Johnson County Republican Central Committee By-laws    

                                                                                                                        * 01/02           

ARTICLE I

Purpose and Objectives

Section I.        PURPOSE     

The aims and purposes of the Johnson County Republican Central Committee shall be:

            (a)        To support the Constitution and laws of the United States of America and the Constitution and laws of the State of Kansas to the end that government shall be truly and in fact “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”

            (b)        To support the principles, objectives and platforms of the Republican Party of the United States of America.

            (c)        To develop and maintain a strong, effective and informed Republican Party in Johnson County.

            (d)        To encourage able and qualified Republicans to seek office at all levels of government, particularly in Johnson County.

            (e)        To elect Republican candidates to office at all levels of government.

            (f)         To develop viewpoints and positions on local, district and state issues and to seek implementation of the viewpoints.

ARTICLE II

Membership

Section I.        GENERALLY           

The Johnson County Republican Central Committee shall be composed of all Republican precinct committeemen and committeewomen elected at the most recent August primary election, plus Republican precinct committeemen and committeewomen appointed after such August primary by the County Chairman in accordance with the provisions hereof.

Section 2. NON-EFFECT OF BOUNDARY CHANGES

All persons elected to the office of precinct committeeman or committeewoman shall continue as members of the County Central Committee to the end of the term to which they were elected when their precinct designation is eliminated by consolidation of precinct or changes in precinct boundaries.

Johnson County Republican Central Committee

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Section 3. PROVISIONAL MEMBERS

Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of precinct committeeman or committeewoman, the

County Central Committee Chairman, upon the concurrence of a majority of the other officers of the County Central Committee or approval by the Executive Committee, may appoint any registered Republican voter of Johnson County, whether or not they reside in said precinct, to serve as a provisional committeeman or committeewoman for said precinct at the pleasure of the Chairman; provided that provisional members shall be considered members of and shall have all privileges and duties of duly elected or appointed members of the County Central Committee and the respective City Committee except the right to vote at County Central Committee and City Committee meetings; provided further that provisional members shall make reasonable efforts to recruit duly qualified persons residing in the precinct to apply for nomination to fill the vacancy.

ARTICLE III

Officers

Section I. OFFICERS OF THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE

At the organizational meeting of the County Central Committee, the County Central Committee shall elect these officers:

            (a)        Chairman

            (b)        Vice Chairman

            (c)        Secretary

            (d)        Treasurer

Any person elected Chairman may, at such person’s option, be referred to by any of the titles

“Chairman”, “Chairwoman” or “Chair”.  A similar designation may be made by any person elected Vice Chairman.

Section 2. TERM OF OFFICERS OF THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Officers elected at the biennial organizational meeting or at other times shall take office immediately upon being elected and shall hold office until the next biennial organizational meeting and until their duly elected successors are qualified or their sooner resignation or removal.

Section 3. ELECTION OF OFFICERS

The aforesaid officers, who need not be members of the County Central Committee, shall be elected at the biennial organizational meeting of the County Central Committee.

Section 4. REMOVAL OF ELECTED OR APPOINTED OFFICERS

Any elected or appointed officer of the County Central Committee may be removed from office for cause at any time by a vote of two-thirds of the membership of the County Central Committee; provided that such meetings may be called by the Chairman or by petition signed by at least forty (40) percent of the membership of the County Central Committee; and provided further that a notice in writing, giving the date, time, place in the county and purpose of the meeting is mailed to every member of the County Central Committee at least seven (7) days before the date of the meeting.  The action of the County Central Committee in such matters shall be final.

