Constitution of the Yale College Democrats

Article I: Mission Statement

We are intentional advocates for progressive change in New Haven, in Connecticut, and across the country. 

We support candidates and causes that advance equal justice, human dignity, and the empowerment of historically marginalized communities.  

We strive to be a diverse and inclusive group of students who welcome individuals from all backgrounds.

We recognize the long-standing and pre-existing efforts of students, organizers, and advocates toward this mission.

Article II: General Membership

1. Any student in Yale College is eligible for membership in the Yale College Democrats, through attendance of weekly meetings.

2. Any student in Yale College is also eligible for fellowships in either the Legislative, Elections, City Engagement, or Voter Advocacy branches. A student need not be a fellow to be a general member of the Yale College Democrats.

3. An “active member” for the purposes of voter eligibility in elections and invitations to major events shall have attended at least three Yale College Democrats weekly meetings since the beginning of each semester and/or be active fellows in either the Legislative, Elections, City Engagement, or Voter Advocacy branches. They must also have been, in general, in good standing with the Yale College Democrats. 

Article III: The Executive Board

1. A. In all years, the Executive Board shall be composed of the President, Vice President, Legislative Coordinator, Elections Coordinator, City Engagement Coordinator, Voter Advocacy Coordinator, Treasurer, Speakers Coordinator, Membership & Inclusion Coordinator, Events Coordinator, and Communications Director.

B. The decision to create, remove, or combine or modify Executive Board positions substantially shall be made the preceding November, before information on Board elections is disseminated to general membership, by two-thirds vote of the outgoing Executive Board.

2. A. Executive Board members must be currently enrolled undergraduates in Yale College, taking courses on Yale’s campus. Students who plan to graduate partway through their term in office may not serve on the Executive Board.

B. Executive Board members must be active members of the Yale College Democrats, as defined by Section II.3, at the time of their election or appointment, and must remain in good standing with the Yale College Democrats. 

C. In addition to active membership, Executive Board members must also have attended at least three Yale College Democrats weekly meetings since the beginning of each semester. 

D. Legislative, Elections, City Engagement, and Voter Advocacy Coordinators must have at least one semester of experience as an active fellow in their respective branches. 

E. The President and Vice President must have at least one year of experience as an Executive Board member, unless no candidate fulfills this requirement, in which case it is waived.

F. If legally able to do so, each member of the Executive Board must be a registered voter or become one as soon as is practicable. Additionally, if registered in a state where voters can register by party, a member of the Executive Board must be registered as a Democrat. This subsection shall not be construed to exclude from Board those who cannot register to vote at all (due to age, citizenship, or other legal reasons) or those who cannot register by party.

3. A. Elections of Executive Board members shall take place after the second Tuesday in November and before the start of fall finals period, at a time determined by the Executive Board.

B. See Amendment II for updated Executive Board election procedures.

C. Elections shall occur sequentially by office in the order in Subsection III.1.A. Before information on Board elections is disseminated, the outgoing Executive Board may temporarily alter this order for the following election by two-thirds vote.

D. Candidates may run for up to two positions, and no more. In the case that candidate wins both of their elections, a predetermined order of preference shall determine which position they take.  

E. Elected Executive Board members take office (and outgoing Executive Board members leave office) immediately upon the conclusion of each year’s elections.

F. Elections shall be administered by outgoing Executive Board members designated by the outgoing President who are ineligible to run due to upcoming graduation, or who are not running for Executive Board themselves that election.

4. A. During a term of office, a vacancy in any Executive Board office other than the President shall occur whenever the officeholder submits written notice of resignation to the President, fails to meet the qualifications in Section III.2, is removed from office per Section III.5, or is promoted to another vacant Executive Board office. Such vacancies shall be filled by the approval of the Board. 

B. During a term of office, a vacancy in the Presidency shall occur whenever the President submits written notice of resignation to the Vice President, fails to meet the qualifications in Section III.2, or is removed from office per Section III.5. Upon a vacancy in the Presidency, the Vice President shall become President. The subsequent vacancy in the Vice Presidency shall be filled per Subsection III.4.A.

5. An Executive Board member may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of all other members of the Executive Board, provided they are informed of the cause for potential removal and given the opportunity to reply to it before the rest of the Executive Board.

6. Meetings of the Executive Board shall be chaired by the President, or the Vice President in the President’s absence. Business not otherwise discussed in the bylaws shall be conducted by majority vote.

 Article IV: Duties of the Executive Board

1. The Executive Board shall be ultimately responsible for all financial, political, and programmatic decisions of the Yale College Democrats.

