Downers Grove Township Republican Organization BYLAWS

ADOPTED: March 7, 2016

ARTICLE I - NAME

SECTION 1. The name of this Organization shall be “DOWNERS GROVE TOWNSHIP REPUBLICAN ORGANIZATION” hereafter referred to as the “Organization”.

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

SECTION 1. The purpose of this Organization shall be to promote good government through the election of qualified Republican candidates dedicated to the principles of the Republican Party.

ARTICLE III – AFFILIATION

SECTION 1. The organization shall be affiliated with the DuPage County Republican Central Committee.

ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1. Voting Members of the Organization shall consist of:

A. All duly elected Republican Precinct Committeemen living and registered to vote within their respective precincts, hereafter referred to as “Elected Committeemen” or “Elected”;

B. All duly appointed Republican Precinct Committeemen living and registered to vote within their respective precincts, hereafter referred to as “Live-In-Precinct Committeemen” or “LIP”; and

C. All duly appointed Republican Precinct Committeemen living and registered to vote in DuPage County but outside of the precincts they represent, hereafter referred to as “Live-Out-Of-Precinct Committeemen” or “LOOP”.

D. Electeds, LIPs, and LOOPs are collectively referred to herein as “Committeemen.”

E. Assistant Committeemen (“Assistants”), when acting in the absence of their respective Committeemen.

F. Upon recommendation by the Nominating Committee, candidates for LIP, LOOP, and Assistant shall be approved (or removed) by simple majority vote of the Voting Members at any duly constituted meeting of the Organization.

SECTION 2. Non-voting “Ex officio” Members of the Organization shall consist of:

A. All duly elected Republican township officeholders;

B. All duly elected Republican federal, state or county officials living in Downers Grove Township or representing voters in Downers Grove Township;

C. The Chairman of the DuPage County Republican Central Committee;

D. Assistants, except in the absence of their respective Committeemen; and

E. Any Republican recommended by the Nominating Committee and approved by simple majority vote of the Voting Members at any duly constituted meeting of the Organization.

SECTION 3. The term of office of Elected Committeemen shall begin immediately upon the certification of the Official Canvass of Votes and shall continue until the date of the succeeding General Primary Election, or until the person ceases to reside in the precinct in which he/she was elected, whichever occurs first. The term of office of LIP Committeemen, LOOP Committeemen, and Assistant Committeemen shall begin immediately upon appointment and shall continue until the date of the succeeding General Primary Election, or until the person ceases to reside in DuPage County, resigns, or is removed, whichever occurs first.

ARTICLE V – OFFICERS

SECTION 1. All officers of the Organization shall be Elected Committeemen living and registered to vote within their respective precincts.

SECTION 2. The elected officers of the Organization shall consist of a Chairman, Vice- Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary.

SECTION 3. The officers of the Organization shall be elected by the Elected Committeemen at the Organizational Meeting.

SECTION 4. The term of office for each officer shall be approximately two (2) years, beginning immediately upon election at the Organizational Meeting and concluding upon the election of a successor at the following Organizational Meeting, resignation, or removal.

SECTION 5. The Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary shall be members of the Executive Committee.

SECTION 6. The order of presiding at meetings of the Organization shall be Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary.

SECTION 7. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chairman, the Vice-Chairman shall become Chairman and vacate the office of Vice-Chairman.

SECTION 8. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Vice-Chairman, Treasurer or Secretary, the Executive Committee shall nominate a candidate for the office, to be approved by the Voting Members at a meeting of the Organization.

ARTICLE VI – DUTIES OF OFFICERS

SECTION 1. The Chairman shall: Preside at all meetings of the Organization; nominate the chair and members of Standing Committees, a Parliamentarian, and a Sergeant at Arms; appoint such Special Committees as necessary; be the Executive Committee Chairman and an ex-officio member of all committees.

SECTION 2. The Vice-Chairman shall: Function in succession as Chairman only in the Chairman’s absence, and perform such other duties as prescribed by the Chairman.

SECTION 3. The Treasurer shall: Maintain custody of all funds of the Organization; maintain an adequate record of the receipts and disbursements of said funds; file all required forms with federal, state and local agencies; be a member of the Finance Committee; submit to any request for inspection by the Audit Committee; and be bonded in such amount and on such terms as specified by the Executive Committee. At each General Meeting, the Treasurer shall present a financial report.

