Constitution of the New Hampshire Democratic Party

Chapter Eight
Local Committees

1. Purpose
   The organization of the Democratic Party at the local level will be ensured through city committees, town committees, and ward committees ("local committees") to act within their respective jurisdictions.
2. Powers and Duties of Local Committees
   Local committees have the following powers and duties within their respective jurisdictions, to:
   1. Conduct the business of the Democratic Party within their respective jurisdictions;
   2. Elect their officers;
   3. Elect Convention Delegates;
   4. Adopt bylaws governing their activities consistent with the Constitution of the N. H. Democratic Party and the county organization, including provisions for removal of officers for neglect of duty or for publicly supporting a candidate of another political party or other candidate opposed to a duly nominated candidate of the Democratic party;
   5. Support the activities of the State and County committees;
   6. Recruit Democratic candidates for office;
   7. Fill vacancies on the Democratic ballot according to New Hampshire law;
   8. Appoint inspectors of election according to New Hampshire law; and
   9. Remain neutral in the Party’s primary contests and in all elections, including nonpartisan municipal elections, where two or more registered Democrats are competing for the same office. This does not preclude recruitment of qualified candidates to fill positions on primary ballots, nor does it prohibit Members of the Committee from individually endorsing candidates in such elections.
3. Membership
   Local committees consist of all registered Democrats within their respective jurisdictions.
4. Officers
   1. Officers. The officers of local committees will consist of a Chair, a Co-Chair or Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, and will be elected at the meeting held to elect delegates to the State Convention. The bylaws adopted by each local committee will establish the powers and duties of the local officers. The State Chair will list no local officer on the official roster of local organization officers without certification.
   2. Resignation, Removal, and Replacement of Local Officers. When a local officer resigns, is unable to perform the duties of the office to which elected, or neglects, fails, or refuses to perform the duties of that office, or publicly supports a candidate of another political party or another candidate opposed to a duly nominated candidate of the Democratic Party, the local committee will remove that officer according to its bylaws. In the event a local committee neglects or refuses to do so, the County Chair may declare the office vacant. The County Executive Committee may appoint an acting officer who will serve until the local committee elects a replacement. Vacancies will be filled within sixty (60) days from the time of the vacancy by majority vote of members of the Local Committee present and voting at a meeting properly advertised for that purpose. Notice of the results of that election will be forwarded to the State Party within two weeks of the date of the election.
5. Meetings
   Each local committee will meet at least twice a year and at such other times as may be necessary to fulfill its duties. Each local committee will provide through bylaws for reasonable notice of meetings, for conduct of meetings, for quorum requirements, and for other matters of order. Local committees will meet by April 1 before the State Convention for the purposes of electing convention delegates and electing officers according to the procedure prescribed by the State Executive Committee, and will forward the results of those elections to the State Party by April 8.
6. Resolution of Disputes
   Any member of a local organization who believes an action of a local organization contravenes the Constitution of the Democratic Party of New Hampshire or the bylaws of the local organization may appeal that action to the State Chair within five (5) days of that action. The State Chair, after consultation with the Legal Counsel, will issue, within thirty days of receipt of that complaint, an opinion that will be binding upon the particular local organization unless an appeal is made, within five (5) days of receipt of the decision of the State Chair, to the next meeting of the State Executive Committee.

Source: Constitution of the State of New Hampshire, adopted June 7, 1997, ammended June 1999 and March 2003.