ByLaws

I. Name of Organization, Logo, Tagline

A. Club’s name: Braes Oaks Democrats Club

B. Black, white, and blue logo: Club’s name with an oak tree and bayou

C. Tagline: Strength through knowledge, social justice and action

II. Purpose

A. Club mission

The Braes Oaks Democrats Club exists to support and promote Democratic values and principles, including social justice, education, civil rights, the environment, and opportunities
for all Americans, by

a. raising awareness of the Democratic Party, its elected officials, and Democratic candidates at the precinct, city, county, state, and national levels

b. informing Club members of Democratic issues and values and engaging members in the political process

c. supporting precinct chairs to maximize voter turnout through voter registration, education, and active participation in the election process

d. empowering members by sharing information on political issues and the political process

e. networking with other community and Democratic organizations to pool resources and exchange ideas

B. Geographic area of interest

The Club will focus on the general Brays Oaks Management District area, with special attention to voting precincts within the Greater Fondren, South Main Street, and South Post Oak Road areas.

III. Membership

A. Eligibility

1. Membership is open to anyone who supports the Club’s purpose, including residents in the geographic area defined in II. B. and the elected officials within those areas.

B. Dues

1. Dues must be paid in full for a yearly membership by no later than September 1.

2. Annual dues are payable in advance by September 1 and are in effect until August 31 of the following year.

3. Club membership dues amounts:

a. Individual: $20

b. Couple or family: $35

c. Fulltime high school and college students: $5

4. The official list of paid members shall be maintained by the Secretary.

C. Benefits

1. Members will receive email notifications for all Club activities.

2. Members will be invited to participate in the Braes Oaks Democrats Facebook group.

3. Only members who are fully paid for 30 days are entitled to vote in elections.

4. Members are eligible to run for office if they meet election requirements set forth in these Bylaws.

D. Removal

1. Membership can be revoked for good cause, as determined by the Executive Committee.

2. A member’s removal requires a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee.

3. Members shall be given the opportunity to respond to allegations before a vote for removal.

IV. Meetings and events

A. Types of meetings

1. Braes Oaks Democrats will have regular general and Executive Committee meetings; occasional special meetings for issues, elected officials, and/or candidates; and occasional holiday get-togethers for members and families.

2. No official club business shall be conducted via Facebook.

B. General meetings

1. General meetings will take place monthly at a set time and place.

2. The President shall preside at all official meetings, with the Vice President in the President’s absence.

3. The President and Executive Committee shall set the agenda and program before each general meeting.

Such agenda shall include, at a minimum, the Treasurer’s report and minutes from the most recent meeting.

4. Any member who has an agenda item request must petition the President no later than one week before
the general meeting for the item’s inclusion on the agenda. Exceptions to this deadline may be made at
the discretion of the President.

C. Executive Committee meetings

1. The Executive Committee shall meet monthly either in person or by phone. A member present shall prepare brief minutes of the business transacted at the meeting.

2. The Executive Committee may not meet unless there is a quorum of three voting Executive Committee members present.

3. Votes shall be decided by a simple majority.

4. Executive Committee meetings shall be open to club members except for discussions of confidential financial, legal, or strategic matters or to review other groups’ or individuals’ proprietary information.

5. The Executive Committee may vote by email, and the results of the vote shall be recorded in the minutes.

D. Special events

The President shall have the power to call special meetings and events, with the consent of the Executive Committee.

V. Leadership

A. Officers

1. President

a. presides at all meetings.

b. is the official spokesperson for the Executive Committee and Club unless this role is delegated to
another officer.

c. is the official representative at meetings or gatherings of any other Democratic organizations, officeholders, and candidates seeking office.

d. appoints directors and creates committees and chairs as needed, with the approval of the Executive Committee.

e. calls special meetings and events.

2. Vice President

a. presides in the absence of the President.

b. assists in presidential duties as needed.

c. is responsible for all Club meeting set-up and cleanup.

d. is responsible for accepting membership applications and dues and delivering them to
the Secretary.

