DEMOCRATIC PARTY BYLAWS

Preamble

We, the Democrats of the United States of America, united in common purpose, hereby rededicate ourselves to the principles which have historically sustained our Party. Recognizing that the vitality of the Nation's political institutions has been the foundation of its enduring strength, we acknowledge that a political party which wishes to lead must listen to those it would lead, a party which asks for the people's trust must prove that it trusts the people and a party which hopes to call forth the best the Nation can achieve must embody the best of the Nation's heritage and traditions while standing firm on our Nation�s values and convictions.

What we seek for our Nation, we hope for all people: individual freedom in the framework of a just society, political freedom in the framework of meaningful participation by all citizens. Bound by the United States Constitution, aware that a party must be responsive to be worthy of responsibility, we pledge ourselves to open, honest endeavor and to the conduct of public affairs in a manner worthy of a society of free people.

Under God, and for these ends and upon these principles, we do establish and adopt these Bylaws of the Democratic Party of the United States of America.

Article One � Purpose

The Democratic Party of the United States of America shall nominate and assist in the election of candidates to federal office, adopt and promote statements of policy, and establish rules and procedures to fairly and justly carry out this mission.

Article Two � Party Leadership

The party leadership shall consist primarily of 3 officers. �Party officer�, used herein as a generic term, refers to the positions of leader, chair, and whip.

�1 - Party Leader
This officer is the official head of the party. He is responsible for coordinating the party�s legislative agenda, ensuring the effectiveness of the party apparatus in political matters, and serving as the AGS rules require in his capacity as Leader. This officer must also temporarily assume the duties of the others in leadership upon their apparent or announced inability to conduct said duties themselves.

�2 � Party Chair
This officer is in charge of the party convention and internal party meetings, and serves as the primary spokesman for the party.

�3 � Party Whip
This officer is in charge of ensuring party discipline on key votes, and delivering information from the general membership to the leadership regarding legislative and political matters of importance.

The party shall have the option to elect or appoint deputies to these officers, and those deputies are to act as �acting� officers, when and if the need arises. These officers are all responsible for coordinating their activities as much as possible with their counterparts in the coalition leadership and the party�s other coalition partners.

Article Three � Party meetings

Meetings of the Democratic Party shall be open to all AGS players affiliated with it. These meetings will be run by the party chair. The chair may call a meeting at any time, except during a national holiday or the Democratic Party national convention, or at the request of a petition signed by at least 10 members. The agenda may comprise of any matters deemed necessary, so long as the agenda is released 48 hours in advance.

�1 � Organizational meeting
The party chair must call a meeting within 3 weeks of an official Roll Call with the express purpose of electing a new party leadership.

�2 � Parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure, as outlined by a recent edition of the Robert�s Rules of Order, shall be adhered to as strictly as practicable. The party chair is responsible for ensuring procedure is properly followed. The party may amend these bylaws to include any established changes made by the party to parliamentary procedure.

Article Four � Party convention

The National Party Convention is a meeting of the party with the expressed purpose of nominating a candidate for President and producing a campaign platform. Any requirements set by AGS to hold a convention are to be followed in establishing this convention.

�1 � Convention Chair
This officer is appointed by the party leader and serves for this meeting in the same capacity as the party chair does at any other meeting.

�2 � Platform Committee
The chair of the Democratic Policy Committee will lead this committee in drafting the campaign platform to be adopted by majority vote at the national convention. 2 additional party members are to be elected after the convention has been announced by the party chair.

Article Five � Party Committees

The party will have a number of committees with which to conduct party business.

�1 � Executive committee
The party chair will preside over the executive committee. This committee is in charge of making decisions on House committee seats/chairs for the party, as well as assisting the coalition in drafting organizational resolutions. The party leader, the party chair, the party whip, and 2 executives-at-large shall comprise the executive committee.

�2 � Policy committee
The party leader will appoint the chair of this committee. Four additional members-at-large will be elected to fill the committee, one of which must come from the Blue Dogs caucus. This committee is charges with assisting in crafting the legislative agenda of the party, and developing new and innovative ideas for the party to consider promoting.

�3 � Campaign committee
The party whip will preside over the campaign committee, consisting of the party chair and 2 members-at-large. The committee will be in charge of the membership recruitment and retention program.

Article Six � Elections

�1 � Standard procedure for officers
Within 3 weeks of an official Roll Call, the party chair must hold a meeting to elect new leadership. The officers (Leader, Chair, and Whip) are to be nominated simultaneously and elected on the same ballot. Nominations require a second, and must be accepted by the candidate in order to be valid. A candidate may be nominated for more than one office, but may not hold more than one office. A simple plurality is all that is required to be declared elected.

�2 � Standard procedure for committee seats
Each committee seat is to be filled at the same meeting as the officers, but after the officer election. Nominations are to be taken after the election of officers is concluded, do not require seconds, but do require acceptance by the candidate in order to be valid. Candidates can be nominated and seated on multiple committees. Members will have the right to vote for as many candidates per committee as there are seats available. The candidates with the highest number of votes are seated until there are no vacancies.

�2(a) - The seat on the policy committee reserved for the Blue Dogs is to be handled in accordance with that caucus�s bylaws.

�3 � Removal and temporary handling of vacancies
Upon a petition of 10 members, the party chair must hold a meeting to remove a party officer or committee member. After the petitioners make their case, the member(s) up for removal may make his case. Upon a majority vote, the officer or committee member is removed, and a vacancy is created. The party leader must temporarily assume the duties of the vacant position, or appoint someone temporarily to fill that spot.

�4 � Vacancies
Within a week of a vacancy being created by the removal or resignation of an officer or committee member, the party chair must hold a meeting to fill the seat, in the method outlined above. If multiple vacancies exist, an effort should be made to have them resolved at a single meeting. The standard procedure shall apply for all vacancies.

�5 � Rule of dual roles
A party officer that files a candidacy for the office of President or Vice President of the United States is deemed to have resigned their office. No presidential or vice presidential candidate may seek party office while their campaign is still active.

Article Seven � Membership

�1 � Qualifications
A registered player of the American Government Simulation that self-identifies with the Democratic party may be qualified for party membership, access to our warroom, voting rights at party meetings, and have the right to fill committee seats for the party in the U.S. House.

�2 � Areas for discipline
The DNC whip and/or coalition whip have the right to recommend a member be moved or removed from their committee seats. The party membership, by a 2/3 vote, could expel a member from their warroom or from the caucus. Automatic loss of committee seats would occur after expulsion from the caucus. Expulsion from the warroom or the caucus would result in automatic forfeit of any and all party positions.

Article Eight � Enactment, Amendments, and Technical Matters

A majority vote at the next national convention (December 2004) will enact these bylaws. An amendment, after enactment, may pass by majority vote at any party meeting, including a future convention. As the case arises, the male pronoun shall include the female, and the singular noun shall include the plural.