North Carolina Democratic Party
Plan of Organization
As Amended Jan 20th, 2007

2.00 COUNTY ORGANIZATIONS

2.01 COMPOSITION OF COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Members. There shall be a county executive committee in each county composed of:

1. The chair and vice chair of the several precinct committees in the county;
2. The elected officers of the county executive committee;
3. The presidents of the duly organized and chartered county chapters of state auxiliary organizations. The respective presidents of the state auxiliary organizations shall determine those duly organized auxiliary organizations within a county and certify the name of the county auxiliary organization president to the state chair. State Party Headquarters shall provide the county chair with the name of the presidents of duly organized county chapters of state auxiliary organizations within their county. Should a precinct chair or vice chair be elected as president of an auxiliary organization, some other member of said organization shall be certified as the representative of that organization on the county executive committee. In addition, the county Teen Dem advisor shall be a member of the county executive committee and equally share the vote of that organization with the county Teen Dem president unless the county executive committee authorizes an additional vote.
4. Any elected or appointed member of the state executive committee from that county, not a member of the county executive committee by virtue of holding some other office, shall be an ex-officio, voting member of the county executive committee.
5. All Democratic state, county, and city elected officials (whether elected in a partisan or non-partisan election) and Democratic members of the North Carolina General Assembly residing in the county shall be ex-officio, voting members of the county executive committee. Said ex-officio members shall not be considered in computing the presence of a quorum. Any elected or appointed judge shall not be a member of the committee.
6. The county chair shall determine what shall constitute a duly organized Democratic Men’s Club within a county and the president, or some other person designated by the Club shall be a member of the county executive committee.
7. Any elected or appointed officer of a district executive committee or the state executive committee residing in the county.
8. A county party Attorney, appointed by the county Chair and serving at the Chair’s pleasure.

Term of Office. The term of office of the members of the county executive committee shall be for two (2) years and shall expire on the date set for the next succeeding precinct meeting held in an odd-numbered year, or when their successors shall be elected, whichever shall occur first. Newly elected members shall take office immediately upon their election.

2.02 VOTING ON THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
No individual members can vote in more than one capacity, nor shall any individual member be entitled to cast more than one (1) vote even though the individual may be serving in multiple capacities under the county executive committee structure.

County Executive Committee Officers, Presidents of County Chapters of State Auxiliary Organizations, and Ex-Officio Members. Members not provided for below shall be entitled to one vote each.

Precinct Officers. The several precinct chairs and vice chairs shall be entitled, as members of the county executive committee, to cast for their precinct one vote for each one hundred (100) votes, or major fraction thereof, cast by their precinct for the Democratic nominee for Governor at the last preceding gubernatorial election, provided that each precinct chair and vice chair together shall be entitled to cast for their precinct a minimum of one vote.

In the event that the chair and vice chair should disagree on how their precinct's vote shall be cast, then each member shall cast exactly one-half (½) of the votes which their precinct is entitled to cast.

Under no circumstances shall either the chair or vice chair be able to cast more than one-half (½) of the votes to which a precinct is entitled, even though the other is absent.

2.03 OFFICERS OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Elected Officers. The county executive committee shall have as officers a chair, three (3) vice chairs, a secretary and a treasurer. The first vice chair must be of the opposite gender of the chair. Among the chair and three (3) vice chair offices, one (1) of these must be filled by a person of a racial or ethnic minority which constitutes at least twenty percent (20%) of the registered Democrats in that county and one of these offices must be filled by a person thirty-six (36) years of age or younger. Officers of a county executive committee shall be active Democrats residing within the county. No two (2) county officers may be from the same immediate family residing in the same household. Gender, racial or ethnic, and age requirements need not be followed if filling a vacancy for an unexpired term, but shall be adhered to when the office is filled for a full term.

