CONSTITUTION

OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
COLLEGE DEMOCRATS

Preamble

In order to promote a better United States of America, with equality, opportunity, and freedom
within a just and strong society, we dedicate ourselves to organizing the participation of
Democratic college students at the University of Kentucky. In this mission, we call for full
participation of all students, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion,
physical handicap, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation.

Understanding the importance of participation in the Democratic Party to the preservation of our
values and principles, we, Democratic college students, do hereby associate ourselves and adopt
this Constitution as the University of Kentucky College Democrats.

Article I. Name and Purpose

Section I. The name of this organization shall be the University of Kentucky

College Democrats, hereafter referred to as the UKDems
Section II. The UKDems pledges itself to support the philosophy and
candidates of the Democratic Party. Furthermore, the UKDems
declares its intention to support all efforts to increase the participation of
college students in Democratic affairs. To these ends, the UKDems
shall educate and train its members so that they may be better able to:
i. Educate students about the philosophy of the Democratic Party;
ii. Assist in the election of local, state, and national Democratic
candidates;
iii. Effect political change on the local, state, and national level.

Article II. Policy

Section I. UKDems shall affiliate locally with the Democratic Party of Fayette
County and the Kentucky Federation of College Democrats, and nationally
with the Democratic National Committee of the United States and the
College Democrats of America.
Section II. UKDems may endorse candidates for any national, state, local, or student
office.
Section III. All endorsements shall require a majority vote of those active organization
members present and voting at a general organization meeting except in
the endorsement of candidates for student office, which shall only require
a majority vote of the executive board.
 Section IV. UKDems will abide by the university rules and policies of the University
of Kentucky, including but not limited to the regulations of the Office for
Student Involvement
Article III. Membership and Privileges

Section I. Any currently enrolled student of the University of Kentucky is eligible

for organization membership. Any person who submits his/her dues to the
Treasurer of UKDems shall be considered an active organization member
in good standing.
Section II. Only active organization members are entitled to a vote on endorsements
and elections.
Section III. Membership must be renewed every school year by submitting yearly
membership dues to the organization.
Section IV. Membership dues shall be determined by the UKDems Executive Board in
plenary session upon a full financial report of the UKDems Treasurer.
Section V. Any person, upon recommendation of the Executive Board and a majority
vote of those organization members present and voting at a general body
meeting, shall become an Honorary Member of the UKDems.
Section VI. Membership will not, however, be under any circumstances limited by
gender, sexual orientation, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age,
or citizenship status.

Article IV. Executive Board

Section I. The Executive Board shall be the policy-making body of the UKDems
and shall act as the supervisory and administrative body of the
organization.
Section II. The Executive Board shall consist of the following voting and elected
positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Fundraising
Director, and Historian.
Section III. The Executive Board shall create or eliminate appointed Executive Board
positions by a 2/3 majority of a quorum of existing Executive Board
members. The creation of an elected Executive Board position shall
adhere to the constitutional amendment process as defined in Article X,
Section I. Upon creation of a new Executive Board position, a majority
vote of the Executive Board shall decide whether to fill said position
through appointment or election.

Subsection I. Elected positions shall be filled through an ad-hoc election

of the general membership according to guidelines set in
Article VII, Section VI, Subsection II.
 Section IV. Regular meetings of the Executive Board shall be held at the discretion of
the Board with at least two meetings being held each month. Meetings
shall be open to all active organization members, except when closed by a
majority vote of the Executive Board.
Section V. All Executive Board members shall be notified of any changes in the time
of an Executive Board meeting at least 24 hours in advance.
Section VI. A quorum to conduct business at an Executive Board meeting shall be a
majority of the voting members of the Board unless there is a request for a
2/3 quorum by at least two Executive Board members, at which time, the
motion in question will be tabled until a 2/3 quorum can be reached.
Section VII. No member shall hold more than one position on the Executive Board at
any one time.
Section VIII. Executive Board decisions may be overruled by a 2/3 majority of active
UKDems members present and voting at a general membership meeting.
Section IX. If a voting member of the Executive Board cannot attend a meeting of the
Executive Board and wishes to assign a proxy, said member must notify
the President and at least one other board member who will be present at
that meeting.

