Information Technology

Information Technology Committee Rules

(as approved March 2009 and submitted August 6, 2009)

 

 

The committee name is Information Technology Committee and informally to be known as the IT Committee.

 

 

 

 

The Information Technology (IT) Committee shall make recommendations regarding information technology selection and application for Party and Campaign support operations, and shall educate and advise the County Chair and other committees with respect to possible IT tools, uses, and solutions.

 

Current operational responsibilities include, but are not limited to, web site development, effective use of e-mail, voter file development and access, computer software purchase/lease/ development and computer hardware purchase/lease.

 

 

 

 

Since this is required and fully specified by the TDP rules, the IT Committee would operate under the exact terms as apply to all other committees.

 

All meetings shall be open, no secret ballots shall be used, and no fees shall be charged for voting (Rules of the Texas Democratic Party, III, B, 1; hereinafter referred to as TDP Rules)

 

All qualified Democrats are able to attend and to listen. (see TDP Rules III, B, E, 3, a).

 

Note -- "Open" means all Democrats are able to attend and listen. Open does not mean a right to participate or vote. A "Democrat" is any qualified voter 18 years of age or older who have voted in the Democratic Primary or signed an oath of affiliation in the voting year.

 

Oath of Affiliation: I swear that I have not voted in a primary election or participated in a convention of another party during this voting year. I hereby affiliate myself with the ________ Party. (See, TDP III, County Executive Committee, Part 3, Qualifications)]

 

 

 

 

Since this is fully specified by the TDP rules, the IT Committee would operate under the exact terms as apply to all other committees.

 

Voting is a privilege of the members of the committee with the method being a voice vote, by (standing) division of the house, by signed written ballot or by roll call vote. The method used shall be left to the discretion of the chair, except that on request of any member a standing division may be held or 10% of the members present may require a roll call vote. (See The Rules, Article III, General Rules 5)

 

 

 

 

All media contact shall be directed to the DCDP Chair or DCDP Executive Director.

 

 

 

 

Robert’s Rules in their most current form would apply unless specified differently by state and county Democratic Party rules or rules specified in this document.

 

 

 

 

Any qualified Democrat (as defined in the TDP Rules) may become a member of the IT Committee when they attend a second regular IT Committee meeting within six months of their having attended a prior regular IT Committee meeting.

 

The current roster of members is:

Daniel Babb

Joe Biggs

Ed Flaspoehler

Thomas Harris

Paul Heller

Walter Hofheinz

Clayton Jackson

Jon Le

Jimmy McMichael

Gordon Peterson

Ron Turner

Richard Wayne

James Van Sickle (Chair)

 

Members are removed from the IT Committee as specified under Attendance Policy

 

 

 

 

The IT Committee Chair is elected every two years from the roster of Committee members by the Committee at its first regular Committee meeting following the election of representatives to the DCDP AC.

 

 

 

 

Currently, the Committee Chair is also the Scribe. However, in the future the Chair may identify anyone attending the meeting as the Scribe for that meeting.

 

 

 

 

The Scribe will prepare minutes of all regular meetings and distribute them to all members of the Committee plus the DCDP Chair, the DCDP AC Chair, and the DCDP Executive Director. At a minimum, minutes will include date and times of the meeting, motions made and the vote for/against each, the members attending, the members absent, and any others attending. Minutes are not public documents.

 

The IT Committee Chair will provide a Committee report to the DCDP AC for each of its meetings.

 

 

 

 

It is important that Committee Members participate actively in either the Committee meetings or IT projects. A member will be deleted from the roster of members when, during a 12 month period, they have neither attended a Committee meeting nor worked on an IT project.

 

 

 

 

Meeting Frequency – The regular meetings of the IT Committee are the 4^th Monday of January, April, July, and October.

 

Meeting Announcement – IT Committee regular meetings will be announced widely in advance giving time and location. If the meeting is at the DCDP HQ, it will be coordinated with the Party office and placed on the calendar.

 

Meeting Cancellation – In the event cancellation is necessary, everyone who might have received the announcement should be notified in the same manner with as much notice as possible. If there is short notice, extra efforts should be made to contact individuals so they don't make an unnecessary trip. Cancellations should be rare.