3. Treasurer

a. collects and deposits all monies of the organization, including dues.

b. deposits monies as soon as practicable but no later than 48 hours after receiving them.

c. records all financial transactions and provides a report of such transactions to the Executive Committee and Club members.

d. establishes one or more accounts at a financial institution for holding Club funds and provides for
a co-signature by the President.

e. files all required reports with the Texas Ethics Commission or any other required entity or organization
in the time required.

4. Secretary

a. either personally or by designee, takes the minutes of all meetings.

b. provides written minutes to the Executive Committee no later than 14 days after the conclusion of
a meeting.

c. maintains the official list of paid members, including email addresses.

d. promptly, upon receipt, provides a copy of any membership application to the Secretary and Treasurer and all dues payments to the Treasurer.

5. Parliamentarian

a. maintains proper procedures according to Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.

b. keeps order at meetings and ensures meeting speakers do not exceed their allotted speaking time

B. Executive Committee

1. The Executive Committee is made up of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Parliamentarian, each of whom shall have one vote.

2. Former Presidents are non-voting members of the Executive Committee.

3. The Executive Committee

a. runs day-to-day operations of the organization through its officers and other leaders based on
the Club’s stated purpose.

b. prepares working budgets and authorizes expenditures of the Club’s monies.

c. formulates policies and procedures, establishes project priorities, and resolves disputes.

C. Social Media Director

1. oversees the Club’s website: www.BraesOaksDemocrats.org and Facebook group: www.facebook.com/BraesOaksDemocrats/.

2. serves as the Social Media administrator or oversees the person who serves in this role.

3. ensures that social media content is professional and reflects positively on the Club.

4. keeps social media accounts updated regarding the Club’s planned activities.

D. Nominating Committee

Nominates candidates for Club office.

VI. Club policies

A. Character and tone

1. The General Membership and Executive Committee shall conduct all organization activities as openly and fairly as possible and with the highest integrity.

B. Club expenditures

1. The President may spend or commit to spending up to $200 without approval from the Executive Committee.

2. The Executive Committee must approve expenditures of more than $200.

3. The President must obtain approval from at least three members of the Executive Committee for expenditures over $500.

C. Candidate endorsements

1. The Club shall not make candidate endorsements before a primary election.

2. When national or statewide candidates are in Houston, their events can be highlighted, but that is not to be seen as an endorsement.

3. No officer or member of the Club may endorse a candidate in the Club’s name or publicly represent that
the candidate has the Club’s endorsement unless the club has voted to give it.

4. At the conclusion of contested primaries, the Club may support the Democratic nominee.

5. If there is more than one Democrat in a nonpartisan race, the Club may inform the membership (and
the public in any GOTV efforts) about which candidates identify as Democrats and which do not.

D. Candidates as speakers

1. Because the Club’s purpose is to promote the Democratic Party and its principles and to elect Democrats
to public offices, only officeholders and candidates of the Democratic Party will be invited to speak at Club meetings and events.

2. Candidates in a nonpartisan election who are not clearly Democrats will not be invited to speak to the Club unless approved by the Executive Committee.

3. Candidates in a primary race cannot be a featured speaker until after the primary, unless specifically approved by the Executive Committee.

4. A candidate on the ballot during an election year may sponsor a meeting but will not be allotted extra time
to speak.

E. Social media

1. The Braes Oaks Democrats webpage shall be limited to information about the Club.

2. The Braes Oaks Democrats Facebook group shall allow the posting of events and respectful discussions
regarding elected officials, candidates and issues relevant to the Club’s area.

4. The Braes Oaks Social Media Director and administrator shall maintain a professional, respectful tone and
not permit the posting of rude remarks, photos, or memes.

5. Club members shall not engage in personal attacks or in debates about individual candidates.

6. Inappropriate posts will be deleted by the administrator without notice.

7. “Following” and “Liking” candidates by members on their personal Facebook feeds are not endorsements,
but members should be aware that many people consider them to be.

8. No one shall establish a Twitter or other social media account in the Club’s name.

9. Executive Committee members must avoid any social media activity that could be construed as official
Club communication.