Subsection I. One proxy may be assigned to only one officer at each

Executive Board meeting.

Section X. All Board votes are to be verbal except when a majority of the Board votes
for secret ballot.

Article V. Powers of the Elected Executive Board

Section I. President
Subsection I. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the
UKDems.
Subsection II. The President shall define the agenda of the UKDems
during his/her tenure.
Subsection III. The President shall create and submit an annual Platform
for the academic year during the month of August. The
Platform shall be adopted by a majority vote of the
Executive Board.
i. The Platform may be amended during the academic
year by a 2/3 vote of the Executive Board.
Subsection IV. The President will act as the official spokesperson for the
UKDems.
Subsection V. The President shall have the right to veto any decision
made by the Executive Board. The Board may override
 this veto with a 2/3 vote after a period of discussion
determined by a majority of the Board members present.
Subsection VI. The President may appoint or create any committees that
he/she sees fit.
Subsection VII. The President shall carry out the mandates, policies, and
directives of the Executive Board.
Subsection VIII. The President shall be responsible for submitting an
outgoing memorandum to the College Democrats Archive.
Section II. Vice President
Subsection I. The Vice President shall assist the President in all official
duties.
Subsection II. The Vice President shall assume the responsibilities of the
President if the President, for any reason, cannot complete
the Presidential duties.
Subsection III. The Vice President shall coordinate all recruitment efforts.
Subsection IV. The Vice President shall assist all other Executive Board
members as needed.
Subsection V. The Vice President shall be responsible for submitting an
outgoing memorandum to the College Democrats Archive.
Section III. Secretary
Subsection I. The Secretary shall make weekly updates to the official
UKDems blog to detail the events of general organization
meetings and special programs carried out by the UKDems.
Subsection II. Should the UKDems be without official programming or
meetings for a week, Subsection I shall be considered null
and void.
Subsection III. The Secretary shall ensure that all activities of the
organization are publicized to the media, general public,
and the membership.
Subsection IV. The Secretary shall maintain the official copy of the
UKDems Constitution and by-laws.
Subsection V. The Secretary shall perform such duties as the President
may assign and take on projects determined by the
Executive Board.
Subsection VI. The Secretary shall be responsible for submitting an
outgoing memorandum to the College Democrats Archive.
Section IV. Treasurer
Subsection I. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all financial and
monetary duties of the UKDems.
Subsection II. The Treasurer shall work with the Fundraising Director to
generate additional outside funds for the UKDems.
Subsection III. The Treasurer shall collect membership dues.
 Subsection IV. The Treasurer shall maintain a membership list of all
dues-paying members.
Subsection V. The Treasurer shall maintain an accurate accounting of the
UKDems’ budget.
Subsection VI. The Treasurer shall help construct the UKDems’ budget
and submit budget reports at least two times per semester to
the Executive Board.
Subsection VII. The Treasurer shall ensure that the UKDems are always in
good financial standing with all governmental and
institutional agencies.
Subsection VII. The Treasurer shall perform such duties as the President
may assign and take on projects determined by the
Executive Board.
Subsection VIII. The Treasurer shall be responsible for submitting an
outgoing memorandum to the College Democrats Archive.
Section V. Fundraising Director
Subsection I. The Fundraising Director will be responsible for generating
additional outside funds for the UKDems. He/she will
create a fundraising plan including contacting donors,
organizing fundraising events, and securing corporate
sponsorships and donations.
Subsection II. The Fundraising Director will be responsible for organizing
an Alumni Outreach Network for the UKDems.
Subsection III. The Fundraising Director shall develop programs and
events which connect the College Democrats with
philanthropic endeavors.
Subsection IV. The Fundraising Director will be responsible for submitting
fundraising reports at least two times per semester to the
Executive Board.
Subsection V. The Fundraising Director is responsible for planning,
organizing, and executing all community service events for
the UKDems.
Subsection VI. The Fundraising Director shall perform such duties as the
President may assign and take on projects determined by
the Executive Board.
Subsection VII.The Fundraising Director shall be responsible for
submitting an outgoing memorandum to the College
Democrats Archive.
Section VI. Historian
Subsection I. The Historian shall act as chief photographer and
cinematographer of the UKDems.
Subsection II. The Historian shall direct and manage the UKDems’ new
media presence and endeavours.
 Subsection III. The Historian shall actively keep, maintain, and update the
College Democrats Archive, outlined in Article VIII,
Section III.
Subsection IV. The Historian shall perform such duties as the President
may assign and take on projects determined by the
Executive Board.
Subsection V. The Historian shall be responsible for submitting an
outgoing memorandum to the College Democrats Archive.
Article VI. Powers of the Appointed Executive Board.
Section I. Non-Voting Executive Board Members.
Subsection I. The voting members of the Executive Board may create or
eliminate non-voting positions pursuant to
Article I, Section III.
Subsection II. The powers of Appointed members of the Executive Board
shall be determined by the voting members of the
Executive Board.
Subsection III. Appointed positions and the powers defined to them by the
Executive Board, shall be amended into the Constitution by
a 2/3 vote of the Executive Board.
Subsection IV. The Executive Board may decide to fill or leave vacant as
many or as few appointed positions as it sees fit.

