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Constitution of the Illinois Federation of College Democrats


Preamble

We believe that the ultimate future of the United States lies in the effective participation of young people in the political process. This participation includes campaigning for candidates in whom we believe, as well as working in activities which will transform our beliefs into action. We are convinced the Illinois Federation of College Democrats has a distinct political point of view to express, and all of our activities shall be directed toward the most effective expression of that point of view. In this mission, we call for full participation without regard for sex, race, ethnic origin, religion, physical handicap, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation.

For these ends and upon these principles, we, Democratic college students of Illinois, do hereby associate ourselves and adopt this Constitution as the Illinois Federation of College Democrats.

Article I

Name, Affiliation, and Purpose

Section 1 - The name of this organization shall be the Illinois Federation of College Democrats, hereinafter the IFCD.

Section 2 - The IFCD shall affiliate with the College Democrats of America (CDA).

Section 3 - The IFCD pledges itself to support the philosophy of the Democratic Party. Furthermore, the IFCD declares its intention to support efforts to increase the participation of college students in the Democratic Party affairs. To these ends, the IFCD shall educate and train its members so that they may be better able to:

a. Educate students about the philosophy of the Democratic Party;
b. Work with Democrats across the state of Illinois to achieve the legislative and political goals of the IFCD, the College Democrats of America, and the Democratic Party.

Article II

Membership

Section 1 - Any individual who meets the following requirements shall be eligible for membership in the IFCD:

a.  The individual shall be pursuing a diploma or degree at a recognized post-secondary educational institution, or be currently engaged in an educational apprenticeship, either part or full-time.

Section 2 - No applicant shall be denied membership based on race, creed, religion, gender, physical or mental ability, marital status, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, or arrest record or conviction.

Section 3 - No applicant shall be denied membership based on Illinois residency.

Article III

Organizational Structure

Section 1 - The IFCD shall act as a liaison between the College Democrats of America and the college chapters in Illinois.

Section 2 — Chapter Affiliations

a. The IFCD shall establish and charter affiliate local chapters within the appropriate geopolitical confines of the State of Illimois.  The IFCD Executive Board reserves the right to restrict collegiate-based affiliations to one chapter per campus.
b. Upon the receipt and review of the Charter Petition Requirements as listed in the Bylaws, charters shall be granted by a three-fifths (3/5) majority vote of the seated IFCD Executive Board or by a four-fifths (4/5) majority vote of the IFCD State Convention assembled.
c. Each affiliated local chapter shall abide by the Charter Regulations contained in the Bylaws and in the Charter issued by the IFCD.
d. Any affiliated chapter which fails to abide by any or all of the Charter Regulations shall be subject to disciplinary action leading to and including Charter revocation by the IFCD.

Article IV

Executive Board

Section 1 - The Executive Board shall be composed of the Federation President, Vice President of Communication, Vice President of Political Affairs, Vice President of Finance, and Vice President of Legislative Affairs.

a. These are the only voting members, listed in order of succession.

Section 2 - The Executive Board shall have responsibility for determining the direction and goals of the IFCD. Decisions by the Executive Board may be over-ridden by a simple majority vote in writing by the IFCD membership. Each chapter shall be entitled to one vote. Such a written notice must be received no more than ten days after the Executive Board decision. The notice must be sent to both the Federation President and Vice President of Communication.

Section 3 - Each IFCD officer may appoint such assistants as he/she deems necessary for the successful completion of his/her duties. Such appointees shall serve at the appointing officer's direction.

Section 4 - The officers of the IFCD shall be chosen as follows:

a. All Executive Officers shall serve one-year terms.
b. Executive board members must be enrolled at their respective educational institutions during the calendar year in which they are elected.
c. Executive Board members who withdraw from their respective educational institutions may remain on the Executive Board with unanimous approval of the Executive Board.
d. The terms of the Executive Officers shall begin upon adjournment of the State Convention at which the offices are filled.       ,
e. Elections shall be held at each IFCD state Convention within the guidelines specified below:

1) A simple majority of the qualified votes cast shall be required for election to a IFCD office.

2) All elections shall be held by secret ballot.

3) Only chartered member chapters registered with the IFCD may have full voting power as a delegation.

4). Each chapter shall be entitled to three votes in the election of IFCD officers;

5) all candidates for IFCD offices shall not exceed $100 in campaign expenditures. A report of all campaign expenses shall be submitted to the State Convention Credentials Committee upon registering as an official candidate. Specific campaign expenditure reporting procedures shall be stipulated in the Bylaws of this Constitution.

