BYLAWS
of the
IRON COUNTY UTAH REPUBLICAN PARTY
With revisions adopted 18 August 2022
1.0 COMMITTEES
- Interim committees as authorized by Article VI of the Constitution may be appointed by the Executive Committee. Their purpose and scope shall be advisory and/or administrative and they shall have no authority to levy binding rules or make changes to existing party rules.
- Each committee shall consist of an odd number of voting members including a Chair who presides over committee meetings. They serve at the discretion of the Executive Committee and may be dismissed, replaced or added to at any time by notification.
- The scope, purpose, term and reporting requirements of each committee shall be provided in writing to each member of each committee at the time of appointment.
- Approval of matters to be considered by committees established herein shall require a majority vote of those present and authorized to vote unless otherwise specified herein.
2.0 COUNTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE
- The County Central Committee and its officers shall be the governing and rule-making body of the Iron County Republican Party. All powers not specifically reserved by law or otherwise delegated by the Constitution and Bylaws are vested in the Central Committee. The Central Committee may delegate additional, specific powers to the Executive Committee, or to individuals.
- The officers of the County Central Committee shall be the officers of the county Executive Committee.
- The powers of the Central Committee include, but are not limited to, the following:
- To specify the number of delegates to the Iron County Party Conventions.
- To cause voting precinct caucuses and County Party conventions to be held.
- To discipline any party officer or delegate for cause by censure or removal from office by a 2/3 vote of members attending a properly called meeting.
- To ratify the appointments of qualified members to complete the unexpired terms of County Party officers when vacancies occur.
- To certify to the County Clerk, the names of qualified replacement candidates when any candidacy or elected public office becomes vacant prior to elections under conditions as specified by law.
- To consider and approve or reject constitutional amendments for presentation to a County Party convention.
- To consider and approve or reject resolutions and bylaws or modifications thereto.
- Resolve inconsistencies or contradictions in procedures established by law where not resolved by the Constitution and Bylaws.
- A Central Committee meeting can be called, with at least two weeks’ notice, by the County Chair, a majority of the Executive Committee, or at the request of 25% of the Central Committee members. Voting by proxy in a Central Committee meeting is expressly prohibited.
3.0 COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
- The executive powers of the Central Committee shall be vested in the elected Executive Committee. It shall have the authority and responsibility to manage the day-to-day operations of the County Party.
- The Executive Committee shall consist of the County Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.
- It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to cooperate with the State and County Central Committees to carry out the goals and objectives of the Republican Party by:
- Recruiting qualified candidates for elective office.
- Advising and assisting in planning, scheduling, organizing and directing party activities, meetings and conventions.
- Reviewing and recommending resolutions and motions for presentation to the Central Committee, to include but not limited to constitutional amendments and bylaw modifications.
- Appointing committee members and chairs and approving interim appointments for officers and delegates as provided herein.
- Investigating credentials challenges and charges of malfeasance or misconduct by any party officer, providing a process for grievances to be heard and resolved, and making a report of findings and recommendations to the Central Committee, who shall have the final say in resolving such problems.
- Making available to the public the names of and other data pertaining to Party officers, delegates and candidates as required by law and the State Party Constitution.
4.0 PARTY OPERATIONS
- The County Party shall keep a file consisting of lists, forms, procedures, agendas and meeting minutes which will be passed on to succeeding County Party officers to ensure continuity of operations from one administration to another.
- Expenditure of County Party funds must be for legitimate party purposes, be approved by majority vote of the Executive Committee, and be consistent with election law and State Party Guidelines. Tax check-off funds received from the State will be kept in a separate account or will be accounted for separately in the financial records of the County Party. Incoming and outgoing officers shall make an examination of financial records, to include bank statements, contribution and expenditure records, financial statements and copies of required reports whenever there is a change of Chair or Treasurer. Examination by an independent third party must be accomplished if requested by either the incoming or outgoing officer.
- Neither The County Party nor its Executive Officers shall publicly support, endorse, or assist one Republican candidate, who received less than 2/3 vote at the most recent convention, over another candidate, prior to a primary election in any national, state or local race.
