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ADP Bylaw Provisions Addressing Democratic Clubs & Caucuses As Restated and Amended August 20, 2011
Article IV: OTHER COMMITTEES
Section 6. DEMOCRATIC CLUBS. The State Committee shall certify any Democratic club which has been recognized by the County Committee in which the club members reside, under rules established by the bylaws of the County Committee.
Section 7. STATEWIDE CAUCUSES. A. The ADP encourages broad participation and diversity. In recognition thereof, provision is hereby made for official recognition of Statewide Caucuses.
B. Definition. A Caucus is a group of Democrats whose members join together to organize the communities they represent within the ADP for activities, goals and purposes consonant with the overall activities, goals and purposes of the ADP and the DNC.
C. Procedure to Obtain Caucus Recognition.
1. A prospective Caucus may apply to the Executive Board of the State Committee for official recognition as a Caucus of the ADP. Applications must be signed by a minimum of twenty (20) current State Committeepersons and must be presented to the Executive Board thirty (30) days prior to any quarterly meeting of the State Committee, for consideration at the meeting. A prospective Caucus may apply to the Executive Board no more than twice during any two (2)-year period between one State Committee Organizational Meeting and the next.
2. Provided that all conditions of recognition for a Caucus set forth in Section 7(D) of this Article are met, the Executive Board shall recognize an applicant Caucus as a Caucus of the ADP, unless, upon the vote of two-thirds of all the members of the Executive Board, the activities, goals, and purposes of the Caucus are found to be specifically detrimental to the activities, goals, and purposes of the ADP.
3. If a Caucus application is rejected, the Executive Board must immediately in writing provide the applying Caucus the reason for the denial.
D. Conditions of Recognition and/or Maintaining Recognition. A Caucus will not be recognized as a Caucus of the ADP or will immediately lose its recognition upon a determination by the Executive Board (given in writing to the Caucus with the Caucus having a reasonable opportunity to challenge the determination and/or to remedy same) that any of the following Prerequisite Conditions do not or no longer exist or that any of the following Revocation Events have occurred, or for such other stated reason as the Executive Board finds in the best interest of the ADP.
1. Prerequisite Conditions. All of the following conditions must be met to obtain and maintain recognition as a Caucus of the ADP: (a) The Caucus has a minimum of current twenty (20) State Committeepersons as enrolled members, residing in at least three (3) Arizona counties. (b) The Caucus has adopted by-laws that (i) require members to be registered Democrats; (ii) state that one of the purposes of the caucus is to elect Democrats and to work to strengthen the ADP; and (iii) are not in conflict with, or in contradiction to, the bylaws of the ADP. (c) The Caucus agrees to follow the bylaws of the ADP. (d) The Caucus is not and does not operate as a political action committee (“PACâ€) as PACs are defined by and subject to either the Arizona Revised Statutes or by the United States Code.
2. Revocation Events. Any of the following events will result in revocation of a Caucus’s recognition by the ADP: (a) The Caucus fails to remain in compliance with the above Prerequisite Conditions. (b) The Caucus endorses any candidate for public office during the pre-primary or primary period. (c) The Caucus endorses or devotes effort on behalf of candidates other than Democratic candidates.
E. Benefits of Recognized Caucus Status. At such time as a Caucus is officially recognized as a Caucus of the ADP, the Caucus shall be entitled to further normal benefits of ADP recognition, such as (1) meeting announcements by the ADP on its website and elsewhere; (2) meeting time, space and facilities at State Committee meeting venues at no charge to the Caucus; and (3) opportunity to report from the floor at State Committee meetings. Although a Caucus may identify itself as a Caucus recognized by the ADP, such recognition shall in no way entitle a Caucus to speak on behalf of the ADP as a whole, and the Caucus shall take care that no such impression is given in its activities or statements.
F. State Committee Membership. At such time as the Caucus shall have seventy-five (75) State Committeepersons as members in good standing, the Caucus shall be entitled to select one of its members to be a member of the Executive Committee of the ADP.
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