Lower Keys League of Women Voters Bylaws

Article I

Name

The name of this organization shall be the Lower Keys League of Women Voters, hereafter referred to as the League.

Article II

Vision, Mission, and Policy

Vision: The Lower Keys League of Women Voters is dedicated to fostering an informed, engaged electorate and to defending voters’ rights.

Mission: The Lower Keys League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Policies: Political Policy: The League shall not support or oppose any political party or candidate. A detailed non-partisan policy is attached to these bylaws.  Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Policy: The League is fully committed to ensure compliance – in principle and in practice – with LWVUS’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy. The LWVUS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy is attached to these bylaws.

Article III

Membership

Any person who subscribes to the purposes and policy of The League shall be eligible for membership.
Citizens of at least 18 years of age who join The League shall be voting Members.

Article IV

Board of Directors

1. The Board of Directors shall consist of at least five (5), but no more than eleven (11 Directors who shall be elected by the general membership at the Annual Meeting.

2. A slate shall be nominated by the Nominating Committee (See Article VIII, 4) and nominations will be open to the floor.

3. A Director’s term of office shall be two years.

4. A Director may be elected for three consecutive two-year terms and may not sit on the board for one full year thereafter, except by special vote of the Board.

5. The term of office for approximately one half of the Directors will expire each year.

6. A candidate for Director must be a voting member of The League.

7. The Board of Directors may appoint a person to fill the unexpired term of any Director who fails to complete a term.

8. Any Director who is absent from three consecutive Directors’ meetings without providing the Secretary with valid reasons shall be considered to have resigned.

9. The Board of Directors shall have full charge of the property and business of The League with full power and authority to manage and conduct the same.

10. The Board of Directors shall review local chapter bylaws and policies annually.

11. The Board of Directors may appoint a former Board director as a director emeritus to serve as a non-voting adviser on League matters. This appointment shall be to a term of 5 years duration, which can be renewed by the Board. Also, such Emeritus Board Member shall serve at the pleasure of the Board.

Article V

Officers

1. The officers of The League shall be a President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.

2. The President, Secretary, and half of the Directors shall be elected at Annual Meetings in odd years. The Treasurer, and the other half of the Directors shall be elected at Annual Meetings in even years. All shall serve for a term of two (2) years beginning at the start of the fiscal year. No person may serve on the Board for more than three consecutive terms or fractions thereof.

3. The President shall preside at all meetings of the organization and of the Board of Directors, unless the President shall designate another person to preside. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee. The President shall have such usual powers of supervision and management as may pertain to the office of the President and perform such duties as may be assigned by the Board.

4. In the event of absence, disability, resignation or death of a Board Officer the Board of Directors shall select one of its elected members to fill the vacancy.

5. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all Board of Directors meetings and General Membership Meetings and shall be the Historian of the organization.

6. The Treasurer shall collect, receive, and disburse moneys; be custodian of these moneys, and present periodic statements to the Board at its regular meetings and at General Membership Meetings. The Treasurer will also maintain an inventory of the League’s assets and chair a finance committee.

Article VI

Meetings

1. There shall be at least nine (9) regular monthly meetings of the Board during a calendar year. Regularly scheduled meetings are open to the general membership.

2. A majority of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum.

3. An Annual Meeting of the general membership shall be held every February, notice of which shall be provided to members at least 14 days in advance, delivered by email unless otherwise requested.

4. At the Annual Meeting, 20-percent of the active members number as certified by the Secretary as of January 31 of the year of the meeting shall constitute a quorum.

5. The President shall notify each member of the Board of Directors of the time and place of all regular meetings in writing at least a week before the regular meeting.

6. The President may call special meetings of the Board of Directors and shall call a special meeting upon the written request of three members of the Board.

7. Meetings shall be held in person. In case Directors cannot be present, they may participate in full by electronic means including, but not limited to, telephonic conferencing, remote communication, and video conferencing.

8. In exceptional circumstances, voting or consensus on items of Board business may be conducted by e-mail.

9. A special general membership meeting may be called upon the written request of five Members-at-Large.

Article VII

Financial Administration

1. The fiscal year of The League shall commence on April 1 of each year.

2. Monies shall be deposited in federally insured financial institutions. The Treasurer and President shall be qualified signatories on all accounts.

3. The financial books of the Treasurer shall be reviewed annually by an audit committee appointed by the Board.

4. An annual budget shall be prepared by the Treasurer and a finance committee appointed by the Board. It shall be submitted to the Board for approval at its December meeting. After the Board’s approval, the budget will be submitted to the membership for adoption at the February Annual Meeting.

5. The Board of Directors shall maintain a statement of financial policies.

6. In the event of the dissolution of The League, all monies under its control shall, after payment of its obligations, be paid to the League of Women Voters of Florida.

