Somerset County GOP

Somerset County Republican Committee BYLAWS

Article I – Name

The name of this organization shall be the Somerset County Republican Committee. It may be referred to as the SCRC in these bylaws.

Article II – Object

The object of this organization shall be to supervise, regulate and direct the Republican Party of Somerset County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The County Committee shall have full control of the Republican Party of the County of Somerset and in the various election districts thereof, and shall have full authority to put in to effect such measures that shall promote unity, harmony and advance its interests and that of its candidates – National, State, and Local.

Article III – Membership

Section 1. The membership of this organization shall consist of two registered Republicans from each precinct or voting district within the county, the members of the executive board, as well as the members of the Republican State Committee. No person shall have more than one vote.

Section 2. Members will be elected at the spring primary in Gubernatorial Election years, shall commence their office at the Organizational Meeting, and shall serve a term of four (4) years.

Section 3. Each Republican elector shall vote for not more than two candidates, and the two receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected.

Section 4. In the event of a vacancy on the SCRC for any reason, the Chairman may appoint a registered Republican from that precinct to fill the vacancy. The appointment shall be subject to approval by a SCRC membership majority vote at a SCRC meeting in which a quorum is present. Any member appointed by the Chairman and approved by the SCRC pursuant to this section shall not be eligible to vote on any matters until the next meeting following the SCRC approval of the appointment.

Section 5. Whenever it appears that any member of the SCRC is charged with not being a qualified Republican elector, or publicly opposes the Republican Party, or acts contrary to the Bylaws and purposes of SCRC, or who neglects or refuses to attend the duties of office; that member shall be subject to removal pursuant to the grievance procedure set forth in these bylaws.

Section 6. In the event of the elimination of any precinct or voting district, the SCRC members of said precinct or voting district shall continue to serve until the next election of SCRC members.

Article IV – Officers

Section 1. The officers of the SCRC shall consist of a Chairman, Vice Chairman, a Treasurer and a Secretary. The Republican voters of the entire county shall at the time of the spring primary election in all even -numbered years, elect one qualified member of the Republican Party as Chairman and one qualified member of the Republican Party as Vice Chairman who shall hold their office until the election and qualification of their successors at the next spring election in an even -numbered year thereafter.
The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be elected by the SCRC at the Organizational Meeting. None of the aforementioned officers need to be a member of the Committee at the date of his/her election or appointment.

Section 2. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, or Treasurer, the SCRC shall fill the vacancy at the next regular meeting or at a special meeting called for that purpose, with a fifteen (15)-day notice sent to all members by regular mail.

Article V – Duties of Officers

Section 1. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the SCRC and the Executive Board. The SCRC Chairman shall appoint the chairman and members of each standing committee and to special committees as may be authorized. The Chairman shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, standing or otherwise.

A. In the event of vacancies on a standing committee or special committee, the Chairman may fill the same by appointment.

B. The Chairman may appoint poll watchers for each election.
C. The Chairman may appoint a Parliamentarian to serve at meetings.

Section 2. The Vice-Chairman shall assist the SCRC Chairman with such duties, as he/she shall prescribe. The Vice-Chairman shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the Chairman.

Section 3. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of the minutes of all meetings of the SCRC and of the Executive Board, and shall maintain the records in perpetuity. The Secretary shall keep a full and up-to-date roster, shall call the roll of officers and members when requested, and shall certify the existence of a quorum. He/she shall send out proper advance notice of all SCRC and Executive Board meetings. He/she shall assist the Chairman in the preparation of the order of business to be considered at each meeting, and shall conduct all correspondence, unless otherwise provided or ordered.

Section 4. The Treasurer shall be the custodian of the SCRC funds. The Treasurer shall deposit the same in such banking institutions as the Executive Board shall authorize, and the account shall be in the Somerset County Republican Committee’s name. The Treasurer shall be an ex-officio member of the Finance Committee, shall render an annual report, and shall report at such other times as the SCRC may authorize. The books of account shall be opened to the Chairman, Executive Board, Finance Committee or any entity authorized by the Chairman of the SCRC. The Treasurer shall be responsible for preparation and filing of all financial reports and tax returns as required by law.

Section 5. In the absence of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman, the Secretary shall assume the Chair, call the meeting to order and preside until a Chairman Pro-tempore has been elected. Upon the appearance of the Chairman or Vice-Chairman, either the Secretary or Chairman Pro-tempore, shall cease to preside and the Chairman or Vice-Chairman shall take over.

