MEMBERSHIP AND VOTING ELIGIBILITY

The Policy Committee is an open subcommittee of the general membership, with voting eligibility based on the following criteria: 

a. Membership in New Kings Democrats
b. Attendance at two of the previous six Policy Committee meetings
c. Members of the Executive Committee are excluded from voting in the Policy Committee, with the exception of the VP of Policy, who may vote in the instance of a tie.
d. The chair of the Policy Committee is the VP of Policy, who can designate another member of the committee as acting chair
e. The threshold for quorum may be determined by the members of the Policy Committee, one meeting in advance

PROCESS

Policy ideas, which can be either broadly thematic or limited to a piece of existing or proposed legislation, are initially considered by the Policy Committee or the Executive Committee. Any attendee can introduce an idea for consideration, and the committee can decide whether to proceed.

a. Screen

When policy issues enter via the Policy Committee, their relevance to the club is first scored based on an advisory screen reflecting the mission of the club, maintained by the committee, and visible to the public. This screen can be updated by the committee as necessary. Most recent screen available here. 

b. Statement for consideration

If a policy issue is deemed relevant to the club, the Policy Committee chooses a member to write a concise statement to be considered.

c. Policy Committee approval

The Policy Committee membership holds a majority vote on the statement. If the statement passes, it is passed to the Executive Committee for approval.

d. Executive Committee approval

The Executive Committee can approve the proposal’s presentation to the full membership, and schedule a presentation and vote. The Executive Committee may also refer the statement back to the Policy Committee for further analysis and consideration.

e. Presentation to the full membership

Any issue the Executive Committee approves to present to the full membership will include two different (and opposing where appropriate) written or verbal arguments, with the advocate for each side chosen by the Executive Committee (with recommendations provided by the Policy Committee where appropriate). The presentation of the statement to the full membership will be made at a regularly-scheduled membership meeting.

f. Voting 

For each presented statement, the full membership is able to choose Yes, No, or Abstain. For an outcome of “Yes” or “No”, a threshold of ⅔ of total eligible votes cast must be reached. All other outcomes result in “No decision”, and the policy item returns to the Policy Committee for further consideration. The appropriate voting technology is determined by the Executive Committee.

FURTHER ACTION

The Executive Committee is authorized to take actions based on the approved policy priorities of the membership.