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Section 5. VACANCIES

If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer of the County Central Committee through death, resignation, removal or other cause, the County Central Committee, by a majority vote of the members with voting rights at a meeting of the Committee at which a quorum is present, shall elect a successor to hold office for the unexpired term of the office left vacant.  Whenever a new Treasurer is elected, an audit of the books may, at the option of the Chairman or upon a majority vote of the Executive Committee, be ordered to be made and concluded within forty-five (45) days after the new Treasurer takes office.  If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chairman, the Vice Chairman shall immediately and automatically assume the duties of the Chairman until a successor Chairman is elected as provided herein.  If a vacancy occurs in the office of Secretary or Treasurer, the remaining Secretary or Treasurer shall immediately and automatically assume the title and duties of the vacant office until a successor is elected as provided herein.

Section 6. DUTIES OF COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

The duties of the County Central Committee Chairman shall include, but not be limited to,

the following:

            (a)        The County Central Committee Chairman shall be the chief executive officer of the County Central Committee.  He shall issue the call and preside at all meetings of the County Central Committee and shall observe and enforce the rules and regulations prescribed by the County Central Committee.

            (b)        The County Central Committee Chairman shall be the custodian of all the books, papers, records and proceedings of the County Central Committee.

            c)         The County Central Committee Chairman shall have the power to hire, with the concurrence of a majority of the other officers or the approval of the Executive Committee, persons to hold the position of Executive Secretary and such other staff positions as may from time to time be authorized by the Executive Committee; provided that the duties for each such staff position shall be those assigned by the Chairman, with the concurrence of a majority of the other officers or the approval of the Executive Committee.

Section 7. DUTIES OF THE COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE VICE CHAIRMAN

The duties of the County Central Committee Vice Chairman shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

            (a)        The Vice Chairman shall exercise the functions of the Chairman, as set forth in Section 6 of this ARTICLE, during the temporary absence from the county or temporary disability of the Chairman.

            (b)        The Vice Chairman shall perform such other duties as shall be prescribed by the County Central Committee, the Executive Committee, or the Chairman.

Johnson County Republican Central Committee

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            (c)        The Vice Chairman shall assist the cities in their biennial reorganization and shall receive from each city committee and keep on file at the offices of the County Central Committee a copy of each city committee’s duly adopted by-laws and a list of each city committee’s officers.  Said by-laws should conform to the By-Laws.

Section 8. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY

The duties of the Secretary shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

             (a)        The Secretary shall be the chief clerical officer of the County Central Committee and shall make a complete record of all the proceedings of said Committee and the Executive Committee.

            (b)        The Secretary shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the County Central Committee, the Executive Committee, or the Chairman.

            (c)        The Secretary shall attest all calls for meetings of the County Central Committee and all official actions of the Central Committee and / or Executive Committee.

            (d)        The Secretary will file and preserve all permanent records of the County Central Committee at the offices of the County Central Committee.

            (e)        The Secretary will have in readiness at all times an up-to-date listing of all members of the County Central Committee, of standing committees and of all ad hoc committees.

            (f)         The Secretary shall record all telephone polls of the Executive Committee when time prevents a meeting and shall duly record the action and results in the permanent records of the Executive Committee.

Section 9. DUTIES OF THE TREASURER

The duties of the Treasurer shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a)        The Treasurer, who shall be the chief financial officer of the County Central Committee, shall keep records of all receipts and disbursements and be responsible for same and shall assist the officers of the County Central Committee in the preparation of  budgets and estimates.

(b)        The Treasurer shall not write checks to cover any invoices or accounts which are not carried in the approved budget.  The Treasurer, with the concurrence of the County Chairman, who has the basic fiduciary responsibility for financial commitments, shall have the authority to expend sums up to $ 200 not allocated in the budget without prior approval of the Executive Committee.  All checks prepared by the Treasurer shall be counter-signed by another officer.

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 (c)       The Treasurer shall open and maintain bank accounts in the bank or banks approved by the Executive Committee.

(d)        The Treasurer shall prepare reports each month for the officers and committee chairman, shall prepare special reports as requested and shall make and execute all campaign finance reports and tax returns required by the Federal government, the State of Kansas and the Republican National Committee.

