Rhode Island Democratic State Committee By-Laws

Click here for a PDF edition. Last revised 6/22/00.

ARTICLE I - Name and Membership

SECTION 1

The affairs of the Democratic Party of Rhode Island shall be directed by a committee know as the “Democratic State Committee,” consisting of two (2) members, one (1) woman and one (1) man from each General Assembly representative district; said members shall be elected in the primary held to nominate a candidate for Governor, and shall hold office for a four year term until their successors are elected and qualified; and also consisting of the chair, first vice-chair, second vice-chair, third vice-chair, secretary, corresponding secretary, recording secretary, treasurer, and assistant treasurer of the Democratic State Committee.

SECTION 2

Vacancies in membership occurring from death, resignation, removal from the district, failure of a committee or primary to elect, or other cause shall be filled by the district committee of the representative district in which the vacancy exists. If, after thirty days, said vacancy shall not have been filled in the foregoing manner, then the Democratic State Chair shall fill said vacancy. If any representative district has no representative on the State Committee at the time of the adoption of these rules, the Democratic State Chair shall select qualified electors of said district as members of the Democratic State Committee to represent said district.

ARTICLE II - Officers

SECTION 1

The officers of the State Committee shall be; Chair, First Vice-Chair, Second Vice-Chair, Third Vice- Chair, Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer. The offices of Chair and First Vice-Chair shall be members of the opposite sex as will the Second Vice-Chair and Third Vice- Chair. All officers shall be chosen quadrennially at the meeting held for ‘reorganization”. A majority vote of the whole number present shall be necessary for a choice, provided that no such election shall occur unless one-quarter (1/4) of the total membership of the-37 members committee be present. Officers of the State Committee have the power to formulate policy regarding availability of State Committee services to Democrats at all levels throughout the state.

SECTION 2

The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Democratic State Committee and of the Board of Directors and shall appoint all committees unless ordered by two thirds (2/3) of the members of the Democratic State Committee present; and shall authorize all expenditures and payment of bills. In the absence of the Chair, First Vice-Chair, Second Vice-Chair, Third Vice-Chair, and Secretary, a presiding officer Pro-Tempore shall be elected by the Democratic State Committee or by the Board of Directors.

SECTION 3

The Treasurer shall account for all moneys collected and disbursed by or for the Democratic State Committee; shall annually submit to the said State Committee a financial report which shall he subject to, audit at the discretion of the Board of Directors; shall submit such reports as may from time to time be requested by the Chair or by the said State Committee and shall deliver to his/her successor all moneys and records in his/her possession belonging to said State Committee.

SECTION 4

The Secretary shall keep a correct record of the proceedings of the Democratic State Committee and of the Board of Directors: shall file all papers, notify all committees of their appointments, keep a list of the officers and members of the various city and district and town committees of the Democratic Party in Rhode Island and perform such other services as may be required by the Democratic State Committee or the Board of Directors; Shall deliver all the books, papers, and property of the organization in his/her possession to the succeeding committees at its first meeting.

SECTION 5

The officers of the Democratic State Committee may be selected from outside of the membership of the committee, but must be chosen from among the qualified electors of the State of Rhode Island, and such officers shall, by virtue of their election, become members of the Democratic State Committee and shall hold office until their successors are elected and qualified.

SECTION 6

In the event that a vacancy occurs in any office, other than that of Chair, the Board of Directors shall fill such vacancy until the next meeting of the Democratic State Committee at which time a chair shall be elected, provided, however, that if a vacancy in the office of Chair occurs in any regular biennial election year during the period from June 1st to Election Day, such vacancy may be filled by the Board of Directors.

SECTION 7

There shall be a Finance Committee appointed by the Chair, of such number as the Chair may determine which shall serve at the pleasure of the Chair. The Treasurer of the Democratic State Committee shall be a member of the Finance Committee to help coordinate plans for raising funds to carry out the objectives of the Democratic Party.

