Stonewall Democrats of Dallas 

Bylaws 

Article I. Name 

The name of the organization shall be Stonewall Democrats of Dallas, also known as Dallas Stonewall Democrats, herein also referred to as the “Organization” or “SDD.”  

Article II. Purpose 

Section 1. Mission Statement 

SDD is devoted to advancing equal rights for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. SDD draws its strength from a countywide network of individuals composed of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and pro-equality allied Democrats. This organization works to elect pro-equality Democrats in municipal, statewide, and federal elections by:  

A. Sensitizing Democratic candidates and officeholders to the political needs of the LGBTQ+ community.  

B. Promoting the Democratic Party’s message of economic justice and social progress in the LGBTQ+ community.  

C. Encouraging LGBTQ+ participation in the campaigns of Democratic candidates and at all levels of the Democratic Party.  

D. Facilitating the elections of Democratic candidates to public office by maximizing the Democratic turn-out in the LGBTQ+ communities.  

Section 2. Nondiscrimination 

SDD shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (or lack thereof), sex, ethnic or national origin, age, disability, veteran status, social or economic status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or any other factor unrelated to membership and the mission of the SDD. SDD is committed to making every good faith effort to be inclusive in its membership and leadership.

Article III. Membership 

Section 1. Members 

Any person may apply for membership in the Organization. The requirements for membership are that the applicant must: 

A. Have a Democratic Party primary election voting history and/or affirm allegiance to the purpose of the Organization, and; 

B. Pay monthly or annual membership dues as set by the Executive Board. 

Section 2. Membership Dues 

1. Annual membership dues shall be set by the SDD Executive Board. The Treasurer or a member of the membership committee shall notify members when their dues are payable on the anniversary of their last annual payment to the Organization. If dues are not paid within two months of the due date, the member is subject to the loss of their membership status in SDD. 

2. Any member elected to the office of President of the Organization, upon completion of their term, may receive status as a Lifetime Member with a waiver of any and all future membership dues. 

3. The President of the Organization, with approval of a majority of the Executive Board, may grant Honorary membership, Lifetime membership, or any other waiver of membership dues for a designated period of time to an individual as recognition of their service to the Organization or LGBTQ+ community, to honor an esteemed dignitary, or as part of a fundraising campaign.    

Section 3. Membership Voting Rights 

1. A member in good standing, as defined by Art. III Sec. 3(B), shall have the right to vote on endorsements of candidates and issues made by Organization, election of the officers of the Organization, and amendments to  these Bylaws. 

2.  To be in good standing, a member must

   1. Be current on their payment of membership dues; and

   2. Have been a member of the Organization for a minimum of twenty-nine (29) days prior to the day a vote is taking place. 

Article IV. Officers 

Section 1. Positions and Term of Office 

1. The officers of the Organization shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Organization. 

2. The term of office for each officer is one year and shall begin on the first day of January following the Annual Meeting.

Section 2. Election of Officers. 

1. Election of officers will be held during the Organization’s Annual Meeting after a call for nominations.    

2. Only members in good standing who have been an SDD member for a minimum of thirty (30) days prior to the Annual Meeting are eligible to be elected as an officer. 

3. Each officer shall be elected by a simple majority of the members in good standing present at the Annual Meeting with a “show of hands vote.”  

Section 3. President 

1. The President shall be Chair of the Executive Board. The President shall preside as the Chair at all regular meetings, special meetings, the Annual meeting, and meetings of the Executive Board, or designate the Chair of each meeting in which the President and Vice President will be absent or otherwise unavailable. The President shall be a voting member of all committees; shall create special committees as deemed necessary; and shall be the official spokesperson for the group. 

2. The President shall have the discretion to disburse funds up to $100.00 for business that arises between Executive Board meetings that must be paid prior to the next meeting. The President shall inform the Executive Board of these funds at the following Board Meeting. Expenses over $100.00 must be approved by the Executive Board prior to disbursement. 

Section 4. Vice President

The Vice President shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the President and shall perform all duties as assigned by the President. 