- The total number of delegates designated for county conventions shall be one for every 60 Republican votes in the most recent general election for Governor. This shall be calculated by dividing by 60, the total average votes per office cast in Iron County for opposed Republican candidates for Governor/ Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Auditor and State Treasurer.
5.0 AGENDA
- Agenda for Central Committee meetings and County Conventions shall be sent with the official notification of those meetings and shall include written copies of all proposed binding business to be considered.
- Resolutions, proposed constitutional amendments, new bylaws or modification to existing bylaws must be received by the Executive Committee at least two weeks prior to the notification deadline for the meeting in which they are proposed to be considered.
- Other Agenda Items. Other agenda items may be submitted for consideration by any member of the Central Committee one week prior to notification deadlines.
- The order of business for County Party meeting agenda shall be as follows: 1. Call to order and welcome 2. Prayer 3. Pledge of Allegiance 4. Minutes and financial report 5. Credentials report 6. Binding business 7. Delegation, committee and auxiliary reports 8. Resolution consideration Adjournment
6.0 NOTIFICATION
Notification of meeting dates, times, agenda and locations must be accomplished in accordance with the following requirements:
- Central Committee Meetings. Postmarked, emailed, and posted on the Iron County GOP website two weeks before the date of meeting.
- Conventions. Postmarked, emailed, and posted on the Iron County GOP website two weeks before the date of meeting.
7.0 ORGANIZING CONVENTION AND OFFICER DUTIES
- Nominations. Qualified persons who would like to run for office on the Executive Committee or the State Central Committee may place their name in nomination by writing a letter of intent to the Executive Committee at least 14 days prior to the organizing convention.
- County Officers consist of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer who are also the officers of the Executive Committee and the Central Committee.
- Qualifications and term. All officers must be at least 18 years of age, be registered Republicans and have resided in Iron County for at least one year. The term of all elected County Party officers shall be two years.
- Duties. County Party officers shall endeavor to promote Republican candidates and Republican principles by directing precinct officers in their duties and by accomplishing the following:
- The County Chair shall
- be the chief executive officer of the County Party.
- preside at Executive and Central Committee meetings and county conventions and be an ex officio member of all other committees involved in the contemplation and transaction of party business.
- assure sound financial management of party funds.
- be the official voice of the Iron County Republican Party.
- provide liaison with the Utah State Republican Party and elected County Officials.
- be a voting member of the State Central Committee.
- The County Vice-Chair shall
- assist the Chair in his or her duties and perform the Chair’s duties in the Chair’s absence.
- be a voting member of the State Central Committee.
- The County Secretary shall
- serve as the secretary to the Executive and Central Committees and county conventions.
- provide agendas in sufficient quantities, and mail them with accompanying materials to committee members and/or delegates in accordance with current requirements.
- keep minutes of Executive and Central Committee meetings and County Conventions, and submit the minutes of public meetings to the website for public record within 21 days.
- be custodian of the files and records of the County Party, Executive Committee and Central Committee including the Constitution, Bylaws, delegate lists, mailing lists, committee rosters, committee reports and records of official acts not covered by minutes.
- perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Chair.
- The County Treasurer shall
- maintain the County Party checking and other financial accounts, including a ledger of contributions and contributors to the party.
- Provide a financial report to the Executive Committee as requested and to each regularly scheduled Central Committee meeting and Convention.
- when required by the Central Committee, Executive Committee or these bylaws, submit all books, records and receipts for examination or audit.
- submit all reports required by State and Federal Election laws in a timely manner.
- Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Chair.
- The County Chair shall
- Officer replacement. When the county chairmanship becomes vacant, the Vice-Chair will succeed to the chairmanship without further approval. If the Vice-Chair declines, or in the case of other Executive Committee vacancies, the remainder of the Executive Committee will nominate a qualified party member to serve in an acting capacity. Those filling the vacancies
on an acting basis shall be ratified by majority vote of the Central Committee, within 30 days of their nomination. Should two or more vacancies occur at the same time precluding a quorum of the Executive Committee, the Central Committee shall appoint qualified party members to act in those positions within 30 days of knowledge of the vacancy. Ratified acting officers will retain all the authority and responsibilities of an elected officer but will serve only the unexpired term of their predecessors.
