerk, Assessor, etc.).
To be a voting member of the County Central Committee, members must be bona fide democrats in good standing. Good standing requires members:
Be a registered Democrat.
Demonstrate commitment to the advancement and promotion of the Valley County, Idaho, and National Democratic Parties. 
Demonstrate commitment to support and vote for Democrats in the upcoming election

Section 2. Precinct Captain Vacancies

At any of its meetings, the County Central Committee shall have the power to appoint legally qualified candidates to fill any vacancy in Precinct Captain positions. If such appointments are made, the County Chair shall provide such notice to the County Clerk or otherwise as provided by law. Failure to notify the County Clerk or to follow any other provision of Idaho election laws shall not nullify the validity of the appointment. The State Chair shall have the authority to appoint legally qualified persons to vacant Precinct Captain positions should the County Central Committee be unable to do so.

Section 3. Duties of Precinct Captains

The duties of the Precinct Captains include:

Attend meetings and activities of the Valley County Central Committee, and the Legislative District Committee.
Participate in door to door canvasing and voter registration drives of the Valley County Central Committee.
Support Democratic candidates on the ballot in their precinct.

Section 4. County Central Committee Meetings.

A. Regular Meetings

The Chair shall designate the time and place of regular meetings of the County Central Committee.
A minimum of seven-day notice shall be given to all regular meetings of the County Central Committee.
The County Central Committee shall meet at least four times a year.

B. Biennial Organizational Meeting.

The County Central Committee shall meet within ten (10) days following the primary election at which Precinct Captains are elected (currently this election occurs every two (2) years in even-numbered years) pursuant to Idaho Code § 34-50. If the organizational meeting fails for want of a quorum or includes any defect, the County Chair, or the State Chair, if the County Chair is unable to act, may reconvene the meeting at any time, and the subsequently completed meeting will be deemed to meet the requirements of these bylaws and applicable law.

C. Special Meetings

The Chair may call a special meeting of the County Central Committee at any time. In the Chair’s absence or incapacity, the Vice-Chair may call a special meeting. Any other Officer of the County Central Committee may call a special meeting in the absence or incapacity of the Chair and the Vice-Chair. One-fourth (1/4) of the County Central Committee Members may call a special meeting at any time. Special meetings of the County Central Committee may be called on whatever timetable is practicable for the purpose of recommending candidates to fill vacancies in county offices.

D. Notice of Meetings

The person or persons calling any meeting of the County Central Committee shall notify the County Central Committee members in writing at least 10 days in advance of such meeting of the date, time, place, and the purpose of the meeting. Emergency meetings called upon shorter notice shall be deemed properly called if two-thirds (2/3) of the County Central Committee Members (not including vacant positions) are present or duly represented. Special meetings of the County Central Committee may be called on whatever notice is practicable for purposes of recommending candidates to fill vacancies in county offices.

E. Quorum

A majority of the voting members of County Central Committee shall constitute a quorum for any regular or special meetings of the County Central Committee.

F. Executive Session

Any County Central Committee meeting may go into executive session upon majority vote by the members present. The committee shall designate who shall stay for the executive session.

G. Agenda

The person(s) calling the meeting shall prepare a proposed agenda and provide notice to the County Central Committee Members of the proposed agenda prior to each meeting. Proposals for additional items for the agenda or suggested changes shall be submitted to the Chair prior to the meeting. The first order of business of each meeting shall be the adoption of the agenda as amended, including such amendments as may be added from the floor, by a majority of County Central Committee Members present.
Once adopted the agenda shall govern the business conducted at the meeting and matters not included on the agenda will not be considered nor shall matters be considered in a different order than the adopted agenda, except by two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting.
No business may be transacted at a special meeting that is not discussed in the notice of the meeting except to fill a vacancy that occurs after the call of the meeting.

H. Voting

Only those County Central Committee members and officers, or their proxies, who are present at the County Central Committee meeting, in person or by telephone, web-link, or similar device, shall be eligible to vote.
Proxy holders may be Precinct Captains, Officers or other Democrats residing in the county.
Proxies must be in a form reasonably acceptable to the County Chair.
No person may hold more than one (1) proxy.

I. Meetings for Filling County Commission Vacancies

Notwithstanding any other provision of these bylaws, in the event the County Central Committee has the right to recommend candidates to fill a vacancy in the Valley County Commission, the County Chair shall call a meeting of the County Central Committee within ten (10) days, or such other period as required by law. At least forty-eight (48) hour notice for the meeting shall be provided to the members by telephone, e-mail, or facsimile.
The County Central Committee shall select three nominees from all candidates who apply for the vacant position. Each of the selected nominees shall be a registered Democrat and shall have the legal qualifications to serve in the vacant County Commissioner seat.
The selection of three nominees shall be by vote of members present using the following process:
i.Each member of the County Central Committee shall vote for the first-choice nominee.
ii.If one candidate wins a majority, he/she is the first-choice nominee of the County Central Committee, and his/her name is removed from for the second round of voting.
iii.Each member of the County Central Committee shall vote for the second-choice nominee.
iv.If one candidate wins a majority, he/she is the second-choice nominee, and so on for the third-choice nominee.
v.If no candidate wins a majority in any round of voting, the candidates receiving the top two vote totals shall be voted on in a head-to-head runoff.

