Revised 9/3/2019

Article I

Purposes and Duties

Section A  –  Purpose

A.1)     It shall be the purpose of the New Britain Republican Town Committee to:

  1. Promote the welfare and growth of the Republican Party.
  2. Assist in the recruitment and promotion of Republican candidates.
  3. Advance Republican ideals at all levels of government.
  4. Lead Republican party activities and efforts.

Section B  –  Duties of the Town Committee

B.1)     The duties of the New Britain Republican Town Committee include, but are not limited to:

  1. Conducting voter registration drives at community events.
  2. Directing party fund raising events and allocating party funds to further the stated purpose of the organization.
  3. Informing and educating New Britain residents about local government actions and decisions that impact their daily lives.
  4. Developing and implementing local party policy.
  5. Providing support for all Republican candidates.
  6. Conducting all elections and primaries to elect party candidates.

 

 

Article II

Definitions

A.1)     Active Voter List – The list of active Republican electors as compiled by the Republican Registrar of Voters on the first Monday in the month of January for each even-numbered year.

A.2)     Associate Members – Non-voting members appointed to the Town Committee in accordance with Article III Section B(3).

A.3)     Municipal Office – Any office for which only the electors of the City of New Britain may vote and includes all elected offices of the City and Justices of the Peace.

A.4)     Primary Act – Chapter 153 of the Connecticut General Statutes, as the same shall be amended from time to time.

A.5)     Gender – All occurrences of pronouns, regardless of gender, shall automatically be assumed to include both the male and female gender.

 

 

Article III

Qualifications and Organization

Section A  –  Membership Qualifications

A.1)     The following qualifications must be met by all members of the New Britain Republican Town Committee. Members of the Republican Town Committee:

  1. Must reside within the boundaries of the voting ward they represent during the entire term of their membership.
  2. Be registered within the City of New Britain as Republican electors.

Section B  –  Composition of the Town Committee

B.1)     The Republican Town Committee shall consist of the voting members from each voting ward, the officers designated in Section D, associate members and elected Republicans currently serving in municipal or state positions.

B.2)     Voting members of the Republican Town Committee shall be determined based on the number of registered Republicans on the Active Voter List within each voting ward.

  1. Three voting members from each ward.
  2. One additional member for every seventy –five registered Republicans in excess of the first one hundred registered Republicans.

B.3)     Associate members shall be appointed by Voting Ward Committees (see Section C of this Article).

  1. Associate members must meet all requirements of voting members (see Section A of this Article).
  2. There shall be no limit to the number of associate members.
  3. Associate members shall have the same privileges and duties of voting members except that they shall not vote on any matter.

B.4)     Republican officials currently elected to any municipal or state office and are not voting members of the Republican Town Committee shall be honorary associate members of the Republican Town Committee.

Section C  –  Voting Ward Committees

C.1)     Voting Ward Committees for each voting ward shall consist of all members of the Republican Town Committee who reside within that voting ward.

C.2)     Each Voting Ward Committee shall elect from among its’ members a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman, as outlined under Article V Section C.6 and Article IX (inclusive).

Section D  –  Officers of the Town Committee

D.1)     Officers may be elected from within or without the membership of the Town Committee subject to the following conditions:

  1. All officers of the Town Committee shall be registered Republican electors.
  2. All officers of the Town Committee shall reside within the City of New Britain.
  3. Officers may cast a vote only if they are elected members of the Town Committee per Article IV.

D.2)     The officers of the Town Committee shall include, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer and Deputy Treasurer.