- At-large Members of the State Central Committee.
- Qualifications and Term are the same as for County Party officers above.
- Duties. Shall attend all meetings of the State Central Committee representing the interests of the Iron County Party and its members.
- Replacement. Vacancies in the At-large Central Committee Member Positions may be filled by the County Executive Committee without further approval. Replacements will serve only the unexpired term of their predecessors.
- Voting methods. Should three or more persons be nominated for the same office, the convention may use either multiple ballots or preference voting. Candidates for County Party office at an organizing convention who receive over 50% of the total vote count are declared elected. Voting by proxy is expressly prohibited.
8.0 NOMINATING CONVENTION
- Nominations. Delegates to the Iron County Nominating Convention held on even-numbered years shall ratify all candidates for county or legislative office who are unopposed and send them directly to the general election representing the Republican Party. They shall also elect Republican candidates for county and legislative office. The convention shall place in nomination all declared and qualified candidates for county and legislative office. Balloting shall be on secret ballots.
- Voting Methods. In the event three or more candidates are nominated for the same office, the convention may use multiple ballots or preference voting to chose party nominees for elected public office. Voting by proxy is expressly prohibited.
- Multiple Ballots. The first ballot shall select the top three candidates. A second ballot shall eliminate one candidate and the third ballot shall be between the two finalists. If any candidate gets 60% or more at any step of the process, they will go to the general November election as the party candidate, and bypass the primary. If neither finalist receives at least 60% of the vote, they will both go to a primary election.
- Preference Voting. Delegates may indicate a 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc. preference for any and/or all qualified candidates. Ballots that do not have a 1st preference marked shall be invalid. Votes for no candidate or for a person who is not a qualified candidate shall invalidate that preference position only. Ballots containing only preferences for candidates who have been eliminated will not count for purposes of further vote tabulation. On the first ballot, the candidate receiving the fewest 1st preference votes shall be eliminated. Ballots cast for the eliminated candidate shall be reviewed for their next highest preference which shall be added to the vote tally for remaining candidates at which point the total votes will be reviewed and the candidate with the fewest votes will again be eliminated. This process will continue until candidates receive sufficient votes to be nominated (60%) or qualify for the primary election.
- The Convention Chair shall announce election results to the Convention and cause them to be
certified to the County Clerk. - Candidate Replacement. See Article VIII.B.7 of the Constitution.
9.0 CAUCUS MEETINGS, DELEGATES & OFFICER DUTIES
- Caucus Participation and Procedure. Individual precinct caucuses shall be open to the public. In order to participate in the caucus a person must be 1) a Utah citizen who resides in the precinct, 2) at least 18 years old at the next general election, and must not be 3) an officer, delegate, candidate or registered voter of a rival political party. Each caucus meeting should begin with a prayer, the pledge of allegiance and a reading/discussion of the State Party Platform.
- Qualifications. To be nominated as a precinct officer or a state or county delegate, a person must be a Utah citizen who resides in the precinct, be at least 18 years of age at the next general election and be a registered Republican. Unaffiliated voters may run for these offices if they submit a revised registration form (indicating a Republican preference) to a precinct officer before nominating begins. Registration forms will be made available at the caucus meetings. Precinct officers must submit completed registration forms to the Executive Committee with other caucus materials and a County Party officer must submit them to the County Clerk within three days following the caucuses.
-  Disqualifications. Persons who have been elected state or county delegates and are subsequently found to be unqualified shall be removed from those positions and properly replaced by the Precinct Chair (Ref. 9.0.F.2) no later than fourteen days before the respective convention.
Persons who have been elected precinct officers and are subsequently found to be unqualified shall be removed from those positions and properly replaced in accordance with 9.0.F.1 herein.