(e)        No officer of the County Central Committee shall have the authority to borrow any money in the name of the County Central Committee without the prior approval of a two-thirds majority of the voting members of the Executive Committee.

(f)         The Treasurer shall perform such other duties as shall be prescribed by the County Central Committee, the Executive Committee, or the Chairman.

ARTICLE IV

Executive Committee

Section I. DELEGATION OF DUTIES AND POWERS

The County Central Committee shall delegate to the Executive Committee all responsibilities and duties other than those specified in Section 3 of this ARTICLE.  The Executive Committee of the County Central Committee, including the officers of the County Central Committee, shall have a total membership equal to twenty (20) percent of the number of precincts in the county, fairly divided among the sexes and fairly divided among the cities and townships, including the City Chairman of each City Committee which has reorganized since either the last general election or the last August primary election, or his designee, and not less than two members from the unincorporated areas of the county.

Section 2. OFFICERS

The officers of the Executive Committee shall be the officers of the County Central Committee and the holders of such other offices as the Executive Committee may create from time to time.

Section 3. NON-DELEGABLE DUTIES AND POWERS

The County Central Committee shall not delegate the following duties and powers to the Executive Committee:

            (a)        The election of officers of the County Central Committee.

            (b)        The amendment of these By-Laws.

            (c)        Election of delegates to district and state conventions or of the members of the Congressional District Committee.

            (d)        Filling of vacancies for candidates for the Republican Party.

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            (e)        Filling of vacancies in public officers where the County Central Committee or some portion thereof is empowered by law to fill said vacancy.

Section 4. CLASSES OF MEMBERSHIP

There shall be two classes of membership on the Executive Committee, both of which shall be appointed by the Chairman, with the concurrence of a majority of the other officers.

 (a)        Voting members who shall be appointed from the members of the County Central Committee.

(b)        Advisory members who shall be registered Republicans of the County in a number not to exceed the number of voting members, including:

            (1) chairmen of the respective standing committees of the Central Committee;

            (2) the Chairman or President of the Johnson County Young Republicans then active in the County;

            (3) an elected public official named by a majority of the Republican public officials, other than state legislators, representing any portion of Johnson County;

            (4) the Chairman or President of each of the Johnson County Republican Women’s and / or Men’s Clubs then active in Johnson County;

            (5) the President of any Teen Age Republican Club then active in Johnson County;

            (6) a State Legislator representing a portion of Johnson County named by a majority of the Republican State Legislators representing portions of Johnson County; and

            (7) officers of the District and State Republican Committees residing in the County.  Advisory members shall not be entitled to any voting privileges.

Section 5. GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITATIONS ON VOTING MEMBERS

Except where required otherwise under these By-Laws, when appointing the voting members of the Executive Committee, the total number appointed plus the ex-officio members from any city or unincorporated area shall not exceed the city’s or unincorporated area’s pro rata share of the total Republican vote for the county, said vote being determined by the highest total vote for all Republican candidates for a statewide office at the preceding primary election.

ARTICLE V

Meetings

Section I. CALL OF MEETINGS

The call of meetings of the County Central Committee and of the Executive Committee shall be in writing and sent by first class mail to the last address of each member and provisional member, or each voting and advisory member, as the case may be, on file at the office of the County Central Committee at least seven (7) days prior to the date of the meeting.  Each call must be signed by the County Chairman and attested by the Secretary.

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Section 2. TIME AND PLACE OF MEETINGS

The call shall specify the date, time and place within the County of the meeting and the business intended to be conducted at the meeting; provided, however, that the call shall not limit the business of the meeting to those items.