  1. The duties of Chairman shall:
    1. Preside over all meetings of the Town Committee
    2. Make appointments to sub-committees of the Town Committee
    3. Coordinate and cooperate with the Ward Chairman and Ward Vice-Chairman in the conduct of elections and endorsements.
    4. Perform all other functions delegated to him under the rules of the Republican Party or Town Committee.
  2. The Vice-Chairman shall, in the absence or incapacity of the Town Chairman, assume and perform his duties.
  3. The Town Committee Recording Secretary shall:
    1. Keep the minutes of the meetings of the Town Committee.
    2. Record all votes of the Town Committee.
    3. Give all notices and perform all other functions prescribed for secretary under the rules of the Republican Party or Town Committee.
  4. The Corresponding Secretary shall:
    1. Conduct all Town Committee correspondence except for official notices.
    2. Receive all correspondence and report upon such correspondence at each Town Committee meeting.
  5. The Treasurer shall:
    1. Assist in the soliciting of funds.
    2. Disburse funds under the direction of the Town Committee or on instructions from the Town Committee Chairman.
    3. Keep a complete record of all receipts and disbursements:
      1. Any distribution of funds between the amounts of $250.00 and $749.99 shall be approved by a majority of the sitting officers of the Town Committee. Officers may be polled by phone or electronic means by the Chairman.
      2. Any distribution of funds equal to or greater than $750.00 must be approved by majority of a quorum as outlined under Article IX at a regularly scheduled Town Committee meeting. Officers may cast a vote only if they are an elected member of the Town Committee per Article IV.
    4. Make a yearly account of the finances of the Town Committee:
      1. In February of each calendar year a report shall be produced outlining the revenues collected and expenses made on behalf of the Town Committee for the previous calendar year, based on the approved budget.
    5. File all financial reports required by Connecticut General Statutes
    6. Perform all other functions imposed upon him by the rules of the State Republican Party or the Town Committee.
    7. Appoint solicitors:
      1. Solicitors shall solicit funds on behalf of the Town Committee.
      2. Solicitors shall turn over all contributions to the Treasurer within a reasonable amount of time.
      3. Solicitors shall incur no financial obligation unless approved by the Treasurer.

D.3)     The officers shall have a term of office lasting for two years, or until their successors are chosen (but no more than 26 months).

Section E  –  Sub-Committees

E.1)     Standing sub-committees shall include:

  1. Finance
    1. There shall be a minimum of five (5) appointed members, approved by majority of a quorum as outlined under Article IX at a regularly scheduled meeting.  Additional members may be approved, but in all cases the membership shall total an odd number of appointments. The Treasurer shall not serve as a member of the Finance sub-committee.
    2. The Finance sub-committee shall develop an annual budget for presentation and approval at the regularly scheduled Town Committee meeting each December. It shall be approved by majority of a quorum as outlined under Article IX and shall commence implementation in January of each calendar year.
  2. New Voter
  3. Candidate Research and Recruitment
  4. Public Communications
  5. Information and Technology
  6. By-Laws

E.2)     In addition to all standing sub-committees, the Chairman may form ad hoc sub-committees to fulfill various functions at his discretion.

 

 

Article IV

Election of Voting Members

Section A  –  Manner of endorsement

A.1)     The endorsement of voting members of the Republican Town Committee shall be by caucus of registered Republican electors on the Active Voter List and shall be held in accordance with Connecticut State Statute (Sections 9-390 through 9-397 inclusive) and the rules of the Connecticut Republican Party.

Section B  –  Date of Caucus to Endorse Town Committee Members

B.1)     The caucus to endorse the voting members of the Republican Town Committee shall be held 49 to 56 days prior to the first Tuesday in March in even-numbered years.

B.2)     The Town Committee Chairman or, in the event of his failure to act, the Town Committee Vice-Chairman must publish notice of the caucus date in a newspaper having a substantial circulation within the city no less than five (5) days prior to the date of the caucus.      

Section C  –  Procedures for Caucus

C.1)     At the caucus voters will separate by Wards to conduct endorsements.

C.2)     Each voting ward caucus shall elect from among its’ members a Chairman and Secretary.

C.3)     The Town Committee Chairman shall provide each Caucus Chairman with an Active Voter List for the appropriate Voting Ward.

C.4)     The caucus shall proceed as follows:

