Download Documents

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lrv18vifn9j4u12/AAD6zy7qcgc9bnhl4xJZrsLEa?dl=0

SENATE DISTRICT 49
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
March 5, 2023

1. PARLIAMENTARY RULES
The conduct of the business of this Convention shall be governed by the laws of the State of Minnesota, the Constitution and Bylaws of the Republican Party of Minnesota (“RPM”), the Constitution and Bylaws of the Third Congressional District, the Bylaws of Senate District 49 (the “Senate District”), the Official Call or the rules adopted by the Convention, and by the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, in order of precedence.

2. ORDER OF BUSINESS
The Convention order of business shall be as outlined on the official agenda.

3. AMENDMENT OR SUSPENSION
After adoption, these rules may be amended or suspended only by an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the seated delegates and seated alternates as determined by the final report of the Credentials Committee.

4. ADDRESSING THE CONVENTION

1. A delegate wishing to speak shall rise, address the Convention Chair (the “Chair”), and when recognized by the Chair, state his/her name and precinct and the purpose for speaking.

2. Debate on any motion or subject shall be limited to two (2) minutes to each speaker.  No person shall be allowed to speak more than twice on the same subject.

3. At least one speaker on each side of a question shall have the opportunity to speak to an issue before a call for the question shall be in order.

4. Each candidate for a contested office shall be allowed time to address the Convention.  Candidates for Senate District Chair shall be allowed a total of six (6) minutes each.  Candidates for other offices will be allowed a total of four (4) minutes each. This time limit applies to nominating and seconding speeches and his/her personal address to the Convention. The Timekeeper shall keep an accurate record of the time used by each candidate.

5. The Chair, at his/her discretion, may recognize elected officials, Party officers and others, and allow them the privilege of addressing the Convention for a period not to exceed five (5) minutes each.

 
5. CONVENTION ROLL AND QUORUM
Persons entitled to vote at the Convention are the registered delegates and seated alternates who were elected as delegates or alternates at the February 2022 precinct caucuses within Senate District 49 and who presently reside within a precinct in the Senate District.

1. Filling of Vacancies:  Following the preliminary report of the Credentials Committee, each Precinct Chair shall fill vacancies in the precinct delegations. If no precinct Chair is seated for a precinct, a majority of seated delegates for the precinct shall designate a temporary precinct Chair for the Convention. The precinct Chair shall fill delegate vacancies from the alternates elected from the precinct as follows:

(1) From the elected alternates of the precinct in the order, if any, designated at the precinct caucus.

(2) Where no priority of alternates was established at the caucus, the precinct Chairpersons shall designate, for their precinct, the alternates to be seated. 

(3) If the precinct Chairpersons cannot agree, or if neither Chairperson is seated, a majority of seated delegates from that precinct shall choose the alternates to be seated.

(4) If there is no majority opinion of the precinct’s registered delegates, or if no delegates are present, the Senate District Chair shall fill the vacancy from the elected alternates from that precinct, if any.

1. Seating of registered alternates shall be permitted at any time if a seated delegate or seated alternate is absent.  However, upon the return of the previously seated delegate or the arrival of a properly registered alternate delegate, said delegate shall be seated.

2. A majority of the total number of delegates registered shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of convening the Convention; thereafter, a call for a quorum shall be out of order.   

6. VOTING

a. Voting for contested offices and contested delegate and alternate positions shall be by written secret ballot following the rules in Section

b. Voting on all other items shall be by voice vote. If the Chair is in doubt on a vote, he/she may order a standing vote.

c. At the request of one or more delegates from three or more precincts, a standing vote shall be taken.

d. If the Chair is in doubt as to the result of a standing vote, he/she may order a polling of the precincts. The votes shall be reported by the respective precinct Chair.

e. Each seated delegate and seated alternate shall have one full vote. There shall be no voting by proxy.