Section 5. Secretary

The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all regular meetings, special meetings, the Annual meeting, and meetings of the Executive Board, and shall perform all duties as assigned by the President. 

Section 6. Treasurer 

The Treasurer shall collect and, under direction of the President, disburse the funds of the Organization. All funds shall be kept in a financial institution(s) approved by the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall keep books of account in which there shall be recorded all receipts and disbursements of the Organization. The Treasurer shall have the authority to sign checks and disburse funds as directed by the President for amounts less than $100.00. All checks greater than $100.00 shall require two Officers’ signatures. The Treasurer shall submit all statutory records to the Texas Ethics Commission in connection with the operation of the registered Political Action Committee. The Treasurer shall perform all other duties as assigned by the President. 

Article V. The Executive Board 

Section 1. The Executive Board shall consist of the Officers and at-large board members. At large board members shall be nominated by the President and approved by a simple majority of the elected Officers. 

Section 2. The Officers, at their discretion, may appoint an unlimited number of at-large members to the Executive Board to implement the purposes and goals of the Organization. To be eligible to serve, a prospective at-large member of the Executive Board must be a member in good standing of the Organization. Such members’ terms shall be set by the Executive Board at the time of appointment and shall not exceed the yearly term of all regularly elected Officers. 

Section 3. The Executive Board shall have general supervision of the affairs of the Organization between its business meetings, set the hour and place of meetings, make recommendations to the Organization, and perform such other duties as are specified in these bylaws. The Executive Board shall be subject to the orders of the Organization, and none of its acts shall conflict with action taken by the Organization. 

Section 4. Quorum for Executive Board meetings shall be a simple majority of its members.

Section 5. The Executive Board shall meet at least six times in the calendar year at a place and time designated by the President. Notice of all meetings of the Executive Board shall be given to each member of the Executive Board by instant messenger, email, mail or by telephone at least seven days prior to the meeting date.

Section 6. Each member of the Executive Board shall be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote. A member may vote in person, by phone, by live video feed, by digital poll, or by proxy vote. 

Section 6.1. Members of the Executive Board may vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the Board by limited proxy vote. Only other Executive Board members may be designated as a proxy. Each member may be designated to no more than two proxy votes per meeting. A proxy shall be made in writing, signed by the designator and shall identify the member being designated as proxy, the matter on which the proxy is to vote, and what vote the proxy will cast. The proxy must be submitted to the Chair or Secretary prior to the vote being called. All proxies are limited proxies and expire at the adjournment of the meeting in which the vote is called. 

Section 7. Any vacancy occurring on the Executive Board shall be filled by a nominee of the President and approved by a simple majority of the Executive Board. 

Section 8. Any Executive Board member, whether elected or appointed, may be removed for cause by a two-thirds affirmative vote of Executive Board members at a properly called meeting.  

Article VI. Meetings  

Section 1. The regular meetings of the Organization shall be held on the third Tuesday of each month, unless otherwise ordered by the Organization or the Executive Board. These meetings shall be known as the “monthly meeting” and shall be for the purpose of conducting regular business, receiving reports of officers and committees, and for any other business that may arise under the guidelines of these bylaws. 

Section 2. Members shall be notified of the time, date, and location of membership meetings by email, mail, telephone, or posting the Organization’s social media platforms, at least 7 days in advance of the date set for the meeting. 

Section 3. The November meeting shall be known as the “annual meeting” and shall be for the purpose of electing officers, receiving officers and committee reports, and for any other business that may arise under the guidelines of these bylaws. 

Section 4. Special meetings may be called by the President, by a majority of the Executive Board, or at the written request of 10% of the general membership in good standing during the previous month. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call. Except in cases of emergency, at least seven days’ notice shall be given to the membership. 

Article VII. Standing Committees  

Standing committees of the Organization are listed here. Other committees may be formed and put in place at the discretion of the President. All committees shall consist of a Chair to be appointed by the President or selected from the existing Executive Board. 

