Constitution of the Pine County Republican Party
Adopted-June 7, 1979
Amended-March 23, 1996
Amended-March 6, 1997
Amended-March 10, 2007
Amended-February 23, 2008
Last
Amended-March 9, 2009
Under the guidance of
the Constitution Committee with Dr. Michael Monte acting as
chairman of the committee.
Article I
Name
The name of this organization shall be the Pine County
Republican Party of the State of Minnesota.
Article II
Membership
The membership of the Party shall be composed of all voters
of Pine County who desire to support the objectives of the
Party.
Article III
Purpose
Section 1.
The purpose of this organization shall be the maintenance
and advancement of good government as set forth in the
United States Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and
Bill of Rights; performing the county's responsibilities
relative to the National Republican Convention, the Eighth
Congressional District Republican Convention, and the Pine
County Republican Convention.
Article IV
Management
Section 1.
The management of the affairs of the Party within the county
shall be vested in the
County Executive Committee
cooperating with
the State Central Committee, the State Executive Committee,
the Eighth District Republican Committee, the Pine County
Convention, the Constitution of the Republican Party of
Minnesota, the statutes of the State of Minnesota and the
Republican National Committee.
Section 2.
The
duties of the County Executive Committee shall include, but
not be limited to, promoting membership, organizing precinct
administration, directing effective fund raising activities,
giving and promoting assistance to the candidates of the
Republican Party, and coordinating all Republican activities
in Pine County.
Article V
Structure
Section 1.
The elected county officers shall be: Chair, First
Vice-Chair, Second Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Media
Coordinator, and
three directors elected by majority vote of the county
convention. Candidates for director shall run
simultaneously; delegates shall be permitted to vote for any
three. Those three candidates who receive the greatest
number of votes shall be elected.
a. The Executive Committee may appoint such
other committee heads and members as necessary.
Such additional committee
heads and members shall serve under the authority of the
Executive committee without right to vote. Additional
committees appointed by the Executive Committee may be
altered or dissolved by a simple majority vote of the
Executive Committee.
Section 2.
The County Executive Committee shall be composed of the
elected County Officers, State Central Committee delegates,
and three additional
board members acting as directors with full right to vote.
Article VI
Party Elections
Section 1.
Precinct officers
consisting at least of a Chairman and/or Chairwoman, a Vice
Chairwoman or Chairman, and additional officers as the
Precinct Caucus shall determine, may
be elected at
the Precinct Caucus held each even numbered year.
a. If a Precinct fails to elect officers, the
County Executive Committee may appoint them.
Section 2.
The
Executive Committee shall
be
elected at the County Convention held each odd numbered
year.
Section3.
A Nominating Committee may be appointed by the County
Executive Committee
in advance of
the County Convention held in the odd numbered years for the
purpose of nominating candidates for the Party offices of
the county to be submitted for the consideration of the
County Convention, provided however, that nominations may
also be made from the floor. Candidates considered for
office by the Nominating Committee shall be those who would
be most ably qualified for the performance of their
respective duties in the event of their election to office.
Section 4.
To be elected to
the board of the Pine County Republicans, officer candidates must
satisfy the following criteria
a. Attendance
Potential Candidates shall have attended no fewer than two
of the past six Pine County Republican Executive Board
meetings and no fewer than four meetings in the last two
years
b.
Activity
Potential candidates shall have contributed no less than
eight hours of time to the election of Republican
candidates, engaging in PCR Executive Board meetings or
otherwise attending Republican activities in the year
preceding their election.
c.
Expectations/Duties
Potential candidates shall be willing to fulfill the duties
of their respective offices including attending meetings of
the 8th Congressional District’s Executive
Committee.
Potential candidates shall be willing to serve no less than
twelve months of a two year term.
d.
Knowledge and Agreement
Potential candidates shall be familiar with the Minnesota
Republican Party and the Republican Party of Minnesota’s 8th
Congressional District.
Potential candidates shall affirm their understanding of and
agreement with the Republican Party platform.
Section 5. A Platform Committee may be
appointed by the County Executive Committee in advance of
the County Convention held in the even numbered years for
the purpose of setting forth a survey summarizing the
party’s platform. Candidates seeking the Pine County
Republican endorsement shall express their level of support
for the planks of the platform as summarized in the survey.
The platform committee shall report its specific survey
findings at both the County Convention and the Endorsing
Convention.
Article VII
Meetings
Section 1.
The County Executive Committee shall meet as determined by a
majority of the County Executive Committee, or at the call
of the Chairman or any three (3) members thereof. Notice
shall be given to all members at least three days in advance
of each meeting. Fifty percent (50%) of the active County
Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum.
Section 2.
Appointed committees shall meet in conjunction with the
County Executive Committee and such other times as a
committee head may call.
Section 3.
Any Party member shall be welcome to sit in and comment,
without right to vote, at All County Executive Committee
meetings.
