We, the members of the Republican Party of Wake County, North Carolina:
Do, for the purpose of uniting and coordinating our efforts for maximum power and efficiency, herewith establish this instrument, the Plan of Organization of the Republican Party of Wake County.
1. Party Membership – Every citizen residing in Wake County, North Carolina, and who is identified by and registered with the Wake County Board of Elections as Republican in the precinct of their residence is a member of the Republican
Party of Wake County, North Carolina.
2. Right of Participation – Every party member may participate in the official affairs of the Republican Party in accordance with this Plan of Organization.
3. Right to Represent Own Precinct – Every member who successfully completes the credentialing process during the Precincts Meetings has the right to represent their precinct as a delegate or alternate to the County Convention. Every delegate at the County Convention who successfully completes the credentialing process during the County Convention has the right to represent the County as a delegate or alternate at the Congressional District and State Conventions.
4. Right to Hold Party Office – Every delegate to the County Convention has the right to run for County Party office.
5. Duties – Every member of the Wake County Republican Party has a duty to vote. Every delegate and alternate to the conventions has a duty to vote.
1. Annual Precinct Meetings:
A. In every year, the County Chair shall call precinct meetings to be held the time specified in the State Plan of Organization for the North Carolina Republican Party.
B. The County Chair shall give at least ten days’ written notice of the time and place of holding the meeting to each Precinct Chair. The County Chair shall also inform the Precinct Chair as to the number of registered Republicans entitled to cast votes at the County Convention.
C. The County Chair shall also give at least ten days’ notice of such meeting in a newspaper of general circulation within the County.
D. Failure of the County Chair to call and properly notify members of their Precinct Meetings shall be cause for any member of the County Executive Committee to call the precinct meetings by notice in a newspaper of general circulation within the County.
E. Every Republican registered in Wake County prior to January 31 preceding the Meetings shall be entitled to cast one vote, except that the January 31 requirement shall not apply to residents who have moved into the precinct within 30 days of the precinct meeting.
F. If a precinct meeting is moved from the location designated by the County Chair, the Precinct Chair shall be responsible for complying with the procedure outlined below:
(1) The Precinct Chair shall designate one member of the precinct to station himself at the location for the precinct meeting originally designated by the County Chair one-half hour prior to the designated meeting time.
(2) He shall direct those attending to the correct location and he shall remain at the originally designated location until the time for the precinct meeting to begin.
(3) Upon the departure of the above-referenced individual, he shall leave prominently displayed a sign directing all who arrive late to the alternate location being used for the precinct meeting.
G. Odd year precinct meetings, with a quorum of at least one person, shall elect a Precinct Committee consisting of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and as many members-at-large as receive a majority of votes cast at the meeting. Members of the Precinct Committee shall have terms lasting two years and shall be eligible for reelection at the expiration of their terms.
H. Annual Precinct meetings shall elect one delegate and one alternate to the County Convention.
(1) They shall also elect one additional delegate and alternate for each 100 registered Republican voters, or major fraction thereof, in the precinct as of January 31st of that year.
(2) Election of delegates and alternates to the County Convention must be by name, address, and telephone number. Delegates must be qualified to vote in the meeting at which they are elected; and preference shall be given to the election of persons present at the meeting.
(3) There shall be no proxy voting.
I. The Chair and Secretary of each Precinct shall certify the election of officers, committee members, and delegates and alternates to the County Convention on forms stipulated by the State Central Committee and furnished by the County Chair.
(1) No other form or manner of certification shall be valid.
(2) Complete credentials shall be in the hands of the County Secretary by the date specified by the County Chair, which shall be at least two days prior to the Credentials Committee Meeting for the County Convention; provided, however, that when the Precinct Meetings and the County Convention are held the same day, the complete credentials shall be in the hands of the County Secretary at the time set by the County Chair on that day.
(3) No Delegate or Alternate shall be added to the Credentials List following the adjournment of the Precinct Meeting.
(4) The delegate list shall be made immediately available to any Republican candidate, at that candidate’s reasonable expense, after the County Chair receives a confidentiality and use agreement, signed by the candidate, stating that the list will be used only for Republican activities related to the candidate’s run for office.
3. Other Precinct Meetings may be called under Article III, Section 4.
4. If a Precinct fails to properly organize or the Precinct Chair fails to act, the County Chair shall appoint a temporary Precinct Chair to serve for a period not to exceed sixty days, during which time an Executive Committee shall be called and a new Precinct Chair shall be elected by the County Executive Committee. All Executive Committee members present at a County Executive Committee meeting at which a new Precinct Chair will be elected may vote in the election.
1. Committee Members – The Precinct Committee shall consist of:
A. Elected officers for the committee,
B. All Block Captains within the precinct, and
C. Volunteers as designated by the Precinct Chair.
2. Duties of Committee – The Precinct Committee shall:
A. Cooperate with the County Executive Committee in all elections and Party activities;
B. Provide the County Chair with a list of Party members within the Precinct qualified for appointment as election officials; and
C. Promote the Mission and Core Values of the Party within the Precinct.
3. Duties of Officers Duties:
A. The Chair of the Precinct Committee, with the advice and consent of the Precinct Committee, shall:
(1) Supervise the affairs of the Party within his precinct,
(2) Conduct all meetings of the Precinct, and
(3) Perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Precinct and County Executive Committees.
B. The Vice-Chair shall function as Chair in the absence of the Chair.
C. The Secretary shall:
(1) Keep all minutes and records, and
(2) Maintain a list of registered Republican voters and workers within the Precinct, unless otherwise provided by the Precinct and County Executive Committees.
4. Meetings:
A. The Precinct Committee shall meet at the call of the Precinct Chair.
B. The Precinct Chair shall give five days’ written, phone call, or email notice of such meeting.
C. A Precinct Meeting may be called by one-third of the members of the Precinct Committee or ten members of the general precinct membership. Five days’ notice in writing, by phone call, or by email shall be given of the meeting.
D. There shall be no proxy voting.
5. Vacancies and Removals:
A. Vacancies in Precinct Committee positions can occur due to:
(1) Resignation,
(2) Discontinuance of residency within the Precinct,
(3) Death, and
(4) The removal of any officers or members.
B. The resulting vacancy shall be filled by the remaining members of the Precinct Committee.
C. If the Precinct Committee fails to fill a vacancy within a reasonable period, the House District Chair and/or County Chair may do so, subject to the approval by the County Executive Committee.
D. Removals:
(1) Any officer or member of the Precinct Committee may be removed for cause by a vote of the Precinct Committee.
a. The officer or member to be removed will be presented with written notice of the charges signed by not less than two-thirds of the committee.
b. The officer or member shall be given written notice at least twenty days prior to the meeting at which the Precinct Committee votes on whether to remove the officer or member and may present a defense at the meeting.
c. Charges shall be confined to only:
1. Gross inefficiency,
2. Party disloyalty, and/or
3. Intentional failure to comply with the County or State Plans of Organization.
d. The vote of the Committee to remove the officer or member must be by two-thirds vote of those present at the meeting, which must have a quorum of at least one third of the total membership of the Precinct Committee.
e. The officer or member may appeal the decision to the County Executive Committee within twenty days. The County Executive Committee must approve the decision by a vote of two thirds of those present at the meeting. The decision of the County Executive Committee shall be final.
E. For the purposes of this Plan of Organization, “Party Disloyalty,” wherever stated, shall be defined as actively supporting a candidate of another Party or unaffiliated candidate running in opposition to a nominee of the Republican Party in any partisan election, or in non- partisan races, any candidate in opposition to a duly endorsed Republican candidate of the Wake County Republican Party, any District Committee, the State Executive Committee, or Legislative Caucus.
1. Call of the Convention
A. A County Convention shall be called every year by the Chair of the County Executive Committee, at the County seat.
(1) The Convention shall be held at the time specified in the State Plan of Organization for the North Carolina Republican Party.
(2) The Chair shall give 15 days’ notice of such Convention in a newspaper of general circulation within the County.
B. At the time of the call of the convention, the County Chair, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, shall appoint a Credentials Committee, which shall meet and issue its report on delegates and alternates certified to that convention at least three days in advance of the convening of the convention. No member of the Credentials Committee shall be eligible to be elected to an officer or Executive Committee position at the County Convention for which the Credentials Committee serves, nor shall a committee member publicly support anyone for an office to be elected by the County Convention.