SECTION 8

All checks or demand for money or notes of the Democratic State Committee for under $1000.00 (one thousand dollars) shall be signed by the Chair or Treasurer of the Democratic State Committee. All checks or demand for money or notes of the Democratic State Committee for over $1000.00 (one thousand dollars) shall be signed by the Chair of the Democratic State Committee and shall be cosigned by the Treasurer or the Assistant Treasurer, In the absence of the Chair, and the Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer and when authorized by the Chair in writing, any two officers of the Democratic State Committee, with the prior approval of the Board of Directors, may sign checks for funds of the Democratic State Committee.

SECTION 9

All funds received by the Democratic State Committee from the State of Rhode Island, so called checkoff funds under Section 44-l0-2(e) of the General Laws may be expended for all Democratic Party purposes and activities permitted by law, except that no such finds shall be contributed to any candidate for public office for purposes of campaign expenditures.

SECTION 10

The Chair shall appoint an Executive Director whose salary and duties will be determined by the Chair and will serve at his pleasure. Additionally, the Chair shall appoint a “Sergeant-at-Arms” to coordinate State Committee meetings.

SECTION 11

There shall be established the following permanent standing committees of the Democratic State Committee appointed by the Chair, of such numbers the Chair may determine, each member thereof shall serve at the pleasure of the Chair. Each individual State Committee Member should serve on at least one of these standing committees although said committees may include persons who are not members of the State committee at the pleasure of the Chair. The Chair also reserves the right to appoint special temporary committees (ad hoc) in addition to the permanent standing committees as the Chair deems necessary and appropriate.

The permanent standing committees: (a) Finance; (b) Platform/Issues; (c) Public Relations; (d) Diversity; (e) Technology/Technological Support; (f) Campaign Activities; (g) Education/Training; (h) Long Range Planning.

SECTION 12

The Chair may appoint regional Chairs of such numbers as the Chair shall determine if the Chair so desires and deems appropriate.

ARTICLE III - National Party Representatives

SECTION 1

Quadrennially, at its Nominating Convention, the Democratic State Committee shall elect the Rhode Island Democratic State Committee’s representatives to the Democratic National Committee and shall be declared to be the Democratic National Committeeman and the Democratic National Committeewoman. In the event a vacancy occurs in either office, the Board of Directors may fill such vacancy until the next meeting of the Democratic State Committee at which a Chair is to he elected.

ARTICLE IV - Quorum

SECTION 1

Forty (40) members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business except as set forth in Section 1 of Article II of these rules.

ARTICLE V - Powers

SECTION 1

The Democratic State Committee and, when it is not convened in meeting, its Board of Directors, and when neither is convened, then the State Committee Chair is hereby vested with the following power and authority:

a) to have and exercise general oversight of the matter of calling state conventions, and all primaries, and all other conventions relating to party representatives; and to issue calls for primaries to be held in accordance herewith;

b) to file party nominations or to endorse candidates in a primary for any public office whether in town, city, ward. voting district, senatorial district, representative district, congressional district or state, where the town, city, ward, voting district, senatorial district, representative district, or congressional district committee or other party committee, authorized to act, has failed or neglected to file such nomination or endorsements with the proper officials;

c) to fill vacancies where party convention or primaries have failed or neglected to make or file proper nominations for any cause whatsoever;

d) to fill vacancies caused by withdrawals or for any other cause where a time limit is involved in case of failure on the part of the regular party committee to act at the proper time;

e) to file nominations and/or fill vacancies as provided in the three preceding clauses; b. c. and d. on the next secular day following the expiration of the time within which the regular party committee, convention, caucus or other authority should have acted;

f) to appoint a new town, city, district or other committee to act in such cases, where time is sufficient to enable them to do so within a statutory limit, if the regular committee fails to perform the usual duties of such committee;

g) to meet any other contingency that arises under the provisions of the statutes where there is a failure on the part of the party committee to actor where a primary has been adjudged to be void;

h) to do and perform such additional acts and to exercise such additional powers, duties and prerogatives— as are enumerated and described in Chapter 317 of the General Laws, and other provisions of law;

i) to authorize the Chair of any subcommittee of the Board of Directors to perform any such act and to do anything which said Board of Directors has the power to do or perform;

j) to do and perform every other act and thing which is necessary incident to the enumerated powers;

k) to do and perform every other thing, whether related or not related to the enumerated powers which the Democratic State Committee or its Board of Directors or any duly selected subcommittee of the Board of Directors may lawfully do and perform.