Section 5 - A vacancy shall be declared when a member of the Executive Board is unable to fulfill his/her duties or is removed from office.

a. Vacancies occurring in IFCD offices shall be filled according to the following procedures:

1) Should the Presidency be vacated, The Vice President Communication shall become the Federation President until the next IFCD State Convention, at which time a successor shall be elected for the new term.
2) Should both the offices of the President and the Vice President of Communication be vacated, then the next highest-ranking officer, as determined by the order listed in Section 1. of Article IV., shall act as President until the next Executive Board meeting, at which time a new President shall be elected to serve the remainder of the original term.
3) Should an IFCD office other than the Presidency be vacated, then the President shall appoint a successor within thirty days of the vacancy's occurrence to hold office until the next IFCD State Convention, such appointment being subject to the confirmation of three-fourths (3/4) majority vote at the next meeting of the Executive Board.

Section 6 - All IFCD officers, whether elected or appointed, shall be subject to removal from office for misconduct, negligence of constitutional duties, within reason, or being convicted of a felony while in office.

a. To begin the process for removal, another member of the Executive Board must charge the officer with the reasons for their removal in writing at least thirty days before the Executive Board meeting at which the officer's removal will be voted upon. Each voting member, as well as all ex-officio members of the IFCD Executive Board must receive the written charges at least thirty days prior to the Executive Board meeting at which the officer's removal will be decided by vote.
b. The accused shall have the right of a student advocate, shall receive written notice of the charges against him/her at least thirty days prior to the meeting at which the vote shall be taken, and shall have the right to refute the evidence against him/her prior to the vote at the meeting at which the vote shall be taken.
c. A four-fifths majority vote of the seated Executive Board shall be necessary to remove an elected officer from office. A majority vote of the members present shall be necessary to remove an appointed officer from office.

Section 7 - The Executive Board shall meet at least quarterly. Locations for the meetings will be determined by the Executive Board. A written petition by a majority of the chapters, or a majority of ex-officio members can also sanction the Executive Board to meet. Meeting notices must be mailed at least 14 days prior to the meeting to all voting and ex-officio Executive Board members.

Section 8 - Any IFCD member may attend and speak at an IFCD Executive Board meeting.

Section 9 - The Executive Board shall have non-voting members which are ex-officio. Ex-officio members do not have to be present to obtain quorum. The ex-officio members shall be the Immediate Past President and the Presidents of each chapter.

Section 10 - A quorum of the Executive Board shall be noted when a minimum of four Executive Board members are present in person or by speaker phone. Proxies shall be allowed. No Executive Board member shall possess or exercise more than one vote on any question.

Section 11 - The Vice President of Communication shall compile and publish the minutes of the Executive Board Meeting, and shall distribute the minutes to all members of the Executive Board and all chapter Presidents within fourteen days of the conclusion of the appropriate meeting.

Article V

Committees

Section 1 - The standing committees of the IFCD shall be the Executive Committee, the Campaign Committee, the Legislative Issues Committee, the Finance Committee, and the Membership Committee.

Section 2 - The Executive Board shall govern the IFCD between IFCD State Conventions and perform other duties outlined in this Constitution and the Bylaws.

Section 3 - The committees shall be chaired by their corresponding executive board member.

    1. The Executive Committee shall be chaired by the Federation President
    2. The Campaign Committee shall be chaired by the Vice President of Political Affairs
    3. The Legislative Issues Committee shall be chaired by the Vice President of Legislative Affairs
    4. The Finance Committee shall be chaired by the Vice President of Finance
    5. The Membership Committee shall be chaired by the Vice President of Communication.

Article VI

State Convention

Section 1 - The IFCD shall assemble in a state-wide Convention once each calendar year to elect officers and formulate policy decisions. The IFCD State Convention
shall be the highest governing authority of the IFCD.

Section 2 - The Standing Committees of the IFCD State Convention shall be the Constitution Committee, Rules and Credentials Committee, and Platform Committee.

a. The Chairperson of each convention committee shall be appointed by the President with a four-fifths majority vote of approval by the Executive Board members and voting.

Article VII

Bylaws

Section 1 - The IFCD shall establish Bylaws. All Bylaws shall be binding on the officers and committees of the IFCD and all units of the IFCD. No Bylaw may conflict
with the Constitution of the IFCD or the CDA.

