At least twenty San Diego County registered Democratic members, or persons who intend to so register when eligible to do so, are required for a club to obtain a charter with the SDCDP. Membership must be open to all Democrats regardless of race, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity and the club must meet at least quarterly. Clubs must also accept eligible members from any geographic area. After bylaws have been adopted a club can apply for chartering.
A Charter Application, with officer list, membership roster, and copy of the adopted bylaws is submitted electronically to the SDCDP (in a specified format) with annual dues (waived for academic clubs). Refer to SDCDP Bylaws and Policies and Procedures for the current language on this process.
http://sddemocrats.org/policies
When proposing a new affinity club for chartering, members of the organizing committee must appear at a Central Committee meeting to provide an overview of the club and announce the next organizational meeting (see SDCDP Policies and Procedures for additional information) the affinity club can then be chartered at the following Central Committee meeting.
Chartering establishes the club president or other club designee as an Associate member in the Central Committee (see SDCDP Bylaws details) if the club has twenty chartering (unique) members. Whenever a club’s bylaws are changed, a copy should be submitted to the SDCDP within 30 days to ensure continued eligibility for chartering.
To qualify for club membership, an individual must be a registered Democrat (or intend to register as a Democrat when eligible) and pay the dues required by the club. A Sample Membership Application may be found in the Appendices.
Clubs may also permit non-voting associate membership status to eligible voters who are not registered as Democrats. A qualified individual may be a member of more than one club.
The club’s bylaws must include a definition of “Member in Good Standing”. The bylaws should include a cut-off time (60 days, 90 days, etc) after which a member who has allowed their dues to lapse, is no longer considered a member in good standing. Only club members in good standing can be submitted to the California Democratic Party when a club seeks to participate in Pre-Endorsement Conferences (see California Democratic Party (CDP) Endorsements and Club Participation). Bylaws should include a provision for removing a member for cause.