CONSTITUTION
OF THE
REPUBLICAN PARTY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, NEBRASKA
(Last modified by the Washington County Republican Convention on March 25, 2024 )
ARTICLE I
NAME AND OBJECTIVES
Section 1. The name of this voluntary organization shall be The Republican Party of Washington County, Nebraska (hereinafter referred to as the “County Party”).
Section 2. The objectives of the County Party shall be, through cooperation and coordination with the Republican Party of the State of Nebraska, hereinafter referred to as “State Party,” the maintenance of government of, by and for the people according to the constitution and laws of the United States and the State of Nebraska and the furtherance of such principles as may from time to time be adopted by the State Party.
ARTICLE II
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. The membership of the County Party shall be composed of all registered Republican voters of the county who desire to support the objectives of the State Party.
Section 2. It shall be the duty of the Washington County Central Committee, hereinafter referred to as “County Central Committee”, to enroll all members of the Republican Party within their respective wards or precincts so far as practicable. Opportunity for enrollment shall be open at all times to all registered Republican voters.
ARTICLE III
GOVERNANCE AND ORGANIZATION
Section 1. The County Party shall be organized upon a countywide basis, and the County Party shall be divided into precincts and wards in the form and manner provided by the laws of the State of Nebraska.
Section 2. When in session the County Convention of the duly certified delegates shall be the governing body of the County Party, and when such convention is not in session, the County Central Committee shall be the governing body.
ARTICLE IV
CONVENTIONS
Section 1. The County Convention shall be held in a suitable place within the county at any time with dates for the convention being in concert with the schedule of the state party. It shall be held at an hour and place to be designated by the County Chairman. The County chairman shall, after appropriate consultation with the County Central Committee, certify the date, time, and location of the convention to the county clerk or election commissioner. The County Chairman shall cause to be published, at least fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the County Convention, an official notice of the date, time, and place of the convention in at least one (1) legal newspaper published or of general circulation within the county. It shall be the duty of the County Chairman to deliver to the temporary secretary of the County Convention the roll, properly certified, showing the name and address of each delegate certified for the convention. Upon the receipt of such roll, the convention shall proceed with its organization and the transaction of such business as shall properly come before it.
Section 2. The County Central Committee shall fix the representation for the County Convention for the various precincts of the county on the basis of the vote cast for the Republican Party’s candidate for President of the United States at the last preceding presidential election. Each precinct shall be entitled to at least two (2) delegates to the County Convention. In the event the County Central Committee fails to fix the representation for the County Convention by proper certification to the county clerk or election commissioner by February 1 of each election year, the county clerk or election commissioner shall accept all filings of qualified candidates as delegates to the County and shall place all such names on the ballot, designating that each voter shall vote for two (2). The two (2) candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be issued election certificates. If any precinct does not have a full quota of at least two (2) delegates at the County Convention, the convention shall have the power to fill the quota from the qualified Republican voters of such precinct in attendance at the convention.
Section 3. The County Convention shall elect delegates and alternates to the State Convention from the certified delegates present at the County Convention.
Section 4. At all conventions each delegate shall be entitled to register an individual vote, and it shall be unlawful to attempt to bind any delegate by any party or convention rule requiring that the delegates from any political subdivision to such convention vote as a unit.
Section 5. The authority reposed in delegates to the County Convention by reason of their election and/or certification shall be deemed personal in its nature and no delegate may, by power of attorney, proxy, or in any other way, authorize any person, in such delegate’s name or on such delegate’s behalf, to appear, cast ballots, or participate in the organization or transaction of any business of such convention.
Section 6. The County Chairman shall be the presiding officer of the County Convention until adjourned.
Section 7. The order of business at the County Convention shall be determined by the County Chairman and announced at the beginning of the convention.
Section 8. At the County Convention, the statutes of the State of Nebraska, when applicable, shall govern the proceedings. If there is no applicable statute, the constitution of the State Party, as amended, and this constitution, as amended, shall govern the proceedings; provided that, unless the same is prohibited by statute or by the constitution of the State Party, a sixty percent (60%) vote of the delegates in attendance at the convention may vary the proceedings at such convention.
ARTICLE V
GENERAL MANAGEMENT
Section 1. The general management of the affairs and business of the County Party shall be conducted by the County Central Committee, subject to the direction of the County Convention.
Section 2. When the County Central Committee is not in session, the affairs of the County Party shall be administered by the County Executive Committee, unless otherwise provided herein.
Section 3. The County Central Committee shall be empowered to adopt by-laws, not inconsistent herewith, upon a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of attending members at a meeting duly called upon proper notice.
Section 4. The County Central Committee shall consist of those Republicans registering as delegates to the county convention on each even numbered election year and certified by the county clerk or election commissioner. In the event not so certified, those Republicans wishing to serve on the County Central Committee may be selected to serve by the Executive Committee. The term of membership shall last for approximately two years until the next county convention. Members may opt out of the County Central Committee position with notice to the Executive Committee.
Section 5. At any Central Committee meeting, members of the County Central Committee may allow votes or ballots to be cast in their absence by power of attorney or proxy. Such power of attorney or proxy must be presented to the Secretary or Chairman of the party in written form, at least ten (10) minutes prior to such meeting.
ARTICLE VI
OFFICERS – TERMS OF OFFICE – DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers of the County Party shall be a County Chairman, a County Vice-Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer.
Section 2. The County Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected at the first County Central Committee meeting duly called during the first calendar quarter in odd numbered years. The term of office shall be approximately two (2) years until either re-elected or successors have been elected.