2. The duties of the President shall include—

1. long-term planning and scheduling;

2. running major initiatives;

3. holding meetings of the Executive Board, per Section III.6; and

4. representing the Yale College Democrats both to the public and to the press.

3. The duties of the Vice President shall include—

1. co-managing and planning long-term goals and initiatives alongside the President

2. promoting collaboration with other on- and off-campus groups alongside the President, Membership & Inclusion Coordinator, and City Engagement Coordinator

3. advising the President in any of their duties

4. managing initiatives not covered by other Board members’ roles, notably handling alumni relations and community service activities.

4. The duties of the Legislative Coordinator shall include—

1. managing the Yale College Democrats’ involvement in legislative advocacy or issues-based campaigns at the national and state level, via working with lawmakers, fostering coalitions with other organizations, etc.;

2. educating the membership and/or the broader community about the Yale College Democrats’ legislative advocacy and issue positions;

3. chairing any meetings of Yale College Democrats members related to the above tasks; and

4. appointing Legislative Senior Fellows as needed to aid with these duties.

5. The duties of the Elections Coordinator shall include—

1. ensuring an active and effective role for the Yale College Democrats in local, state, and national electoral campaigns of Democratic and/or candidates who align with the mission of Yale College Democrats;

2. running get-out-the-vote operations for candidates;

3. organizing campaign opportunities for members;

4. chairing any meetings of Yale College Democrats members related to the above tasks; and

5. appointing Elections Senior Fellows as needed to aid with these duties.

6. The duties of the City Engagement Coordinator shall include—

1. maintaining relationships with other progressive organizations and partner groups, in the city of New Haven

2. facilitating joint efforts with these groups for events, advocacy, and other collaborative and coalition-based work.

3. Appointing City Engagement Senior Fellows as needed to aid with these duties.

7. The duties of the Treasurer shall include—

1. keeping a record of income and expenses, reimbursing members who incur expenses, and applying for Undergraduate Organizations Committee funding and speaker grants as needed each semester;

2. maintaining the Bulldog Democrats Political Action Committees and its regular campaign finance reporting;

3. acting as a resource for the board’s questions regarding UOFC funding guidelines and state and federal campaign finance regulations; and

4. developing a fundraising strategy for the Yale College Democrats and selling merchandise to raise funds.

8. The duties of the Speakers Coordinator shall include—

1. recruiting speakers for Yale College Democrats meetings;

2. planning larger events, with the President, Events Coordinator, and Membership & Inclusion Coordinator; and

3. managing the logistics of speaker events, including finding and registering rooms.

9. The duties of the Membership & Inclusion Coordinator shall include—

1. bringing new people into the Yale College Democrats and leading freshmen recruitment;

2. working to retain and build community amongst current members;

3. keeping track of meeting attendance and membership rolls; and

4. polling the membership and keeping in touch with members’ needs.

10. The duties of the Communications Director shall include—

1. sending out weekly e-mails summarizing upcoming Yale College Democrats events;

2. managing the main and subsidiary e-mail panlists;

3. managing the Yale College Democrats’ website;

4. managing the Yale College Democrats’ social media;

5. taking and sharing photographs at events;

6. serving as the primary contact for press inquiries about the Yale College Democrats and attracting press coverage for appropriate Yale College Democrats activities;

7. monitoring any press about the Yale College Democrats or coalition partners; and

8. keeping minutes at Executive Board meetings.

Article V: Endorsements by the Yale College Democrats

1. A. In elections for public office, the Yale College Democrats—

i. shall only endorse Democratic candidates, or candidates aligned with the Mission Statement of the Yale College Democrats as described in Section I;

B. The term “Democratic candidate” shall refer to—

i. any candidate for county, state, or federal office nominated for that office by the corresponding branch of the Democratic Party, per its official procedures; or

ii. any candidate for municipal office who is a registered Democrat in the district in which they seek election.

C. “Candidates aligned with the Mission Statement” shall be determined by—

i. two-thirds vote of the Executive Board, for unofficial endorsements through campaign work by Elections Fellows and general members; or

ii. majority vote of membership, for official endorsements, through a voting procedure determined by the Executive Board.

D. The Yale College Democrats shall not endorse—

i. in contested partisan primary elections; or

ii. in general elections which include more than one Democratic candidate.

E. The President may choose to suspend Subsection V.1.D by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board.

1. The Yale College Democrats shall not endorse in elections for any Yale-registered student organization, including the Yale College Council.

2. Decisions on the Yale College Democrats’ stance on issues not directly related to candidate endorsement shall be made by the Executive Board or delegated to the active membership at the Board’s discretion.