Section II. Membership Director

Subsection I. The Membership Director is responsible for recruiting new
members and encouraging Democratic Party affiliation on
campus.
Subsection II. The Membership Director will plan social events to foster a
sense of community within the organization.
Subsection III. The Membership Director shall perform such duties as the
President may assign and take on projects determined by
the Executive Board.
Subsection IV. The Membership Director shall be responsible for
submitting an outgoing memorandum to the College
Democrats Archive.
Section III. Webmaster
Subsection I. The Webmaster shall maintain the official webpage and
blog of the UKDems.
Subsection II. The Webmaster shall perform such duties as the
President may assign and take on projects determined by
the Executive Board.
Subsection III. The Webmaster shall be responsible for submitting an
outgoing memorandum to the College Democrats Archive.
Article VII. Executive Board Elections
Section I. Election Commission
Subsection I. The Election Commission, hereafter referred to as the
Commission, is responsible for all election procedure,
including but not limited to: certifying candidacies,
monitoring candidate behavior, responding to complaints,
proctoring the election, counting ballots, certifying election
results, and all election-related communication to the
general membership.
Subsection II. The Commission shall consist of a minimum of three
individuals and a maximum of five individuals. Positions
on the Commission will be first offered to officers on the
Executive Board of the most senior status at the University
of Kentucky, who will not be running for elected office, in
order of rank. Remaining positions will be offered to, the
remaining Executive Board members who are not running
for elected office in the UKDems during the election. The
Commission shall be formed at the confirmation by a
majority vote of the Executive Board.
Subsection III. Members of the Commission may not run for elected office
in the UKDems during the election for which they serve on
the Commission or declare their intention to lobby for
appointed positions until after the results of the election
have been announced.
Subsection IV. Should all members of the Executive Board be running for
elected office, the Executive Board may nominate
individuals to the Commission to be confirmed by a
majority vote of the membership at a general organization
meeting.
Subsection V. Members of the Commission may not endorse any
candidate for a position on the Executive Board and must
remain strictly neutral while serving on the Commission.
Subsection VI.A member of the Election Commission can be removed
only by a unanimous vote of the rest of the Commission.
All other decisions and rulings of the Commission require
simple majority vote.
Subsection VII. The Election Commission shall be formed no less than
one month before a scheduled election.
Section II. Voter Eligibility
Subsection I. In order to vote in the election, the voter must be a
dues-paid member in good standing by the candidate
registration deadline.
 Subsection II. Dues can only be submitted in person by the person seeking
membership. Dues must be paid directly to members of the
election commission. Dues can only be given to an
Executive Board member at official College Democrats
events in which dues are being accepted in order to qualify
for membership prior to the formation of the Election
Commission.
Section III. Registration of Candidacy
Subsection I. Candidates must be members in good standing before the
registration deadline.
Subsection II. In order to register a candidacy with the Commission, the
member must submit a candidacy statement declaring the
intent to run for an elected position on the Executive Board.
If this statement exceeds 300 words, it shall be truncated by
the Commission before publication to the membership.
This statement must be sent via email to an address
specified by the Commission or submitted in writing to the
Commission in person.
Subsection III. The deadline for the registration of candidacy shall be set
by the Commission but shall be no later than 10 days from
