WHEREAS The Portage County Democratic Party has a number of standing procedures relating to the day to day operations of the organization; AND

WHEREAS The Portage County Democratic Central Committee has the authority to adopt rules governing such procedures; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that the Portage County Democratic Party does hereby establish Article IX of the Constitution to read as follows:

ARTICLE IX: Standing Rules

The Portage County Democratic Party does hereby establish and adopt Standing Rules, which shall outline the policies and procedures relating to the administration of the organization.

1. Upon adoption, Standing Rules shall remain in full force until such a time that the membership shall vote to revoke the rule.

2. Amendments to the Standing Rules may be proposed at any Regular or Special Meeting, and require a simple majority vote.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chair shall name an ad hoc committee to solicit feedback from the Central Committee members to consider the creation of necessary standing rules, and to report on those findings with a draft to be adopted at the next Regular Meeting of the Democratic Central Committee.

WHEREAS: The Portage County Democratic Central Committee must meet to regularly to support and elect Democrats; AND

WHEREAS: Three meetings per calendar year is likely insufficient to adequately support Democratic candidates and represent Democratic voters across Portage County; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that Article IV, Section 4 ‘Regular Meetings’ of the Constitution be amended to read the following:

1. The members of the Central Committee shall meet not less than once per quarter in each calendar year at a place within Portage County, or via electronic means (where permissible by law).

2. The members of the Central Committee shall endeavor to meet twice per quarter in order carry out the business of the organization.

3. The schedule for regular meetings shall take into account the requirement for making a recommendation for appointment of a member of the County Board of Elections as described in Article 4, Section 10; should such an appointment be required.

4. Notice of regular meetings of the Central Committee shall be given to members of the Central Committee as provided in Article 4, Section 6.

WHEREAS The Portage County Democratic Party endeavors to create a welcoming and engaging environment for Democratic Voters; AND

WHEREAS The Ohio Democratic Party has allowed for the creation of constituency caucuses to better represent and advocate underrepresented communities; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that the following Rule be added to the Standing Rules of the Portage County Democratic Party:

Constituency Caucuses

The Portage County Democratic Party shall be empowered to consider, approve and establish constituency caucuses to help further advocate democratic values and mobilize voters in Portage County.

1. The proposed creation of a new constituency caucus must be announced no later than 15 days prior to a Regular Meeting of the Portage County Democratic Party.

2. The creation of constituency caucus requires a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of members present in order to be considered approved.

3. Constituency Caucuses shall meet no less than once per quarter. All meetings will be announced at least ten days in advance, and communicated to Party Leadership to be published online.

4. Constituency Caucuses shall elect a Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. Elections for Caucus officers will take place during the first meeting in even numbered years.

5. The Chair of each Constituency Caucus shall serve as an ex-officio, non-voting representative to the Democratic Central Committee, and shall endeavor to attend all Regular Meetings.

6. Constituency Caucuses will be open to all Democrats in Portage County who wish to further promote the mission of that caucus.

7. Constituency Caucuses shall endeavor to partner and affiliate with state (Ohio Democratic Party) constituency caucuses, where possible.

WHEREAS The officers of the Portage County Democratic Party must meet regularly to oversee the ongoing business of the organization; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that the following Rule be added to the Standing Rules of the Portage County Democratic Party:

Meetings of the Officers

1. The Officers of the Portage County Democratic Party shall meet twice per quarter (either in-person or virtually) to discuss and review the ongoing administration of the organization.

2. Meetings of the Officers shall be announced no less than seven days prior to the scheduled meeting time, and published online.

3. Meetings of the Officers shall be open to the membership.

4. Minutes for each meeting shall be prepared by the Secretary. Once approved, the Minutes shall be shared with the Membership.

WHEREAS Article V ‘Officers’ of the Constitution outlines the Officers of the Organization, but also outlines our Standing Committees; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that sections 8 through 12 of Article V of the Constitution be moved under a newly created Article titled Committees; AND

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the formatting of the Constitution to be updated to correct the in inconsistencies in numbering for subsequent Articles and Sections.