Municipal and County Precinct Vice Chairs. In each county that contains two or more municipalities of a population of more than 60,000 persons each, officers in addition to the ones specified above shall be elected as follows: (a) a vice chair for each such municipality who shall be elected by the precinct chair and vice chair of the precincts with registered voters within that municipality; and (b) a vice chair for those precincts not contained in such municipalities – if those precincts have a total population of more than 60,000 persons – who must be a resident of one (1) of those precincts and who shall be elected by the precinct chair and vice chair of those precincts not contained in the said municipalities.

Term of Office. The term of office of the officers of the county executive committee shall be for two (2) years and shall expire on the date set for the next succeeding county convention meeting held in the odd-numbered year or when their successors shall be elected, whichever shall occur first. Newly elected officers shall take office immediately upon election.

Vacancy and Succession for County Executive Committee Officers. Vacancies occurring among the officers of the county executive committee shall be filled within thirty (30) days following creation of the vacancy. The county chair shall call a meeting of the county executive committee to fill the vacancy and any other vacancies that might be caused by the action of such committee in filling the vacancy. If, for any reason, there should occur a vacancy in the chair of the county executive committee, the first vice chair, the second vice chair, the third vice chair, the secretary or the treasurer, in that order, shall preside and in the absence of any of the foregoing officers, any member of the county executive committee may preside.

Removals. Officers and members of the County Executive Committee may be removed in accordance with Section 10.00.

When County Committee is Not in Session. When the county executive committee is not in session, the officers of the county executive committee shall act in the place of the county executive committee on all matters unless this Plan of Organization states that action is to be taken by the entire county executive committee. The chair of the county executive committee is encouraged to include the presidents of chartered auxiliary organizations in such sessions.

2.04 COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

When. The county chair shall issue a call for a meeting of the county executive committee periodically but not less than three (3) times each year.

Called Meetings. Additional meetings may be called in accordance with Section 11.01.

Business Permitted. The county executive committee may conduct any business as is required or necessary insofar as such business is consistent with the Plan of Organization.

2.05 DUTIES OF COUNTY OFFICERS

Chair. The duties of the county chair shall include:
1. Preside at county executive committee meetings and county conventions;
2. Draft, in consultation with the county executive committee, a strategic plan outlining reasonable political goals for the county;
3. Execute the strategic plan approved by the county executive committee;
4. Appoint an acting precinct chair for up to thirty (30) days – for any precinct that remains unorganized after the second scheduled precinct meeting – for the purpose of organizing the precinct in accordance with this Plan of Organization;
5. Appoint an acting precinct chair for any newly created precinct for the purpose of organizing that precinct in accordance with this Plan of Organization;
6. Designate the date and time, consistent with the parameters set by the state chair, at which precinct meetings will be held;
7. Designate the exact time and place, consistent with the date set by the state chair, at which the county convention is to be held, providing said designation to be given to the precinct chairs at least thirty (30) days prior to said county convention;
8. Appoint committees as may be required to assist in the execution of these duties;
9. Encourage and facilitate establishment and continuity of county chapters of state auxiliary organizations;
10. Attend meetings of the district and state executive committees;
11. Serve as the spokesperson for the county executive committee;
12. Serve as the liaison between the county executive committee and the district executive committee, the state party officers, and the state executive committee;
13. Represent the county executive committee at party and non-party meetings and functions;
14. Appoint a county party attorney, to serve at the Chair’s pleasure;
15. Carry out other duties as may be assigned by this Plan of Organization or by the county or state executive committees;
16. Transmit all records pertaining to the office to successor within ten (10) days of vacating office.

First Vice Chair. The duties of the county first vice chair shall be such as may be assigned by the county chair and shall include the following:

1. Preside at county executive committee meetings and county conventions in the absence of the chair;
2. Plan and organize county executive committee meetings and county conventions;
3. Notify precinct chairs as to the number of votes that each precinct is entitled to cast at the county executive committee and the county convention;
4. Serve as the coordinator for all precinct and party organizing efforts within the county, in consultation with the other officers and consistent with the strategic plan approved by the county executive committee;
5. Attend meetings of the district executive committee;
6. Carry out other duties as may be assigned by the county executive committee;
7. Transmit all records pertaining to the office to successor within ten (10) days of vacating office.