Section 2 - There shall be two procedures to amending the Bylaws:

a. The Bylaws shall be amendable by a majority vote of the annual State Convention.
b. The Bylaws shall be amendable between annual State Conventions by the following procedure:

1) A proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Board and all chapter presidents.
2) At a subsequent meeting of the Executive Board, the proposed amendment shall be considered.  The amendment must receive a majority vote of the seated Executive Board to be incorporated in the Bylaws.
 

Article VIII

Amendments

Section 1 - There shall be two (2) procedures for amending this Constitution:

a. This Constitution shall be amendable by a two-thirds (2/3) of the delegates at the annual State Convention who are present on the floor at the time the vote is called.
.. This Constitution shall be amendable between annual State Conventions by the following procedure:

1). A proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall distribute the proposal to all chapter presidents.
2) The amendment(s) must be circulated by the IFCD Vice President of Communication at least 45 days prior to the next IFCD Executive Board Meeting. In order for a unit to be listed as supportive of the proposed amendment, two-thirds of the unit membership must vote in favor of the change.
3) At a subsequent meeting of the Executive Board, the proposed amendment shall be considered. The amendment must receive a four-fifths majority vote of the seated Executive Board to be incorporated in the Constitution.

 

 

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Bylaws of the College Democrats of Illinois

Article I

Special Membership

Section 1 - There shall be two types of special membership in the IFCD which shall carry no voting privileges:

a. The Executive Board shall bestow Lifetime Memberships on those individuals who show great support for the IFCD and are of great service to its activities.
b. An Honorary Membership shall be granted to members of the Council of Advisors. The membership shall be granted for the duration of membership on the Council of Advisors.

Article II

Charter Regulations

Section 1 - Prospective chapters shall submit the following Charter Application materials to the Executive Board via the Vice President of Communication:

a.  A current membership list, consisting of the names, addresses (campus and permanent), and telephone numbers of members not affiliated with any other IFCD chapter.
b. At least one copy of the proposed Chapter Constitution and Bylaws.
c. An officers list, indicating the name, address (campus and permanent), telephone number, and position held of each officer, both elected and appointed.

Article III

State Officers

Section 1 - All officers shall present a complete written report of his/her activities submitted to the Federation President prior to each meeting of the Executive Board. This report shall be printed in the minutes. The duties of the officers shall be as follows:

a. Federation President

      1. The Federation President shall be the chairperson of the IFCD Executive Board. The Federation President shall also serve as the official representative of the IFCD to the College Democrats of America.
      2. The Federation President shall build coalitions and handle communication with persons and organizations outside the IFCD which share goals and priorities similar to those of the IFCD.
      3. The Federation President shall provide leadership in determining the direction and goals of the IFCD.  Along with the IFCD Executive Board and appointees, the Federation President shall ensure the implementation of the goals of the IFCD as set by the IFCD Executive Board.
      4. The Federation President shall assign specific duties to the IFCD Executive Board, as well as to the ex-officio Executive Board members. The Federation President is responsible for holding these individuals accountable for such duties.
      5. The Federation President may appoint assistants as necessary to accomplish IFCD goals.  These assistants do not have a vote on the Executive Board, but will assist the Federation President.

b. Vice President of Communication

      1. The Vice President of Communication shall attend Executive Board meetings and serve as the secretary of IFCD meetings. Along with the other IFCD Executive Board members, the Vice President of Communication shall assist in determining the direction and goals of the IFCD. The Vice president of Communication will handle all official correspondence between the executive committee and the member chapters.
      2. The Vice President of Communication shall assume the office of the Federation President upon Federation President's resignation or removal.
      3. The Vice President of Communication is charged with the management of the Official IFCD Website (www.oocities.org/ilcollegedems), which shall be utilized to disseminate information related to the goals and activities of the IFCD.
      4. The Vice President of Communication shall assist with marketing/advertising of the IFCD Annual Convention in cooperation with the IFCD Convention Committee.
      5. The Vice President of Communication shall administer and record the names and information of the members and member chapters of the IFCD.
      6. The Vice President of Communication shall submit quarterly reports to the Federation President detailing progress regarding specific responsibilities. 
      7. The Vice President of Communication shall perform any other duties as assigned by the executive committee.

c. Vice President of Political Affairs

1. Along with the Federation President, the Vice President of Political Affairs shall direct the political activity of the IFCD.

