Standing Rules

www.dpo.org/sites/www.dpo.org/files/dpobylaws080711.doc

Democratic Party of Oregon Standing Rules

Standing Rule 1
Adopted February 6, 1994

    The Democratic Party of Oregon is committed to maintaining and improving the
environment and therefore shall make every effort to reuse, reduce and recycle waste at all Democratic functions. We shall also use recycled materials whenever possible.

Standing Rule 2
Adopted February 6, 1994
Amended April 12, 2008

Rules for Nominating Conventions

Section 1 – Nominating candidates to fill a vacancy in office
    Meetings of the DPO Central Committee called for the purpose of nominating candidates for filling vacancies pursuant to Article XI of the DPO Bylaws shall be governed by the following rules:
    A. Any person who is qualified under law to fill a vacancy in the office for which the nominating meeting is called may seek the nomination of the party by filing a pledge that if nominated she or he will not withdraw from consideration and that she or he will, if appointed or elected, serve in the office sought.
The only candidates for nomination are those who have filed the form required by ORS 171.051(2) and whose pledge forms are physically received at the DPO office (232 NE 9th Ave., Portland, OR 97232) no later than 24 hours in advance of the meeting. These candidates shall have their names printed on the prepared ballots in random order.
    B. Delegates shall register with the credentials committee.
        1. If the district contains more than one county, each delegate will be informed about the number of votes they will cast at the beginning of the meeting. Those votes will be equal to the total number of Democratic voters in their county’s portion of the district, divided by the number of delegates present.
        2. If the district is entirely within one county, each delegate will cast one vote.
    C. Visitors and candidates for nomination (including those who are voting delegates) shall be seated apart from voting delegates.
    D. The convention shall decide whether to nominate three, four, or five candidates.
    E. At the appropriate time, the Chair shall read the names of the candidates for nomination. As each candidates name is called they shall orally indicate a willingness to serve.
    F. The candidates shall then be allowed to address the convention for no more than ( ) minutes each.
        1. The order of speeches shall be determined by lot.
        2. If the chair determines at her or his sole discretion that there is enough time, he or she may allow questions from the delegates.
            a. Such questions shall be limited to ( ) each and each candidate shall be allowed ( ) minute(s) in which to respond.
            b. The blanks in this paragraph shall be determined by the Chair at his or her discretion.
    G. After the candidates have spoken, the convention, by majority vote, may require the candidates to leave during a discussion of their candidacies.
    H. The Chair shall then call for the first round of balloting.
        1. As each delegate's name is called the delegate shall place the delegate's ballot in the box provided.
        2. Delegates who are allotted multiple votes may divide their votes among the candidates.
        3. No ballot shall be counted on which the delegate cast more votes than that delegate is entitled.
        4. Candidates or their representatives may observe the counting of the ballots provided that they do not disrupt or impede the tellers.
        5. All the ballots shall be verified by the credentials committee for legibility and compliance with this rule before any ballot may be counted.
        6. No appeal of the decision of the credentials committee shall be heard after the counting has begun.
    I. The Chair shall announce the results of the balloting.
        1. If one candidate received a majority of the votes authorized, balloting shall cease and that person is declared nominated.
        2. If no candidate received a majority of the votes authorized, the Chair shall call for a second ballot.
        3. Any candidate who receives fewer than 10 percent of the total vote cast and the candidate who receives the fewest votes shall be eliminated from the second and successive ballots.
    J. The convention will repeat the process until the required numbers of candidates are nominated.
    K. If there are three, four or five candidates, the convention may decide, by a majority vote, to nominate all of the candidates.
        1. It may also decide, by majority vote, to rank those candidates, and send the results of that vote to the governing body/official that will make the selection to fill the vacancy.
        2. In the case of a district containing more than one county, that vote to rank will be made with each delegate casting the number of votes allotted.
    L. Once the convention is adjourned, the chair shall inform the Secretary of State and the DPO, and file any forms required by state law.