(1) All delegates challenged in the report of the Credentials Committee shall be notified prior to the day of the convention and allowed to present their cases to the Credentials Committee prior to the convening of the convention.
(2) The delegates and alternates elected at the precinct meetings, unless successfully challenged, shall sit as delegates and alternates at the County Convention.
C. If the County Chair fails, refuses, or neglects to call a County Convention as required by this article, it shall become the duty of the First Vice-Chair to act in this capacity.
(1) The First Vice Chair shall give five days’ notice thereof to all Precinct Chairs and County Executive Committee members.
(2) The First Vice Chair shall give ten days’ notice thereof of such Convention in a newspaper of general circulation within the County.
D. If the County Chair or First Vice-Chair does not call such a meeting, it shall be cause for any member of the County Executive Committee, with the approval of all of the Chairs of the Congressional Districts contained wholly or partially within Wake County, to call such a convention.
2. Convention Business:
A. Plan of Organization – Each year, the County Convention shall adopt a written Plan of Organization, a current copy of which shall be on file at State Party Headquarters. However, if the County Convention fails to adopt a Plan of Organization, the previously adopted Plan of Organization shall remain in effect.
B. County Party Officer Elections
(1) In every odd-numbered year, the County Convention shall elect as County Officers:
a. Chair,
b. First Vice-Chair,
c. Second Vice-Chair,
d. Third Vice-Chair,
e. Secretary,
f. Assistant Secretary,
g. Treasurer, and
h. Assistant Treasurer
(2) County Officers will serve for a term of two years or until their successors are elected.
(3) The County Officers and the Immediate Past Chair shall comprise the County Executive Board of the County Executive Committee.
(4) Procedure for electing County Officers.
(a) County Party resources shall not be used in support of or in opposition to any candidate for a County Officer position.
The Executive Committee may approve a method on an equal basis for information about candidates to be disseminated to delegates.
(b) The County Convention shall vote on each position separately.
(c) The Credentials Committee shall serve as a teller committee to oversee the election. The Credentials Committee may, in its discretion appoint additional tellers to assist in vote counting. Candidates for County Officer positions may appoint persons to observe the vote-counting process.
(d) Voting for County Officer positions shall be by secret ballot unless the position is unopposed, in which case a voice vote may be taken.
(e) County Officers shall not, in their official capacities as officers of the County Party, endorse any candidate or slate of candidates for County Officer positions.
(5) The County Chair may appoint not more than two additional persons from the County Executive Committee as ex officio members of the County Executive Board.
(6) In every odd-numbered year, the County Convention shall elect, in addition to the County Officers, five individuals to serve as At-Large voting members of the County Executive Committee who shall serve for a term of two years, or until their successors are elected.
C. The County Convention shall elect delegates and alternates to the Congressional District and State Conventions.
(1) The County Convention shall elect one delegate and one alternate plus one additional delegate and alternate for every 250 Republicans, or major fraction thereof, registered as of January 31 of that year.
(2) The County Convention shall further elect one delegate and one alternate for each Republican elected to the State General Assembly and to public office on the state or national level from the County in the last election held for that office.
(3) The delegate vote shall be prorated among the Congressional Districts in the County in accordance with the Republican registration as of January 31 of that year in the political subdivisions within Wake County which have been divided among the different Congressional Districts.
(4) In the election of delegates and alternates, preference shall be given to the election of persons present at the meeting.
(5) Only Republicans registered within Wake County by January 31 prior to the precinct meeting immediately prior to the County Convention may be elected delegates or alternates to Congressional District and State Conventions.
(6) There shall be no proxy voting.
D. The precincts shall caucus at the County Convention by regions, as defined by the “Regional Groupings Attachment” using precincts created by the Wake County Board of Elections.
(1) The Region shall elect one member as the Regional Chair and one member as Regional Vice-Chair, all of whom shall serve on the County Executive Committee.
(2) The caucus shall also elect a Regional Secretary and other non-voting Regional Vice-Chairs as well.
(3) The terms of the Regional Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary shall be for two years, or until their successors are elected.
(4) The Regional Chair, assisted by the Vice-Chair and Secretary, shall coordinate precinct activities within the district and provide liaison between the County Chair and the precinct chair.
(5) Vacancies in Regional Committee positions can occur due to:
(a) Resignation,
(b) Death, and
(c) The removal of any officers or members.
(6) The resulting vacancy shall be filled by the remaining members of the Regional Committee.
(7) The County Chair shall fill any vacancy, subject to approval by the County Executive Committee.
(8) Regional Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretaries may be removed pursuant to Article V, Section 5(C) of this Plan of Organization.
3. Credentials
A. The Chair and Secretary of the County Executive Committee shall certify the election of officers, committee members, delegates and alternates to the District and State Conventions on forms furnished by the State Central Committee.
B. Completed credentials shall be delivered to the Congressional District Secretary and the State Headquarters by the deadline set by the State Chair, which shall be no later than ten days following the date of the County Convention.
C. No delegates or alternates shall be added to the credentials list following the adjournment of the County Convention.
4. State Convention Delegate Fee
A. For each person who is elected at a County Convention to be either a Delegate or Alternate to the State Convention, a fee set by the State Central Committee shall be paid by that Delegate or Alternate and forwarded to the State Party to defray the costs of mailing Convention materials.
1. Membership. The voting members of the County Executive Committee shall consist of:
A. The County Officers
B. The five at-large individuals elected by the County Convention in accordance with Article IV, Section 2
C. The Immediate Past Chair
D. 2nd Congressional District Chair
E. 4th Congressional District Chair
F. Regional Chairs
G. One Regional Vice-Chair from every region
H. Standing Committee Chairs
I. Club Presidents or Chairs of certified clubs and auxiliaries.
2. Republican Clubs:
A. Republican clubs may be officially affiliated by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. Such affiliation shall last until it is revoked by the Executive Committee by majority vote.
B. The Executive Committee may, in its discretion, enact minimum criteria for Republican clubs to be in good standing. Any such criteria shall be made available on the County Party website, and a copy shall be kept with the County Party’s official records.
C. As long as a Republican club is affiliated by the Executive Committee, the Chair or President of the club shall be a voting member of the Executive Committee.
The County Chair shall nominate a Legal Counsel and Chairs of the following Standing Committees, subject to approval by the County Executive Committee:
(1) Finance
(2) Organization
(3) Events
(4) Marketing and Public Relations
(5) Candidate Development and Recruitment
(6) Technology, and
(7) Get Out the Vote
All standing committees shall be open to participation by any Executive Committee member. Members of the Executive Committee shall be given notice of committee formation and a reasonable amount of time, in the discretion of the County Chair, to join the committee.
The County Executive Committee may, in its discretion, limit the number of members on any standing committee. If more members wish to join a committee than are allowed by the Executive Committee, the Executive Committee shall vote on the members of the standing committee. The candidates for the committee shall be admitted to 14 membership on the committee in order of those receiving the most votes cast by the Executive Committee.
C. The Legal Counsel and Standing Committee Chairs shall be voting members of the County Executive Committee and ex officio members of the County Executive Board.
D. The County Chair, in consultation with the Standing Committee Chairs, shall recommend for the County Executive Committee’s approval Standing Committee members.
E. Nothing in this Plan of Organization should be construed as prohibiting any individual from being elected as an officer in more than one of the organizations certified pursuant to Section A above. However, no individual by virtue of his election as an officer in one or more of such organizations shall be entitled to cast more than one vote during meetings of the County Executive Committee.
(1) Any vote cast by such individual during meetings of the County Executive Committee shall be considered cast on behalf of the organization in which such individual was first elected to the position entitling them to a vote on the County Executive Committee.
(2) Voting by proxy for such individual on behalf of any other organization entitling that individual to a vote on the County Executive Committee shall not be allowed. Rather, the Vice- Chair of such organization shall be entitled to exercise the rights and privileges of County Executive Committee membership on behalf of that organization during meetings of the County Executive Committee.
F. All duly elected Precinct Chairs shall be ex officio members of the County Executive Committee.
G. All duly elected public officials at the federal, state, county, and municipal level who are residents of Wake County and registered in the County as Republicans shall be ex officio members of the County Executive Committee.