the election.
Subsection IV. The Commission must notify candidates of the certification
of their candidacy. All candidates must meet the
constitutional requirements for office. Any candidate who
fails to meet the requirements for office will be notified by
the Commission and permitted to run at such a time as they
rectify the situation.
Subsection V. Once the Commission has certified all candidacies, the
statements must be publicized to the membership via email
at least once and by at least five days from the election.
Subsection VI.A candidate may only run for one position.
Subsection VII. If no candidate exists for a specific Executive Board
position after the deadline for registration of candidacy, that
position will be open to nominations beginning the day
after the registration deadline and continuing until the day
of elections.
Subsection VIII. The new Executive Board may appoint any unfilled
positions of the voting Executive Board that are vacant
pursuant to Article VII, Section VI.
Section IV. Campaign Rules
Subsection I. The use of official UKDems property for campaign
purposes is strictly forbidden. UKDems property includes
but is no limited to: the CSI locker and its contents, any
 version of the membership list, any version of the email
list, the listserv, sign-in sheets, Facebook group and pages,
and website. Regardless of how any of these resources are
procured, they are strictly forbidden from use for campaign
purposes.
Subsection II. While candidates are permitted to contact members, if any
member reports to the Commission that they are being
harassed or are contacted after informing a candidate that
they no longer wish to be contacted, the candidate making
such contact may be removed from the ballot.
Subsection III. Any violation of these rules will be litigated on a case by
case basis at the commission’s discretion.
Section V. Election Procedures
Subsection I. All candidates will be able to view a ballot box, should one
be used, at the outset of the election to confirm that it is
empty.
Subsection II. In order to vote in the election of a position, the member
voting must be present for the entirety of the the election
session.
Subsection III. Candidates will be guaranteed a minimum of two minutes
for a speech and one minute for question and answer from
the audience to be proctored by the Commission.
Candidates for President and Vice President will be offered
an additional two minutes of minimum speech time. The
Commission shall be responsible for determining maximum
times on a per election basis.
Subsection IV. Ballots must be counted in public view of candidates and
voters.
Subsection V. A recount of ballots shall be conducted during the election
meeting at the request of any candidate.
Subsection VI. Voting shall be conducted by secret ballot.
Subsection VII. An Executive Board Election shall occur once a year in
the month of April.
Subsection VIII. The Commission shall outline and decide on a procedure
for breaking any ties.
Subsection IX. The precise format of the election shall be decided by
the Commission but must be in compliance with the
aforementioned rules. A brief of the election format must
be publicized at least once to the membership and all
candidates.
Section VI. Vacancies
Subsection I. If a Board member in an elected position takes a leave of
absence, the Executive Board can appoint a proxy until the
 end of the leave of absence by a 2/3 vote. If the absence
extends more than three months, it shall be considered a
resignation. Notice of a leave of absence should be given
in writing to the President, including intended day of return
and reason for the absence.
Subsection II. If a Board member other than the President resigns, dies,
is removed, or is for any other reason left vacant, the
President shall appoint an interim successor with a
2/3-majority vote of the remaining Executive Board. The
appointment will be made permanent by the approval of the
majority of the membership present at the next general
organization meeting.
Subsection III. If the vacancy is the President, then the Vice-President shall
assume the position of UKDems President.