The County Chair shall submit the names of the three (3) nominees to the Governor within two (2) days of their selection. The nominees shall be listed in order of preference.
In the event the Governor does not fill the vacancy within the time required by law, and unless the County Central Committee specifically takes other action, the first-choice nominee of the County Central Committee shall be deemed as the individual to fill the vacant position, and the County Chair shall notify the Governor and any other necessary persons of this selection.

J. Meetings to Fill Other County Vacancies

Notwithstanding any other provision of these bylaws, in the event the County Central Committee has the right to recommend candidates to fill a vacancy in any Valley County office other than Commissioner, including Prosecuting Attorney, Treasurer, Sheriff, Coroner, Assessor, Auditor, Clerk, or Clerk of the District Court, the County Chair shall call a meeting of the County Central Committee within ten (10) days, or such other period as required by law. At least forty-eight (48) hour notice for the meeting shall be provided to all members by telephone, e-mail, or facsimile.
The County Central Committee shall select three nominees from all candidates who apply for the vacant position. Each of the selected nominees shall be a registered Democrat and shall have the legal qualifications to serve in the vacant position.
The selection of three nominees in order of preference shall be by vote of members present using the process of Article III Section 4.I.3.
The County Chair shall submit the names of the three (3) nominees to the Board of County Commissioners within two (2) days of their selection. The nominees shall be listed in order of preference.
In the event the Board of County Commissioners does not fill the vacancy within the time required by law, and unless the County Central Committee specifically takes other action, the first-choice nominee submitted by the County Central Committee shall be deemed as the individual to fill the vacant position and the County Chair shall notify the Board of County Commissioners and any other necessary persons of this selection.

Section 5. Nomination and Election of Officers of the County Central Committee

Officers

The officers of the County Central Committee shall be the Chair, the Vice-Chair, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the State Committeeman, and the State Committeewoman.

Eligibility

Any individual who is eighteen years of age, a resident of Valley County, and meets the description of a “bona fide Democrat in good standing” in Article III, Section 1 shall be eligible to hold any of the offices of the County Central Committee.

Nomination and Election of Officers

The members of the County Central Committee shall elect the Officers.
The Officers shall be nominated by the County Central Committee members from the floor and elected at the organizational meeting of the County Central Committee described in Article III Section 4.B.
Voting shall be by roll call vote and a majority of the members present shall be required to elect each Officer.
The County Central Committee may adopt such run-off procedures as it deems appropriate.

Term of Office

The officers shall be elected for terms of two (2) years beginning immediately following the organizational meeting at which they are elected and ending when their successor takes office.
The County Officers are not limited in the number of terms in office they may serve.

Removal from Office

Any County Officer may be removed from office in accordance with the following procedure:

Action shall be initiated by a petition specifying the reasons for removal and bearing the signatures of one-fourth (1/4) or more of the County Central Committee.
The completed petition shall be delivered to the Chair or, in the event the petition seeks to remove the Chair, to the Vice-Chair.
Within seven (7) days of delivery of the petition the Chair or Vice-Chair shall call and set a date, time, and location for a special meeting of the County Central Committee. The meeting shall occur within thirty (30) days of the Chair’s or Vice-Chair’ receipt of the petition. If the Chair or Vice-Chair fails to call such a meeting any other Officer may do so. If all Officers fail to call a meeting the petitioner may issue the call.
The Chair or Vice-Chair shall mail a notice of any special meeting where a petition for removal of an officer is to be considered together with a copy of the petition to all member of the County Central Committee at least fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the meeting.
Any Officer may be removed from office by a majority vote of the County Central Committee members present at the special meeting. The quorum requirement of Article III Section 4.E shall apply.

Vacancies

Vacancy in the office of Chair shall be filled as follows:

The Vice-Chair shall convene a meeting of the County Central Committee within thirty (30) days of the vacancy to elect a new Chair. If the Vice-Chair fails to complete the election or if the County does not have a Vice-Chair, the State Chair shall convene the meeting and designate a person to conduct the meeting within thirty (30) days of the vacancy, if feasible.