2. The Vice President of Political Affairs shall lead the IFCD campaign effort, including organizing political events and serving as the IFCD contact to campaign organizations, pursuant to consultation with the Federation President. During special elections, each statewide or national candidate must have at least one political event. IFCD political events may not be held for candidates involved in a primary.

3. The Vice President of Political Affairs shall submit quarterly reports to the Federation President detailing progress regarding specific responsibilities.
    1. The Vice President of Political Affairs shall perform any other duties as assigned by the executive committee.

d.  Vice President of Legislative Affairs

      1. It shall be the duty of the Vice President of Legislative Affairs to be apprised of the current legislation on both the state and the national levels.

        2.  

      2. The Vice President of Legislative Affairs shall choose which legislation the IFCD shall target, inform the Executive Board and campus chapters of legislation, and organize lobby efforts.
      3. Along with the Federation President, the Vice President of Legislative Affairs shall direct the policy activity of the IFCD.
      4. The Vice President of Legislative Affairs shall represent the IFCD to the legislature of the State of Illinois and other appropriate state and national governmental agencies, in consultation with the Federation President.
      5. The Vice President of Legislative Affairs shall submit quarterly reports to the Federation President detailing progress regarding specific responsibilities.
      6. The Vice President of Legislative Affairs shall perform any other duties as assigned by the executive committee.

e. Vice President of Finance

      1. The duties of the Vice President of Finance include overseeing the finances of the IFCD and ensuring the organization is fiscally solvent.
      2. The Vice President of Finance shall head the fundraising arm of the IFCD.
      3. The Vice President of Finance shall direct and assist in the implementation of fundraising campaigns as well as fundraising events, in consultation with the Federation President.
      4. The Vice President of Political Affairs shall submit quarterly reports to the Federation President detailing progress regarding specific responsibilities.
      5. The Vice President of Political Affairs shall perform any other duties as assigned by the executive committee.

Section 2 - The immediate Past Federation President shall assist the Federation President with the transition between administrations and will serve as an advisor to the Federation President and the Executive Board for the year immediately following expiration of her/his term.

Article IV

Council of Advisors

Section 1 - The Council of Advisors shall be an organization appointed by the Executive Board, following the annual IFCD State Convention. Their purpose is to give advice and provide continuity to the IFCD

Section 2 - The Council of Advisors is made up of past members of the IFCD and any other people that have been helpful to the Democratic student constituency in Illinois.

Section 3 - The Council of Advisors shall help the Executive Board of the IFCD formulate their political goals and the statewide program agenda. The Executive Board of the IFCD shall invite members of the Council to attend IFCD Executive Board Meetings. Persons on the Council of Advisors do not hold voting privileges at any level of IFCD proceedings.

Article V

Convention

Section 1 - The State Convention will be hosted by a chartered state and national unit. The State IFCD and the host chapter will work jointly to ensure a successful convention.

Section 2 - Only registered delegates and guests will be allowed on the convention floor

Section 3 - Only registered chapter delegations will be allowed to vote for state officers. A simple majority by secret ballot is needed to win.

Section 4 - The State Convention Chair is nominated by the IFCD President at an Executive Board meeting prior to the State Convention. A majority vote is needed by the IFCD Executive Board for the State Convention Chair confirmation

Section 5 - The Federation President, State Convention Chair and the Host Convention Chair nominate the Standing Convention Committee Chairs at an Executive Board meeting prior to the State Convention. These Committee Chairs must then be confirmed by a majority vote of the IFCD Executive Board.

Section 6 - There will be three standing committees at the convention. These committees must meet at an Executive Board meeting prior to the State Convention. All decisions by these committees must have a majority vote of those present; with the Federation President voting to break any ties.

    1. The Rules and Credentials Committee, chaired by the Federation President, formulates the official rules of the State Convention, which are subject to approval by the convention delegates. The committee determines and approves all delegates, official voting delegations, and guests. The Rules and Credentials Committee shall also function as the election commission, counting all delegations’ votes. Reports and announcements, as determined by the Federation President, must be made throughout the convention.
    2. The Constitution Committee proposes all changes to the State Constitution to the voting delegations and is responsible for interpreting the content and meaning of all amendments thereto.
    3. The Platform Committee drafts an official statement of the goals and beliefs of the IFCD, to be submitted and voted upon for approval by all official delegations.

Section 7 - The Federation President shall appoint a Parliamentarian who must be confirmed by a three-fifths vote of the IFCD Executive Board.

Section 8 - The IFCD Executive Board must meet immediately following the close of the IFCD State Convention at which it is elected.
 




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