7. BALLOTING

When balloting is used for election of officers and for State Central Committee delegates and alternates, it shall be conducted as follows:

a. Election of SD49 Executive Committee and State Central Committee members shall be on a separate ballot.

b. Precinct Chairs shall receive ballots from the tellers to be distributed to their seated delegates and seated alternates. If no Chair is present, a delegate shall be designated in the manner provided in Rule 5b to receive and collect the ballots.

c. Ballots cast by precinct delegates and seated alternates shall be collected by the respective precinct Chairs and returned to the tellers. The number of ballots allotted to and cast by each precinct shall be determined to be equal by the tellers. Any discrepancies shall be announced to the Convention before the ballots are co-mingled with those of the other precincts.

d. If there is a dispute as to the number of ballots cast by a precinct, a challenge must be made before the ballots from that precinct are placed with the other ballots for tabulation.  Upon such a challenge the Chair shall appoint a special judge and a special teller to count the ballots cast by said precinct. The precinct shall be required to vote again only if the count reveals more ballots cast than votes allotted to that precinct.

e. The tellers shall report to the Chair the total number of votes cast for each candidate for each position. The Chair shall announce the results to the Convention.

f. Once balloting in a contested election has commenced by distribution of ballots to the precincts and before announcement of the results of that ballot to the Convention, motions of no-endorsement, to table, to postpone indefinitely, to adjourn, or the like shall be out of order.

8. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF SENATE DISTRICT OFFICERS
The Senate District Officers to be elected by this Convention shall be elected by a vote of the full Convention and shall proceed as follows:
a. Any person wishing to be considered for nomination to a Senate District Officer position shall present him/herself to the Officer Nominating Committee prior to the Convention. No one person can run for more than one Executive Committee position.
b. The Nominating Committee shall present its nominations for the offices to the Convention. Nominations from the floor shall not be in order.
c. If there is no contest for an office, there will be no nominating speeches, and the nominee will be voted on by voice vote.
d. The order of presentation of candidates for each contested Senate District Office shall be determined by lot.
e. No person shall be elected to a Senate District Office unless he/she receives a majority of votes cast on the ballot for that position. A ballot with fewer or more names than the number of positions to be filled or containing the name(s) of a person(s) not duly nominated shall be invalid. Blank ballots shall not be counted.

9. ELECTION OF DELEGATES AND ALTERNATES TO THE STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
Election (Nomination) of delegates and alternates shall be as follows:
a. Any person wishing to be considered for nomination as a State Central Delegate shall present him/herself to the Nominating Committee prior to the Convention.
b. The Nominating Committee shall present to the Convention its nominations for delegates to the State Central Committee, hereinafter known as “SCC”. Nominations from the floor shall not be in order.
c. Prior to taking a vote for State Central Delegates and Alternates, the Convention may, by a motion and majority vote, choose to allow each State Central Committee nominee to address the convention for one (1) minute.
d. For the 2023 State Central Committee, the Senate District is allotted four (4) delegates, four (4) first alternates, four (4) second alternates and four (4) third alternate positions, for a total of sixteen (16) delegates and alternates from the Third Congressional District.
(1) Any Senate District Chair who resides in the Third Congressional District shall be seated as delegates from the Third Congressional District without a Convention ballot. The SCC nominees receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected to the remaining open delegate positions. The remainder of the SCC nominees shall be declared elected to positions as first, second and third alternates in highest vote order until the list of SCC Nominees has been exhausted. Ties will be broken by drawing a coin toss.
(2) A ballot for SCC Nominees, from the Third Congressional District, must indicate votes for six (6) nominees. A ballot with fewer or more names than six (6) or containing the name of a person not duly nominated shall be invalid. Blank ballots shall not be counted.
(3) Upon completion of voting for SCC Nominees and notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs a. and b. of this Rule 9, nominations for any remaining unfilled alternate positions shall be taken from the floor. A ballot must indicate votes for all unfilled positions. A ballot with fewer or more names or containing the name of a person not duly nominated shall be invalid. Blank ballots shall not be counted. Once a sufficient number of nominations from the floor has been made to fill such remaining unfilled alternate position(s), a motion to close nominations shall be considered to be in order.
10. RESOLUTIONS
Commendatory resolutions shall be given in writing to the Convention Secretary within one-half (1/2) hour after the adoption of these rules. All other resolutions shall be offered from the floor and only by suspension of these rules.

11. TRANSMITTAL OF NAMES
The names of those persons elected as Senate District Officers and State Central delegates and alternates shall be forwarded no later than three (3) days after the Convention to the Third and Fifth District Republican Committee offices.

12. MISCELLANEOUS
a. Minority reports of Convention committees may be presented if agreed upon by two or more members of the committee and delivered to the Rules Committee Chair prior to the presentation of the Rules Committee Report.
b. Registration shall close at the time stated in the call, provided that registration has been open for at least one (1) hour. No Senate District delegates or alternates may register thereafter.
c. No video or audio recording equipment may be activated in the Convention hall without the prior written permission of the Chair.