Section 3. MEETINGS REQUESTED BY MEMBERS

In addition to calling meetings as provided in ARTICLE III. Section 4 or ARTICLE V, Section 4 of the By-Laws, the respective chairman shall call a meeting of the County Central Committee or of a city committee upon receiving a written petition signed by at least twenty (20) percent of the membership of such Committee, specifying the purpose of the meeting.   Any calls of a meeting held pursuant to a petition signed by a sufficient number of members of the County Central Committee or of the respective City Committee shall be issued within four (4) days after such request has been filed with the respective Chairman.  In the event of the Chairman’s inability or refusal to issue the call, then the other incumbent officers of the County Central Committee, or City Committee, in this order, shall issue the call:  (a)  Vice Chairman, (b) Treasurer, and

(c) Secretary.

Section 4. BIENNIAL ORGANIZATIONAL MEETINGS

The biennial organizational meeting of the County Central Committee shall be held:

            (a)        within twenty-five (25) days following the August primary, at the option of the incumbent County Chairman (provided that notice of such a meeting must be given at least three days prior to the August primary);

            (b)        within forty-five (45) days following the August primary, if, within thirty (30) days following the August primary, at least two-thirds of the Johnson County Republican Central Committee members elected in such primary sign a written petition which is presented to the incumbent County Chairman requesting that such biennial organizational meeting be so held; and,

            (c)        within fourteen (14) days following the November general election if not previously held.  All cities within the county which organize shall reorganize their respective city committees, which shall be composed of all County Central Committee members residing within the respective City, no later than thirty (30) days after the biennial reorganization of the County Committee; provided that each city committee may reorganize sooner, at the option of the incumbent City Chairman or if, within  forty-five (45) days following the August primary, at least two-thirds of the members of such city committee elected at such primary sign a written petition which is presented to the incumbent City Chairman requesting that such a biennial organizational meeting shall be held.

Johnson County Republican Central Committee

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Section 5.   ADJOURNED MEETINGS

Any meeting of the County Central Committee, may be adjourned from time to time by vote of a majority of the members present and voting.  In the absence of a quorum, no other business may be transacted at such meeting.  If the adjourned meeting is to be convened in forty-eight (48) hours or less from the time the called meeting was adjourned, no additional notices of time, place or business to be conducted at the meeting need be given to the members.  If a meeting is to be adjourned for a period of time exceeding forty-eight (48) hours, notices shall be sent to each member as provided in the original call.

Section 6.  QUORUMS

            (a)        A quorum of any County Central Committee meeting shall constitute those members present or represented by proxy at a duly called meeting.  A quorum at an Executive Committee meeting shall be a majority of the voting member of the Committee.

            (b)        At no meeting of any standing or ad hoc committee shall any official business by transacted unless a majority of the appointed committee members is present. Minutes of each committee meeting shall be kept and filed with the Secretary of the Central Committee.

Section 7.        EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the Chairman at any time or place by notice in writing or other means of personal communication at least seven (7) days in advance of the meeting.  In the event of the Chairman’s refusal or inability to call a meeting of the Executive Committee, the Vice Chairman, upon the written request of ten voting members of the Executive Committee, shall issue the call for such a meeting.  If, for any reason, the Vice Chairman does not call the meeting within five (5) days after the Chairman should have called the meeting, then the Secretary shall call the meeting of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VI

Voters

Section 1. ELIGIBILITY TO VOTE

Only members of the County Central Committee, its duly elected officers and those holding proxies will be eligible to vote at meetings of the Central Committee.

Section 2.        ELECTING OFFICERS

Officers shall be elected by secret ballot, provided that voting may be by acclamation when only one person is nominated.

Section 3.        VOICE VOTING

In the normal transaction of business at meetings of the County Central Committee and its Executive Committee other than the election of officers, voting on motions shall be by voice vote.  Upon the request of twenty-five (25) percent of the members present, voting, other than for the election of officers, shall be by roll call vote.

