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THE RULES OF THE

YOUNG DEMOCRATS
PUERTO RICO CHAPTER

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I.

Statement of Principles
The Young Democrats Puerto Rico Chapter (hereby referred to as
YDPR) hereby adopt the following statement of principles and
beliefs:

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We believe that the Democratic Party of the United States of

America, with its great diversity, its historic role in being the voice
for the needs of the Hispanic community, and its instinctive
responsiveness to the human needs and aspirations, is the adequate
instrument to provide the leadership demanded in the challenging
times we live. We further believe that the Democratic Party
responds to the needs of the people of Puerto Rico and will provide
our people a responsible and responsive government. We stand for
the following:

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1. A society where the rights of all Hispanics and minorities are

fully secured and where no one is denied the opportunity for a
better quality of life;
2. A society where both public and private discrimination based
upon race, sex, age, color, creed, sexual orientation, national
origin, religion, ethnic identity, economic status or physical
disability are condemned and where our government moves
aggressively to end such discrimination through lawful means;
3. That government functions best when it is closest to the people;

4. That all Democrats are bound to defend and protect the

founding principles of our Party;
5. We stand for individual freedom in the framework of
meaningful participation by all citizens;
6. A society where the elderly, the veterans and the disabled can
lead lives of dignity;
7. A society where all workers are guaranteed without question
the right to join unions of their own choosing and to bargain
collectively for decent wages and conditions of employment;
and
8. A society where a sound education, proper nutrition, quality
medical care, affordable housing, safe streets and a healthy
environment are possible for every citizen.

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Furthermore, as young democrats, we stand for the following:

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1. Education is a right and must be made accessible to everyone;

2. We must conduct ourselves as a vehicle for the development
and training of young democrats as leaders and to provide them
with the tools to serve the people and advance the ideals of the
Democratic Party and the self-determination of Puerto Rico;
3. We believe in the right for the people of Puerto Rico to vote for
the President of the United States of America based on our
condition as American citizens and military draft obligations;
4. We believe that people of the LGBT community must reach full
rights;
5. Due to the unique nature of the political composition of Puerto
Rico, we will not discriminate against anyone based on his or
her preference in regards to the means by which to reach the
self-determination of Puerto Rico.

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II.

General Provisions
1. The YDPR shall be open to all who desire to support the
aforementioned principles and beliefs, who wish to be known
as Democrats, and who do not support or participate in the

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2.

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3.

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4.

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5.

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6.

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7.

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8.

affairs of any other party that nominates candidates for the

Presidency of the United States or publicly supports or
campaign for any Republican candidate for any office in any
jurisdiction of the United States of America.
No Democrat in Puerto Rico shall be denied the right to vote in
any process based solely on the persons preference regarding
the political status of Puerto Rico.
Neither test of membership in, nor oaths of loyalty to, YDPR
shall be required or used if it has the effect of requiring
prospective or current members of the Democratic Party to
acquiesce in, condone, or support discrimination on the grounds
of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender
expression, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic
identity, economic status or disability.
YDPR, at all levels shall support the broadest possible voter
registration and participation without discrimination on the
grounds of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender
expression, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic
identity, economic status or disability.
Public meetings and assemblies shall be open to all members
regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
gender expression, age, color, creed, national origin, religion,
ethnic identity, economic status, philosophical persuasion or
disability.
All records of the YDPR shall be made available for inspection
to any member of the YDPR upon request.
All references to written notice and written consent shall
include any notice and consent given by electronic
transmission. The term electronic transmission means any
process of communication that is suitable for the retention,
retrieval and reproduction of information by the recipient and
which does not directly involve the physical transfer of paper.
The official languages of the YDPR shall be English and
Spanish. All records and official documents shall be prepared
and filed in either of the official languages.

9. If a challenge is set forth alleging non compliance with the

aforementioned, the alleged non compliance shall be referred to
the Democratic Party of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
(hereby referred to as DPCPR) for review, provided that any
person alleging non compliance with these rules shall have
exhausted all remedies provided by YDPR.

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III.