WHEREAS Article IV, Section XI of the Constitution ‘Other authorities and duties of the County Central Committee’ outlines the authority of the Central Committee, and clarifies the powers of the Organization; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that Sub-Section E be added to Section XI of Article IV of the Constitution to read the following:

Upon the adoption of an annual budget, the Chairperson shall be empowered to make disbursements on behalf of the organization so long as they fall within the approved budget.

WHEREAS the language in Article V, Section IV of the Constitution is vague and confusing; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that Article V, Section IV be replaced with the following:

There shall be two Vice-Chairs, designated as First Vice-Chair and Second Vice-Chair.

The First Vice-Chair shall serve as the Acting Chair in case of the death, resignation, incapacity, removal, ineligibility or absence of the Chair, and shall, in such event, have the same powers, duties and responsibilities as the Chair and shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term.

Should a vacancy occur and the First Vice Chair refuse, for any reason, to assume the office and responsibilities of the Chair, they shall immediately inform the Secretary by email.

The Secretary shall then inform the Central Committee by email within 48 Hours of this decision, and the Second Vice Chair shall then serve as Chair for the remainder of the unexpired term.

Should both Vice Chairs refuse to fill the vacancy, a Special Election will be scheduled to elect a new Chair.

The Chair may delegate other responsibilities to the Vice-Chairs at their discretion.

The Vice-Chairs shall be of different gender identities in accordance with the rules set forth in the Charter of the Democratic National Committee.

WHEREAS the language in Article V, Section V of the Constitution is vague and confusing; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that Article V, Section V be replaced with the following:

The Secretary shall have custody of all official records of the Portage County Democratic Party and of the Central Committee, other than financial records required to be kept by the Treasurer.

1. These records specifically include the record of members and officers of the Central Committee, the minutes of all meetings, and records of notices of all meetings sent to the members of the Central Committee.

The Secretary shall notify the Board of Elections and the Secretary of State of the current membership and statutory officers of the Central Committee and any changes in that membership or officers, as required by Ohio Revised Code Sections 3517.02 and 3517.06.

Copies of the record of membership and minutes of meetings shall be available for inspection by members of the County Party and available to the public and news media upon reasonable notice.

1. Requests for inspection of records must be maid in writing by certified mail, and sent to the Portage County Democratic Party PO Box.

2. Upon receipt, the Secretary shall acknowledge the request within five days to the requesting party. Following this notification, the Secretary will respond with requested materials within 20 days.

The original records and minutes shall be maintained by the Secretary and, at the conclusion of any Secretary's term in office, immediately delivered to the successor Secretary for which proper receipt shall be acknowledged by email.

The Secretary shall maintain a record of all physical correspondence with the Democratic National Committee, Ohio Democratic Party, other county and local Democratic Party organizations, other organizations involved in political campaign activities, and with public officials and candidates for public office.

With the approval of the Chair, an assistant Secretary may be designated to manage correspondence other than that reporting which is required of the Secretary by statute.

WHEREAS the language in Article V, Section VI of the Constitution is vague and confusing; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that Article V, Section VI be replaced with the following:

The Treasurer shall have custody of the funds and financial records of the Portage County Democratic Party and of the Central Committee, and shall make a report of the current funds and financial records at each meeting of the Central Committee.

The Treasurer shall keep an account of all receipts and expenditures of the County Party and of the Central Committee.

The Treasurer shall prepare and file with the Board of Elections such reports of contributions and expenditures of the County Party as are required by Ohio Revised Code Section 3517.10.

1. Copies of such reports shall be available for inspection by members of the County Party and available to the public and news media upon reasonable notice.

The Treasurer shall cooperate with the Audit Committee in the performance of the annual audit.

1. The original records of receipts and expenditures shall be maintained by the Treasurer and, at the conclusion of the Treasurer's term in office, immediately delivered to the Audit Committee for end-of-term audit prior to delivery of said records to the successor Treasurer, for which proper receipt shall be acknowledged in writing via email.