Section 3. The duties of the County Chairman shall be:
(a) to preside at the meetings of the County Convention, County Central Committee and the Executive Committee;
(b) to appoint all standing and ad hoc committee chairmen with the assistance of the vice-chairman and approval of the Executive Committee;
(c) to be an ex-officio member of all committees;
(d) to prepare a political action program for the county, after consultation with the Executive Committee, subject to the approval of the County Central Committee;
(e) to generally administer the County Party’s affairs;
(f) to coordinate the affairs of the County Party with the affairs of the State Party; and
(g) to serve and act as Treasurer should there be a vacancy in that office, until such time as the vacancy is filled.
Section 4. The duties of the County Vice-Chairman shall be to assist the County Chairman and perform all the duties of the Chairman in the event of the absence or incapacity of the Chairman.
Section 5. The duties of the Secretary shall be to keep the minutes of all meetings of the County Convention, County Central Committee and the Executive Committee and to perform such other secretarial duties as may be assigned by the County Chairman.
Section 6. The duties of the Treasurer shall be to be custodian of all funds of the County Party and to disburse all funds on behalf of the County Party as directed by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall make appropriate written reports of the accounts and financial affairs of the County Party to the Executive Committee, County Central Committee, County Convention and as otherwise required by law. The Treasurer shall be prohibited from making, on behalf of the County Party, any direct contributions to any candidate, political organization or non-profit organization unless so directed in writing by the Executive Committee. Such directive must be signed by at least two members of the Executive Committee, one of which shall be the Chairman. The Treasurer shall be prohibited from making, on behalf of the County Party, any direct contributions to any candidate running for a federal or state office without written authorization from the State Party.
ARTICLE VII
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and the immediate past County Chairman.
Section 2. The duties of the Executive Committee shall be:
(a) to act as the executive body of the County Party;
(b) to carry out the directives and policies of the State Party and the County Central Committee;
(c) to perform those duties and carry out those responsibilities as may be required by statute, the constitution of the State Party, and as herein provided;
(d) to authorize and approve all expenditures of County Party funds and generally supervise the financial affairs of the County Party; and
(e) to meet on the call of the Chairman, or on the written request of two members of the Executive Committee and conduct such business as may properly come before it.
Section 3. The Executive Committee shall meet at least quarterly to assist in planning and carrying out the activities of the County Party. The Executive Committee may take any action which the County Central Committee might take if it were in session; provided however, any action taken by the Executive Committee may be disapproved by a majority vote of the County Central Committee, and if so disapproved, shall insofar as possible, be of no force or effect.
ARTICLE VIII
COMMITTEES
Section 1. The standing committees shall consist of the Finance Committee and such other committees as the Chairman or County Central Committee shall from time to time create.
Section 2. The Finance Committee shall constitute the financial organization of the County Party. The Finance Committee is authorized to solicit contributions for the use of the County Party and the State party. One of the primary objectives of the Finance Committee shall be to develop and implement, with approval of the County Central Committee, a program supporting the Booster Club of the State Party. The County Chairman and Treasurer shall be ex-officio members of the Finance Committee. The membership of the Finance Committee shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
Section 3. Standing committees shall develop programs for their respective assigned responsibilities to be implemented subject to consideration and approval by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE IX
VACANCIES
Section 1. If a vacancy occurs in any office of the County Party, including membership on the County Central Committee, the Executive Committee shall have the power to appoint a replacement to serve out the unexpired term of the vacant office. A vacancy shall exist upon the happening of any of the following events: (1) resignation, (2) physical or mental incapacity, (3) death, (4) removal of residence from the county, (5) conviction of a felony, (6) for cause as determined by the County Central Committee, or (7) for cause as determined by the constitution of the State Party.
ARTICLE X
CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Section 1. The County Central Committee shall meet at least three times in each calendar year. Additional meetings of the County Central Committee may be called from time to time by the County Chairman upon notice duly given to the members thereof. Notice of all County Central Committee meetings shall be given at least ten (10) days prior to the date of the meeting. The County Chairman shall call a meeting of the County Central Committee upon written request of not less than twenty percent (20%) of the membership thereof.
ARTICLE XI
AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS OF THE COUNTY PARTY
Section 1. The County Party acknowledges that it is subsidiary and subject to the terms and provisions of the constitution of the State Party. All affiliated organizations of the Republican Party in the county shall be subject to the direction and control of the County Party, and shall be organized, regulated and dissolved by resolution of the Executive Committee upon notice duly given to the chairman of such affiliated organization, after hearing in such form and manner as appropriate, and after approval by the County Central Committee.
ARTICLE XII
AMENDMENT
Section 1. This constitution may be amended at any County Convention by a majority vote thereof, or may be amended by the County Central Committee at a regular or special meeting, upon at least 30 days notice, by a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the County Central Committee members.
ARTICLE XIII
RULES AND QUORUM
Section 1. At all meetings herein provided, “Roberts Rules of Order, Revised,” as stated in the latest edition of said publication, shall govern the proceedings unless otherwise provided herein.
Section 2. At all meetings of the County Central Committee and Executive Committee, a quorum shall consist of not less than one-fourth (1/4) of the entire membership of the County Central Committee and one-half (1/2) of the entire membership of the Executive Committee.
The undersigned attests that the foregoing Constitution amends any previous Constitution of the Republican Party of Washington County, Nebraska and is duly adopted on the 25th day of March 2024.
Interested in serving on the Central Committee? Contact Chairman John Orr or Micheal Dwyer.