Membership
1. In order to be eligible for membership in the YDPR, an
individual must be between the ages of 14 to 35 years old;
2. Each member shall freely provide a valid government issued
photo identification, and / or birth certificate as evidence of age;
3. Each member shall fill out a membership form with their full
names, addresses, zip code; mobile and alternate phone
numbers, e-mail address, occupation, employer, and date of
birth including month, day, and year (pursuant of Section
110(g) of the Chartering of the Young Democrats of America
(YDA))
4. A membership fee of twenty dollars ($20.00) shall be
forwarded to the Young Democrats Puerto Rico Chapter for
each Active, Associate, and At-large Professional member.
5. To be a bonafide YDA active member it is imperative that the
membership fee be paid, the Board of Directors will approve by
letter or email and send a welcome letter after reviewing the
membership application. One month of previous active
membership will be required to participate or vote in any
special assembly / election or nominations committee in the
organization;
6. Any other person who supports the foregoing Statement of
Principles and meet the age criteria are encouraged to
participate in YDPR activities but may not vote.
7. Only Board members shall be entitled to proxy voting. No
Board member present at a Board meeting can exercise more
than one proxy per meeting. Proxies will not be counted for the
purposes of quorum in Board meetings.

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IV.

Board of Directors
YDPR shall be organized in a General Committee and an
Executive Committee. They shall serve as the governing body of
the organization.
1. Executive Committee
i. State President
ii. First Vice President of the opposite gender from the State
President
iii. Second Vice President of the same gender as the State
President
iv. Secretary
v. Treasurer
vi. National Committeeman
vii. National Committeewoman
2. General Committee
i. All members of the Executive Committee
ii. Executive Director
iii. Parliamentarian
iv. General Counsel
v. Membership Director
vi. High School Chair
vii. College Chair
viii. Caucus Chairs
ix. Ex-Officio Members Past State Presidents
3. Appointments
i. Following the election of the State President, but no later
than four (4) weeks of its election, the Executive
Committee shall appoint the Parliamentarian, General
Counsel, and Membership Director. Each member of the
Executive Committee may submit a candidate by means
of submitting his resume alongside a statement. A
simple majority in either an in-person or electronic vote
must ratify each appointment.
ii. The Executive Committee must make available a
candidate packet for the election of High School Chair,

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4.

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5.

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6.

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7.

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8.

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9.

College Chair, and Caucus Chairs. These members shall

be elected on the following Annual General Assembly
where Executive Committee members are not set for
election.
iii. The State President shall have the authority to appoint an
Executive Director. Such appointee will serve at the
pleasure of the Chair.
Regular meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held at
least once a month during its term of office at such time and
place as the State President shall direct notice to the Board
members by written notice by email or any verifiable
postmarked way at least five (5) days prior to the meeting.
Meetings of the Board may be attended by non-members of the
Board who are members of the YDPR upon the invitation of the
President and with the consent of the simple majority of the
members of the Board present.
The State President may, at any time, at his or her own
discretion, decide to go into executive session and exclude all
non-members of the Board from any meeting of the Board.
Minutes of each meeting shall be prepared and kept in file and
made available for review by any member.
Thirty percent (30%) or more of the members of the Board shall
constitute quorum for the transaction of business at all meetings
of the Board. Provided quorum is reached at the beginning of
the meeting of the Board. The voting members of the Board
present at a duly organized meeting may continue to transact
business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of
enough members to leave less than quorum. If a meeting of the
Board cannot be organized because a quorum is not present,
those present may adjourn the meeting from time to time until a
quorum is present, and once a quorum is reached, it may
transact any business at the meeting as originally called.
The Board may conduct meetings by conference call or similar
communications equipment that enables all members of the
Board necessary to have quorum, participation to hear each

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other at the same time. Participation in a meeting of the Board

by such means shall constitute presence in person at such
meetings.
10. Duties of the Officers of the YDPR
i. State President - The State President shall be the
principal and presiding officer of the YDPR, shall have
all of the authority and duties implied by such title and
expressed and implied by these Rules. The State
President shall have the authority to establish and to
appoint committees with the advice and consent of the
Executive Committee. The State President shall issue
calls for all meetings of the General and Executive
Committees, as well as the General Assembly. The State
President shall be a member ex officio of all committees,
save as otherwise herein provided. The State President
shall also be a member of the Central Committee of the
DPCPR (pursuant of Article III, a(i) of the DPCPR
Rules).
ii. First Vice President of the opposite gender from the
State President - The Vice-President shall act, as an
assistant to the State President, shall have all of the
authority and duties implied by such title and expressed
and implied by these Rules. The Vice President shall
preside over meetings of YDPR in the absence of the
State President and shall fill any ex-officio position, save
as otherwise herein provided. In the event of the
absence, disqualification, resignation, removal, or death
of the State President, the Vice-President shall perform
all duties of the State President.
iii. Second Vice President of the same gender as the State
President - The Vice-President shall act, as an assistant
to the State President, shall have all of the authority and
duties implied by such title and expressed and implied by
these Rules. The Vice President shall preside over
meetings of YDPR in the absence of both the State