Article VIII. Transition of the Executive Board

Section I. Assumption of Office
Subsection I. The newly elected Executive Board will not assume office
until the day after the last day of Spring semester final
examinations. Until that time, the organization’s data,
private information, resources, property, and registration
with the Office for Student Involvement remains under the
control of the outgoing Board.
Section II. Transition Summit
Subsection I. A Transition Summit shall consist of the members of both
the outgoing and incoming Boards. The Summit shall be a
time to facilitate a discussion between the outgoing and
incoming officers to better prepare the incoming Board to
function.
Subsection II. Any member of the incoming Executive Board may call for
a Transition Summit before the final day of the outgoing
Board’s tenure.
Subsection III. The date for the Transition Summit is to be set by the
outgoing board.
Section III. College Democrats Archive
Subsection I. In order to ease the process of Transition, the UKDems
shall keep and maintain an informational archive to be
known as the “College Democrats Archive”, hereafter
referred to as the Archive.
Subsection II. The Archive shall contain all information considered
necessary and/or helpful for future Executive Boards and
the operation of the organization as a whole. The Archive
will contain, but is not limited to, the following: previous
 officers and their contact information, event history,
previous budgets, CDA officers and the specifics of
UKDems’ relationship with them, how to maintain basic
operations, outgoing memorandum from previous officers,
bank account information, donor lists, donor history,
the membership list, platforms, and usernames and login
information for all official UKDems accounts.
Subsection III. The Archive shall be kept in digital format at infinitum.
The print version of the Archive shall consist of no less
than the previous year’s vital information, to be determined
by the Historian.
Subsection IV. The digital version of the Archive shall be kept online via
an online service, the login information of which will be
given to the new Board by a date no later than the
final day of the previous Executive Board’s administration.
Subsection V. The keeping, maintaining, and updating of the Archive is
charged specifically to the Historian, however it is the
general responsibility of all of the Executive Board to
ensure the Archive’s survival, maintenance, and regular
updating either personally or through cooperation with the
Historian.

Article IX. Removal

Section I. Grounds for Impeachment
Subsection I. Grounds for impeachment shall be unethical or
incompetent behavior.
Subsection II. Grounds found by 5 of the voting members of the
Executive Board shall also constitute good and sufficient
cause.
Subsection III. If an Executive Board member misses 3 board meetings
without sufficient cause in one semester, the President shall
notify said member that the Executive Board shall be
required to vote on whether to request the resignation of
said member. The Board member must be given one (1)
week prior to the vote. Unless said member can give
sufficient cause, to be judged by the Executive Board, to
miss the next meeting, said vote shall be held with or
without the presence of said member. If the Board votes to
request resignation, the President shall submit written
notice to said member. If said member refuses to resign or
does not respond within one (1) week, the Executive Board
shall automatically impeach said member.
 Section II. Impeachment Process
Subsection I. Any officer charged with impeachable offenses shall be
notified and given ample time, determined by a majority
vote of the Executive Board, to mount a defense.
Subsection II. After the time period set by the Executive Board expires,
the impeachment shall be put to a vote.
Subsection III. An officer will be removed by a 2/3 vote of the Executive
Board.
Section III. Vote of No Confidence
Subsection I. Any member in good standing may make a motion of No
Confidence to the Executive Board as a whole. Grievances
with specific members of the Executive Board must be
aired by the membership to the Executive Board during an
Executive Board meeting where a 2/3 quorum of Executive
Board members exists. These grievances shall be
adjudicated by the Executive Board pursuant to the
impeachment process defined in Article IX, Section II.
Subsection II. After a motion of No Confidence, a petition period of two
(2) weeks shall be allotted. At the next general
organization meeting following the final day of the two (2)
week period, a Petition of No Confidence containing
signatures of 1/3 of the total active membership must be
presented, upon validation of the petition the matter will be
put to a vote.
Subsection III. If a vote of No Confidence passes by 2/3 of the total active
membership, an Election Commission pursuant to Article
VII, Section I shall be formed to plan a new election within
the next 30 days.

Article X. Amendments
Section I. Amendment Procedure
Subsection I. Amendments to the constitution shall be adopted upon a 2/3
vote of the Executive Board, with a 2/3 vote of the active
membership present at either a general organization
meeting or a special constitutional session.
Subsection II. The President may call for a Special Constitutional Session
in order to amend the current constitution or ratify a new
constitution. The Executive Board and total active
membership must be given at least one (1) week notice
prior to a Special Constitutional Session.
Section II. Exceptions
Subsection I. The amendment procedure outlined in Article X, Section I
may be disregarded with respect to changes to the
 constitution which affect only grammar, spelling, layout,
syntax, or other non-content/intent altering changes.
Subsection II. Pursuant to Article VI, Section I, Subsection III, the
Amendment procedure in Article X, Section I may be
disregarded.
Subsection III. All excepted amendments delineated in
Article X, Section II, require a 2/3 majority vote of the
Executive Board to be adopted.