  1. The caucus Secretary shall verify that all electors attending the caucus are registered Republican electors.
  2. The Caucus Chairman shall open the floor for nominations:
    1. Any member of the caucus may forward a nomination, requiring no second.
    2. Nominees must be on the Active Voter List and meet all other qualifications outlined in Article III Section A.
    3. Any elector who is present and nominated has the right to refuse a nomination.
    4. Electors who are not present may only be nominated if they have submitted a dated and signed letter indicating their willingness to be a nominee.
    5. The Caucus Secretary shall record all nominations.
  3. Once there are no more nominations the Caucus Chairman shall close the floor for nominations.
  4. The caucus Secretary shall read the list of nominated candidates and then the Endorsement shall be conducted by secret ballot.
  5. In the event the number of nominations is equal to, or less than, the number of seats within the voting ward, the Caucus Secretary may cast one ballot endorsing the slate by a simple majority.
  6. In the event the number of nominations is greater than the number of seats within the voting ward, ballots shall be cast in the following manner:
    1. Each elector within the caucus shall cast one ballot containing a number of names not greater than the total number of seats in the ward.
    2. The Caucus Secretary and Chairman shall record the number of votes received by each nominee.
    3. Seats shall then be filled by nominees by order of votes received.
    4. If there is a tie between any number of nominees for the final seat or seats to be filled (e.g. three or more nominees each have the same number of votes for the remaining two seats or any number of nominees have the same number of votes for the remaining seat) then a runoff vote shall be conducted.
      1. In a runoff all members of the caucus shall cast a new ballot where the eligible candidates shall be the nominees currently tied.
      2. The number of names cast by each elector shall be no more than the number of seats remaining.
      3. Remaining seats shall be filled in accordance with Section C.4.f(i-iii) of this Article.
      4. This process shall be repeated until all seats are filled.
  7. The results of each Ward endorsement shall be recorded by the Caucus Secretary and certified by the Caucus Chairman and then delivered to the Town Committee Chairman.

C.5)     Once caucuses have been completed the Town Committee Chairman shall reconvene the general caucus and read the results from each Ward. 

 

 

Article V

Election of Officers

Section A  –  Date of Election

A.1)     Elections of Officers shall be held during each even-numbered year.

A.2)     The date on which the Town Committee shall meet to elect officers shall be within two weeks of the first Tuesday in March.

Section B  –  Officer Qualifications

B.1)     Officers may be elected from with or without the voting membership of the Town Committee.

B.2)     Officers must be registered Republican Electors within the City of New Britain.

Section C  –  Procedure for Election

C.1)     The presiding officer for officer elections shall be the current seated Chairman.

  1. In the event that the Chairman is seeking re-election the presiding officer shall be the Vice-Chairman.
  2. In the event that both the Chairman and Vice-Chairman are seeking election to the office of Chairman the committee shall elect a presiding officer who is not seeking the office of Chairman.

C.2)     Officers shall be nominated and elected in the following order: Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Deputy Treasurer

C.3)     The presiding officer shall open the floor for nominations.

  1. Nominations may be made by any voting member and requires a second.
  2. In order for a nomination to be considered valid the nominee must accept the nomination in person or via a dated and signed letter.

C.4)     Once nominations are completed the presiding officer shall open the floor for election.

  1. Once the floor is open for election no additional nominations can be made.
  2. If there is no more than one candidate for any position then the Secretary can cast one ballot for the entire slate by majority vote of the Town Committee.
  3. If there are two or more nominees for any office then the election shall be conducted by roll call vote unless more than one-third (1/3) of the voting members present request a secret ballot.
  4. In the event of a tie, the presiding officer shall have the deciding vote.

C.5)     Once the office of Chairman has been filled the newly elected Chairman shall serve as presiding officer for the remaining officer elections.

C.6)     There shall be elected within each Voting Ward Committee a Ward Chairman and Ward Vice-Chairman. They shall be elected by a vote of the voting members of such Voting Ward at a meeting duly noticed and called for such purpose and subject to the quorum requirements outlined under Article IX; and, if there is a tie vote among the members present and voting at such meeting, such tie shall be broken by the Town Chairman.

  1. Nominations may be made by any Voting Ward member and requires a second.
  2. In order for a nomination to be considered valid the nominee must accept the nomination in person or via a dated and signed letter.

Section D  –  Notice of Organization

D.1)     Within one (1) week after the election of Town Committee officers, the recording Secretary shall file with the Secretary of the Republican State Central Committee a list of the names and addresses of the officers and elected members of the Republican Town Committee, and the name of the Republican Registrar of Voters.

 

 

Article VI

Vacancies

Section A  –  Town Committee Vacancies

A.1)     All vacancies shall be filled using the same election procedures as outlined in Articles IV and V of these by-laws.

A.2)     Whenever the office of Town Committee Chairman or another Town Committee officer is vacated for any reason, it shall be filled within fifty (50) days after the office is vacated by majority vote of the voting members of the Town Committee at a meeting duly noticed and called for that purpose by the Town Committee Chairman or Vice-Chairman as outlined in Article IX Section B(1), as the case may be, or if either fails to act, by members of the Town Committee as outlined in Article IX Section B(2).

