CONSTITUTION OF THE
JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP REPUBLICAN CLUB
(Adopted June 22, 2021)
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PREAMBLE
We, the members of the Jefferson Township Republican Club, hereinafter the “Club,” do hereby adopt this Constitution. This Club is dedicated to the principles embodied in the Constitution of the United States of America. To that end, this Club exists to provide a forum for constitutional analysis, political debate and education, to promote the development of leadership skills, and to support Republican candidates for office in general elections.
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ARTICLE I - GENERAL PROVISIONS
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Section 1 The name of this Club shall be the Jefferson Township Republican Club.
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Section 2 This Club shall be governed by this Constitution.
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Section 3 This Club shall support only Republican candidates for office unless the election is non-partisan. Under no circumstances, however, shall this Club, or anyone acting on its behalf in an official capacity, endorse or support any candidate for office in a primary election.
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Section 4 This Constitution shall become effective, and all previous constitutions and by-laws shall be superseded thereby, immediately upon ratification by the Club. The Club shall be deemed to have ratified this Constitution upon a three-quarters vote of the active members voting so long as a quorum of at least 20% of active members is present. The Secretary shall record the results of the vote, and shall notify the membership, in writing, of the ratification of this Constitution. The ratification of this Constitution shall be evidenced by the signatures of the President and vice president of the Club.
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ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP
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Section 1 All members of this Club shall be citizens of the United States of America, and shall be duly registered to vote as Republicans in the manner prescribed by law. Members of the Club must be residents of Jefferson Township, have paid club dues for the current year, and be registered to vote within the Township of Jefferson in the State of New Jersey. Members of this Club shall enjoy such privileges as shall be described in this Constitution.
ARTICLE III OFFICERS
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Section 1 The officers of the Club shall be the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Sergeant at Arms.
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Section 2 No person shall serve as an officer of the Club unless he or she has solemnly sworn or affirmed the following oath of office: “I do hereby solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully execute the office of [President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Seargant at Arms ] in accordance with the laws of the United States of America and State of New Jersey, and the Constitution[, By-Laws and Certificate of Incorporation, if applicable] of the Jefferson Township Republican Club.
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Section 3 The officers shall hold office until the general meeting next following January 1, or until such time as their successors are duly elected or appointed. Candidates for office shall be nominated by submission of a letter of intent to the current President 7 days prior to the election meeting. A slate of candidates may also submit. All candidates shall be permitted to address the membership for a reasonable amount of time prior to the elections. Candidates for the office of President shall be permitted to speak first, alphabetically by last name, followed by candidates for the offices of Vice President, Treasurer, Press Secretary, Sergeant at Arms, respectively, and alphabetically by the last name. The candidates for each office who receive the majority of votes cast at the meeting shall, upon acceptance of their offices, swear or affirm the oath of office, whereupon their terms shall commence.
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Section 4 The duties of the officers shall be as follows:
President: The President shall preside at all meetings. The President shall designate all club subcommittees and appoint their members and chairperson who shall serve at the pleasure of the President. The President shall serve ex officio as a member of all committees. The President shall communicate with the membership at least every two calendar months; this communication may be by any medium reasonably calculated to address the membership.
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Vice President: The Vice President shall assist the President in the performance of his or her duties, and shall perform all duties of the President in the absence, disqualification, resignation, removal or death of the President.
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Treasurer: The Treasurer shall perform the duties of the financial officer of the Club and shall be responsible for collecting and disbursing the Club’s funds, and for recording all such collections and disbursements. The Treasurer shall submit regular reports of the financial condition of the Club at each general meeting, and at such other times as shall be requested by the President. The Treasurer shall submit the Club’s financial records to the Executive Board for audit or examination at the general meeting at which the election of officers takes place, and prior to such election. The Treasurer shall deposit the Club’s funds in an account in the Club’s name in such FDIC-insured bank as shall be designated by the Executive Board.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for compliance with all regulations of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission governing the Club as a Political Action Committee, including N.J.A.C. 19:25-1 et seq. and making all required filings with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.
The Treasurer’s name shall appear on all publications of the Club.
The Treasurer shall notify the executive board if the Club’s expenditures are expected to exceed $ 5,500 during any one year.
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Secretary: The Secretary shall maintain and update the records of the Club, including its governing documents, {and record the minutes of all general meetings} and official actions taken by the Club. The Secretary shall also send such notices to the membership as shall be deemed necessary by the President.
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Sergeant at Arms: The Sergeant at Arms will be the person that will assure the flag(s) are in the appropriate location for a meeting, he/she will also be responsible for maintaining order before, during and after any club meeting or function. He or she will also greet new members to introduce club protocol and lead the pledge of allegiance at each meeting.