SECTION 4. The Secretary shall: Keep records and minutes of all Committeemen’s and Executive Committee meetings, perform other duties delegated by the Chairman, and notify members of all meetings.

ARTICLE VII – MEETINGS

SECTION 1. Committeemen’s meetings shall be open to the public, unless otherwise provided herein.

SECTION 2. A quorum at all Committeemen’s meetings shall consist of the physical presence of at least one-quarter (1/4) of all Voting Members. Proxies do not count toward the establishment of a quorum.

SECTION 3. There shall be monthly General Meetings, called by the Chairman of the Organization. Any such meeting may be cancelled by the Chairman with consent of the majority of the Executive Committee and upon reasonable notice to the Organization.

SECTION 4. An Organizational Meeting shall be held every two years, prior to the biannual County Convention held by DuPage County Republican Central Committee. The Organization Meeting shall be called by the Chairman, who will set the date and time for the meeting. The agenda for the Organizational Meeting shall be prescribed as follows: (a) call to order, (b) establishment of quorum, (c) election of Chairman, (d) election of Vice- Chairman, (e) election of Treasurer, (f) election of Secretary, (g) appointment of LIP Committeemen, (h) appointment of LOOP Committeemen, (i) election of Area Chairmen, (j) adjournment.

SECTION 5. Upon written notice, Special Meetings may be called by the Chairman or by petition filed with the Secretary and signed by at least one-third (1/3) of all Voting Members of the Organization.

SECTION 6. Upon written notice, Special Meetings restricted to Voting Members only may be called by the Chairman or by petition filed with the Secretary signed by at least one-third of all Voting Members of the Organization.

SECTION 7. Written notice must be distributed at least seven (7) days prior to any General Meeting, and at least ten (10) days prior to any Special Meeting or any other meeting restricted to Voting Members only. Notice of the Organizational Meeting must be distributed via first class U.S. mail, and must be postmarked at least ten (10) days prior to the Organizational Meeting.

ARTICLE VIII – VOTING

SECTION 1. All Voting Members of the Organization shall be entitled to one vote at all Committeemen’s meetings.

SECTION 2. In the absence of their respective Electeds, LIPs, or LOOPs at any Committeemen’s meeting, Assistants may vote in their stead upon first informing the presiding officer of the absence of the respective Committeemen.

SECTION 3. In the absence of the Committeeman and Assistant for a given precinct at any Committeemen’s meeting, any person who is qualified Republican residing in DuPage County may instead vote for the absent Committeeman only upon presentation to the presiding officer, prior to the meeting, of a written proxy signed by the absent Committeeman authorizing that person to vote for that Committeeman at that meeting. However, proxy voting shall neither be permitted nor have any effect at an Organizational Meeting.

ARTICLE IX – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

SECTION 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of all elected Officers and all Area Chairmen.

SECTION 2. The responsibilities of the Executive Committee are to:

A. Establish standing rules for the Executive Committee;

B. Recommend matters of policy to the Organization, to promote Republican interests, and to act for the Organization on routine administrative matters as are necessary to promote and protect the interests of the Organization;

C. Propose an annual budget to the Organization for approval. Any spending outside of the annual budget must be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Committee;

D. Hold meetings for the purpose of electing Republican candidates for political office; and

E. Submit recommendations to the Organization for approval.

SECTION 3. The minutes of all Executive Committee meetings shall be made available to Committeemen upon request.

ARTICLE X – STANDING COMMITTEES & SPECIAL COMMITTEES

SECTION 1. There shall be three (3) Standing Committees in this Organization: Finance, Audit, and Nominating.

SECTION 2. The members of each Standing Committee, and its respective chair, shall be nominated by the Chairman and approved by a majority of the members of the Executive Committee. Notice of all appointments to Standing Committees shall be given to the Organization by the next General Meeting.

SECTION 3. The terms of the Standing Committees shall coincide with the term of office of the Chairman of the Organization.

SECTION 4. The Standing Committees’ functions shall be as follows:

A. FINANCE – Recommend and coordinate the various means to be used to raise and expend funds for the operation of this Organization and its projects.

B. AUDIT – Conduct financial reviews of the Organization’s affairs biannually, or on more frequent occasions as the Audit Committee may direct.

C. NOMINATING – Identify and nominate LIPs, LOOPs, and Assistants to fill vacancies.

SECTION 5. Special Committees may be created (or dissolved) at the discretion of the Chairman or upon majority vote of the Executive Committee. The purpose of Special Committees is to review or discuss a designated topic or issue beyond the scope of the Standing Committees. The term of any Special Committees shall not extend beyond the conclusion of the term of office of the Chairman.