F. Recordings

1. The Club may live stream its meetings on Facebook and post the recording on its social media sites.

2. No video, audio, or other recording of any Club gathering is permitted unless expressly authorized by
the President. This restriction does not apply to photos.

G. Governance

Meetings shall be governed by Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

VII. Elections

A. Election date

1. Notification of elections to members shall be by email and verbal announcement at least 30 days before
a meeting.

2. Elections shall be held at the Club’s regular November meeting as the last order of business.

B. Term of office

1. The term shall begin immediately after an officer’s regular or special election.

2. The term of each office shall be 2 years and shall expire on December 1 in the second year after the officer’s election. 

3. A member may not serve consecutive terms in any office.

C. Eligibility

To be eligible to serve as an officer, a member must have paid dues in full at least 3 months before the election for the office sought to be held..

D. Nominations

1. The President may appoint a Nominating Committee for Club officers.

2. A Nominating Committee will choose one nominee for each office at the August meeting, with the prior consent of the nominees, and will report such selections at the September meeting.

3. Nominations may be made from the floor at the September meeting, with the nominees’ consent.

E. Voting

1. General requirements

1. No vote may be taken at a club meeting unless there is a quorum present at the time of a vote. A quorum shall consist of 20% of the total number of members of the Club. By way of example, if there are
   100 members of the Club and only 10 members are present at the time of the vote, then no vote may be taken, as only 10% of the Club members are present.
2. Unless otherwise required by these bylaws, votes shall be decided by a simple majority vote.

2. Requirements for elections of Club officers

1. Only members who are fully paid for 30 days are entitled to vote in elections.
2. Officers are elected by a majority vote of the members.
3. Elections for contested offices shall be by paper ballot issued by the Secretary.
4. Uncontested elections shall be by voice vote.
5. Proxy voting is not allowed.

3. Initial election of Club officers

1. The provisions of Section VII.A–E.2. shall not apply to the initial election of Club officers.
2. The initial election of Club officers shall occur at the first meeting of the Club after the adoption of
   these Bylaws.
3. To be eligible to vote for an officer at this election, a person must be a Democratic precinct chair in one
   of the precincts within the boundaries of the Club, specifically precincts 22, 286, 291, 293, 332, 337, 372, 384, 453, 506, 525, 554, 638, 652, 693, 754, and 893. 
4. The initial election of an officer will require the majority vote of the precinct chairs present.
5. The term of officers selected under section E.3. shall expire on December 1, 2021.

F. Vacancies

1. If a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the Vice President shall assume the duties of President for
   the unexpired portion of the term.
2. If a vacancy occurs in an office other than President, the Executive Committee shall appoint a successor
   for the remainder of the term.
3. Nominations may be made from the floor with the consent of the nominees.

G. Removal of an officer

1. The Executive Committee may remove any officer.

2. The removal of an officer may only occur at a meeting of the Executive Committee by a two-thirds vote
of the Committee’s voting members

3. Upon removal, the officer’s position will be considered vacant.

VIII. Bylaws posting and amendments

A. Publication

1. The approved Bylaws shall be posted on the Club’s website and Facebook page as soon as possible.

B. Amendments

1. The Executive Committee may vote to submit a proposed change in the Bylaws to the members for approval.

2. Any proposed change to the Bylaws will require at least 15 days’ notice to all members. Notice shall be provided by email.

3. Approval of the proposed amendment will require a two-thirds vote of members at a meeting with a quorum, as defined in section VII.E.1.

IX. Club dissolution

A. Notice to members

A 30-day notice of the planned dissolution of the Club must been given to all members by email or phone.

B. Required vote

Club dissolution requires a two-thirds vote of all members present at a general meeting.

C. Follow-up

1. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for closing out any bank accounts, the website and Facebook accounts, and any other vestiges of the Club.

2. After Club dissolution, no funds or property shall be dispersed among Club Officers or members.

3. After payment of the Club’s indebtedness, any surplus funds and properties shall be donated to the
Harris County Democratic Party.