A.3)     Whenever the office of Voting Ward Chairman or Voting Ward Vice-Chairman is vacated for any reason, it shall be filled by the remaining voting members of that Voting Ward within fifty (50) days after the office is vacated at a meeting duly noticed and called for that purpose by  the Voting Ward Chairman or Voting Ward Vice-Chairman or, if either fails to act, by the remaining members of the Voting Ward as outlined in Article IX Section B(3).

A.4)     Whenever the position of Voting Ward member shall be vacated for any reason, it shall be filled by the remaining voting members of that Voting Ward within fifty (50) days after the office is vacated at a meeting duly noticed and called for that purpose as outlined in Article IX Section B(3).

A.5)     Should there be no remaining voting members from the Voting Ward, or if the vote of the remaining voting members results in a tie, vacancies shall be filled by a majority vote of the voting members of the Town Committee at a meeting duly noticed and call for that purpose.

 

 

 

Article VII

Removal of Officers

Section A  –  Meeting Requirements

A.1)     A meeting to remove officers must be called by at least one-third (1/3) of the voting members of the Town Committee.

A.2)     Any such meeting shall require five (5) days written notice.

Section B  –  Removal Procedure

B.1)     Any officer may be removed by a majority vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the entire voting membership of the Town Committee at any meeting called for this purpose in accordance with Section A of this Article.

B.2)     Proxy voting shall not be permitted for any vote regarding the removal of officers.

 

 

Article VIII

Removal of Members

Section A  –  Request for Resignation

A.1)     Voting members of the Town Committee may not be removed by a vote of the Town Committee, however the Town Committee may direct the Chairman to request the Resignation of any member by a majority vote.     

Section B  –  Attendance

B.1)     The Secretary shall notify the Town Chairman of any member who either:

  1. Is absent from four consecutive meetings.
  2. Or is absent from six (6) regularly scheduled meetings annually.

B.2)     The Town Chairman shall then notify the Town Committee at the next regular meeting and call for a vote as to whether or not to request the member’s resignation.

Section C  –  Conduct

C.1)     Any member shall have the right to ask the Town Committee to request the resignation of any member for conduct unbecoming to the organization.

C.2)     Any such request shall require a second.

 

 

Article IX

Meetings

Section A  –  Regular Meetings

A.1)     Regular meetings of the Town Committee shall be held the first Tuesday of each month at  a time and place designated by the Town Committee Chairman.

A.2)     In addition, the Town Committee shall meet the 12th, 10th, 8th, 6th, 4th, and 2nd week preceding any Regular or Special, Municipal, State or National election.

A.3)     All regular meetings shall require seven (7) days notice via written or electronic means.

A.4)     Regular meetings of the Voting Ward Committees shall be held on a quarterly basis in January, April, July and October of each calendar year.

Section B  –  Special Meetings

B.1)     Special meetings may be called by the Town Committee Chairman as needed.

  1. Such meetings shall require twenty-four (24) hour notice via written, electronic or oral means.

B.2)     Special meetings nay also be held by petition of five (5) voting members of the Town Committee.

  1. All special meetings called in this manner requires at least seventy-two (72) hour written notice via mail or electronic media including:
    1. Date and time of the meeting
    2. Location of the meeting
    3. Purpose of the meeting

B.3)     Special meetings may be called by the Voting Ward Chairman as he/she deems it necessary, or held on petition of three (3) voting members from such Voting Ward by their giving written notice via mail or any electronic means at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to the time set for such meeting specifying time, place and purpose.

Section C  –  Electronic Meetings

C.1)     Upon the order of the Town Chairman, any special meeting of the Town Committee, subject to the notification requirements of Section B of this Article, may be conducted by means of a conference telephone or similar communications equipment by which all persons participating can hear each other at the same time. Participation by such means shall constitute a “presence in person” at such meeting.

Section D  –  Quorums

D.1)     All meetings of the Town Committee, Voting Ward Committees, or Sub-Committees shall require a quorum of one-third (1/3), rounding up to the next whole number if fraction is greater than .5, of the total current members of such group to be present to conduct official business. In no case regarding Town Committee meetings shall the present quorum number be less than ten (10), and in no case shall the present quorum number of Voting Ward Committees or Sub-Committees be less than three (3).

D.2)     A majority vote of the members present at any meeting having obtained a quorum shall constitute the action of the entire body with the exception of candidate endorsement.