With the approval of the Chair, an assistant Treasurer may be designated to assist with the financial records of the Portage County Democratic Party other than that reporting which is required of the Treasurer by statute.

WHEREAS the language in Article V, Section XIV ‘Removal of Officers’ of the Constitution does not specify how a vote should be taken; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that Article V, Section XIV be replaced with the following:

Any officer may be removed from office before the end of the term to which that officer was elected by a vote of the majority of the total number of members of the Central Committee, at a regular or special meeting of the Central Committee.

1. A vote on the removal of an officer may be called by the Chair, or by the written request of at least twenty members of the Central Committee.

When a vote on the removal of an officer is to be taken, an announcement that such a vote will be taken must be included in the Notice of Meeting sent to the members of the Central Committee of the meeting at which the vote is to be taken.

The Chair shall call a vote on the removal of an officer on the occurrence of any of the following:

1. Failure of an officer to attend three consecutive meetings of the Central Committee without excuse.

2. Failure of an officer to make available to the members of the Central Committee any records of the Central Committee which this Article requires that officer make available within a reasonable period of time.

3. Failure of an officer to cooperate with the Audit Committee in the completion of an audit required by Section 8 of this Article.

4. A report of the Audit Committee that the financial records have not been approved by the Audit Committee at an audit required by Section 8 of this Article.

The vote shall be conducted by a show of hands, or by roll call.

WHEREAS the language in Article VII, Section IV ‘Procedure for endorsement’ of the Constitution has some repetitive language, and does not clarify who issues endorsement statements; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that Article VII, Section IV ‘Procedure for endorsement’ be replaced with the following:

A. A special meeting for the purpose of considering endorsements may be called by the Chair or by written request of members as set out in Article 4, Section 5, with notice to the members of the Central Committee as set out in Article 4, Section 6.

B. Any candidate or issue committee seeking the endorsement of the Portage County Democratic Party may deliver a written request for such endorsement to the Chair or to the Secretary of the Central Committee. The Chair may appoint a Candidate and Issue Committee to review such applications, interview such applicants, and make a report to the Central Committee.

C. The Chair shall, pursuant to the By-Laws of the Ohio Democratic Party, Chapter 7, Section 5, permit all of the candidates or issue representatives to address the special meeting of the Central Committee. The Central Committee may endorse one or more of said candidates upon the affirmative vote of 60% of the members of the Committee present and voting on the question. The question to be submitted to the County Central Committee shall be whether such candidate or issue shall be endorsed by the Portage County Democratic Party. Any member of the County Central Committee may vote in the affirmative for as many candidates for the nomination as desired.

D. The vote of the Central Committee shall be by written ballot showing the candidate’s name and the Central Committee member’s signature and printed name, or by roll call vote recorded electronically. If a special meeting is called for the purpose of considering endorsements and fewer than one-half the total number of members of the Central Committee attend such meeting, no vote shall be held on the question of endorsements.

E. Any candidate receiving the vote of 60% of the members of the Committee present and voting on the question shall be considered to be endorsed, and a public announcement of said endorsement shall be issued forthwith by the Chair.

F. An endorsement may be withdrawn at any properly organized meeting of the Central Committee at any time by a vote of sixty (60%) percent of the members present and voting on the withdrawal of the endorsement.

WHEREAS the ‘in other offices’ language in Article III, Section III is unnecessary, and Parliamentarian is missing; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that Article III, Section III ‘Eligibility For County Party Office’ be replaced with the following:

The Chair, First Vice-Chair, Second Vice-Chair. Treasurer, Secretary and Parliamentarian shall be members of the County Central Committee. Any person who meets the membership requirements of Article 3, Section 1, is eligible to serve.

WHEREAS Article V, Section XI ‘Membership Committee’ does not address chronic absenteeism; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that the following text be added to Article V, Section XI ‘Membership Committee’:

Central Committee Members who have missed three consecutive meetings without excuse or communication will be asked to resign.