H. Ex officio membership of any committee or board entitles such member to participate in discussion and debate, including permission to advance any motion allowed by this Plan or Robert’s Rules of Order, in connection with any matter considered by such committee or board. However, ex officio membership does not entitle any such member to vote on any motion or other business considered by such committee or board.
2. Powers and Duties
A. The County Executive Committee shall:
(1) Cooperate with the District and State Committees in all elections and Party activities,
(2) Encourage qualified candidates within the County to run for elective office,
(3) Adopt a budget each year,
(4) Recommend nominees to the State Chairman for appointment to the Wake County Board of Elections, and
(5) Have active management of Party affairs within the County.
B. The County Executive Committee shall conduct such other actions as may be necessary for the conduct of the affairs of the Party, to include:
(1) The formulation of fiscal policy, preparation of a budget (based upon a budget recommended by the County Chair)
(2) Annual review of the Wake County Republican Party Strategic Plan.
(3) Initiating all campaigns and coordinating them as determined feasible and in the best interest of the Republican Party in Wake County.
(4) Keeping accurate accounts of its proceedings.
C. The County Executive Board shall meet at the call of the County Chair.
(1) The County Executive Board shall:
a. Formulate and promote the mission and goals of the Wake County Republican Party in accordance with the Wake County Republican Party Strategic Plan,
b. Exercise oversight of the authorization and expenditure of funds and the execution of contracts for services, and
c. Develop agendas for meetings of the County Executive Committee.
(2) The County Executive Board may approve expenditures of funds and contracts for services within dollar limits established by the County Executive Committee.
(3) The County Executive Board may act by in-person meeting, conference call, or email vote in which all members of the County Executive Board are included in the email and have a reasonable opportunity to comment on any proposal during the time allowed for voting.
(4) A quorum of the County Executive Board, for purposes of an in- person meeting or conference call meeting, shall consist of one third of the County Executive Board membership. However, for an email vote, an affirmative vote requires a two-thirds vote of the whole membership of the board.
(5) A written record of the decisions of the County Executive Board shall be kept with the records of the County Party.
(6) Actions by the County Executive Board shall be subject to approval by the County Executive Committee.
D. The County Chair and the First Vice-Chair shall be ex-officio members of all committees.
E. The First Vice-Chair is to be considered the “Vice Chair” of the County Party, for NCGOP purposes.
3. Meetings
A. The County Executive Committee shall meet twice a year upon call of the County Chair after giving ten days’ notice to all members; or upon the similar call of one-third of the voting membership of the Committee. Other meetings of the County Executive Committee may be called by the County Chair after giving five days’ notice to all members.
B. One-third of the voting membership shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
C. There shall be no proxy voting.
4. Duties of Officers
A. The Chair, with the advice and consent of the County Executive Committee, shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Party within the County.
(1) The Chair shall issue the call for Precinct Meetings, the County Convention and County Executive Committee Meetings, and shall preside at all the meetings of the County Executive Committee.
(2) The Chair shall make the appointments as provided in this Plan of Organization and, in addition to the Standing Committees, may appoint ad hoc committees deemed necessary to conduct the business of the County Executive Committee.
(3) The Chair shall further appoint a temporary chair of the county convention, who may be himself.
(4) The Chair shall make periodic reports on the status of the Party within Wake County to the Congressional District Chairs.
(5) The Chair shall obtain and preserve a list of all registered Republicans within Wake County, and
(6) The Chair shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the County, District or State Committees.
(7) The County Chair shall be an ex officio member of all committees.
(8) In addition to these duties, the Chair shall annually prepare a Strategic Action Timeline based upon the Wake County Republican Party Strategic Plan.
a. The Strategic Action Timeline shall be presented to the County Executive Board for review and approval no later than March of each year.
b. The County Chair shall also prepare a proposed budget by March of each year for presentation to and approval by the County Executive Committee. The proposed budget shall be based upon the goals outlined in the Strategic Action Timeline.
B. The First, Second, and Third Vice-Chairs, in succession, shall function as Chair in the absence of the Chair and shall have such other duties as may be prescribed by the County Executive Committee.
C. The Secretary shall keep all minutes and records and shall maintain a roster of all precinct officers and County Executive Committee members.
(1) Such records shall be available, including all credentials lists upon request, to any registered Republican within the County.
(2) The Secretary shall furnish to the Congressional District Chair and to State Headquarters up-to-date lists of all Precinct Chairs.
D. The Treasurer shall:
(1) Receive and disburse all funds for Party expenditures pursuant to authority duly given by the County Executive Committee,
(2) Make a financial report at all County Executive Committee meetings, and
(3) Fulfill all financial reports and obligations required under State and Federal election laws.
(4) The Assistant Treasurer’s sole responsibility shall be to make the financial report in the absence of the Treasurer, and to assist the Treasurer in their other duties.
E. The Standing Committee Chairs shall:
(1) Adopt an annual Strategic Action Timeline and a proposed budget based upon that Timeline by February of each year.
(2) The Strategic Action Timeline and proposed budget shall be presented to the respective Vice-Chair overseeing that Committee for review.
(3) The Vice-Chairs shall present the annual Strategic Action Timeline and proposed budget to the County Chair for use in preparing the Strategic Action Timeline and proposed budget referenced in Article V, Section 2 of this Plan of Organization.
5. Vacancies and Removals
A. Vacancies in County Executive Committee positions can occur due to:
(1) Resignation,
(2) Discontinuance of residency within the Precinct,
(3) Death, and
(4) The removal of any officers or members.
B. The resulting vacancy shall be filled by an election by the County Executive Committee:
(1) Except that immediately upon the office of Chair becoming vacant, the First Vice-Chair shall automatically succeed to the office of Chair until such an election is held.
(2) In the event a current officer is elected Chair, the County Executive Committee shall elect new officers as needed to fill any vacancies.
C. Removals:
(1) Any officer or member of the County Executive Committee may be removed for cause by a vote of the County Executive Committee.
a. The officer or member to be removed will be presented with written notice of the charges signed by not less than one-third of the committee.
b. The officer or member will be allowed 30 days to appear and present a defense at an Executive Committee meeting.
c. Charges shall be confined to only:
1. Gross inefficiency,
2. Party disloyalty, and/or
3. Intentional failure to comply with the County or State Plans of Organization.
d. The vote of the County Executive Committee to remove the officer or member must be two-thirds or more of those present at the meeting.
e. The officer or member may appeal the decision to the State Central Committee within 20 days, and the decision of the State Central Committee shall be final.
1. Finance Committee
A. The County Finance Committee shall be composed of
(1) The County Finance Committee Chair,
(2) The County Chair,
(3) The County Vice-Chair,
(4) The County Treasurer, and
(5) Not less than three persons approved by the County Executive Committee, as specified in Article V.
B. They shall cooperate with the Congressional District and State Fi- nance Committees and shall have active management of fundraising efforts within the County.
2. Auditing Committee
A. The Auditing Committee, appointed by the County Chair and presented for the advice and consent of the County Executive Committee, shall conduct a yearly audit of the financial records of the County Party and report such audit to the County Executive Committee for approval.
3. Expenditures
Any expenditure of funds, including the signing contracts for services, must be authorized in advance by the County Executive Committee.
(1) Party expenditures or authority to sign contracts may also be authorized by the County Chair or County Treasurer within dollar limits or other parameters or conditions established by the County Executive Committee.
(2) Any dollar limits, parameters, or conditions may be adopted by the County Executive Committee in the form of a standing fiscal policy.
1. Annual Conventions and Presidential Election Year Conventions
A. The County Conventions shall be called to order by the Chair, or in the absence of the Chair, by the First Vice-Chair or the Second Vice-Chair, in order stated, who shall have the power to appoint the necessary Convention Committees and temporary officers at or before the convening of the Convention.
2. Voting Procedure
A. No delegate, alternate or any other member of a Convention shall cast any vote by proxy.
B. No precinct shall cast more votes than it has duly elected delegates on the floor at the County Convention at the time of the vote.
C. No person shall be seated as a delegate or alternate unless such person shall have been duly elected a delegate or alternate by the appropriate precinct meeting; except, the registered Republican or Republicans present at the County Convention from an unorganized precinct which has not had its credentials accepted shall have the right to vote one vote per precinct, pro-rated fractionally among those present from that precinct.