3. A. Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent individual members of the Yale College Democrats who are not on the Executive Board from supporting or working for candidates or causes not endorsed by the Yale College Democrats, except that Executive Board members and Elections Fellows may not aid office-seekers running against candidates endorsed by the Yale College Democrats. When not acting as a representative of the Yale College Democrats, members must not claim to be acting on behalf of the organization.

B. Violations of Subsection V.5.A may result in a member losing good standing with the Yale College Democrats, as applicable in Subsections I.2.A and III.2.B.

Article VI: Use of the Yale College Democrats’ Name

1. The use of the Yale College Democrats’ name shall be regulated by the Executive Board. The Executive Board is authorized and encouraged to use whatever means it deems appropriate, within the rules of Yale College and this constitution, to prevent unauthorized use.

Article VII: Finances

1. Expenditures of any size shall be made by the discretion of the President, Vice President, and Treasurer.

2. Should any Executive Board member object to an expenditure, they may raise the issue at an Executive Board meeting and the expenditure shall be subject to a majority vote.

3. The Executive Board may, by majority vote, open, close, or transfer a savings or checking account on behalf of the organization.

4. The President and Treasurer must be signatories to any account opened on behalf of the organization.

5. All proceeds obtained under the Yale College Democrats’ name by any means, including donations, University allocations, and revenue from fundraising and other sales, shall be considered the property of the Yale College Democrats and may not directly benefit any other individual except as it has been determined by a majority vote of the Executive Board (i.e. stipends for fellows). This shall not be construed to prevent use of funds for campaigning on behalf of individual candidates.

6. The Yale College Democrats shall comply with all applicable federal, state, local and University financial regulations.

7. In the event that the Yale College Democrats should dissolve, any remaining assets shall be distributed to the Connecticut Democratic Party, in accordance to relevant campaign finance laws. Any funds not legally dispersible to the state party should instead be directed to the New Haven Democratic Town Committee. As a last resort only, funds should be returned to Yale College. 

Article VIII: Amendments

1. The constitution of the Yale College Democrats may be amended by a vote of at least three-quarters of the Executive Board.

Amendment I: Involvement in Yale-Related Activism

1. At the discretion of the Executive Board, the Yale College Democrats may be involved as an organization in the activities described and previously forbidden in Section V.4.

2. The Yale College Democrats shall not become involved in said activities at the expense of organizational objectives managed by the Legislative, Elections, City Engagement, or Voter Advocacy Coordinators, as described in Sections IV.5, IV.6, IV.8, and Amendment VI, respectively.

Amendment II: Executive Board Elections

1. Candidates for Executive Board positions shall declare their candidacy by submitting statements for each prospective position to the members designated in accordance with Subsection III.3.F. Candidates for multiple offices shall also provide an order of preference for each position sought for the purposes of circumstances outlined in Subsection 3.D of this amendment. Candidates shall submit these materials by date and manner of the aforementioned members' choosing.

2. In lieu of the procedures outlined in Subsection III.3.C, elections for the Executive Board shall occur at once through a single, comprehensive ballot issued to eligible members present at the elections meeting. Candidates shall be invited to give speeches at the meeting, which shall be held before ballots are counted following the order described in Subsection III.1.A.

3. In lieu of the procedures outlined in Subsection III.3.B, elections for the Executive Board shall henceforth be administered as follows:

1. Elections for the Executive Board shall employ a rank-choice, instant-runoff voting system that allows members to list all of their choices for candidates for each position. Members designated in accordance with Subsection III.3.F shall determine the winner of the election by—

1. administering a vote count of all voters' first-choice candidates—

1. to determine whether any one candidate won the majority of votes within that vote count, thereby winning the election outright, or

2. to identify whichever candidate(s) received the least number of votes within that vote count, thus eliminating them from the running;

2. administering a vote count of the second-choice candidates of voters whose first-choice candidate(s) were eliminated from the previous vote count, adding these results to the vote totals of the remaining candidates for the purposes outlined in Subsection 3.a.i of this amendment;

3. administering a vote count of the third-choice candidates of voters whose whose first- and second-choice candidates were eliminated in the previous two rounds, adding these results to the vote totals of the remaining candidates; and

4. identifying the winner of the majority or plurality of the vote by the third vote count of the election.

2. In the event of more than three candidates running for a given position, the same procedures of elimination and reallocation as outlined in Subsection 3.a of this amendment shall continue until there are only two candidates remaining, and the number of vote counts is the same as the number of total candidates running, such as holding five vote counts in a race with five candidates.

3. In the event of a tie, the members designated in accordance with Subsection I.3.F shall determine the winner by comparing the voter preference averages of the remaining candidates, with the candidate sporting the lowest average ranking of first-choice (1), second-choice (2), and third-choice (3) winning the election. In the event that tied candidates receive the same average voter preference score, the aforementioned members shall use a tie-breaking method or procedure outlined by them prior to the meeting.