ARTICLE VI - Board of Directors

SECTION 1

There shall be a Board of Directors of the Democratic State Committee consisting of the following members:

a) officers of the Democratic State Committee (Chair, First Vice-Chair, Second Vice-Chair, Third Vice Chair, Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer);

b) ten (10) State Committee members from each of the two (2) congressional districts consisting of five (5) men and five (5) women from each congressional district. Said members shall be elected by the membership of the Democratic State Committee;

c) five (5) general officers (Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, General Treasurer) when such officers are Democrats;

d) four (4) national officers (two (2) U.S. Senators and two (2) U.S. Representatives) when such officers are Democrats;

e) elected chief executive officers of the cities and towns who were elected by the voters of their community and who were registered as a Democrat;

f) three (3) members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives to be appointed by the highest ranking Democrat in the House;

g) three (3) members of the Rhode Island Senate to be appointed by the highest ranking Democrat in the Senate;.

h) four (4) members of the Rhode Island Young Democrats provided that there is then organized and operating a Rhode Island Young Democrats organization. Of said four (4) such members, one shall be the President or his/her designee, one shall be elected by the general membership of the Rhode Island Young Democrats and one from each of the congressional districts shall be selected by the Chair of the Rhode Island Democratic State Committee. The Chair shall make his/her selection from a list to be supplied by the Young Democrats with said list containing no less than five (5) proposed members from each congressional district. In the event that there is not an organized and active Rhode Island Young Democrats organization, then the aforementioned four (4) members shall be selected by the Chair at his/her discretion with two (2) members being selected to represent each congressional district with one male and one female being selected for each district, each such individual shall be under the age of 25 years when appointed and none of the said four (4) members shall continue to be eligible for membership of the Executive Committee upon reaching the age of 26 years old.

i) two (2) members active and identified with Rhode Island State Women’s Democratic Organizations with both members to be selected by the Chair at his/her discretion.

j) the thirty-nine (39) Chairs of the city and town committees;

k) two (2) members of the C.O.M.P. Committee to be elected by their membership;

l) two (2) members of the Rhode Island Minority Community active in the Democratic Party to be selected by the Chair at his/her discretion to serve at said discretion with one member being appointed from each congressional district.

m) up to fifty (50) at-large members to be appointed by the Democratic State Chair and who shall serve at the pleasure of the Chair.

n) Democratic National Committeeman and Democratic National Committeewoman;

o) The Executive Director of the Rhode Island Democratic State Committee will be an ex-officio member.

p) Each and every former State Chair of the Rhode Democratic State Committee shall automatically become a member of the Executive Committee and shall continue to serve in said capacity during their lifetime or until such time as he/she formally resigns as a member of the Executive Committee.

The Board of Directors shall have all the powers of the Democratic State Committee to act when the latter is not convened in meeting except to levy assessments, or censure members of the Democratic State Committee, both of which functions are reserved for the Democratic State Committee.

Twenty-one members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Any member of the Board of Directors who is absent without just cause in writing for two consecutive meetings shall be replaced by the appointing authority according to the by-laws.

The Board shall have the authority to recommend nominees for Federal and State officers to the State Committee for endorsement.

ARTICLE VII - Meetings

SECTION I

Meetings of the Democratic State Committee may be called at pleasure of the Chair upon notice in writing given at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting.

SECTION 2

Whenever forty (40) members of the said State Committee submit a written request to the Chair for a meeting of said State Committee, said meeting shall be called for and held within fourteen (14) days of the receipt by the Chair of such request. Notice of said meeting shall be given at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting.