Article VI – Executive Board

Section 1. There shall be an Executive Board consisting of the SCRC officers; the chairmen of the standing committees; members of the Republican State Committee; the elected County, State, or National public officials who reside in and represent Somerset County and are Republicans; and the heads of any other Party auxiliary group which the Chairman believes should be represented on the Executive Board. Members of the Executive Board shall have only one vote. Proxy voting shall not be permitted.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall meet at least once quarterly.

Section 3. A majority of the voting members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum.

Section 4. Special meetings of the Executive Board may be called by the SCRC Chairman or shall be called at the written request of not less than seven (7) members of the Board. No business other than that which a special meeting is called shall be transacted.

Section 5. The Executive Board shall determine the official depository of SCRC funds.

Section 6. The Executive Board shall approve the official signatories for all checks. No fewer than two signatures shall be required on all checks.

Section 7. The Executive Board shall hear and rule on all grievances in accordance with the following:

A. Grievances must concern a dispute directly related to compliance with these bylaws, or actions taken by one of the SCRC’s members. Only SCRC members may file grievances, and if the grievance involves an alleged harm to a particular SCRC member, only the SCRC member allegedly harmed may file a grievance.

B. All grievances must be submitted to the Executive Board on a properly completed form prescribed by the Executive Board.

C. The grievance may be rejected or denied for failure to submit the grievance within a six (6) month period of time of the alleged offense.

D. The Executive Board shall rule upon the grievance within a timely manner and by a majority vote at a meeting where a quorum of eligible voting members is present.

E. No SCRC member who is a party to a grievance shall be permitted to participate in ruling upon the grievance.

F. If either party disagrees with the Executive Board’s decision, he/she may appeal the decision to the SCRC membership at its next meeting where a quorum is present. The SCRC membership, after hearing all parties will then vote on the grievance. The vote shall be by written ballot. No proxy voting shall be permitted. The resulting decision shall be by a majority vote, and shall be accepted as the final ruling of the SCRC concerning the matter.

Article VII – Standing Committees

Section 1. There shall be the following standing committees: Finance, Events, Candidates and Campaigns, Publicity, and Registration.

Section 2. Standing committee chairmen and members shall serve for a two-year period commencing with the Organization Meeting. Standing committees shall be composed of not less than three members. All standing committee decisions shall be by majority vote of the standing committee members present.

Section 3. The Finance Committee shall prepare the annual operating budget and review the financial operations of the SCRC. They shall conduct an annual audit and prepare such financial documents as the Executive Board shall require. The Finance Committee will assist in any fundraisers necessary to meet the annual budget.

Section 4. The Events Committee shall be responsible for planning and organizing the SCRC events.

Section 5. The Candidates and Campaigns Committee shall be responsible for identifying and recruiting Republican candidates to run for all offices in Somerset County. This committee shall also be responsible for any candidate training and for supporting the Republican candidates in the General Election.

Section 6. The Publicity Committee shall promote the efforts of the SCRC and the Republican Party to the membership, to elected Republican officials, and to the general public.

Section 7. The Registration Committee shall work to increase the number of registered Republican voters in Somerset County.

Article VIII – Organization Meeting

Section 1. There shall be an Organization Meeting of the SCRC held within thirty (30) days after certification of the Committee Persons by the Board of Elections.

A. The SCRC Chairman shall determine the meeting date, location and time.

B. Prior to the Organization Meeting, a fifteen (15) day written notice of the meeting shall be sent to all members by regular mail

C. Proxy voting shall not be permitted.

Section 2. The order of business at the Organization Meeting shall be as follows:

A. Call to order

B. Prayer

C. Pledge of Allegiance

D. Roll call

E. Reading, changes or corrections, and approval of the minutes.

F. Report of the SCRC Chairman

G. Report of the Treasurer

H. Election of officers

I. Installation of officer

J. Adjournment

Article IX – Somerset County Republican Committee Meetings

Section 1. There shall be at least three meetings of the SCRC per year to be held in February, June and October; provided, however, that in the years in which an Organizational Meeting is held, the Organizational Meeting shall serve as the June meeting. Prior to the regular SCRC meetings, a fifteen (15) day written notice of the meeting shall be sent to all members by regular mail. The Chairman shall determine the time and place for the meetings.

