AS APPROVED MARCH 2020
The name of this organization shall be the LEFT CAUCUS.
ARTICLE I – Purpose
Section 1. The purpose of the Left Caucus is to actively engage with the community and legislators in support of progressive legislation that promotes programs and policies to assist working families and the poor.
Section 2. To establish coalitions with other progressive, community oriented organizations to elect Democratic candidates and further the cause of a true democracy- by and for the people.
Section 3. To increase active participation within the Democratic Party with a focus on diversity, inclusiveness and expanding the electorate.
Section 4. To train members to assume active volunteer roles in GOTV, canvassing, voter registration and other mechanisms used to elect local Democratic candidates as well as both statewide and nationwide Democratic candidates.
Section 5. To work with legislators in writing and sponsoring progressive bills and then lobbying in support of passage.
Section 6. To encourage members to actively participate in the political process including the Clark County Central Committee.
Section 7. To provide a voice for the disenfranchised and marginalized people of our community.
ARTICLE II – Membership
Section 1. Membership is open to any registered Democrat with a demonstrated willingness to actively participate. Membership shall be decided solely on the basis of the volunteer work an individual has done in the community, without regard to ethnicity, gender, age, economic condition, or physical ability.
All members shall serve on one of the committees. Serving in any local, state, or national elected office, or actively working on a campaign for office as either a candidate or campaign worker, shall be considered active participation in Left Caucus.
Section 2. Fifteen percent (15%) of the paid membership shall constitute a quorum for a general membership meeting where a quorum is required for voting.
ARTICLE III – Dues
Section 1. The Caucus dues shall be one dollar, due upon application and, thereafter, annually, and shall be paid to the Caucus Treasurer. All members who are current in their dues shall be designated as ‘voting members’.
Section 2. The Board shall create a policy to address hardship waivers.
ARTICLE IV – Administration
Section 1. The Left Caucus shall be governed by an Executive Board to be elected by the membership and to consist of the following: Chair, First Vice-Chair, Second Vice-Chair, Third Vice-Chair, Treasurer, Secretary, Outreach Director, and Policy Director. The Chair shall preside over the Executive Board meetings.
Section 2. The Executive Board shall have general supervision of the business of the Caucus, shall establish the policies of the Caucus, and shall act in the interim between meetings.
Section 3. The Executive Board shall meet monthly prior to the membership meeting. Special meetings of the Board shall be at the call of the Chair or upon written request of three members of the Board. Four members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum at a special meeting.
Section 4. A member of the Executive Board will serve on all of the established committees. Administrative Committees are Community Outreach and Membership. A special Bylaws committee will convene annually to review the Left Caucus bylaws prior to submission of the recharter packet to the Clark County Democratic Party. Issues Committees are as determined by the membership at the annual meeting. Additional Committees may be created by the Executive Board.
Section 5. There shall be a Committee for each issue related goal and/or policy as approved by the membership. Each committee will research and understand all aspects of that issue including relevant policies and legislation. Each committee will elect a chair who will be responsible for scheduling committee meetings, setting agendas and making monthly reports at each general membership meeting.
ARTICLE V — Duties of Officers
Section 1. CHAIR: Shall preside at all meetings of the Caucus, prepares the agenda for general meetings and Board meetings, acts as liaison with the Clark County Democratic Party, attends Clark County Democratic Party Leadership Council meetings, represents the membership when attending Community meetings and events, oversees and supports all committees, actively engages with other organizations to form coalitions where beneficial to meeting Caucus goals.
Section 2. FIRST VICE-CHAIR: Shall act as the Program Chair, coordinates calls to action for each general meeting, arranges for guest speakers and/or panels. In the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Caucus and perform such duties as assigned to the Chair.
Section 3. SECOND VICE-CHAIR: Shall manage social media and all communications for the Caucus including maintaining the membership list, managing member communications and writing official Caucus correspondence under the direction of the Board of Directors and/or the Chair.
Section 4. THIRD VICE-CHAIR: Shall represent Washoe/Rural Counties with primary responsibility for outreach and membership in Northern Nevada.
Section 5. TREASURER: Shall collect all dues and receive all monies belonging to the Caucus, record all financial transactions of the Caucus, give a monthly financial report at the membership meeting, and make an annual report at the annual meeting.
Section 6. SECRETARY: Shall keep minutes of the meetings of the Caucus and the Board of Directors, file and preserve reports and perform such other duties as assigned by the Board. Upon request the Secretary shall present new members with the latest revision of the Caucus Bylaws.