4. In the event that a candidate wins multiple Executive Board positions in an election, that candidate shall be awarded the position that they ranked as highest in preference of the positions won, as outlined in the procedures of Section 1 of this amendment.

Amendment III: Staff Positions

No longer in effect, see Amendment VIII.

Amendment IV: Creating a Permanent Role for Voter Engagement

No longer in effect, see Amendment VI.

Amendment V: Preserving Independence in Executive Board Elections

1. Be it amended that candidates for Executive Board positions, subject otherwise to the procedures formalized in Section III.3 and Amendment II, shall be prohibited from colluding in an effort to campaign as a ticket unless such an endeavor is agreed upon by all candidates for the affected office(s)

1. Such an agreement between candidates must be submitted in writing to the President and Vice President for approval no later than one week prior to the election date

2. Such an agreement must allocate votes summatively. Votes shall be counted by ticket; a candidate is not to be awarded votes individually.

3. All parties, including every individual candidate running for said office (on a ticket or otherwise), must acknowledge their wishes through an affirming signature to be substantiated by the President and Vice President

2. The President, Vice President, and all members of the Executive Board may impart general advice to candidates for any office of the Executive Board though are expressly prohibited from aiding in the drafting of candidacy statements, speeches, or other campaign materials

1. Likewise, all members of the Executive Board, though entitled to encourage candidates to run for various positions of the Executive Board, are prohibited from expressly endorsing candidates or otherwise acknowledging support for a certain candidate over another

Amendment VI: Modifying Voter Engagement into Voter Advocacy

1. Be it amended that the position described in Amendment IV henceforth be titled Voter Advocacy Coordinator and that said position shall remain a permanent role on the Yale College Democrats Executive Board

2. The Voter Advocacy Coordinator shall be elected in accordance with the procedures described in Section III.3 as amended by Amendment II

3. The duties of the Voter Advocacy Coordinator shall include—

1. collaborating with voting rights advocacy organizations to educate and engage members (ex. combating voter suppression, restoring felon voting rights); 

2. supporting existing voting engagement work for within Yale and New Haven on a partisan basis, in support of Dems-endorsed candidates in relevant local, state, and national elections; 

3. taking inventory of and advocating for equitable voter rights legislation in Connecticut, and in battleground states across the country;

4. appointing Voter Advocacy Senior Fellows as needed to aid with these duties

4. Unlike the position of Voter Engagement Coordinator, this position shall not be dissolved at the completion of any specific task or project, and shall be governed with the same guidelines as all other permanent positions on the Executive Board as described in Subsection III.1.C

Amendment VII: Events Coordinator

1. Be it amended that the positions described Sections IV.9 and IV.10 be modified, with Speakers & Events Coordinator renamed to Speakers Coordinator, and all responsibilities concerning social events for both the Speakers and Membership & Inclusion Coordinator combined into a new position henceforth titled Events Coordinator, which shall become a permanent addition to the Yale College Democrats Executive Board

2. The Events Coordinator shall be elected in accordance with the procedures described in Section I.3, as amended by Amendment II

3. The duties of the Events Coordinator shall include—

1. planning, organizing, and executing all large-scale Yale College Democrats events, including speakers events led by the Speakers Coordinator, Dems Formal, and DWoads.

2. sponsoring a weekly event, whether it be large-scale or casual, to offer members opportunities for engagement and relationship-building; 

3. fostering an inclusive sense of community amongst members through social 

4. chairing relevant committees regarding events as described in Amendment VIII

Amendment VIII: Committees

1. Be it amended that staff positions as described in Amendment III be abolished and replaced with committees, comprised of Executive Board and general members alike.

2. Committees shall be determined and outlined by the Executive Board at the beginning of each semester, with Executive Board members submitting a proposal to be approved by both the President and Vice President.

3. Committees shall be chaired by one or more relevant Executive Board members, who shall be responsible for managing the major operations and initiatives of a committee and its members, including hosting committee meetings on a regular, recurring basis. Committees shall also report to the rest of the Executive Board on a weekly basis, and general Yale College Democrats membership on a recurring basis, to be determined by its chairs, the President, and the Vice President

4. Members of committees shall be selected and solicited by the discretion of its chairs, the President, and the Vice President.

5. Committees shall dissolve by the end of each semester, unless otherwise determined by the President, Vice President, and majority of the Executive Board

6. Committee members may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board, provided they are informed of the cause for potential removal and given the opportunity to reply to it before members of the Executive Board.