Second Vice Chair. The duties of the county second vice chair shall be such as may be assigned by the county chair and shall include the following:

1. Plan and organize training sessions for county executive committee members and other interested active Democrats;
2. Carry out other duties as may be assigned by the county executive committee;
3. Transmit all records pertaining to the office to successor within ten (10) days of vacating office.

Third Vice Chair. The duties of the county third vice chair shall be such as may be assigned by the county chair and shall include the following:

1. Serve as the publicity chair for the county executive committee utilizing local newspapers, newsletters, etc. to illuminate policy issues and announce political activities and/or accomplishments to voters in the county;
2. Carry out other duties as may be assigned by the county executive committee;
3. Transmit all records pertaining to the office to successor within ten (10) days of vacating office.

Secretary. The duties of the county secretary shall include:

1. Keep and maintain in good order all records of the county executive committee;
2. Issue all meeting notices in writing and consistent with the requirements of this Plan of Organization;
3. Carry out other duties as may be assigned by the county executive committee;
4. Transmit all records pertaining to the office to successor within ten (10) days of vacating office.

Treasurer. The duties of the county treasurer shall include:

1. Maintain the county executive committee treasury at an insured commercial bank;
2. Maintain all records required by law or by the county executive committee of contributions received and disbursements made;
3. Prepare and file any reports as may be required by law or by the county executive committee;
4. Coordinate the county executive committee’s efforts to reach its sustaining fund goal for the state party;
5. Transmit all records pertaining to the office to successor within ten (10) days of vacating office.

2.06 COUNTY BOARDS OF ELECTIONS

Method of Selection. The county chair shall call a meeting of the county executive committee and, after consultation with the precinct chairs, submit three (3) names of active Democrats as his or her recommendations for confirmation by the county executive committee. Only when such recommendations shall be confirmed by a majority of the county executive committee members present and voting shall the recommendation be submitted to the state chair. If the county executive committee refuses to confirm a person recommended by the county chair, then the floor shall be open for nominations for that position. Only when a nominee has received a majority vote of the county executive committee members present and voting shall the recommended name be submitted to the state chair. The time frame for the county executive committee to meet to act on these recommendations, the deadline for submitting recommendations to the state chair, and the manner by which such recommendations shall be submitted to the state chair shall be determined and set forth by the state chair.

In the event of a vacancy during the term of a member of the county board of elections, then the county executive committee shall use the same procedure as above, but shall only be required to submit two (2) names to the state chair.

In the event of a vacancy during the term of a member of the county board of elections, if it is determined, by a majority of the elected officers of the county executive committee, that sufficient time does not exist due to the next scheduled meeting of the state board of elections, an election, or pressing vital issues before the county board of elections, to give the required notice of a county executive committee meeting pursuant to the provisions of Section 11.01, the county chair may submit his or her recommendation to the state chair after obtaining confirmation of said recommendations from a majority of the county executive committee without holding a meeting. Attempts must be made to reach all members of the county executive committee and record of such attempts and the disposition of each attempt must be submitted to the secretary of the county executive committee within ten (10) days.

Qualifications of Members. No person may serve on the county board of elections who does not meet the requirements set forth for such office in the General Statutes of North Carolina.

2.07 PRECINCT JUDGES

The county chair, after consultation with the precinct chairs, shall recommend to the county board of elections the names of persons to serve as precinct judges. No person may serve as a precinct judge who does not meet the requirements for such office as set forth in the General Statutes of North Carolina.

2.08 RULES FOR PRECINCT MEETINGS

The county executive committee shall have power to make any rules with regard to the holding of precinct meetings that it may deem proper, not inconsistent with this Plan of Organization.

2.09 MUNICIPAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

There shall be a municipal executive committee when required by law to fill any vacancies in nomination to partisan municipal offices to be voted for in any town or city election. The municipal executive committee shall be composed of the precinct chair and vice chair of the precincts that comprise the city or town. Each member shall be entitled to vote as prescribed in Sections 2.02 and 11.03. The county chair shall be an ex-officio, nonvoting member of the committee and preside at all meetings.

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