Section 7. OUTREACH DIRECTOR: Shall create opportunities for membership growth to include planning of special events, producing website and/or other community engagement and educational materials.
Section 8. POLICY DIRECTOR: Shall identify and research legislative priorities and alliances with possible sponsors. Monitor NELIS and legislative sessions, follow draft bill requests and organize lobbying efforts. Attend legislative interim subcommittee meetings.
Section 9. CHAIR EMERITUS: This seat is designated for one founding member and is not subject to the rules of election. The Chair Emeritus shall serve in an advisory role to the Left Caucus Board.
ARTICLE VI — Finances
Section 1. No special assessments shall be made. All expenditures over Two Hundred Dollars ($200) must be approved by a vote of the Board. All expenditures over Three Hundred Dollars ($300) must be approved by a vote of the general membership.
Section 2. All funds collected in the name of the Left Caucus shall be turned in to the Treasurer and shall be deposited to the bank account of the Caucus.
Section 3. Two signatures are required on all checks issued over Three Hundred Dollars ($300). One must be either the Treasurer or Chair; the second signature may be one other Board member.
Section 4. A petty cash account for activities of the Caucus in the amount of One Hundred Dollars ($100) is to be established and used at the discretion of the Treasurer. Petty cash receipts are to be included in the monthly Treasurer’s report.
ARTICLE VII – Nominations and Elections
Section 1. The Nominations Committee shall consist of three members, to be appointed by the Board prior to the June membership meeting. The Nominations Committee shall elect its own Chair and shall report its nominations at the June membership meeting.
Section 2. Nominations from the floor shall be permitted at the June meeting, after which nominations will be declared closed. Individuals may self-nominate if they so choose. A member may be a nominee for only one Caucus office.
Section 3. An Elections Committee shall be appointed by the Chair at the June meeting, and shall prepare the ballots to be cast by those present at the regular membership meeting in July.
Section 4. At the July meeting, the Elections Committee will oversee the voting process by secret ballot. The voting process is defined as the distribution of ballots to eligible voters, collection and counting of ballots and announcement of results. An eligible voter is defined as a dues-paid member in good standing as of the close of the June general meeting.
Section 6. Any member shall be eligible to run for office who has been a paid member of the Caucus
for six months preceding the date of the election, except a candidate for Chair who must have been a paid member for one year. No member holding office in another Democratic Caucus shall be eligible to hold office in the Left Caucus unless approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the Board.
Section 7. At the August meeting, the membership shall designate committees to advocate for legislative policies and/or community actions during the following year. These committees may be continued from year to year as long as they remain active.
ARTICLE VIII – Terms of Office and Vacancies
Section 1. All Officers and Board Members shall serve for a two-year term beginning the day following the confirmation of the results of the election held during the annual General Meeting in July. The Chair shall not hold office for more than two consecutive terms unless no other member is willing to serve.
Section 2. The resignation of any Officer or Board Member shall be directed to the Chair and shall be acted upon by the Board.
Section 3. Any Officer who misses three consecutive Board meetings or three consecutive caucus meetings without good cause, shall automatically forfeit office, but can retain caucus membership. In addition, an Officer may be removed by the Board for malfeasance. A new Officer to fill the vacancy will be appointed by the Executive Board.
Section 4. After written notice and hearing thereon, any Officer may appeal removal from office to the Caucus membership at the next regular meeting. The members, by majority vote of those present, shall affirm or deny the appeal. Any Officer subject to removal shall be notified in writing.
Section 5. In the event that any office other than that of Chair becomes vacant, the Board shall fill the same for the unexpired term. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chair, the First Vice-Chair shall succeed to the office of Chair and the Executive Board shall appoint a First Vice-Chair.
Section 6. Initial Terms. An initial board, selected from among the founders of the Left Caucus, shall serve from the founding of the organization until replaced by election as follows: Chair, Second Vice- Chair, and Secretary in the January following the founding of the Caucus, First Vice-Chair and Treasurer in the second January following the founding of the Caucus. Serving during the initial term does not count toward term-limits for any office.
ARTICLE IX – Parliamentary Authority
Section 1. Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the rules adopted to govern the Caucus, its Executive Board and its committees, except where Robert’s Rules conflict with the provisions of these Bylaws.
ARTICLE X – Amendments
Section 1. A proposed amendment to these Bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Board for review and recommendation. The proposed amendment and recommendation shall be presented at a general membership meeting.
Section 2. The proposed amendment shall be emailed to each caucus member at least ten days prior to the next general meeting. A majority vote of those present at this meeting is required to pass the amendment.