D. Only delegates present on the floor are eligible to vote.
3. Special Conventions
A. The County Executive Committee, in the interests of the Wake County Republican Party, may direct the County Chair to issue calls for special organizational meetings and special County Conventions.
B. The procedure for calling regular meetings and conventions shall apply to the calling of special meetings and conventions so far as applicable and not inconsistent with this Plan of Organization.
4. Newspaper of General Circulation
A. Notice published in a newspaper of general circulation in the County for the purpose of this Plan of Organization shall include either a paid advertisement or a news item, provided it includes the time, date, location, and purpose of the meeting. This in no way relieves the Chair of the responsibility of the notice.
5. Challenges
A. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan of Organization, challenges to the seating of delegates and alternates must be made individually.
B. Successful challenges shall not affect the seating of other delegates and alternates in the same precinct delegation unless it can be demonstrated by a preponderance of the evidence that challenged delegates and alternates would not otherwise have been elected but for the votes of the unqualified delegates or alternates.
6. General Election Procedure
A. Notwithstanding any other article in this Plan of Organization, the allocated delegate slots and then the allocated alternate slots allotted under the Plan of Organization to a precinct or a county shall be filled first by the election of those duly qualified registered Republicans, eligible to vote, present at such meeting or convention, and desiring to be elected to fill such slots.
B. No one shall be eligible for election as a delegate or alternate who is not present at the meeting or convention where such delegates or alternates are elected to the exclusion of another duly qualified, registered Republican who is present and wishes to be elected as a delegate or alternate.
Proposed Rules of the Convention, which may be the previous year’s Rules of the Convention, shall be made available on the County Party website at least ten days prior to the County Convention. Any challenge to the sufficiency or legitimacy of the Rules must be made at the time that the Rules of the Convention are adopted.
1. Republican Primary Campaigns:
A. Wake County Republican Party Executive Committee members, including District and Precinct officers, are encouraged to participate in primary campaigns; however, members shall not allow their titles or positions to be used in support of one primary candidate over another except as provided in Section B, below.
B. While acting in their official capacities, Wake County Republican Party Executive Committee members, including District and Precinct officers, except as provided in Section 2 below, shall provide the same support and aid to all primary candidates such that one Republican candidate does not have an unfair advantage over another by having partial or exclusive use of the party organization.
C. County Executive Board members shall not chair or co-chair a primary campaign.
2. Wake County Republican Party Endorsements
A. A candidate endorsement must not conflict with any censures passed by the State and/or Congressional District Executive Committees.
B. In Republican primary elections, the Wake County Executive Committee is prohibited from making or issuing, in any way, manner or form, any endorsement in any Republican Primary for public office.
C. In Non-Partisan primary and general elections, Congressional District and County Executive Committees shall have the exclusive authority to endorse registered Republicans running in Wake County.
(1) The County Executive Committee shall only consider endorsing candidates in non-partisan races where the area served resides entirely within the County.
(2) All members of the County Executive Committee may vote for non-partisan candidate endorsements regardless of whether or not some Committee members live within the serving area of the race in question.
(3) In non-partisan statewide judicial elections, the NCGOP State Executive Committee has exclusive authority to endorse registered Republicans. The County Executive Committee endorsements of non-partisan, statewide judicial candidates shall agree with the State Executive Committee endorsements.
D. With respect to any endorsement, unless otherwise provided by law, the County Executive Board shall send a written notice by email or United States mail to all committee members of the time, date, location, and purpose of any meeting at which any endorsement will be considered.
(1) Notification will use the last known address of each committee member.
(2) Notice must be sent at least ten days prior to the date of the meeting, unless good cause exists for shortening the time period.
(3) In no case may the meeting be scheduled for a time and date less than five days after the notice to committee members.
(4) Any committee member may request notices by regular mail at any time.
(5) The County Executive Board shall send the notice to all registered Republicans who are candidates seeking the office for which the endorsement will be considered.
1. Parliamentary Authority – The latest edition of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern all proceedings except when inconsistent with the County Plan of Organization, the State Plan of Organization, or properly adopted
Convention Rules.
2. Amendments:
A. Any proposed amendment to this Plan of Organization shall not conflict with or confuse statements, provisions, or requirements found within the most recently adopted State Plan of Organization.
B. Any proposed amendment to this Plan of Organization shall be presented to the County Executive Board for processing at least 30 days prior to the date of the County Convention.
C. The County Executive Board shall review and approve all amendments for presentation to the County Convention AND REPORT TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ALL AMENDMENTS BY THE NEXT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING. Approval or rejection of any amendment shall be based solely upon READABILITY AND SYNTAX, and the absence of conflicts and confusion with the State Plan of Organization and with other parts of the County Plan of Organization.
D. The County Executive Committee shall have the power, for any reason, to override by a majority vote the decision of the County Executive Board with respect to any proposed amendment upon receiving any report of proposed amendments from the Executive Board. The County Executive Committee and shall have the power to propose additional amendments to the County Plan of Organization at least 30 days prior to the date of the County Convention.
E. Any amendment proposing procedural and/or organizational changes to this Plan of Organization shall not be considered an unacceptable conflict. Rather, the County Executive Board shall only disapprove amendments proposing procedural and/or organizational changes to this Plan of Organization where the amendment does not address inconsistencies with other provisions of the County Plan of Organization.
F. Any proposed amendment to this Plan of Organization shall be presented to the delegates at the next County Convention for a majority vote of the properly credentialed delegates present at the time of the vote.
G. When it is determined that the County Plan of Organization is not consistent with the State Plan of Organization or is inconsistent with state or federal law, the County Executive Committee, at its next meeting and within 90 days of the determination, must amend the County Plan of Organization to correct the inconsistency. In such circumstances, the amendment shall be made by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee. The substance of the proposed amendment shall be mailed by first class U.S. Mail to all members. If the proposed amendment is sent to a member by email and the member does not object on the basis of having not received the proposed amendment by U.S. Mail by the time of the meeting, such failure to object shall constitute a waiver of the objection.
H. The County Executive Committee shall have the authority, by a two- thirds vote, to correct any spelling, typographical, or formatting errors in the Plan of Organization.
I. All amendments to the Plan of Organization shall be submitted by certified United States mail, return receipt requested, to the NCGOP State Headquarters Executive Director, Political Director, and District Chairman within 30 days after their adoption.
3. Effective Date of This Plan – This Plan of Organization shall become effective and repeal and supersede all other rules, except as specifically noted, immediately upon ratification.
As adopted by the Wake County Convention of March
17, 2018
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREAMBLE
ARTICLE I. MEMBERSHIP, RIGHTS, AND DUTIES ARTICLE II.
PRECINCT MEETINGS
ARTICLE III. PRECINCT COMMITTEE ARTICLE IV. COUNTY
CONVENTION
ARTICLE V. COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ARTICLE VI.
FINANCES AND AUDITING
ARTICLE VII.
GENERAL CONVENTION PROCEDURE
ARTICLE IX.
APPLICABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS PLAN
PREAMBLE
We, the members of the Republican Party of Wake County, North Carolina:
·
Dedicated to the sound principles fostered by that party,
·
Conscious of our civic responsibilities and rights,
·
Firm in our determination to give our strength to
preserving the American principle that:
o
Government ought and must be of all the people,
o
By all the people, and
o
For all the people,
Do, for the purpose of uniting and coordinating our efforts for maximum power and efficiency, herewith establish this instrument, the Plan of Organization of the Republican Party of Wake County.
MEMBERSHIP, RIGHTS, AND
DUTIES
1. Party Membership – Every
citizen residing in of Wake County, North Carolina, and who is
identified by and registered with the Wake County Board of Elections as
Republican in the precinct of their residence is a member of the Republican
Party of Wake County, North Carolina.
2. Right of Participation –
Every party member may participate in the official affairs of the Republican
Party in accordance with this Plan of Organization.
3. Right to Represent Own
Precinct – Every member who successfully completes the credentialing process
during the Precincts Meetings has the right to
represent their precinct as a delegate or alternate to the County
Convention. Every delegate at the County Convention who successfully completes
the credentialing process during the County Convention has the right to
represent the County as a delegate or alternate at the Congressional District
and State Conventions.
4. Right to Hold Party Office –
Every delegate to the County Convention has the right to run for County Party office.
5. Duties – Every member of the
Wake County Republican Party has a duty to vote. Every delegate and alternate
to the conventions has a duty to vote.