Article VIII
Conventions
Section 1.
County Conventions of the Party shall be held each year
during the period, and for the purpose designated by the
Official Call issued by the State Executive Committee, the
State Central Committee, or the Eighth Congressional
District Committee.
Section 2.
Special County Conventions shall be held when called by a
higher organizational
authority, or when deemed necessary by a quorum of the
County Executive Committee.
Section 3.
A minimum of two weeks prior, written notice shall be sent
to each County Convention delegate and alternate delegates.
Section 4.
County Conventions shall be held at such time and place as
the County Executive Committee shall determine. First order
of business received shall be the Temporary Credentials
Report. The convention shall then proceed to the seating of
delegates as outlined in Section 5. A Precinct shall be
entitled to one (1) vote for each delegate or alternate
delegate present and seated, as herein provided.
Section 5.
a. A County Convention shall be composed of the
County Executive Committee and delegates and alternated
delegates elected by members of the Party in the County's
election Precincts of the county.
b. The delegates and/or alternate delegates of
each Precinct may be seated as they arrive and inform the
Credentials Committee that they believe themselves to be the
delegates and/or alternate delegates who will be present
from their Precinct to be seated.
c. Each Precinct shall decide which alternate
delegates are to be seated except that an alternate delegate
may not be seated in place of a present delegate.
d. When all the authorized seats of a Precinct
are filled by delegates and alternate delegates, and a
delegate of the Precinct later arrives, the Precinct shall
remove an alternate delegate and give the seat to the
delegate.
e. When any new County
Executive Committee officer is elected
at the odd year
County Convention, the outgoing officers shall
remain delegates, as well as the newly elected officers,
until the next even year Precinct Caucus.
f. A quorum for County Convention action other
than a motion to adjourn shall require fifty percent (50%)
of the Final Credentials Report of the number of seated
delegates and alternate delegates.
Section 6.
The County Conventions shall elect delegates and alternate
delegates to the District Conventions, the State
Conventions, and State Central Committee.
Section 7.
At the time of electing delegates and alternate delegates
the convention Chairman shall make a statement to the
convention regarding the time, travel, and expense a
delegate is assuming when he or she accepts election as a
delegate to the District and State Conventions.
Section 8.
It shall be the policy of the County Convention, but not
mandatory, to elect the
County Chair a delegate to
the District and State Conventions and also as a delegate to
the State Central Committee.
Section 9.
At the time of their election, delegates shall be informed
by the convention Chair that it is their responsibility to
arrange for their alternate when they are unable to attend a
convention.
Section 10.
If a delegate is not present at a convention to which he has
been elected and has not arranged for his alternate, the
vacancy shall be filled by an unseated alternate delegate
present by a Caucus of the seated delegates and alternate
delegates. Preference shall be given to an alternate from
the same Precinct as the absent delegate.
Section 11.
A County Convention may provide an advisory endorsement to
candidates for District, State, or National Office, provided
that such advisory endorsement is not binding upon delegates
to District and State Conventions.
Article IX
Vacancies and Removals
Section 1.
Should a vacancy occur in one or more offices of the
County Executive
Committee, the County Executive Committee may appoint a
replacement to fill each such vacancy.
Section 2.
An officer of the County Executive Committee may be removed
from office by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the
County Executive
Committee, provided that the officer whose removal is under
consideration shall have been furnished with a detailed
written statement of the charges against him at least ten
(10) days prior to the meeting, and provided, "before the
question is voted upon, if he so desires, said officer shall
be given the opportunity to answer the charges against him,
before the entire Committee."
Article X
General Provisions
Section 1.
The County Party organization shall cooperate with the
objectives of the Republican
Party of Minnesota. In
cases of County disagreement with the State policy, the
County Executive
Committee shall
make the county's position known to the State organization.
Section 2.
No member of the County organization shall be authorized to
express the views or otherwise speak on behalf of any group
within the Party on any matters of policy unless the group
has first considered and taken action and authorized his
comments on such matter. This shall not be construed to
prevent any official of the county organization from freely
expressing his opinions, provided he makes clear that his
statements are solely his own personal views.
Section 3.
The provisions of this Constitution shall be incorporated as
part of the rules of each County Convention.
Section 4.
Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to deny or
abridge the rights of any voter to participate in any Party
Caucus, Primary, or Convention in which he is entitled by
law to participate.
Section 5.
Robert's Rules of Order, as latest revised, shall govern the
proceedings of all above mentioned Committees and
Conventions.
Section 6.
The Executive Committee shall cause the Treasurer's Records
to be audited by an appointed committee every two years. A
simple majority of the County Convention may call for an
audit by an independent auditor.
Article XI
Amendments
This Constitution may be amended by a sixty percent (60%)
majority vote of the delegates present at any County
Convention, provided that the proposed amendments shall have
been first referred to a duly appointed Constitution
Committee.
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