ARTICLE VII - Conduct of Members

SECTION 1

a) All public meetings at all levels of the Democratic Party in this state shall be open to all members of the Democratic Party regardless of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, economic status, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression or philosophical orientation.

b) No test for membership in, nor any oaths of loyalty to, the Democratic Party in this state shall be required or used which has the effect of requiring prospective or current members of the Democratic Party to acquiesce in, condone or support discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, economic status, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

c) The time and place for all public meetings of the Democratic Party on all levels shall be publicized fully and in such a manner as to assure timely notice to all interested persons. Said meetings must be held in places accessible to all Party members and large enough to accommodate all interested person.

d) The Democratic Party, on all levels, shall support the broadest possible registration without discrimination on grounds of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, economic status, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

e) The Democratic Party in this state shall publicize fully, and in such a manner as to assure notice to all interested parties, a full description of the legal and practical procedures for selection of Democratic Party officers and representatives on all levels. Publication of these procedures shall be done in such a fashion that all prospective and current members of this State Democratic Party will be fully and adequately informed of the pertinent procedures in time to participate in each selection procedure at all levels of the Democratic Party organization.

f) The Democratic Party in this state shall publicize fully, and such a manner as to assure notice to all interested parties, a complete description of the legal and practical qualifications of all offices and representatives of the State Democratic Party. Such publication shall be done in timely fashion so that all prospective candidates or applicants for any elected or appointed position within each State Democratic Party will have full and adequate opportunity to compete for office.

SECTION 2

The Democratic State Committee shall have power to censure a member upon charges previously presented in writing to the Board of Directors. If the Board of Directors determines that the verified complaint does not allege fact sufficient to constitute a knowing and willful violation of any of the by-laws of the Democratic State Committee, it shall dismiss the complaint and after hearing thereon the Board of Directors shall report to the Democratic State Committee at a meeting held next after the meeting at which the charges were preferred. If the report of the Board of Directors sustains such charges, the question of censure for such members shall be voted upon by the Democratic State Committee. A majority of the members present at such meeting shall determine whether the member so accused shall be censured. All complaints so dismissed by the Board of Directors shall be kept confidential.

ARTICLE IX - Local Committees and Candidates

SECTION 1

The Democratic Party voters in each ward, of each of the cities of the state shall, biennially, in every even year, at the primary election held to nominate party candidates, elect a ward committee for each ward, provided, however, that the ward committees in the city of Providence shall be elected quadrennially, and the Democratic Party voters in each of the towns of the state shall biennially at the primary election elect a town committee for the town.

SECTION 2

The members of the several ward committees in each city of the Democratic Party’ shall constitute the city committee of the Democratic Party for that city; provided however that for the town of Lincoln, members of the several council district committees of the Democratic Party shall constitute the town committee; and provided further, however, each of the council district committees shall consist of an equal number of members as provided in town committee by-laws. There shall be a senatorial district committee for each senatorial district to consist five (5) members where the senatorial district is contained within a single city or town and to consist of seven (7) members where the senatorial district includes all or parts of two (2) or more cities or towns, there shall be a representative district committee for each representative district to consist of three (3) members, where the representative district is contained within a single city or town, and to consist of five (5) members where the representative district includes all or parts of two (2) or more cities and towns. The representative district committee shall endorse the State Committeeman and Committeewoman from that representative district. The senatorial and representative district committee members shall be qualified electors of their respective districts and shall hold office, respectively, until their successors shall have been duly elected, qualified, and organized.

SECTION 3

No member of a ward, town, or district committee shall hold or continue to hold membership on the ward, town, or district committee, unless that member shall be a qualified elector of the ward, town, or district, except as herein otherwise specifically provided, ward, district, town and city committee members shall hold office, respectively from the date of their election until next election of the committees and thereafter until their successors shall successors shall have been duly elected, qualified and organized.

SECTION 4

All city, town, and district committees shall organize biennially in the month of January in every odd year provided however, that the city committee of the city of Providence shall organize quadrennially. Each city committee organized under this section may elect not exceeding three (3) officers outside its membership from among the voters of the Democratic Party in the city, and the officers shall, by virtue of their election, become members of the city committee and shall hold office until the next organizational meeting of the committee. Each city committee, each town committee, and each district committee, within ten (10) days after its organization, shall file with the Secretary of State and with the local board a list of its officers and members.