A. Membership Committee 

Section 1. The Membership Committee shall be a standing committee of this Organization and consist of the Chair appointed by the President, and volunteers from the membership The Chair may appoint a co-chair from the membership to assist in committee projects and duties. The Membership Committee shall meet as needed to review prospective memberships, and may deny an applicant’s membership for just cause subject to review of the Executive Board. 

Section 2. The Chair of the Membership Committee shall preside over all meetings of the Membership Committee, shall certify the eligibility of any individual applying for membership, and shall perform all duties as assigned by the President. 

Section 3. Members of the Membership Committee shall serve for one year, not to exceed the term of regularly elected Officers of the Organization. 

Section 4. The Membership Committee will be responsible for checking members in at regular meetings and ensuring that only members in good standing are allowed to vote on issues and endorsements during these meetings. 

B. Endorsement Committee 

Section 1. The Endorsement Committee shall be a standing committee of this Organization and consist of the Chair appointed by the President, and volunteers from the membership. The Chair may appoint a co-chair from the membership to assist in committee projects and duties. The Chair shall preside at all committee meetings and endorsement screenings. 

Section 2. The Organization may endorse a candidate(s) or issue(s) in any election submitted to the electorate for a vote, as long as the issue or candidate appears on a ballot within Dallas County. 

Section 3. No member of the Republican Party, candidate in a Republican Primary, Republican candidate in a general election is eligible for endorsement by this Organization. Endorsements may be made in Dallas County nonpartisan elections if the candidate has a Democratic Party primary election voting history, or affirms allegiance to the Dallas County Democratic Party.  

Section 4. The Endorsement Committee shall oversee creating the procedures and implementing the process by which candidates and/or issues shall be selected and/or identified for possible endorsement by the Organization within the guidelines of these bylaws. The Endorsement Committee shall prepare the list of candidates and/or issues to be considered for endorsement. The screening of candidates will be completed by members of this Organization attending the endorsement screenings for endorsement consideration in the Democratic primary, general, or nonpartisan elections. 

Section 5. The Endorsement Committee shall create a candidate questionnaire for completion by candidates seeking the Organization’s endorsement. The contents of any questionnaire must be approved by majority vote of the Executive Board, prior to dissemination to candidates applying for the endorsement. 

C. Voter Registration Committee 

The Voter Registration Committee shall be a standing committee of this Organization and consist of the chair appointed by the President and volunteers from the membership. The chair may appoint members of the Voter Registration Committee to assist. This Committee is in charge of registering voters, delivering the voter registration cards to the county elections department, and coordinating voter registration activities. This committee will ensure that voter registration is set up at all high-attendance LGBTQ+ events. The committee will ensure that the LGBTQ+ community has ample opportunities to register to vote and conduct voter registration drives and outreach at regular intervals. This committee will also set up voter registration drives in LGBTQ+ communities at least two weekends leading up to voter registration deadlines for upcoming elections and once a quarter throughout non-election periods. 

D. Audit Committee 

The Audit Committee shall be a standing committee of this Organization and consist of the Chair appointed by the President, Treasurer, Chair of Finance Committee, and volunteers from the membership. The members who will review a quarter’s spending within one month after the quarter’s ending. A member appointed by the Audit Chair will present their audit report to the General Membership at least quarterly, within one month of the end of the quarter. The chair may not be the current SDD Treasurer. 

E. Communications/Media Committee 

Section 1. The Communications Committee shall be a standing committee of SDD and consist of the Chair appointed by the President and volunteers from the membership. The chair may appoint members of the Communications/Media Committee to assist.

Section 2. The communication Committee responsibilities include, but are not limited to, monitoring social media IAW the social media policy, drafting statements in coordination with the President to further the mission of SDD for public consumption through a variety of communication methods, such as: press releases, blogs, social media, photojournalism, submissions to newspapers and magazines, letters to the editor, medium and wordpress.

Section 3. Chair of the Committee will be available for editing all official communications on behalf of the organization and for providing guidance for the media team.