1. Annual Precinct Meetings:
A.
In every year, the County Chair shall call precinct meetings to be held
the time specified in the State Plan of Organization for the North Carolina
Republican Party.
B.
The County Chair shall give at least ten days' written notice of the
time and place of holding the meeting to each Precinct Chair. The County Chair
shall also inform the Precinct Chair as to the number of registered Republicans
entitled to cast votes at the County Convention.
C.
The County Chair shall also give at least ten days’ notice Notice
of such meeting in a newspaper of general circulation within the County.
D.
Failure of the County Chair to call and properly notify members of
their Precinct Meetings shall be cause for any member of the County Executive
Committee to call the precinct meetings by notice with
Noticein a newspaper of general circulation within the County.
E.
Every Republican registered in Wake County prior to January 31
preceding the Meetings shall be entitled to cast one vote, except that the January 31 requirement shall
not apply to residents who have moved into the precinct within 30 days of the
precinct meeting.
F. If a precinct meeting is
moved from the location designated by the County Chair, the Precinct Chair
shall be responsible for complying with the procedure outlined below:
(1)
The Precinct Chair shall designate one member of the precinct to
station himself at the location for the precinct meeting originally designated
by the County Chair one-half hour prior to the designated meeting time.
(2)
He shall direct those attending to the correct location and he shall
remain at the originally designated location until the time for the precinct
meeting to begin.
(3)
Upon the departure of the above-referenced individual, he shall leave
prominently displayed a sign directing all who arrive late to the alternate
location being used for the precinct meeting.
G.
Odd year precinct meetings, with a quorum of at least one person, shall
elect a Precinct Committee consisting of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and as
many members-at-large as receive a majority of votes cast at the meeting.
Members of the Precinct Committee shall have terms lasting two years or
until their successors are elected and shall be eligible for
reelection at the expiration of their terms.
H.
Annual Precinct meetings shall elect one delegate and one alternate to
the County Convention.
(1)
They shall also elect one additional delegate and alternate for each
100 registered Republican voters, or major fraction thereof, in the precinct as
of January 31st of that year.
(2)
Election of delegates and alternates to the County Convention must be
by name, address, and telephone number. Delegates must be qualified to vote in
the meeting at which they are elected; and preference shall be given to the
election of persons present at the meeting.
(3)
There shall be no proxy voting.
I. The Chair and Secretary of
each Precinct shall certify the election of officers, committee members, and
delegates and alternates to the County Convention on forms stipulated by the
State Central Committee and furnished by the County Chair.
(1)
No other form or manner of certification shall be valid.
(2)
Complete credentials shall be in the hands of the County Secretary by
the date specified by the County Chair, which shall be at least two days prior
to the Credentials Committee Meeting for the County Convention; provided, however,
that when the Precinct Meetings and the County Convention are held the same
day, the complete credentials shall be in the hands of the County Secretary at
the time set by the County Chair on that day.
(3)
No Delegate or Alternate shall be added to the Credentials List
following the adjournment of the Precinct Meeting.
(4)
The delegate list shall be made immediately available to any Republican
candidate, at that candidate’s reasonable expense, after the County Chair
receives a confidentiality and use agreement, signed by the candidate, stating
that the list will be used only for Republican activities related to the
candidate’s run for office.
3. Other Precinct Meetings may
be called under Article III, Section 4.
4. If a Precinct fails to
properly organize or the Precinct Chair fails to act, the County Chair shall
appoint a temporary Precinct Chair to serve for a period not to exceed sixty
days, during which time an Executive Committee shall be called
and a new Precinct Chair shall be elected by the County Executive Committee.
All Executive Committee members present at a County Executive Committee meeting
at which a new Precinct Chair will be elected may vote in the election.
PRECINCT COMMITTEE
1.
Committee Members - The Precinct Committee shall consist of:
A. Elected officers for the committee,
B. All Block Captains within
the precinct, and
C. Volunteers as designated by
the Precinct Chair.
2. Duties of Committee - The
Precinct Committee shall:
A. Cooperate with the County
Executive Committee in all elections and Party
activities;
B.
Provide the County Chair with a list of Party members within the
Precinct qualified for appointment as election officials; and
C. Promote the Mission and Core
Values of the Party within the Precinct.
3. Duties of Officers Duties:
A.
The Chair of the Precinct Committee, with the advice and consent of the
Precinct Committee, shall:
(1) Supervise the affairs of the
Party within his precinct,
(2) Conduct all meetings of the
Precinct, and
(3) Perform such other duties as
may be prescribed by the Precinct
and County Executive Committees.
B. The Vice-Chair shall
function as Chair in the absence of the Chair.
C. The Secretary shall:
4. Meetings:
(1) Keep all minutes and
records, and
(2) Maintain a list of registered
Republican voters and workers within the Precinct, unless otherwise provided by
the Precinct and County Executive Committees.
A. The Precinct Committee shall
meet at the call of the Precinct Chair.
B. The Precinct Chair shall
give five days’ written, phone call, or email notice of such meeting.
C. A Precinct Meeting may be
called by one-third of the members of the Precinct Committee or ten members of
the general precinct membership. Five days’ notice in writing, by phone call,
or by email shall be given of the meeting.
D. There shall be no proxy voting.
5. Vacancies and Removals:
A. Vacancies in Precinct
Committee positions can occur due to:
(1) Resignation,
(2) Discontinuance of residency
within the Precinct,
(3) Death, and
(4) The removal of any officers
or members.
B. The resulting vacancy shall
be filled by the remaining members of the
Precinct Committee.
C. If the Precinct Committee
fails to fill a vacancy within a reasonable period, the House District Chair
and/or County Chair may do so, subject to the approval by the County Executive Committee.
D.
Removals:
(1) Any officer or member of the
Precinct Committee may be removed for cause by a vote of the Precinct Committee.
a. The officer or member to be
removed will be presented with written notice of the charges signed by not less than two-thirds of the committee.
b. The officer or member shall
be given written notice at least twenty days prior to the meeting at which the
Precinct Committee votes on whether to remove the officer or member and may
present a defense at the meeting.
c. Charges shall be confined to only:
1. Gross inefficiency,
2. Party disloyalty, and/or
3. Intentional failure to
comply with the County or State
Plans of Organization.
d. The vote of the Committee to
remove the officer or member must be by two-thirds vote of those present at the
meeting, which must have a quorum of at least one third of the total membership
of the Precinct Committee.
e. The officer or member may
appeal the decision to the County Executive Committee within twenty days. The
County Executive Committee must approve the decision by a vote of two thirds of
those present at the meeting. The decision of the County Executive Committee
shall be final.
E.
For the purposes of this Plan of Organization, "Party
Disloyalty," wherever stated, shall be defined as actively supporting a
candidate of another Party or unaffiliated candidate running in opposition to a
nominee of the Republican Party in any partisan election, or in non- partisan
races, any candidate in opposition to a duly endorsed Republican candidate of
the Wake County Republican Party, any District Committee, the State Executive
Committee, or Legislative Caucus.
COUNTY CONVENTION
1. Call of the Convention
A. A County Convention shall be
called every year by the Chair of the County Executive Committee, at the County seat.
(1)
The Convention shall be held at the time specified in the State Plan of Organization for the North
Carolina Republican Party.
(2)
The Chair shall give 15 days’ notice Notice
of such Convention in a newspaper of
general circulation within the County.
B.
At the time of the call of the convention, the County Chair, with the
advice and consent of the Executive Committee, shall appoint a Credentials
Committee, which shall meet and issue its report on delegates and alternates
certified to that convention at least three days in advance of the convening of
the convention. No member of the
Credentials Committee shall be eligible to be elected to an officer or
Executive Committee position at the County Convention for which the Credentials
Committee serves, nor shall a committee member publicly support anyone for an
office to be elected by the County Convention.
(1)
All delegates challenged in the report of the Credentials Committee
shall be notified prior to the day of the convention and allowed to present
their cases to the Credentials Committee prior to the convening of the convention.
(2)
The delegates and alternates elected at the precinct meetings, unless
successfully challenged, shall sit as delegates and alternates at the County Convention.
C.
If the County Chair fails, refuses, or neglects to call a County
Convention as required by this article, it shall become the duty of the First
Vice-Chair to act in this capacity.
(1)
The First Vice Chair shall give five days’ notice thereof to all
Precinct Chairs and County Executive Committee
members.