SECTION 5

City, town and district committees of the Democratic Party in this state may make rules not inconsistent with the rules of the State Committee and except as herein otherwise specifically provided, the general management of the affairs of the Democratic Party in the respective cities, towns, and districts, including the power to endorse candidates for public or party office, shall be vested in the city, town, or district committee, respectively, subject to all State Committee rules.

SECTION 6

Any vacancy occurring in any of the offices of city, town, ward, or district committees shall be filled by the remaining members thereof and any vacancy occurring in the membership of town, city, ward, or district committee shall be filled by the remaining members of the committee. A statement of that action by any committee shall be filed as in the case of officers and members first chosen.

SECTION 7

If any vacancy shall occur either with respect to any office of a city or ward committee or with respect to the membership of any city or ward committee. and the vacancy shall not have been filled within forty-five (45) days of the date upon which the vacancy shall occur pursuant to the provisions of Section 6 of this Article, the vacancy shall be filled by the city committee involved or the executive committee of the city committee or any duly elected subcommittee of the executive committee or by the city Chair if so authorized.

SECTION 8

In the event that a ward committee or a city committee of the Democratic Party of a particular city has failed or neglected to do so, the executive committee of the city committee of that city, or any duly selected subcommittee of the executive committee or the city Chair if so authorized may, within twenty-four (24) weekday hours of the failure, endorse and notify the local board of the endorsement, if any, of the candidates for city council, ward committee member, and mayor as the case may be, to be voted on in the primary.

SECTION 9

Should any controversy, which is not covered and defined by these by-laws or by the statutes of this state, arise between committees or candidates for office in any city or town or in any representative district, as to which is the regular committee or candidate of the Democratic Party, the Board of Directors shall have the power to decide which of said committees or candidates represents the Democratic Party in said city or town or in said Representative District, and such decisions when rendered, shall be binding on all Democrats.

SECTION 10

In all cases of apparent conflict between a local community and the Democratic State Committee upon any matter touching the interest of the Democratic Party, the decision of the Democratic State Committee shall be binding upon all Democrats.

ARTICLE X - Primaries

The Democratic electors of said district, city, or town, to meet in primary for the transaction of such business as may be set forth in said call, and shall designate the person who shall preside at said primary.

Should it appear to the Board of Directors that the district, city, or town committee in any district, city, or town has failed to maintain a proper organization of the Democratic Party in its district, city, or town, or has permitted the Democratic Committee or organization to be used against the interests of the Democratic Party, said Board of Directors may call primaries in the same manner and with the same effect as though there were no Democratic organization in said district, city, or town.

ARTICLE XI - State Party Convention

SECTION 1

There shall be held not later than October 14 of every even-numbered year a Rhode Island State Democratic Party Convention, The nominees of the Democratic Party in this state for Senators and Representatives in Congress, for the five (5) general offices, and for election years: the Rhode Island State Democratic Party Convention shall select the party’s nominees for presidential electors and the names of those presidential electors shall be submitted for placement on the ballot labels for the forthcoming election. The Rhode Island State Democratic Party Convention shall be for the purpose of adopting a platform for the Democratic Party in this state and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the convention.

ARTICLE XII - Order of Business

SECTION 1

The order of business at all meetings of the Democratic State Committee shall be as follows:

1. Roll Call
2. Reading minutes of previous meeting for approval
3. Special Business
4. Reports of Committees
5. Presentation of Petitions
6. Unfinished Business
7. New Business
8. Adjournment

ARTICLE XIII - Amendments

SECTION 1

These rules may be altered or amended at any regular meeting of the Democratic State Committee by vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present, or in such other manner as the members of said committee shall prescribe by unanimous vote at any meeting.

ARTICLE XIV - Rules of Order

SECTION 1

In all proceedings before this committee, not specifically provided for in these rules, Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the law governing proceedings.