ARTICLE XI – AREAS

SECTION 1. This township shall be divided into at least five administrative Areas. The precincts in each Area shall be contiguous and the number of precincts in each area shall not differ by more than one. Apportionment shall be conducted and approved by the Executive Committee.

SECTION 2. Each Area shall elect one of its member Committeemen as Area Chairman at the Organizational Meeting. In the event of a tie vote for Area Chairman, the tie will be broken by a coin toss. Each Area Chairman shall appoint a Committeemen or Assistant as Area Vice-Chairman, whose duty will be to attend meetings and act for the Area Chairman in his/her absence.

ARTICLE XII – ENDORSEMENTS & CANDIDATE SUPPORT

SECTION 1. The Organization may endorse candidates in non-partisan elections and primary elections. An endorsement by the Organization of a candidate for election to public office shall require the affirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the ballots cast by the Voting Members at a duly noticed Special Meeting or General Meeting. All Voting Members are entitled to vote in all election races, regardless of district boundaries. The option of “No Endorsement” shall always be placed on the ballot for each endorsement question. A “No Endorsement” vote shall be counted in the total number of ballots cast. Voting for endorsements shall be conducted by secret ballot.

SECTION 2. Any direct financial support of candidates for public office by the Organization shall be restricted to Republican candidates at a General Election or endorsed candidates at any other election and shall be approved by a majority of Voting Members at a duly noticed Special Meeting or General Meeting.

ARTICLE XIII – AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1. Bylaws amendment(s) may be proposed either by (a) a Bylaws Committee created pursuant to Article X, Section 5, or (b) a petition signed by at least one-tenth (1/10) of the Organization membership and submitted to the Chairman and Executive Committee.

SECTION 2. Proposed bylaws shall be submitted to the Secretary at a General Committeemen’s meeting for a reading at that time. No changes to a proposed amendment are allowed.

SECTION 3. The proposed amendment(s) shall be delivered to all voting members at least ten (10) days prior to the next General Committeemen’s meeting. The proposed amendment(s) shall be discussed and voted upon at a General Committeemen’s meeting held no less than twenty (20) nor more than forty (40) days after the meeting of Section 2 of this article. Any proposed amendment must favorably receive two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast to be approved. Any amendment shall become effective immediately upon approval, unless otherwise stated in the proposed amendment.

SECTION 4. The Secretary shall make available a new printing of the Bylaws, as amended, at the next Special Meeting or General Meeting following approval of amendments.

ARTICLE XIV – STANDING RULES

SECTION 1. Standing Rules shall contain only the rules relating to the orderly transaction of business in all meetings of members of the Organization. These rules shall govern the Organization in all applicable cases where they are consistent with the Bylaws.

ARTICLE XV – RECALL OF OFFICERS

SECTION 1. Removal of an officer may be initiated either by (a) a petition signed by two-thirds (2/3) of the Executive Committee or (b) a petition signed by at least one-third (1/3) of Voting Members. The Recall Petition must include a reason for recall and shall be submitted to the Secretary at a General Meeting for a reading at that time. Removal of an officer must be for just cause, including, but not limited to: (a) felony criminal conviction, (b) behavior disgracing the Organization, (c) repudiation of Republican Party principles, (d) dereliction of duties, or (e) repeated violation of Bylaws and/or Standing Rules. Copies of the Recall Petition shall be mailed to all voting members at least ten (10) days prior to the next meeting for the purpose of hearing the accusations and the accused. Recall shall be voted upon, without further discussion, at a subsequent General Meeting held not less than twenty (20) nor more than forty (40) days after the hearing. A Recall Petition must favorably receive at least three-fourths (3/4) of all Voting Members to be approved and shall become effective immediately upon approval.

ARTICLE XVI – PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

SECTION 1. The parliamentary authority of the Organization shall be Robert's Rules of Order. However, if any rule of Robert's Rules of Order is in conflict with these Bylaws or with any Standing Rule, these Bylaws or Standing Rules, as the case may be, shall govern. If any Bylaw or Standing Rule is in conflict with the statute of the State of Illinois, such statute will govern.

ARTICLE XVII – EFFECTIVE DATE

SECTION 1. These Bylaws, and all amendments hereto, shall be effective immediately upon approval.