(2)
The First Vice Chair shall give ten days’ notice Notice
thereof of such Convention in a newspaper of
general circulation within the County.
D.
If the County Chair or First Vice-Chair does not call such a meeting,
it shall be cause for any member of the County Executive Committee, with the
approval of all of the Chairs of the Congressional
Districts contained wholly or partially within Wake County, to call such a
convention.
2. Convention Business:
A.
Plan of Organization - Each year, the County Convention shall adopt a
written Plan of Organization, a current copy of which shall be on file at State Party Headquarters. However, if
the County Convention fails to adopt a Plan of Organization, the previously
adopted Plan of Organization shall remain in
effect.
B.
County Party Officer Elections
(1) In every odd-numbered year,
the County Convention shall elect as County Officers:
a. Chair,
b. First Vice-Chair,
c. Second Vice-Chair,
d. Third Vice-Chair,
e. Secretary,
f. Assistant Secretary,
g. Treasurer, and
h. Assistant Treasurer
(2) County Officers will serve
for a term of two years or until their
successors are elected.
(3) The County Officers and the
Immediate Past Chair shall comprise the County Executive Board of the County
Executive Committee.
(4)
Procedure for electing County Officers.
(a) County Party resources shall
not be used in support of or in opposition to any candidate for a County
Officer position.
The Executive Committee may approve a method on an equal basis for information about candidates to be disseminated to delegates.
(b) The County Convention shall
vote on each position separately.
(c) The Credentials Committee
shall serve as a teller committee to oversee the election. The Credentials
Committee may, in its discretion appoint additional
tellers to assist in vote counting. Candidates for County Officer positions may appoint persons
to observe the vote-counting process.
(d) Voting for County Officer
positions shall be by secret ballot unless the position is unopposed, in which
case a voice vote may be taken.
(e) County Officers shall not,
in their official capacities as officers of the County Party, endorse any
candidate or slate of candidates for
County Officer positions.
(5) The County Chair may appoint
not more than two additional persons from the County
Executive Committee as ex officio members of the County Executive Board.
(1)
In every odd-numbered year, the County Convention
shall elect, in addition to the County Officers, five individuals to serve as
At-Large voting members of the County Executive Committee who shall serve for a
term of two years, or until their successors are elected.
C.
In addition to the County Officers,
the County Convention shall elect ten
individuals, who shall reside in their
respective region, to serve as regional
representatives and at-large voting members
of the County Executive Committee, subject
to the following:
(1) Regions are determined
by the Wake Republican
Executive Committee, using whole precincts
created by the Wake County Board of Elections, and
incorporated herein as “Regions” attachment.
(2) The term of the regional
at-large members shall be for two
years, or until their successors are elected.
D.
The County Convention shall elect delegates and alternates to the
Congressional District and State Conventions.
(1)
The County Convention shall elect one delegate and one alternate plus
one additional delegate and alternate for every 250 Republicans, or major
fraction thereof, registered as of January 31 of that year.
(2)
The County Convention shall further elect one delegate and one
alternate for each Republican elected to the State General Assembly and to
public office on the state or national level from the County in the last
election held for that office.
(3)
The delegate vote shall be prorated among the Congressional Districts
in the County in accordance with the Republican registration as of January 31
of that year in the political subdivisions within Wake County which have been
divided among the different Congressional Districts.
(4)
In the election of delegates and alternates, preference shall be given
to the election of persons present at the meeting.
(5)
Only Republicans registered within Wake County by January 31 prior to
the precinct meeting immediately prior to the County Convention may be elected
delegates or alternates to Congressional District and State Conventions.
(6) There shall be no proxy voting.
A.
The precincts shall caucus at the County Convention
by regions, as defined by the “Regional Groupings Attachment” using precincts
created by the Wake County Board of Elections.
(1)
The Region shall elect one member as the Regional
Chair and one member as Regional Vice-Chair,
all of whom shall serve on the County Executive Committee.
(1)
The caucus shall also elect a Regional Secretary
and other non-voting Regional
Vice-Chairs as well.
(1)
The terms of the Regional Chair, Vice-Chair, and
Secretary shall be for two years, or until their successors are elected.
(1)
The Regional Chair, assisted by the Vice-Chair and
Secretary, shall coordinate precinct activities within the district and provide liaison between the
County Chair and the precinct chair.
(1)
Vacancies in Regional Committee positions can occur
due to:
(a)
Resignation,
(a)
Death, and
(a)
The removal of any officers or members.
(1)
The resulting vacancy shall be filled by the
remaining members of the Regional Committee.
(1)
The County Chair shall fill any vacancy, subject to
approval by the County Executive Committee.
(1)
Regional Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretaries may be
removed pursuant to Article V, Section 5(C) of this Plan of Organization.
3. Credentials
A. The Chair and Secretary of
the County Executive Committee shall certify the election of officers,
committee members, delegates and alternates to the District and State
Conventions on forms furnished by
the State Central Committee.
B. Completed credentials shall
be delivered to the Congressional District Secretary and the State Headquarters
by the deadline set by the State
Chair, which shall be no later than ten days following the date of the County
Convention.
C. No delegates or alternates
shall be added to the credentials list following the adjournment of the County Convention.
4. State Convention Delegate Fee
A. For each person who is
elected at a County Convention to be either a Delegate or Alternate to the
State Convention, a fee set by the State Central Committee shall be paid by
that Delegate or Alternate and forwarded to the State Party to defray the costs
of mailing Convention materials.
COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. Membership. The voting
members of the County Executive Committee shall consist of:
A.
The County Officers
B.
The five ten regional at-large
individuals elected by the County Convention in accordance with Article IV,
Section 2
A.
The Immediate Past
Chair
A.
2nd Congressional District Chair
A.
4th Congressional District Chair
A.
Regional Chairs
A.
One Regional Vice-Chair from every region
C.
Standing Committee Chairs
D.
One Representative Club
Presidents or Chairs of certified affiliated
clubs and federated auxiliaries
elected by the County Executive Committee.
2. The County Chair shall
nominate a Legal Counsel and Chairs of the following Standing Committees,
subject to
approval (election) by the County
Executive Committee:
(1) Finance
(2) Organization
(3)
Events
(4) Marketing and Public Relations
(5) Candidate Development
and Recruitment
(6) Get Out the Vote
3. Republican Clubs:
A.
Republican clubs may be officially affiliated by a majority vote of the
Executive Committee. Such affiliation must be renewed
annually and may be revoked at any time by the
Executive Committee.shall last
until it is revoked by the Executive Committee by majority vote.
B. The Executive Committee may,
in its discretion, enact minimum criteria for Republican clubs to be in good
standing. Any such criteria shall be made available on the County Party
website, and a copy shall be kept with the County Party’s official records.
C.
As long as a Republican club or federated auxiliary
is affiliated by the Executive Committee, the Chair or Presidenta representative
of the club or auxiliary shall
may be
elected
a voting member of the Executive Committee by the Executive
Committee..
The County Chair shall
nominate a Legal Counsel and Chairs of the following Standing Committees,
subject to approval by the County Executive Committee:
(1)
Finance
(1)
Organization
(1)
Events
(1)
Marketing and Public Relations
(1)
Candidate Development and Recruitment
(1)
Technology, and
(1)
Get Out the Vote
All standing
committees shall be open to participation by any Executive Committee member.
Members of the Executive Committee shall be given notice of committee formation
and a reasonable amount of time, in the discretion of the County Chair, to join
the committee.
The County Executive
Committee may, in its discretion, limit the number of members on any standing
committee. If more members wish to join a committee than are allowed by the
Executive Committee, the Executive Committee shall vote on the members of the standing
committee. The candidates for the committee shall be admitted to
membership on the
committee in order of those receiving the most votes cast by the Executive
Committee.
C. The Legal Counsel and
Standing Committee Chairs shall be voting members of the County Executive
Committee and ex officio members of the County Executive Board.
C. The County Chair, in
consultation with the Standing Committee Chairs, shall recommend for the County
Executive Committee's approval Standing Committee members.
C.
Nothing in this Plan of Organization should be
construed as prohibiting any individual from being elected as an officer in
more than one of the organizations certified pursuant to Section A above.
However, no individual by virtue of his election as an officer in one or more
of such organizations shall be entitled to cast more than one vote during
meetings of the County Executive Committee.
