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Johnson County Democrats
2013 Convention Rules and Nominations Committee Report
The Rules and Nominations Committee would like to put forward the following rules and nominations of officers for the 2013 Johnson County Democratic Convention.
Respectfully submitted,
Melanie Cloud Gross, Chair
The Rules and Nominations Committee would like to nominate the following people as officers for the 2013 Johnson County Democrats Convention:
Chair – Sally Stutsman
Parliamentarian – TBD
Secretary – TBD
Timekeepers – TBD
Sergeant-at-Arms – TBD
Johnson County Democratic Convention
Report of Rules and Nominations Committee
Article I. Opening Activities
§ 1. The Convention shall be called to order no later than fifteen (15) minutes after the time announced in the official call. If the Chair does not call the Convention to order within this time limit, any delegate may call the Convention to order.
§ 2. An official Timekeeper shall be appointed by the Chair, prior to the introduction of the first speaker, to assist the Chair in enforcing the time limits on speakers. Time limits shall be strictly enforced. The timekeeper will display a yellow card when the speaker has 30 seconds remaining and a red card when time has elapsed. Any delegate may call upon the Chair to enforce the time limit.
§ 3. Declared Democratic candidates for office within Johnson County (excluding candidates/nominees for the currently vacant county supervisor seat who will be allowed to speak later), including state legislative candidates, shall be introduced and allowed to address the Convention for no more than three (3) minutes. State officers or candidates, and guest speakers invited by the Johnson County Central Committee, shall be introduced and allowed to address the Convention for no more than four (4) minutes. Congressional or Senatorial candidates shall be introduced and allowed to address the Convention for no more than seven (7) minutes. No substitute or representative speakers shall be permitted.
Article II. Committee Reports
§1. Credentials Committee: In the event of a delegate challenge, the Committee on Credentials shall include in its report the name of the delegate or alternate who it believes is entitled to participate in the Convention. When several challenges are to be resolved, the Committee on Credentials shall report on each challenge in the alphanumeric order by the precinct in which the challenged delegates or alternates reside.
§ 2. Rules and Nominations Committee: The special convention shall be in accordance with procedures approved by the State Central Committee and with the supplementary recommendations of the Rules and Nominations Committee as adopted by the Convention. Business or reports from the Rules and Nominations Committee shall have preference over other items of business.
Article III. Special Orders of Business
§ 1. It shall be in order at any time for the Committee on Rules and Nominations to
report to the Convention a resolution providing a special Order of Business for the
debate of any resolution, motion, or committee report, or of a minority report or
amendment to a committee report, or for the consideration of any matter for which
provision is not made in these rules.
Article IV. Powers and Duties of the Chair
§ 1. It shall be the responsibility of the Chair to conduct and expedite the business of the Convention and to preserve order and decorum in its proceedings.
§ 2. The Chair is authorized to:
A. appoint such additional officers as may be required to assist in conducting the business of the Convention, giving due consideration to affirmative action and constituency group representation;
B. appoint any delegate temporarily to perform the duties of the Chair;
C. take such lawful action as may be necessary and appropriate to preserve order throughout the convention hall.
Article V. Voting
§ 1. Except as otherwise required, voting shall be by voice vote, or, at the discretion of the chair, by standing division.
§ 2. All questions, except as otherwise specified in these rules, shall be determined by a majority vote of the seated delegates present and voting.
§ 3. When a question has been put to the vote, the vote thereon may not be interrupted for any purpose other than to move for a ballot vote, or to direct a point of order to the conduct of the vote. The Chair shall interpret a motion for a roll-call vote as a motion for a ballot vote. A non-secret ballot may be ordered upon a motion which must be seconded and supported in a standing vote by one-third (1/3) of the seated delegates present.
§ 4. During the counting of the votes on any issue, the Chair may place a new main motion on the floor (returning to the previous motion after the counting is completed).
Article VI. Appeals
§ 1. The Chair shall decide all questions of order, subject to an appeal by any delegate. Such appeals may be debated for no more than three (3) minutes, to be equally divided between the delegate appealing and a delegate in favor of sustaining the ruling of the Chair. Before the question is put on any appeal, the Chair shall be entitled to briefly state the reasons for its ruling. Upon completion of debate, the convention shall decide by majority vote of the delegates present and voting whether to sustain or overrule the decision of the Chair.
§2. An appeal shall not be in order:
A. while another appeal is pending;
B. to challenge decisions of recognition;
C. during a non-secret ballot;
D. on a question on which an appeal has been denied;
Article VII. Motion to Suspend the Rules
§ 1. The Chair may entertain a motion to suspend the rules for a stated purpose. If
seconded, debate shall be allowed for no more than three (4) minutes, to be
equally divided between those for and against the motion, with no more than one
(1) minute allowed per speaker.