  1. Members may be represented by proxies, who shall be electors from the same voting ward of the member giving the proxy.
  2. Proxies shall furnish to the secretary a written proxy designation signed and dated by such member.

Section E  –  Executive Session

E.1)     Any meeting of the Town Committee or Voting Ward Committee may enter executive session by:

  1. Order of the presiding officer.
  2. Or by a majority vote of those present, either in person or by proxy.

E.2)        Any meeting in executive session shall be closed to all persons except the appointed officers of that body and the voting members of that body.

 

 

Article X

Endorsements

 Section A  –  Endorsements

A.1)     The method of selecting party-endorsed candidates for state or municipal office, or delegates to conventions, shall be by endorsement of the voting members of the Town Committee in accordance with Section 9-390 through 9-397 of the Connecticut General Statutes and the procedures outlined in this Article.

A.2)     In the selection of party endorsed candidates for an office or position for which only the electors of a political sub-division may vote, only members of the Town Committee from such political sub-division shall be the endorsing body.

  1. Should less than one-half plus one (1/2 + 1) of the members from a political sub-division be present to make such endorsement then the Town Committee as a whole shall become the endorsing body.

Section B  –  Procedure for Endorsements

B.1)     The presence of one-half plus one (1/2 + 1) voting members of the endorsing body, including the presiding officers for the endorsement, shall be required in all meetings for the endorsement of candidates.

B.2)     Voting members of the endorsing body shall have one vote each whenever a vote is required; proxy votes shall not be allowed for candidate endorsements.

B.3)     Endorsements shall be made by roll call vote, unless a majority of the endorsing body, including the presiding officer, request a secret ballot.

B.4)     A majority vote of all members of the endorsing body shall be necessary to determine an endorsed candidate.

  1. All nominations shall be made from the floor and require a second.
  2. When there is only one nominee for an elected office or position, or only up to as many candidates as can be endorsed for an office or position, the Secretary of the Town Committee shall cast one ballot for the endorsed candidates on behalf of the Town Committee.
  3. In the case where there are multiple candidates for a single elective office or position, or more candidates than can be endorsed for an office or position, the candidate receiving the lowest number of votes shall be dropped from the next round of balloting.
    1. Balloting shall continue until a candidate or set of candidates are sufficiently endorsed as outlined in Section B.4(a-c) above.

B.5)     Whenever voting for the selection of party-endorsed candidates for state or municipal office or position, or for delegates to conventions shall result in a tie, the presiding officer shall have the right to cast a vote to break such tie. This vote shall be in addition to any other vote the presiding officer may have.

 

 

Article XI

By-Laws Amendments or Revisions

Section A  –  Amendment or Revision Process

A.1)     Any revisions or amendments must first be presented at a regular meeting of the Town Committee.

A.2)     Following the reading, all revisions or amendments must be provided to all voting members of the Town Committee by mail or other electronic means.

A.3)     These by-laws may then be revised or amended by a majority vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the total voting members of the Town Committee at a meeting called for that purpose which shall take place no earlier than thirty (30) days after the meeting at which the amendments were presented and distributed.

Section B  –  Date of Enactment

B.1)     Any revisions or amendments adopted under this Article shall be effective sixty (60) days after the date on which they are filed with the Secretary of State by the Town Committee Chairman.

B.2)     When any such revision or amendment is to be filed as required by this section, complete party rules incorporating such revision or amendment shall be filed together with a separate copy of such revision or amendment.

 

 

Article XII

Addendum

Section A  –  Amendment or Revision Process

A.1)     Any revisions or amendments must first be presented at a regular meeting of the Town Committee.

A.2)     Following the reading, all revisions or amendments must be provided to all voting members of the Town Committee by mail or other electronic means.

A.3)     These by-laws may then be revised or amended by a majority vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the total voting members of the Town Committee at a meeting called for that purpose which shall take place no earlier than thirty (30) days after the meeting at which the amendments were presented and distributed.

Section B  –  Date of Enactment

B.1)     Any revisions or amendments adopted under this Article shall be effective sixty (60) days after the date on which they are filed with the Secretary of State by the Town Committee Chairman.

B.2)     When any such revision or amendment is to be filed as required by this section, complete party rules incorporating such revision or amendment shall be filed together with a separate copy of such revision or amendment.