(1)
Any vote cast by such individual during meetings of
the County Executive Committee shall be considered cast on behalf of the
organization in which such individual was first elected to the position
entitling them to a vote on the County Executive Committee.
(1)
Voting by proxy for such individual on behalf of
any other organization entitling that individual to a vote on the County
Executive Committee shall not be allowed. Rather, the Vice- Chair of such
organization shall be entitled to exercise the rights and privileges of County
Executive Committee membership on behalf of that organization during meetings
of the County Executive Committee.
C.
All duly elected Precinct Chairs shall be ex
officio members of the County Executive Committee.
C. All duly elected
public officials at the federal, state, county, and municipal level who are
residents of Wake County and registered in the County as Republicans shall be
ex officio members of the County Executive Committee.
C. Ex officio membership
of any committee or board entitles such member to participate in discussion and
debate, including permission to advance any motion allowed by this Plan or
Robert's Rules of Order, in connection with any matter considered by such committee
or board.
However, ex officio
membership does not entitle any such member to vote on any motion or other
business considered by such committee or board.
4. Powers
and Duties
A. The County Executive
Committee shall:
(1) Cooperate with the District
and State Committees in all elections and Party activities,
(2) Encourage qualified
candidates within the County to run for
elective office,
(3)
Adopt a budget each year,
(4) Recommend nominees to the
State Chairman for appointment to the Wake County Board of Elections, and
(5)
Have active management of Party affairs within the County.
B.
The County Executive Committee shall conduct such other actions as may
be necessary for the conduct of the affairs of the Party, to include:
(1) The formulation of fiscal
policy, preparation of a budget (based upon a budget recommended by the County Chair)
(2) Annual review of the Wake
County Republican Party Strategic Plan.
(3) Initiating all campaigns and
coordinating them as determined feasible and in the best interest of the
Republican Party in Wake County.
(4) Keeping accurate accounts of
its proceedings.
C. The County Executive Board
shall meet at the call of the County Chair.
(1)
The County Executive Board shall:
a. Formulate and promote the
mission and goals of the Wake County Republican Party in accordance with the
Wake County Republican Party Strategic Plan,
b. Exercise oversight of the
authorization and expenditure of funds and the execution of contracts for
services, and
c. Develop agendas for meetings
of the County Executive Committee.
(2)
The County Executive Board may approve expenditures of funds and
contracts for services within dollar limits
established by the County Executive Committee.
(3)
The County Executive Board may act by in-person meeting, conference
call, or email vote in which all members of the County Executive Board are
included in the email and have a reasonable opportunity to comment on any
proposal during the time allowed for voting.
(4)
A quorum of the County Executive Board, for purposes of an in- person meeting or conference call
meeting, shall consist of one third of the County Executive Board membership.
However, for an email vote, an affirmative vote requires a two-thirds vote of
the whole membership of the board.
(5)
A written record of the decisions of the County Executive Board shall
be kept with the records of the County Party.
(6)
Actions by the County Executive Board shall be subject to approval by the County Executive Committee.
D.
The County Chair and the First Vice-Chair shall be ex-officio members
of all committees.
E.
The First Vice-Chair is to be considered the “Vice Chair” of the County
Party, for NCGOP purposes.
3. 5. Meetings
A. The County Executive
Committee shall meet twice a year upon call of the County Chair after giving
ten days’ notice to all members; or upon the similar
call of one-third of the voting membership of the Committee. Other meetings of
the County Executive Committee may be called by the County Chair after giving
five days’ notice to all members.
B. One-third of the voting
membership shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
C. There shall be no proxy voting.
4. 6. Duties
of Officers
A. The Chair, with the advice
and consent of the County Executive Committee, shall have general supervision
of the affairs of the Party within the County.
(1)
The Chair shall issue the call for Precinct Meetings, the County
Convention and County Executive Committee Meetings, and shall preside at all
the meetings of the County Executive Committee.
(2)
The Chair shall make the appointments as provided in this Plan of
Organization and, in addition to the Standing Committees, may appoint ad hoc
committees deemed necessary to conduct the business of the County Executive Committee.
(3)
The Chair shall further appoint a temporary chair of the county convention, who may be himself.
(4)
The Chair shall make periodic reports on the status of the Party within Wake County to the
Congressional District Chairs.
(5)
The
Chair shall obtain and preserve a list of all registered Republicans within
Wake County, and
(6)
The Chair shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the
County, District or State Committees.
(7)
The County Chair shall be an ex officio member of all committees.
(8)
In addition to these duties, the Chair shall annually prepare a
Strategic Action Timeline based upon the Wake County Republican Party Strategic Plan.
a. The Strategic Action
Timeline shall be presented to the County Executive Board for review and
approval no later than March of each year.
b. The County Chair shall also
prepare a proposed budget by March of each year for presentation to and
approval by the County Executive Committee. The proposed budget shall be based
upon the goals outlined in the Strategic Action Timeline.
B.
The First, Second, and Third Vice-Chairs, in succession, shall function
as Chair in the absence of the Chair and shall have such other duties as may be
prescribed by the County Executive Committee.
C.
The Secretary shall keep all minutes and records and shall maintain a roster of all precinct officers and
County Executive Committee members.
(1) Such records shall be
available, including all credentials lists upon request, to any registered
Republican within the County.
(2) The Secretary shall furnish
to the Congressional District Chair
and to State Headquarters up-to-date lists of all Precinct Chairs.
D. The Treasurer shall:
(1) Receive and disburse all
funds for Party expenditures pursuant to authority duly given by the County
Executive Committee,
(2) Make a financial report at
all County Executive Committee meetings, and
(3) Fulfill all financial
reports and obligations required under State and Federal election laws.
(4) The Assistant Treasurer's
sole responsibility shall be to make the financial report in the absence of the
Treasurer, and to assist the Treasurer in their other duties.
E. The Standing Committee
Chairs shall:
(1) Adopt an annual Strategic
Action Timeline and a proposed budget based upon that Timeline by February of
each year.
(2) The Strategic Action
Timeline and proposed budget shall be presented to the respective Vice-Chair
overseeing that Committee for review.
(3) The Vice-Chairs shall
present the annual Strategic Action Timeline and proposed budget to the County
Chair for use in preparing the Strategic Action Timeline and proposed budget
referenced in Article V, Section 2 of this Plan of Organization.
5. 7. Vacancies
and Removals
A. Vacancies in County
Executive Committee positions can occur due to:
(1) Resignation,
(2) Discontinuance of residency
within the Precinct,
(3) Death, and
(4) The removal of any officers
or members.
B. The resulting vacancy shall
be filled by an election by the County Executive Committee:
(1) Except that immediately upon
the office of Chair becoming vacant, the First Vice-Chair shall automatically
succeed to the office of Chair
until such an election is held.
(2) In the event a current
officer is elected Chair, the County Executive Committee shall elect new
officers as needed to fill any vacancies.
C. Removals:
(1) Any officer or member of the
County Executive Committee may be removed for cause by a vote of the County
Executive Committee.
a. The officer or member to be
removed will be presented with written notice of the charges signed by not less
than one-third of the committee.
b. The officer or member will
be allowed 30 days to appear and present a defense at an Executive Committee
meeting.
c. Charges shall be confined to only:
1. Gross inefficiency,
2. Party disloyalty, and/or
3. Intentional failure to
comply with the County or State
Plans of Organization.
d. The vote of the County
Executive Committee to remove the officer or member must be two-thirds or more
of those present at the meeting.
e. The officer or member may
appeal the decision to the State Central Committee within 20 days, and the
decision of the State Central Committee shall be final.
1.
Finance Committee
A. The County Finance Committee
shall be composed of
(1)
The County Finance Committee Chair,
(2)
The County Chair,
(3) The County Vice-Chair,
(4) The County Treasurer, and
(5) Not less than three persons approved by the County Executive Committee, as
specified in Article V.
B.
They shall cooperate with the Congressional District and State Fi-
nance Committees and shall have active management of fundraising efforts within
the County.
2. Auditing Committee
A.
The Auditing Committee, appointed by the County Chair and presented for
the advice and consent of the County Executive Committee, shall conduct a
yearly audit of the financial records of the
County Party and report such audit to the County Executive Committee for approval.
3. Expenditures
Any expenditure of funds, including the signing contracts for services, must be authorized in advance by the County Executive Committee.