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iv.

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v.

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vi.

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vii.

President and Vice President of the opposite sex and shall

fill membership director in the event of a vacancy of the
Membership Director.
Secretary - The Secretary shall be the recording officer
of the YDPR for all the proceedings. The Secretary shall
be responsible for the minutes of all meetings of the
Board of Directors, and oversee records of all official
actions taken by and in the name of the YDPR. In
addition, the Secretary shall attend to all correspondence
of the YDPR, as well as send out all meeting notices as
directed by the Chair. In addition, the Secretary shall
prepare and file the records of the corporation for the
yearly submission to the Department of State of Puerto
Rico.
Treasurer The Treasurers duties shall be to maintain
the financial documents of YDPR. He or she may report
on receipts and disbursements at each regularly
scheduled meeting. The checkbook shall be brought to
all meetings in order to expedite financial matters before
the YDPR. The Treasurer will receive assistance in the
preparation of the annual report from a CPA appointed
by the State President.
National Committeeman and Committeewoman shall coordinate the participation of the members of the
YDPR in all conferences and national meetings of the
YDA. They shall lobby and vote on behalf of the YDPR
in every meeting of the YDA National Committee. They
shall also serve as liaisons between the YDPR and the
YDA, and to represent the organization at all meetings of
the National Committee of the YDA.
Executive Director He or she shall supervise the
administrative affairs of the YDPR, including the
maintenance of any appropriate list of members, file
necessary reports, participate in YDPR meetings and
conference calls, and perform any additional tasks

assigned by the State President or the Executive

Committee.
viii. Parliamentarian He or she shall advice the State
President and the YDPR on any interpretation of these
rules and on parliamentary procedures.
ix. General Counsel He or she will provide legal advice
to the State President and the YDPR, and will monitor
compliance of the YDPR with the applicable Charter,
Rules and By-Laws of the YDA, DPCPR, and the
Democratic National Committee (hereby referred to as
DNC).
x. Membership Director He or she shall create, execute,
and maintain a membership engagement program and
work alongside the Board of Directors on membership
growth and retention. The Membership Director will
work hand on hand with the Secretary for the purposes of
quorum on assemblies.

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V.

Standing Committees
1. The State President shall appoint all Standing Committee
chairpersons.
2. The following standing committees shall exist:
i. Campaign Committee - shall formulate YDPR stateside
campaigns, providing support for Democratic candidates
for office who support the self-determination of Puerto
Rico.
ii. Rules Committee - will be headed by the General
Counsel and shall regularly analyze the proper
functioning of the procedures of the YDPR and shall be
responsible for preparation of amendments to or revision
of the Constitution and By-Laws as directed by the
YDPR.
iii. Credentials Committee - shall review the qualifications
for membership of any person and evaluate applications
by other organizations to affiliate to the YDPR.

iv. Finance Committee - shall raise funds for the YDPR, as

well as conduct auditing procedures as authorized by the
State President, the Treasurer or the Board of Directors.
v. Issues and Resolutions Committee - shall advise the
State President on the development of issues relevant and
of interest to the YDPR and will consider all resolutions
proposed at assemblies before referral to the membership
and with the approval of the Executive Committee.
vi. Community Service Committee - encourages and
facilitates active participation of the membership in
volunteer activities in and throughout the national,
regional and local level communities.
3. All committees shall approve and adopt their own internal
rules, consistent with the Rules of the YDPR and prepare
minutes of all meetings that shall be submitted to the State
President and the Board of Directors.
4. All committees shall report to the State President and the
Executive Board regularly on activities and initiatives and shall
perform such duties as the State President or the Board may
seem fit from time to time.
5. The State President and the Board of Directors may create other
committees or caucuses according to the needs of the YDPR.