Article VIII

Committees

1. The Membership Committee chair shall be appointed annually by the President and shall appoint committee members as necessary. The committee shall solicit members from the community and keep a current record of members.

2. The Voter Services chair shall be appointed annually by the President and shall appoint committee members as necessary. The Voter Services committee shall organize voter registration, voter education, and other pertinent activities.

3. The Communications Committee chair shall be appointed annually by the President and shall appoint committee members as necessary. The Communications Committee shall in a timely manner advertise League news and events in local media.

4. The Nominating Committee shall be elected by the members-at-large at the annual meeting and shall consist of one member of the Board of Directors and two members-at-large, none of whom will be seeking election the following year. Nominating Committee members’ terms shall be one year. They shall nominate a slate of candidates for the Board of Directors, its officers, and the Nominating Committee for the following year.

5. The President may, with Board approval, create additional committees as needed.

Article IX

Program

1. The governing principles adopted by the national and state Convention and supported by the League as a whole constitute guidance for the adoption of program.

2. Members-at-Large and the Board of Directors shall make recommendations for program items at the Annual Meeting.

3. The Board of Directors shall consider the recommendations and create a calendar of activities for the year.

Article X

Amendments

1. Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by the Board of Directors and may be adopted by the consent of two-thirds of the Members present at any Annual or Special Meeting of the members.

2. A notice for a meeting where bylaws amendments will be voted upon must contain the amendments in full and be delivered in writing to members either physically or by electronic means two weeks prior to the meeting.

Article XI

Dissolution

1. The League may be dissolved after a motion to do so is adopted by two-thirds of Board members present at a monthly meeting and approved at the next Annual Meeting by two-thirds of the Members Present. Upon dissolution, the residual assets of the organization will be turned over to the League of Women Voters of Florida.

Article XII

Interpretation

1. These bylaws shall be liberally interpreted in order to accomplish their basic intent, which is hereby stated to be the efficient operation and management of the Lower Keys League of Women Voters in order to accomplish the purposes stated in its Vision and Mission Statements.

Amendments and Notes

NOTES: The original bylaws were approved by the Members this 22nd day of February 2014 | Diane Johnson, Secretary Joan Wallin, President.

1. The Lower Keys League of Women Voters adopted bylaws at its February 22, 2014 general membership meeting. The Board of Directors will review our bylaws annually in October.

2. The bylaws were amended at the Feb. 20, 2016, annual meeting to include Article IV: 11.

3. The bylaws were amended at our Feb. 18, 2017 Annual Meeting to amend portions of Article IV and Article V to reduce minimum number of board members.

4. The bylaws were amended at our Feb. 23, 2019 Annual Meeting to amend portions of Article VIII to allow president to appoint committee chairs from among the entire membership and to change the name of the Public Relations Committee to the Communications Committee.

5. The bylaws were amended at the Feb. 22, 2020, Annual Meeting to stipulate in Article V, Section 4, that in the event of a vacancy of a Board Officer position prior to the end of that officer’s elected term, that the Board of Directors shall select a replacement from the elected members. And in Article VI, Section 4, the quorum requirement was changed from a simple majority to 20-percent of the active members number as certified by the Secretary as of January 31 of the year of the meeting. Additionally, several small clerical errors were corrected for clarity only.

6. The bylaws were amended at our Feb. 20, 2021, Annual Meeting. Article II, Section 3. Policies, to include language supporting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and in keeping with the LWVUS DEI policy set forth in their governing bylaws.

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Lower Keys League of Women Voters Non-Partisan Policy

1. Elected Office. No member of the Board shall run for or hold, any elective office. Board members shall be considered candidates upon establishing campaign accounts.

2. Political Party Office. No member of the Board shall serve in any position in a political party.

3. Campaign Contributions. The President and Voter Service Chair may not attend fundraising events or make campaign contributions for candidates. Other board members may attend fundraising events and make campaign contributions for candidates at any level as individuals but never as representatives of the League.

4. Political Campaigns. No member of the Board shall chair or administer fundraising or political campaigns, chair a campaign event or work in a significant way in the campaign of a candidate for office at any level.

5. Additional Clarification. Board members shall present questions about specific situations to the Board where the foregoing policies do not resolve the question. This policy shall be reviewed and readopted by the Board at the beginning of each new biennium.

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League of Women Voters of the U.S. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy

LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy.
There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender, gender identity, ethnicity, race, native or indigenous origin, age, generation, sexual orientation, culture, religion, belief system, marital status, parental status, socioeconomic status, language, accent, ability status, mental health, educational level or background, geography, nationality, work style, work experience, job role function, thinking style, personality type, physical appearance, political perspective or affiliation and/or any other characteristic that can be identified as recognizing or illustrating diversity.