(1) Party expenditures or
authority to sign contracts may also be
authorized by the County Chair or County Treasurer within dollar limits or
other parameters or conditions established by the County Executive Committee.
(2) Any dollar limits,
parameters, or conditions may be adopted by the County Executive Committee in
the form of a standing fiscal policy.
GENERAL CONVENTION PROCEDURE
1. Annual Conventions and
Presidential Election Year Conventions
A. The County Conventions shall
be called to order by the Chair, or in the absence of the Chair, by the First Vice-Chair
or the Second Vice-Chair, in order
stated, who shall have the power to appoint the necessary Convention Committees
and temporary officers at or before the convening of the Convention.
2. Voting Procedure
A. No delegate, alternate or
any other member of a Convention shall cast any vote by proxy.
B. No precinct shall cast more
votes than it has duly elected delegates on the floor at the County Convention
at the time of the vote.
C. No person shall be seated as
a delegate or alternate unless such person shall have been duly elected a
delegate or alternate by the appropriate precinct meeting; except, the
registered Republican or Republicans present at the County Convention from an
unorganized precinct which has not had its credentials accepted shall have the right to vote one vote per precinct,
pro-rated fractionally among those present from that precinct.
D.
Only delegates present on the floor are eligible to vote.
3. Special Conventions
A. The County Executive
Committee, in the interests of the Wake County Republican Party, may direct the
County Chair to issue calls for special organizational meetings and special
County Conventions.
B.
The procedure for calling regular meetings and conventions shall apply to the calling of special meetings
and conventions so far as applicable and not inconsistent with this Plan of Organization.
1.
Newspaper of General Circulation
A. Notice published in a
newspaper of general circulation in the County for the purpose of this Plan of Organization
shall include either a paid advertisement or a news item, provided it includes
the time, date, location, and purpose of the meeting. This in no way relieves
the Chair of the responsibility of the notice.
4. Challenges
A. Notwithstanding any other
provision of the Plan of Organization, challenges to the seating of delegates
and alternates must be made
individually.
B. Successful challenges shall
not affect the seating of other delegates and alternates in the same precinct
delegation unless it can be demonstrated by a preponderance of the evidence
that challenged delegates and alternates would not otherwise have been elected but for the votes of the unqualified
delegates or alternates.
5.
General Election Procedure
A. Notwithstanding any other
article in this Plan of Organization, the allocated delegate slots and then the
allocated alternate slots allotted under the Plan of Organization to a precinct or a county shall be filled first by the election
of those duly qualified registered Republicans, eligible to vote, present at
such meeting or convention, and desiring to
be elected to fill such slots.
B. No one shall be eligible for
election as a delegate or alternate who is not present at the meeting or
convention where such delegates or alternates are elected to the exclusion of
another duly qualified,
registered Republican who is present and wishes to be elected as a delegate or alternate.
Proposed Rules of the Convention, which may be the previous year’s Rules of the Convention, shall be made available on the County Party website at least ten days prior to the County Convention. Any challenge to the sufficiency or legitimacy of the Rules must be made at the time that the Rules of the Convention are adopted.
GENERAL
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
1. Republican Primary Campaigns:
A.
Wake County Republican Party Executive Committee members, including
District and Precinct officers, are encouraged to participate in primary
campaigns; however, members shall not allow their titles or positions to be
used in support of one primary candidate over another except as provided in
Section B, below.
B.
While acting in their official capacities, Wake County Republican Party
Executive Committee members, including District and Precinct officers, except
as provided in Section 2 below, shall provide the same support and aid to all
primary candidates such that one Republican candidate does not have an unfair
advantage over another by having partial or exclusive use of the party organization.
C.
County Executive Board members shall not chair or co-chair a primary campaign.
2. Wake County Republican Party Endorsements
A.
A candidate endorsement must not conflict with any censures passed by the State and/or Congressional
District Executive Committees.
B.
In Republican primary elections, the Wake County Executive Committee
can vote to endorse all, some or none of the Republican candidates running for office.
C.
In Non-Partisan primary and general elections, Congressional District
and County Executive Committees shall have the exclusive authority to endorse registered Republicans
running in Wake County.
(1) The County Executive
Committee shall only consider endorsing candidates in non-partisan races where
the area served resides entirely within the
County.
(2) All members of the County
Executive Committee may vote for non-partisan candidate endorsements regardless
of whether or not some Committee members live within
the serving area of the race in question.
(3) In non-partisan statewide
judicial elections, the NCGOP State Executive Committee has exclusive authority
to endorse registered Republicans. The County Executive Committee endorsements
of non-partisan, statewide judicial candidates shall agree with the State
Executive Committee endorsements.
D.
With respect to any endorsement, unless otherwise provided by law, the
County Executive Board shall send a written notice by email or United States
mail to all committee members of the time, date, location, and purpose of any
meeting at which any endorsement will be considered.
(1) Notification will use the
last known address of each committee member.
(2) Notice must be sent at least
ten days prior to the date of the
meeting, unless good cause exists for shortening the time
period.
(3) In no case may the meeting
be scheduled for a time and date less than five days after the notice to
committee members.
(4) Any committee member may
request notices by regular mail at any time.
(5) The County Executive Board
shall send the notice to all registered Republicans who are candidates seeking
the office for which the endorsement will be
considered.
3. Notice
“Notice” as used in this Plan shall be defined as the procedure for informing
interested persons by means that ensure full and timely notice of the event
requiring notice. The primary means for Notice shall be the County Party’s
website. Other media, such as radio, television, email, or US mail, may be used
to supplement the notice provided by the primary means.
APPLICABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS PLAN
1. Parliamentary Authority –
The latest edition of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern all
proceedings except when inconsistent with the County Plan of Organization, the
State Plan of Organization, or properly adopted
Convention Rules.
2. Amendments:
A.
Any proposed amendment to this Plan of Organization shall not conflict
with or confuse statements, provisions, or requirements found within the most
recently adopted State Plan of Organization.
B.
Any proposed amendment to this Plan of Organization shall be presented
to the County Executive Board for processing at least 30 days prior to the date of the County Convention.
C.
The County Executive Board shall review and approve all amendments for
presentation to the County Convention AND REPORT TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ALL
AMENDMENTS BY THE NEXT EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE MEETING. Approval or rejection of any amendment shall be based solely
upon READABILITY AND SYNTAX, and the absence of conflicts and confusion with
the State Plan of Organization and with other parts of the County Plan of Organization.
D.
The County Executive Committee shall have the power, for any reason, to
override by a majority vote the decision of the County Executive Board with
respect to any proposed amendment upon receiving any report of proposed
amendments from the Executive Board. The County Executive Committee
and shall have the power to propose additional amendments to the County
Plan of Organization at least 30 days prior to the date of the County Convention.
E.
Any amendment proposing procedural and/or organizational changes to
this Plan of Organization shall not be considered an unacceptable conflict.
Rather, the County Executive Board shall only disapprove amendments proposing
procedural and/or organizational changes to this Plan of Organization where the
amendment does not address inconsistencies with other provisions of the County
Plan of Organization.
F.
Any proposed amendment to this Plan of Organization shall be presented
to the delegates at the next County Convention for a majority vote of the
properly credentialed delegates present at the time of the vote.
G.
When it is determined that the County Plan of Organization is not
consistent with the State Plan of Organization or is inconsistent with state or
federal law, the County Executive Committee, at its next
meeting and within 90 days of the determination, must amend the County Plan of Organization to correct the inconsistency. In such circumstances, the amendment shall be made by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee. The substance of the proposed amendment shall be mailed by first class U.S. Mail to all members. If the proposed amendment is sent to a member by email and the member does not object on the basis of having not received the proposed amendment by U.S. Mail by the time of the meeting, such failure to object shall constitute a waiver of the objection.
H.
The County Executive Committee shall have the authority, by a two-
thirds vote, to correct any spelling, typographical, or formatting errors in the Plan of Organization.
I.
All amendments to the Plan of Organization shall be submitted by
certified United States mail, return receipt requested, to the NCGOP State
Headquarters Executive Director, Political Director, and District Chairman within 30 days after their adoption.
3. Effective Date of This Plan
- This Plan of Organization shall become effective and repeal and supersede all
other rules, except as specifically noted, immediately upon ratification.