WHEREAS Article 2007-02 in the Bylaws requires a vote to approve the annual budget, but does not specify the type of vote; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that the following text be added to the end of Section D:

The vote will be conducted by show of hands or roll call.

WHEREAS Article 2007-04, Section D, in the Bylaws does not specify financial records; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that the word ‘financial’ be added before the phrase ‘records of the county Party’.

WHEREAS Article 2021-01, has sometimes vague and/or confusing language; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that Sections A, B, and C be updated to the following:

A. The Portage County Democratic Party shall seek to engage all Democrats in Portage County. Participation in Party activities is open to all members of the Party regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or gender expression, language, national origin, religion, age, military status, genetic testing, disability, or sexual orientation. No test for membership in, or oaths of loyalty to the Party shall be required or used which have the effect of requiring prospective or current members to acquiesce to, condone, or support discrimination.

B. The time, place and manner of meetings of the Portage County Democratic Party shall be fully publicized in such a manner as to ensure timely notice to all interested persons.

C. The Portage County Democratic Party shall support the broadest possible participation of Democratic voters, and shall publicize fully and in such manner as to assure notice to all interested parties a full description of the legal and practical procedures for selection of officers and representatives. Publication of these procedures should be done in such fashion that all prospective and current members of the Party will be fully and adequately informed of the pertinent procedures in time to participate in each selection procedure and compete for such offices.

WHEREAS The Chair of any Democratic Party is, by definition, a partisan figure, who is required to sign legal documents for the Ohio Democratic Party; AND;

WHEREAS Members of the Board of Elections are expected to remain impartial whilst executing their responsibilities; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that the following text be added to the end of Article IV, Section X ‘Recommendation of Member of County Board of Elections’:

No individual may serve as Chair of the Portage County Democratic Party and as an appointed member of the Board of Elections simultaneously.

WHEREAS The use of the term ‘Democratic Party Committee’ is inconsistent in this section; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that instances of ‘Democratic Committee’ in #2021-02 ‘Donation Limitations’ in the Bylaws be replaced with ‘Democratic Party Committee’.

WHEREAS some language is vague or confusing, and other language does not specify how votes should be cast; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that sections B and C of section #2021-05 ‘Violation of the Constitution & By-Laws’ in the Bylaws be replaced with the following:

B. A complaint in writing specifying alleged violations of the provisions of the Constitution or By-Laws may be presented to the Chair or Secretary. Such complaint must contain the valid signatures of at least 10% of the Democrats voting in the most recent primary election, or 500 valid signatures, whichever is fewer, within the jurisdiction of the officer, committee or organization, or elected official accused. The Chair shall then relay the complaint to examiners for further review.

C. Where violations are alleged, the Chair shall nominate three members of the Central Committee to act as examiners of those allegations. The Central Committee shall confirm or reject the nomination of each member, by roll call vote, within 30 days. This may take place virtually.

The primary duty of the examiners shall be to investigate violations referred to them by means of a complaint or by majority vote of the members of the Central Committee attending a meeting where such complaints are raised.

Such investigation shall include the opportunity for a fair hearing, including (where desired by either the alleging or accused parties) briefs, evidence, and witnesses. The term of the examiners shall be for the duration of the Central Committee that appointed them.

Should an appointed examiner leave the Central Committee, or should their term expire, any report(s) submitted shall remain valid and active until the issue has been adjudicated.

WHEREAS some language is vague or confusing; THEREFORE

BE IT RESOLVED that #2021-06 ‘Resolutions’ in the Bylaws be replaced with the following:

A. The Central Committee may adopt or rescind public statements of principle, or take other action deemed necessary by the membership, utilizing resolutions. Such resolutions should be numbered according to the year in which they are adopted (e.g., 2021-03), given a brief title explaining their contents, and posted to the Party’s website.

B. Resolutions shall be adopted by an affirmative vote of 60% of the members of the Committee present and voting on the matter.