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Section 4.        VOTING BY PROXY

Members may vote by proxy at meetings of the Central Committee provided the proxy holder is a registered Republican voter residing in the same precinct as the member, provided further that the form of proxy specified in Section 5 of this ARTICLE shall be the only proxy form accepted.  There shall be no voting by proxy at meetings of the Executive Committee; provided that if a quorum is not present at an Executive Committee meeting or if the Chairman, with the concurrence of a majority of the other officers, chooses to do so, motions may be submitted to the voting members of the Executive Committee by telephone poll and shall be deemed adopted or defeated when a majority of the entire voting membership has voted one way or the other.

Section 5.        FORM OF PROXY FOR JOHNSON COUNTY REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITEE MEETING

I, ___________________________, being a qualified member of the Republican Party Central Committee of Johnson County, Kansas, and a Precinct Committeeman or Committeewoman of Ward ___, Precinct ___, City or Township _______________________ do hereby constitute and appoint ________________________, my true and lawful attorney, in my name, place and stead to vote for me as my proxy at the said Central Committee meeting on the ____ day of ______,

19__, or on such other day as the meeting may thereafter be adjourned, and giving to said attorney full power and authority to act for me in my name at said meeting upon any matter of business as may lawfully come before such meeting as I could do if personally present, and I hereby ratify and confirm all that _he may do in my name, place and stead.

                                                                                                ____________________________

                                                                                                (Signature of Committee Member)

                                                                                                ____________________________

                                                                                                (Witness)

As holder of this proxy, I do hereby state that I am a registered Republican voter, resident of Ward ___, Precinct ___, City or Township ____________________and residing at the postal address of _____________________________(Street or Rural Route Number).

                                                                                                ____________________________

                                                                                                (Proxy’s Signature)

PROXY MUST BE TURNED IN TO SECRETARY PRIOR TO CALL TO ORDER OF MEETING.

Section 6.        RULES OF ORDER

The County Central Committee may, by a two-thirds vote, adopt standing rules of order for biennial organizational and other types of meetings of the County Central Committee or portions thereof which shall be followed until amended or repealed by a two-thirds vote of the County Central Committee; provided that in the absence of any standing rules for the type of meeting being held, the County Central Committee, or a portion thereof as the case may be, may, by a simple majority of members present, adopt rules of order for that particular type of meeting; provided further that until either standing or other rules of order have been adopted,

Johnson County Republican Central Committee

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Article VI, Section 6     (cont)

Robert’s Rules of Order as then most recently revised, shall be followed, shall govern all voting and parliamentary procedures except to the extent inconsistent with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Republican State Committee, the Statutes of Kansas and with the rules and regulations of the Republican National Committee.

Section 7.        PROHIBITION AGAINST UNIT RULE

At all meetings of the County Central Committee, each member shall be entitled to register his individual vote, and no members shall be bound by any rule requiring all members to vote as a unit.  All nominations shall be made individually.  Elections by slates shall be prohibited.

ARTICLE VII

Committees

Section 1. STANDING COMMITTEES

The standing committees of the County Central Committee shall be:

            (a)        Finance,

            (b)        Publicity,

            (c)        Party Organization,

            (d)        Policy, and

            (e)        Campaign,

the members of which committees need not be members of the County Central Committee. 

The Chairman shall prepare, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, for each standing committee, guidelines as to authority, procedures, duties and responsibilities. 

After each biennial organization meeting, the Chairman and Executive Committee shall review the established guidelines and shall extend or revise the guidelines as may be necessary.

Section 2.   OTHER STANDING COMMITTEES

The Chairman of the County Central Committee is vested with authority to appoint additional standing committees with the approval of the Executive Committee, the members of which committees need not be members of the County Central Committee.

Section 3. TEMPORARY OR AD HOC COMMITTEES

The Chairman of the County Central Committee is vested with authority to appoint temporary or ad hoc committees as he or she deems necessary, with the concurrence of the majority of the elected officers, the members of which committees need not be members of the County Central Committee.

Section 4. APPOINTMENTS

The Chairman of the County Central Committee shall appoint the Chairman, Vice Chairman and members of all committees, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Chairman or until their replacements are appointed by his duly elected successor.