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VI.

Finance
1. The Finance Committee shall adopt and pass a budget no later
than four weeks before the beginning of the fiscal year,
containing appropriations for the fiscal year. The budget shall
specify the purpose and the amount of each appropriation, and
include a statement of the estimated revenue and its sources for
the fiscal period.
2. All disbursements shall be made by checks, which shall show
the payee, the items of service rendered or materials purchased,
and the amount of the payment. Disbursements shall not exceed
the gross amount of the annual budget.

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3. The Board of Directors shall designate the depositories of all

funds of the YDPR. The Board of Directors shall have the
power to authorize which Officers or agents may execute the
checks, by resolution to such effects. Such changes or additions
shall be made in an appropriate timeframe with the proper
institution. When those designated to sign checks are unable to
perform their functions, the Board of Directors shall designate
substitutes by resolution.
4. The Board of Directors shall provide for the prompt payment of
all indebtedness of the YDPR.
5. The Board of Directors shall provide for the annual audit of the
YDPR accounting system, only by qualified accountants;
providing that, if needed, these audits may also be done more
frequently during a fiscal year.

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VII. Elections of the Executive Committee and Term in Office

1. All the members of the Executive Committee of the Board will
be elected in an Assembly every two (2) years by a simple
majority of the votes cast in an assembly as defined on Article
VIII, section 4.
2. Vacancies
i. It is the duty of each member of the Board to attend
regular and special meetings of the Board. Failure to
attend a Board meeting without good cause (as
determined by the Board) constitutes an unexcused
absence. Any member of the Board who accumulates
three (3) or more unexcused absences during his or her
term of office and who duly received notices of such
meetings in accordance with these By-Laws shall be
presumed unable to carry out the duties of office and may
be replaced by the State President thirty days (30) after
the notice of replacement has been sent to such member
of the Board by the President.
ii. In the event of a vacancy of any office, other than the
State President, a successor shall be appointed by the

State President from among the Regular Members. The

Executive Committee, by a simple majority in either an
in-person or by electronic vote, must ratify this
appointment.
iii. In the event of a vacancy in the office of State President,
the Second Vice-President of the opposite gender from
the State President shall automatically become acting
State President for the remainder of the term as defined
on Article IV, section 10(ii).

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VIII. Procedures
1. The Assembly of the YDPR shall meet at least once a year
before the end of August at a time and place designated by the
Board.
2. The Secretary shall give written notice to the last known
address of each YDPR member on a minimum of fourteen (14)
days before the required Annual Assembly, and on a minimum
of seven (7) days before each Extraordinary Assembly.
3. Quorum for assemblies shall be 20% of the total membership.
Provided quorum is reached at the beginning of the meeting or
assembly. The members present at a duly organized meeting or
assembly may continue to transact business until adjournment,
notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough members to result in
less than quorum.
4. Only bonafide members may vote on assemblies as defined on
Article III, section 5.

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IX.

Severability
The provisions of these rules are independent and if any of its
provisions were to be declared unconstitutional or illegal by any
Court of competent jurisdiction, the decision of said Court shall
not affect or invalidate any of the remaining provisions, which will
retain full force and effect.

X.

Ratification and Adoption

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1. These Rules or any provision thereof may be amended by a

two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present at any duly called
YDPR Assembly Meeting or in a Special Extraordinary
Executive Board Meeting by the majority of the present board
members.
2. These Rules shall become effective upon a vote as defined on
Article X, section 1. Nevertheless, these Rules must be ratified
at the First Assembly Meeting.
3. Any proposed amendments to the By-Laws shall be first
proposed in writing to the State President of the YDPR who
will refer it to the Constitution and By-Laws Committee, which
shall evaluate the proposed amendment solely for legality
purposes.
4. These By-Laws shall take effect immediately after its approval
and shall be signed by the State President and the Secretary.

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In San Juan, Puerto Rico, this 25th of June 2015.

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I hereby certify that the above are the Rules of the YDPR approved by The

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Executive Committee (governing body as defined on Article X, section 1) on

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June 25, 2015 (date).

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Ricardo F. Alfaro Ramos

State President

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Victor Pizarro
Secretary