Notification by certified mail must be given to the delegate and the State Party office no later than ten days before the respective conventions. Decisions regarding state delegates may be appealed to the State Executive Committee no later than 5 days before the state convention. - Methods of Voting. State and county delegates shall be elected by a majority or plurality vote of those attending voting precinct caucuses. Where more than one delegate position is to be filled and/or more than one candidate is nominated per available position, any method of voting mentioned in the Constitution, Bylaws or Robert’s Rules of Order may be used but only if a majority of those attending the caucus approve of the choice. Applicable rules for the method chosen must be understood, monitored and enforced by precinct officers to ensure an equitable
result. Voting by proxy is expressly prohibited. - Precinct Officer Duties.
- Precinct Chair. The Precinct Chair shall.
- Arrange for, organize and preside at the precinct’s party caucus ensuring that it is conducted in accordance with these bylaws, the county constitution and instructions from the County and State Party.
- Preside over the voting precinct, following the caucus at which elected, and until the end of succeeding caucus meeting(s) at which a successor is elected.
- Direct voter identification, education, registration and motivation programs in the precinct to help get Republican voters to the polls on election days.
- Direct fund raising in the precinct and, together with the Secretary/Treasurer, ensure that all funds collected are turned in to the Executive Committee in a timely manner.
- Encourage party members to volunteer for appointment as an Election Judge from his or her voting precinct.
- Help Republican candidates win in the general election.
- Train, inspire and coordinate the efforts of party members to further the principles, policies and objectives of the party within the voting precinct.
- Be a voting member of the County Central Committee.
- When vacancies occur, appoint replacements for voting precinct officers and delegates in accordance with current rules, (bylaws 9.0.B and F and constitution Article VIII.A.7&8).
- Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Party Chair or Central Committee.
- Precinct Vice-Chair. The Precinct Vice-Chair shall.
- Assist the Precinct Chair in the duties of his or her office.
- Exercise the powers of the Chair during the absence of the Chair.
- Be a voting member of the County Central Committee.
- Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Chair.
- Precinct Secretary/Treasurer. Precinct Secretary/Treasurer shall.
- Ensure proper completion of caucus attendance forms.
- Certify the qualifications of those participating and those nominated for officer or delegate positions when current voter registration lists are available.
- Be the custodian of all voting district files and records.
- Receive and account for all monies collected in the precinct, jointly with the Chair.
- Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Chair.
- Precinct Chair. The Precinct Chair shall.
- Officer and Delegate Vacancies and Replacement.
- Precinct Officers. When the Precinct Chair becomes vacant, the Vice-Chair will succeed to the Chair’s position without further approval. If the Vice-Chair declines, the County Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement from among qualified and willing party members in the same precinct. Should the Precinct Vice-Chair or Secretary/Treasurer become vacant, the Precinct Chair shall appoint replacements from among qualified and willing party members in the same precinct.
- Delegates. When state or county delegate positions become vacant, the Precinct Chair shall appoint replacements from among qualified and willing party members in the same precinct.
When delegate positions held by Executive Committee members or at-large State Central Committee members become vacant, the County Executive Committee shall appoint replacements from among qualified and willing County party members. (Ref. Constitution, Article VIII.A.6.a) - These changes should be verified by either a letter of resignation from the prior officer or delegate or a letter of explanation from the Precinct or County Chair, respectively. The Executive Committee must be notified immediately of all vacancies and be informed of the name, address and phone number of the person appointed to fill the vacancy.
- When the above procedures cannot or will not be followed, the County Executive Committee has authority to replace all precinct officers and delegates under the same guidelines. Such action will be documented in party files.
10.0 CONVENTION CREDENTIAL CHALLENGES
Individuals who wish to challenge delegate credentials or eligibility must communicate their challenge to the Executive Committee within 10 days following the precinct caucuses. (Refer to State Bylaw 9.0.C for notification requirements)
11.0 ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER
The latest revision of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern all meetings contemplated by these Bylaws
when not in conflict herewith.