Article VIII. Endorsements

Section 1. The Organization may endorse a candidate(s) or issue(s) in any election submitted to the electorate for a vote, if the issue or candidate appears on a ballot within Dallas County.  

Section 2. No member of the Republican Party, candidate in a Republican Primary, or Republican candidate in a general election is eligible for endorsement by this Organization. Endorsements may be made in Dallas County nonpartisan elections if the candidate has a Democratic Party primary election voting history, or affirms allegiance to the Dallas County or Texas Democratic Party.  

Section 3. Endorsement Screening. Endorsement recommendations for a primary, general, or nonpartisan election shall be made by the members attending properly called endorsement screenings or meetings. The Endorsement Committee shall implement an Endorsement screening process as approved by the Executive Board. During endorsement screenings, members shall have the right to question any candidate or candidate’s representative seeking endorsement. Members shall further have the right to disseminate information in favor of or against any particular candidate or ballot issue, whether produced by the candidate or a member, to the members present at the endorsement screening meeting. No member shall be restricted in communicating their opinion or views either verbally or in writing at any meeting of the Organization, except that a time limit for discussion and guidance for decorum may be set by the presiding chair. 

Section 4. Endorsement Ratification.  Upon completion of the endorsement screening, the Endorsement Committee shall present to the Executive Board and general membership the Endorsement Recommendations for ratification. 

Prior to submission to the membership, the list of issues and/or candidates recommended for endorsement shall be approved and ratified by a majority vote of the Executive Board. When considering this list, the Executive Board, by a two-thirds majority vote, may in its discretion either (a) remove from the recommendation list a candidate or candidates who are  deemed nonviable or otherwise inappropriate for endorsement consideration by the general  membership, or (b) place onto the recommendation list a candidate or candidates who are deemed viable or otherwise appropriate for endorsement consideration by the general membership. Upon approval of a final list of endorsement recommendations by the Executive Board, the endorsement recommendations will be submitted for acceptance or rejection, individually or as a group, to the general membership of the Organization at a regularly scheduled membership meeting. The recommendations must be approved by a majority vote of the members present prior to dissemination to the general public. 

Candidate(s) or issue(s) for endorsement consideration must receive a majority vote of the members in good standing present at the Endorsement Ratification meeting. In the event no candidate(s) or issue(s) for endorsement consideration receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election must occur. A situation of no endorsement is permitted. Recommendations to vote against a candidate(s) or ballot issue(s) (also known as “ballot warning”) are also permitted. 

Section 5. No member of the Executive Board or general membership shall use the Organization’s name, logo or their title within the Organization to publicly endorse a candidate or ballot measure prior to completion of the Organization’s endorsement process or contrary to the Organization’s endorsement decision. This section shall not be read to limit any individual’s free speech when not used in association with the Organization. 

Section 6. In order to participate in the screening process, or vote on the Endorsement Committee’s recommendations, a member must be a dues-paying or Lifetime member in good standing at least thirty (30) days prior to the endorsement screening. A membership list will be used to determine eligibility to participate in screening or approving the list of candidates recommended by the Endorsement Committee. 

Article IX. Parliamentary Authority 

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Organization in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Organization may adopt. 

Article X. Amendment of Bylaws  

At the President’s discretion, a Bylaws Committee may be formed to review and propose amendments to these bylaws, and consist of the Chair appointed by the President, and volunteers from the membership. Amendments to these bylaws may be offered at any regular meeting of the Organization. Once amendments to the bylaws have been offered, the Executive Board shall vote whether or not to forward the amendments to the Bylaws Committee. The Bylaws Committee will draft amendments and present them to the Executive Board. The Executive Board will then vote by a two-thirds majority to present changes to the membership. A two-thirds vote of the members in good standing present and voting at a properly called membership meeting shall be required for adoption of any amendment to these bylaws. Members shall be given at least 30-day notice of any meeting in which amendments to these bylaws will be voted on.  Such notice shall provide the proposed amendments.

Adopted 20 February 2024, as amended.