Section 2. Special meetings may be held as deemed necessary by the Chairman, by a majority vote of the Executive Board, or by a written request and call to the Secretary by one-fifth (1/5) of the members of the SCRC stating the business of such meeting. No business other than that specified shall be transacted or considered at such meetings. Notice of these meetings will be sent in a timely manner.

Section 3. A quorum for purposes of conducting Committee business shall consist of at least eighteen (18) duly elected or appointed committeepersons in person.

Section 4. Proxy voting shall not be permitted.

Section 5. The order of business at regular meetings shall be as follows:

A. Call to order

B. Prayer

C. Pledge of Allegiance

D. Roll call

E. Reading, changes or corrections, and approval of the minutes

F. Reading of communications and correspondence

G. Treasurer’s report

H. Committee reports

I. Unfinished business

J. New business

K. Announcements

L. Adjournment.

Section 6. All meetings of the SCRC shall be open to any registered elector of the Republican Party residing in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

Article X - Vacancies on the Ballot

Section 1. In the event of a vacancy occurring on the Republican ballot in any general or special election, in any electoral district composed of more than one county, but less than state-wide, the vacancy shall be filled by the SCRC, in partnership with the other Committees in the affected counties. Pursuant to the Bylaws of the Republican Party of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, each county will select conferees to attend a conference at which the candidate to fill the ballot vacancy will be selected. The members of the SCRC shall choose by majority vote their desired candidate to fill the ballot vacancy, and then the chosen candidate may choose the conferees. Voting shall be by written ballot. Proxy voting shall not be permitted.

Section 2. In the event of a vacancy occurring on the Republican ballot in any general or special election, for any county-wide office, the vacancy shall be filled by the SCRC, which will have full authority to make and certify said nomination as prescribed by law. Voting shall be by written ballot. Proxy voting shall not be permitted.

Section 3. In the event of a vacancy occurring on the Republican ballot in any general or special election, for any office to be voted on only by Somerset County electors representing less than the full county, the vacancy shall be filled by those members of the SCRC serving in the voting district or districts in which such ballot vacancy exists. Those SCRC members entitled to vote to fill a vacancy pursuant to this section shall be given full authority to make and certify said nomination as prescribed by law. A meeting of the SCRC members entitled to vote to fill a vacancy pursuant to this section shall be called in accordance with the notice requirements for a SCRC meeting. Attendance at the meeting by one-half (1/2) of the SCRC members entitled to vote to fill the vacancy shall constitute a quorum. Voting shall be by written ballot. Proxy voting shall not be permitted.

Article XI - Parliamentary Authority

The Rules of the Republican Party of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shall be the parliamentary authority in all cases not covered by these Bylaws. Matters not addressed in these or the Rules of the Republican Party of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania shall be controlled by Robert’s Rules of Parliamentary Procedure.

Article XII – Amendments

Any member of the Somerset County Republican Committee may propose an amendment to these Bylaws provided they are submitted in writing to the Secretary. The amendment shall be considered at the next regular SCRC meeting and require a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the members present for approval. The Secretary shall provide the membership with copies of the proposed change(s) at least thirty (30) days in advance of the meeting.

Article XIII – Rights and Obligations

Section 1. Every member of the SCRC in good standing shall have the right to vote at all regular, special, and organization meetings and to hold office.

Section 2. Any member of the Committee not in good standing shall not have the right to vote or hold office.

Section 3. Any member of the Committee must support all nominees of the Republican Party or be subject to dismissal from the Committee.

Section 4. Contests between candidates for nomination at primary elections shall be open contests, and the Republican County Committee shall not slate or endorse candidates for nomination. Party Officials and members of the committee shall have the right, personally and individually to support the candidates of their choice at a primary election.

Section 5. The County Committee and its officials shall give full and complete support in the General Election to all Republican candidates for office.

Table of Contents
Article I Name
Article II Object
Article III Membership
Article IV Officers
Article V Duties of Officers
Article VI Executive Board
Article VII Standing Committees
Article VIII Organization Meeting
Article IX Somerset County Republican Committee Meetings
Article X Vacancies on the Ballot
Article XI Parliamentary Authority
Article XII Amendments
Article XIII Rights and Obligations

Adopted: March 12, 2009