Section 2 – Nominating a candidate to fill a vacancy on the ballot
    A. The convention to name a Democratic candidate on the ballot is formed the same way as a convention to nominate candidates to fill a vacancy.
        1. The chair of the county with the largest number of registered Democrats in the district is the chair of the convention.
            a. In a multi-county district, delegates cast votes equal to the numbers of their county’s registered Democrats.
            b. In a district contained within a county, delegates cast one vote.
    B. Candidates are nominated from the floor of the convention. They must be legally qualified to serve in that office and be legally able to serve as a Democrat.
    C. The election is held in the same fashion as listed in Section 1, except that only one candidate will be nominated.
    D. Once the convention nominates a candidate, the chair sends a report to the Secretary of State’s Elections Division and the Democratic Party of Oregon informing them of the nomination. The nominee then files the appropriate declaration of candidacy forms with that office.
    E. If the convention fails to nominate a candidate, the chair sends a report to the Democratic Party of Oregon.   

Standing Rule 3
Adopted Feb. 4, 1996

 

Notices of Meetings pursuant to Article VI, Section 3, shall be delivered to the post office on the 20th day prior to the meeting. If the 20th day prior to the meeting is a Saturday, Sunday, or postal holiday, the notice shall be delivered to the post office on the previous day which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or postal holiday. Materials must be physically received in the office on or before the close of business 25 days prior to the meeting date to be included in the meeting notice. The deadline for receipt of materials for the meeting notice shall be announced at the prior meeting.

 

Standing Rule 4
Adopted Oct. 13, 1996
Amended May 2, 2004
Amended March 10, 2007
Amended, July 13, 2008
 
Standing Rule for the Election of DNC Members and Officers
 
    1. Verify, through the Credentials Committee, that a quorum exists.
    2. Appoint a temporary parliamentarian.
    3. At the beginning of each contest for office, read the list of candidates who have filed for office, and ask if there are any write-in candidates.
    4. Open the floor for nomination speeches.
         a. Nomination speeches may be no longer than two minutes per candidate.
         b. There will be no seconding speeches.
    5. Invite nominated candidates to speak.
        a. Candidates speeches may be no longer than five minutes.
        b. Candidates may allow others to speak or may answer questions within the five-minute period.
    6. Explain election rules
        a. Each ballot must be signed by the voting members of the State Central Committee casting their ballot, in order to comply with DNC rules.
        b. A majority of the delegates (and those acting as delegates) present and voting is necessary to elect.
        c. All ballots are to be counted.
        d. Voters will go to the Credentials Committee desk to receive ballots. The Committee will check off the names of voters receiving ballots.
        e. Voters will return their ballots to the Credentials Committee. Names will be checked and ballots placed in a box by the Committee. The Committee will require that each ballot be signed before being placed in the box.
        f. If only one candidate is nominated, the election may be made by voice vote.
    7. Counting of ballots
        a. The Credentials Committee shall be responsible for counting the ballots.
        b. Each nominated candidate may designate two people to observe the counting and tallying of ballots.
        c. The Chair will appoint two people to act as observers on the Chair's behalf. These observers, along with the Chair, will have the authority to rule on any ballots that may be challenged. Ballots that are unresolved must be cast as blanks.
        d. The Credentials Committee will bring a list of the results to the Chair.
        e. The Chair will announce the results. If no candidate receives a majority (including blank ballots), the candidate receiving the lowest number of votes will be dropped in each subsequent ballot until a majority is reached. If there are only two candidates, the central committee will re-vote, with both candidates on the ballot, until a majority is reached.
        f. Anyone wishing to inspect the ballots for any race must submit a letter to the executive director of the DPO within seven days of the election. The decision whether to allow the inspection will be made by the Executive Committee before the next meeting of the State Central Committee. If no requests to inspect ballots are made within the deadline, ballots will be destroyed 30 days after the election.
     8. DNC members
        a. Oregon elects three DNC members. No more than two of them can be of the same gender.
        b. The order of speeches by candidates for DNC member shall be determined by the chair.
        c. All candidates for DNC member shall be listed on one ballot.
        d. Each eligible voting member casts three votes, one vote for each of the three candidates of their choice.
        e. The winner(s) of the first ballot will be the candidate(s) who receive a majority.
        f. If three candidates win a majority of the votes on the first ballot, they are declared elected, as long as that election does not result in the DNC membership being all of one gender.
        g. If there are still DNC members to be elected after a first ballot, a second ballot will be cast. After removing the name(s) of any candidate(s) elected on the first ballot, the second ballot will consist of the remaining top finishers from the first ballot, equal to twice the number of DNC member positions still remaining to be elected.
            1. For example: If one DNC member is elected on the first ballot, and there are still two DNC members to be elected, the second ballot will contain the names of the second through fifth finishers, provided both genders are represented.
        h. If the first ballot results in three people of the same gender each receiving a majority, the two people with the highest number of votes will be elected. If the first ballot results in two people of the same gender being elected, the second ballot will contain the names of the top two finishers of the opposite gender to those who were elected.
    9. Democratic Party of Oregon officers
        a. If the incumbent chair is running for re-election, a temporary chair shall be elected to serve until a new chair is elected.
        b. Nominations, speeches and voting for officers shall occur in the following order: Chair, Female Vice Chair, Male Vice Chair, and Secretary.

