12th LD Virtual Reorganization Rules 

1. Applicability 
   1. This set of rules shall govern all business that must be conducted at 12th LD Democrats biennial Reorganization meeting in the event that, pursuant to Article X of the bylaws, it is held virtually. 
2. Conduct of Business 
   1. Individuals are to remain muted throughout proceedings unless unmuted by the Chair or the Chairs designee after being granted the floor. To prevent debate that circumnavigates the standard speaking order or distracts focus from the recognized speaker holding the floor, any chat functions should only allow direct 1:1 messaging to individual participants. 
   2. To be recognized a Member must first communicate their desire to be recognized and the purpose for which recognition is sought. If a member would like to be recognized for debate or to provide a motion,  or a nomination during the election of officers, they may use the “raise hand” function in Zoom, or similar applicable function in the software being utilized, provided the Chair or Chair’s designee will be able to monitor all participants equally well and assure fairness in recognition. The Chair or the Chairs designee will keep a running list of individuals who have their hands raised and the order in which they  raised their hands to recognize them to speak.  
      1. If conducting debate, the Chair may bypass the next speaker to hear from additional individuals who have their hands raised to alternate debate between pro and con. 
   3. Requests for recognition to make a motion that requires interrupting the current speaker and requests for recognition when no other business is pending should be made by direct messaging the Chair or the Chairs designee using the most suitable chat function available within the platform being utilized. 
   4. Debate will be limited to a maximum of one minute per speaker, and a maximum of two speeches pro and two speeches con, per motion. 
3. Election of Officers 
   1. Election of Officers will be the first item of business after gaveling the meeting to order and adoption of the agenda.
   2. Any individual who otherwise is eligible to serve as an elected officer may submit their name and  position for which they are running prior to any virtual election being held, to the current Chair or through the self-nomination form at https://forms.gle/j54bUmxC7eVzABRg8. The Chair will confirm receipt of intention to run within 24 hours of receiving the intention. An individual may submit their name for multiple positions but if they do, they need to expressly indicate whether they will accept the first position to which they are elected and withdraw their name from nomination for the other offices to be elected, or if they intend to occupy multiple offices if so elected. Any individual may be nominated from the floor with a nomination and following any additional requirements per local bylaws. A nominee who is nominated by another individual shall have the opportunity to accept or refuse the nomination.
   3. All votes will be conducted sequentially in the order of Chair; Vice Chair; both State Committee Officers;  all other local officers outlined in the district Charter and Bylaws.
      1. The current Chair of the Organization will preside over the meeting until such time as a new Chair is elected. 
      2. Under the charter and by state statute, only duly elected PCO’s elected for the 2025-2026 term may vote for Chair, Vice Chair, State Committee Officers and County Committee Officers (if applicable) and the adoption or amendment of any bylaw amendments submitted. The eligibility of non-PCO members to vote on any other business is determined by the Bylaws. 
      3. A simple majority is required for election.
         1. In the event that no candidate achieves a simple majority on the first round of voting, candidates will be removed until there are two (2) times the number of positions available (example: If 8 people are running for 2 state committee member positions,  then the bottom 4 vote-getters are dropped, with 4 remaining, following all applicable gender requirements.)  
         2.  In the event of a tie when no other candidates can be dropped due to positions being filled the position shall be decided by lot. 
         3. After the conclusion of the Chair’s election, only candidates of a different gender identity, if any are running, are eligible to appear on the ballot for Vice Chair election.  
      4. Elections for State Committee members must be conducted simultaneously. All candidates for State Committee Members will be listed on the ballot, and voters must select exactly two (2) candidates, but they must be of different genders (example: a voter may choose 1 male, 1 female, 1 male and 1 gender non-binary individual, 1 female and 1 gender non-binary individual,  but may not select 2 gender non-binary individuals 2 males, or 2 females).  
   4. Each candidate who is nominated in advance shall be allowed to submit a written statement to the Chair of the district no later than four (4) days before the virtual election. The Communications team shall transmit any such submitted statements to all members in good standing no later than three (3) days prior to any virtual election being held. 
      1. Chair Candidates: Statement of no more than 500 words. 
      2. Vice Chair, State Committee Members and County Committee Members (if applicable):  Statement of no more than 350 words. 
      3. All other local offices: Statement of no more than 250 words. 
   5. Each candidate for a contested election shall be allowed to give a live speech prior to the vote for each respective position over the designated online meeting platform, subject to the below limitations. Order is determined by the order in which candidates were nominated (including those who were nominated prior to the beginning  of the meeting). 
      1. Chair Candidates: Speech no longer than four (4) minutes. 
      2. Vice Chair, State Committee Members and County Committee Members (if applicable): Speech no longer than three (3) minutes. 
      3. All other local offices: Speech no longer than two (2) minutes.
   6. The Chair and/or a designated individual or tally committee shall create and compile the ballot for all contested positions. Ballots must meet the following requirements: 
      1. Each ballot shall go “live” only after the conclusion of all speeches for the respective position. 
      2. A ballot must use a Unique Voter Identification or contain name, email, and a mailing address to ensure the integrity of the election. Any ballot that does not have these identification criteria shall be considered spoiled and invalid. 
      3. Ballots must remain open for a minimum of ten (5) minutes. 
      4. Any member of a local organization in good standing must be able to audit all ballots and election results upon written request to the Chair and/or another designated individual.
   7. The highest-ranking outgoing officer of the organization and a second individual designated by the outgoing Chair, neither of whom may be candidates themselves, shall certify the election results as timely as possible after the close of voting and immediately transmit said results to all members present. 
4. Other Business 
   1.  An agenda proposed by the Chair at the time of Call to Meeting, to be distributed no fewer than 7 days from the beginning of the meeting will be voted upon during the meeting using the same process as used to elect officers. The proposed agenda must include elections for all officers.
   2. All other business will be conducted in accordance with local bylaws and section 2 of these rules.