Following the vacancy in the position of Chair, the Vice-Chair shall serve as the Chair until such time as the County Central Committee shall elect a replacement.
In the event there is no County Central Committee the State Chair shall have the power to fill a vacancy immediately in the office of County Chair, provided the State Chair shall first obtain the approval of the State Executive Committee.
The newly appointed County Chair shall convene an election of the County Central Committee within thirty (30) days of the appointment.

Vacancies in offices other than Chair shall be filled as follows:

The County Chair shall temporarily fill vacancies in other Officer positions as they occur.
Such temporary appointments shall continue until the next regularly scheduled County Central Committee meeting.
The County Central Committee shall fill the vacancy by election at the next regularly scheduled meeting as described Article III Section 5.H.

Duties

The County Central Committee officers shall perform the following duties:

The Chair shall:
Chair all County Central Committee meetings.
Prepare a proposed agenda for each meeting of the County Central Committee.
Represent the County Central Committee on the State Committee and report to the County Central Committee the activities of the State Committee.
Perform such duties as may be assigned by the State Committee or its designees, or by the County Central Committee, and such other duties as are customarily delegated to the office of County Chair.

The Vice-Chair shall:

Act as the Chair at any meeting of the County Central Committee if the Chair is absent.
Perform such duties as may be assigned by the County Central Committee, and such duties as are customarily delegated to the office of Vice-Chair.

The Secretary shall:

Record the minutes of all meetings of the County Central Committee or designate another member to record the minutes.
Consistent with these bylaws and any rules adopted by the County Central Committee, prepare and distribute to all members of the County Central Committee the notice of and the proposed agenda for meetings of the County Central Committee.
Keep all records and minutes of the County Central Committee for at least seven (7) years or as required by law.
Perform such duties as may be assigned by the County Central Committee and such duties as are customarily delegated to the office of Secretary.

The Treasurer shall:

Be the official custodian of all funds acquired by the County Central Committee.
Maintain adequate records pertaining to the finances of the County Central Committee.
Pay all legal obligations and receive all monies of the County Central Committee.
Prepare and submit to the County Central Committee a financial report for each fiscal year within thirty (30) days of its closure.
Prepare and submit to the Idaho Secretary of State, Elections Division, all records and reports required by the current Idaho Sunshine Law.
Perform such duties as may be assigned by the County Central Committee and such duties as are customarily delegated to the office of County Treasurer.

The State Committeeman and State Committeewoman shall:

With the Chair, represent the County Central Committee on the State Committee and report to the County Central Committee the activities of the State Committee.
Perform such duties as may be assigned by the State Committee or its designees, or by the County Central Committee, and such duties as are customarily delegated to the office of State Committeeman and State Committeewoman.

Article IV. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1. Membership

The members of the Executive Committee shall be the officers of the County Central Committee, the State Committeeman, the State Committeewoman, and the Legislative District Chair located in whole or in part in the county and ex officio members as described in Article III, Section 1.

Section 2. Executive Committee Meetings

Special Meetings

The Executive Committee shall meet at any time at the request of the Chair and may act for the County Central Committee, provided that any actions taken by the Executive Committee on behalf of the County Central Committee shall be subject to the approval of the County Central Committee at its next regular or special meeting. The County Chair shall give notice to all members of the Executive Committee by telephone or electronic means at least two (2) days prior to the date of the meeting.

Quorum

A majority of the voting members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.

Article V. ELECTRONIC MEETINGS

The County Central Committee, Executive Committee, and other Committees are authorized to meet by telephone or through other electronic communication media so long as all participating members can interact simultaneously.

Article VI. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY AND INTERPRETATION

Section 1. Rules and Guidelines. The rules contained in the most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the Valley County Democratic Party in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are consistent with these bylaws, applicable law, and any special rules of the Idaho Democratic Party or Valley County Democratic Party Central Committee shall adopt.

Section. 2. Interpretation. The term “in writing” shall include e-mail, facsimile, and other methods of electronic transmission, where appropriate. These bylaws shall be interpreted liberally to achieve their stated and intended purposes.

Article VII. AMENDMENTS

These bylaws may be amended at any meeting of the County Central Committee provided that:

A copy of the proposed amendment, together with the portion of the bylaws it would change, has been sent to each County Central Committee member not less than ten (10) days prior to the meeting. “Sent” is defined as mailed, sent by e-mail, sent by facsimile, or served in person at a meeting or at another place by someone designated by the Chair.
The proposed amendment is approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of members present or their proxy.
Any change under Idaho state law that changes the names or numbers of counties within the State of Idaho shall constitute an administrative change to the bylaws and shall be incorporated into these bylaws immediately upon adoption by the Idaho State Legislature and shall not require an amendment of the bylaws by the County Central Committee.

The foregoing bylaws were adopted by the Valley County Democratic Central Committee on April 30, 2022.

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Bill Thomas, Valley County Chair