 

 

 

Standing Rule 5
Adopted Feb. 22, 1998

    After each election that is opened to non-affiliated or "not a member of a party"
registered voters, the Democratic Party of Oregon will conduct an in-depth analysis of the
election process and outcome to determine the effect of that opening.

Standing Rule 6

Adopted Sept. 20, 2009

 

            Resolutions shall be submitted in accordance with the current “Guidelines for Drafting a Resolution for Consideration by the Democratic Party of Oregon,” promulgated by the Platform and Resolutions Committee as published on the Democratic Party of Oregon website.

 

Standing Rule 7

Adopted Aug. 7, 2011

 

When a Regional Caucus elects members to the DPO Executive Committee, it follows these procedures:

 

1. The state chair will appoint a facilitator for each caucus.

2. The facilitator will go over the task of each caucus, will announce how many representatives that caucus will elect, and will conduct the election.

3. Caucuses may set rules for election of their Executive Committee representatives, including whether to require gender balance or geographic balance, to the extent they are able. Those rules must be established before candidates are nominated.

4, The floor will be open for nominations. Nominations must be made by a SCC delegate who lives in a county that is within the region. There’s no need for a second.

5. The DPO Bylaws do not require that nominees be members of the SCC, because the most important thing is that the SCC delegates within that region make their choice.

6. Only SCC delegates or alternates acting as delegates, within that region may vote.

7. A nominee will need a majority of those voting to be elected.

8. If there is no election contest, the members may be elected by acclamation.

9. If there is a contest, paper ballots must be used.

10. The facilitator should pick a sufficient number of people to count ballots. They may be members of the regional caucus, but cannot be candidates or someone seen as advocating for any of the candidates.

11. If there are still representatives (or a representative) to be elected after the first round, voting will continue until all representative slots are filled.

12. If the first round is not conclusive, use the process as outlined in Standing Rule 4, which calls for a nominee finishing last or with less than 10 percent of the vote to be eliminated at the next round until a majority is reached.

13. Once the representatives are elected, the facilitator gets contact information from them, gathers up information about the election, including the results of the votes in each round, and delivers that to the DPO.

14. The only business of the regional caucus is to elect representatives. After the election is over, the caucus adjourns.

 

Standing Rule 8

Adopted Aug. 7, 2011

 

1. The DPO will conduct an informal telephone conference each month with county chairs and vice chairs.

2. The DPO will conduct an informal telephone conference with the DPO Executive Committee at least every other month.

3. The telephone conferences are only for sharing information, and no official business will be transacted. If a need for official business arises as a result of a telephone conference, a meeting of either the SCC or the Executive Committee will be scheduled in accordance with the DPO Bylaws.

4. If a telephone conference was not held within the time required, the Chair or one of the vice chairs will notify the appropriate group (either county chairs or Executive Committee members), stating the reason why the meeting was not held. The meeting will be rescheduled on the next available date.

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