§ 2. Passage of a motion to suspend the rules shall require an affirmative standing vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the seated delegates present and voting.
Article VIII. Motions
§ 1. The Rules of the reconvened special convention only allow for one order of business, namely to nominate the Democratic candidate for the vacant Johnson County Supervisor seat. Any other business brought to the podium or to the floor will be ruled out of order by the Chair or the Rules Committee. Any motions not directly related to the purpose of the convention will not be allowed.
§ 2 A non-procedural motion may be offered to the Convention by any delegate provided that it is related to the purpose of the convention as stated above in Article VIII §1, legibly written, signed by at least three (3) delegates, and submitted to the Chair before it is introduced.
§ 3. Amendments to motions may be offered from the floor by any delegate. Amendments may be offered orally but shall be subsequently submitted to the chair in writing prior to voting on said amendment.
§ 4. No motion or amendment thereto shall be considered by the Convention until seconded from the floor.
§ 5. No motion or amendment thereto shall be brought before the Convention that is inconsistent with or repugnant to a motion or resolution previously adopted, unless the prior motion or resolution has been either rescinded or reconsidered and rejected.
§ 6. A motion to recess shall be in order at any time (except when the question has been
called or a vote is in progress) and shall be decided without debate. The Chair shall not entertain a motion to recess when it closely follows another such motion if, in the opinion of the Chair, the motion is dilatory.
§ 7. A motion to recess shall be for a time period of no more than ten (10) minutes.
§ 8. A motion to adjourn shall not be in order until the convention has completed all duties imposed by law or by the rules of the National, State or Johnson County Democratic Party.
Article IX. Quorum
§ 1. Five percent of the number of delegates to the reconvened special convention will be considered a quorum.
§ 2. No motion or point of order questioning a quorum shall be in order after the completion of the final Credentials Committee report.
Article X. Rules of Order
§ 1. These rules shall be interpreted so as to be consistent with the Charter of the Democratic Party of the United States, the Constitution and Bylaws of the Iowa Democratic Party, the report of the County Rules and Nominations Committee, and applicable state and federal laws.
§ 2. Any point of order not covered by these rules shall be determined by reference to the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.
Article XI. Nomination Procedure for Democratic candidate for the vacant seat of Johnson County Supervisor
§ 1. Nominations will be open to the floor for the Democratic candidate for the vacant seat of Johnson County Supervisor. Any seated delegate to the special convention may make a nomination. Upon the close of nominations, the nominees will be allowed to address the Special Convention for a period not to exceed five (5) minutes each. Voting for the nomination will be by delegate specific paper ballots which will be collected and tabulated under the auspices of the Rules and Nomination Committee.
A. If there is only one (1) nomination, a vote of acclamation is in order.
B. If there are two (2) nominations, the selection will be determined by majority vote.
C. If there are three (3) nominations, and there is a majority (>50%) for one of the three candidates, the candidate receiving more than 50% will be
nominated. If no candidate receives a majority, the candidate receiving the lowest number of votes will be eliminated. There will be a runoff vote between the remaining two candidates and the selection will be determined by majority vote.
D. If there are four or more (4+) nominations, and there is a majority (>50%) for one of the candidates, the candidate receiving more than 50% will be nominated. If no candidate receives a majority, the two (2) candidates receiving the lowest number of votes will be eliminated, and there will be additional round(s) of voting until two or three candidates remain. When two candidates remain, there will be a runoff election with the nominee selected by majority vote. When three candidates remain, Article XII,§ 1-C applies.
E. If there is a tie to advance to the next round of voting, a runoff vote will be held between the two candidates receiving the tied votes to determine which candidate will advance to the next round of voting. In the event that a tie vote can not be resolved by runoff voting, a game of chance may be used to decide the outcome.
Article XII. Ratification and Verification
§ 1. The entire Special Convention must ratify the nomination of the Democratic candidate for the vacant seat of Johnson County Supervisor. Ratification means only that it is the sense of the Convention that the procedures used in the elections were in accordance with the rules of the Convention and the procedures required by the Constitution of the Iowa Democratic Party.
§ 2. The Chair of the Rules and Nominations Committee shall take possession of all ballots used during the Convention and preserve them for one (1) year.
Important Deadlines for the Special Convention
Beginning of registration for delegates and alternates – 6:00pm
Call to order – 7:00pm
Seating of Alternates – 7:00pm
Close of Seating of Alternates – 7:30pm
Beginning of official business – 7:30pm