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Section 5 The Executive Board may, by 80% vote of those present, institute proceedings to remove any officer for failure to exercise his or her responsibilities as an officer. The removal proceedings shall take place at a general meeting, providing that the officer in question is provided with written notice at least ten days in advance of the meeting which notice shall include the factual basis alleged for the removal proceedings.
The membership may, by a two-thirds vote of the active voting members present at the general meeting, remove such officer upon a finding that the officer in question has failed to exercise his or her responsibilities as an officer. Failure to attend three consecutive general or Executive Board meetings, or a total of six general or Executive Board meetings, shall presumptively constitute a failure to exercise the responsibilities of an officer. The officer in question shall be permitted to address the membership at the general meeting to show cause why he or she should not be removed from office.
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Section 6 In the event that any elected office becomes vacant, with the exception of the position of President, the President shall nominate a successor for the vacant office who shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term. In the event that the position of President becomes vacant, the Vice President may assume the position of President for the remainder of the unexpired term; however, if the Vice President elects not to accede to the position of President, he or she shall nominate a successor for the position of President who shall serve the remainder of the unexpired term.
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ARTICLE IV EXECUTIVE BOARD
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Section 1 The Executive Board of the Club shall consist of the officers of the Club and the Chairmen of all active sub-committees.
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Section 2 The Executive Board shall meet at the request of the President or by written petition to the Secretary by a majority of the members of the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall meet at least every three months. In all cases, however, the members of the Executive Board shall be provided with notice of the meeting(s) at least seven days in advance.
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Section 3 One-half the members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum; however, members of the Executive Board may attend any meeting of the Executive Board via telephone or other technology allowing real- time interaction of the members of the Executive Board and positive identification of any Executive Board members not physically present at the meeting. Members participating remotely shall be considered present at the Executive Board meeting for the purposes of this Constitution.
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Section 4 Unless otherwise specified herein, every action by the Executive Board shall require a majority vote of those members present at the meeting.
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Section 5. Parliamentary procedures at all Executive Board meetings shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order except to the extent inconsistent with the Constitution or By-Laws, if any, of the Club.
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ARTICLE V AFFILIATIONS
Section 1 This Club shall be an affiliated Town Unit of the Morris County Republican Committee.
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Section 2 So long as this Club shall remain an affiliated Town Unit of the Morris County Republican Committee, the President or his designee shall be the official representative of this Club to that organization.
ARTICLE VI MEETINGS
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Section 1 The President shall call a general meeting at least every 90 days.
Section 2 Notice of all general meetings shall be provided to the membership at least ten (10) days in advance of all general meetings.
Section 3 The President shall ensure that the floor is open at every general meeting for a reasonable amount of time in order to permit the members to address the membership of the Club, whether or not the fact or subject matter of such addresses was previously made known.
Section 4 Parliamentary procedures at all general meetings shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order except to the extent inconsistent with the Constitution or the By-Laws, if any, of the Club.
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ARTICLE VII BY-LAWS
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Section 1 The Club will utilize the by-laws of the Republican Municipal Committee of the Morris County Committee. If a conflict arises between this Constitution and the municipal committee by-laws, the municipal committee by laws will reign supreme
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ARTICLE VIII AMENDMENTS
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Section 1 The Club may adopt such amendments to this Constitution, pursuant to this Article, as it shall deem necessary.
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Section 2 Proposed amendments to this Constitution shall be submitted to the Executive Board in writing by the Constitution and By-Laws Committee, or by a petition signed by at least nine active members, at a general meeting.
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Section 3 The Executive Board shall consider the proposed amendment at the meeting of the Executive Board next following two weeks after its receipt of the proposed amendment. Upon a two-thirds vote of those members of the Executive Board voting at the meeting, the proposed amendment shall be submitted to the President for presentation to the membership
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Section 4 The President shall present the proposed amendment to the membership at the next general meeting; written copies of the proposed amendment shall be made available upon request to all members. The President shall permit discussion of the proposed amendment for a reasonable period of time. The Secretary shall notify the membership, in writing, that the proposed amendment will be considered for adoption at the next general meeting.
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Section 5 The membership shall consider the proposed amendment at the general meeting next following the President’s presentation. The President shall permit additional discussion of the proposed amendment for a reasonable period of time, whereupon adoption of the proposed amendment shall be submitted for a vote so long as a quorum of at least 20% of active members is present at the meeting. The proposed amendment shall be adopted only if three-quarters of the active members voting so vote. The Secretary shall record the results of the vote, and shall notify the membership, in writing, of the outcome.
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RATIFICATION
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We, the members of the Jefferson Township Republican Club, do hereby ratify and adopt this Constitution on this 22nd day of June, 2021; each separate signed copy of this Constitution shall be deemed an original version thereof.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.
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Christopher J. Carfano
President Jefferson Township Republican Club
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Susan Noble
Vice President Jefferson Township Republican Club