HOW TO AMEND THE AZLD5GOP BYLAWS
A plain-English guide for LD5 Precinct Committeemen
AZLD5GOP Proposed Bylaws Amendment Submission Form
Amending the Bylaws is relatively easy, and strict. Miss a deadline by a day and a Proposed Bylaws Amendment gets postponed. Everything below comes from Article XII of the AZLD5GOP Bylaws, plus the meeting and notice rules in Article VII.
THREE THINGS EVERY AMENDMENT REQUIRES
1. PREVIOUS NOTICE
Members must see the exact wording before the meeting. Sent by mail or email at least 10 days ahead — or submitted in writing at the previous Regular Meeting and carried in the meeting call letter notice.
2. A REGULAR MEETING
Bylaws may be amended at an officially called Regular Meeting. LD5 holds at least six a year. Not a Special Meeting. Not a Board or Executive Committee Meeting.
3. A TWO-THIRDS VOTE
Of the members present and voting — not a simple majority. And a quorum must be present: 15% of District membership for a Regular Meeting.
ARTICLE XII, IN ITS OWN WORDS
The Bylaws may be amended at any Regular Meeting "by a two-thirds vote," provided the Proposed Bylaws Amendment was submitted to members in writing at the previous Regular Meeting and included in the meeting call letter notice, or otherwise sent by mail or email "no later than ten (10) days prior to the meeting at which the Proposed Bylaws Amendment is to be voted upon."
Paraphrased with the operative language quoted. The full text is in the official LD5 Bylaws, posted under Resources > Governing Docs > LD5 Bylaws.
THE PROCESS — STEP BY STEP:
STEP 1. START WITH THE CURRENT TEXT IN THE BYLAWS
Open the current Bylaws and find exactly what you want to change — Article, Section, and paragraph. When you can point to the line, you're ready to draft the Proposed Bylaws Amendment. New Rules count, too: a brand-new Section must still be filed under a specific Article.
STEP 2. WRITE IT AS EXACT WORDING, MORE THAN A MERE IDEA
This is where most Proposed Bylaws Amendments are lost. An amendment is essentially a revision: say exactly what gets added, subtracted, or otherwise revised. Only four potential moves are up for consideration — strike text, insert text, replace text, or add a new rule.
CANNOT BE VOTED UPON: "We should tighten up the meeting notice rules."
CAN BE VOTED UPON: "In Article VII, Section 1.A.2.b, strike 'seven' and insert 'ten'."
STEP 3. WRITE ONE PARAGRAPH ON WHY — aka THE RATIONALE
Members read your text in their inbox days before they ever hear you speak, and you'll have about a minute at the microphone. Name the matter it addresses, or the problem it solves, in language a PC who maybe never even thought about it can understand.
STEP 4. SUBMIT IT IN WRITING VIA THE OFFICIAL AZLD5GOP PROPOSED BYLAWS AMENDMENT SUBMISSION FORM (LINKED ABOVE AND BELOW)
For our purposes, "in writing" means via the official AZLD5GOP Proposed Bylaws Amendment Form (a Google form).
STEP 5. IT HAS TO CLEAR "PREVIOUS NOTICE"
Article XII gives two ways to do this. Either one works. The first is what usually happens.
Route A — the 10-day mailing:
The full text goes to the membership by mail or email at least 10 days before the meeting where it will be voted upon.
Route B — the previous meeting:
You submit it in writing to the members at the previous regular meeting, and it's included in the notice for the meeting where it's voted.
STEP 6. THE MEETING
Proposed Bylaws Amendments appear on the meeting agenda as business requiring previous notice. Then, in order:
- Quorum is certified. 15% of District membership must be present. Without it, nothing can be voted on at all.
- Debate is tight. Under LD5's Special Rules of Order: up to five speakers per side, one minute each, no second turn until everyone has had a first, and nobody speaks more than twice.
- The floor can amend your Proposed Bylaws Amendment, but only within the scope of the notice. Members can narrow or soften what was sent out; never turn it into something the membership was never informed about, in the first place.
- The vote: two-thirds of those voting. Abstentions aren't counted against you — two-thirds of the votes actually cast decides it.
STEP 7. IF IT PASSES AND IS ADOPTED, IT'S LIVE AT ADJOURNMENT
A ratified Bylaws Amendment takes effect when that meeting adjourns — not the next day, not at the next meeting. The vote goes in the minutes and the official Bylaws document is updated.
COUNT BACKWARDS FROM THE MEETING
Start with the date of the Regular Meeting where you want the vote, then count back:
- 10 days before the meeting — the last legal day for notice to go out to the membership. Miss it and the Proposed Bylaws Amendment waits for the next Regular Meeting.
WATCH OUT FOR THIS ONE: The meeting notice and your Proposed Bylaws Amendment's notice are two different deadlines. A Regular Meeting with no election on the agenda only needs its notice out seven days ahead — but a Proposed Bylaws Amendment still requires its own ten. If the notice goes out on day seven, your Proposed Bylaws Amendment isn't eligible for a vote at that meeting.
NOT EVERY RULE IS AMENDED THE SAME WAY
LD5 governs itself with three layers of rules, and they have different thresholds. Know which layer you're changing before you write.
BYLAWS (Articles I through XII)
Vote: two-thirds. Previous notice: required, always.
SPECIAL RULES OF ORDER (the debate limits)
Vote: two-thirds. Previous notice: required to amend. Can be suspended for one meeting by a two-thirds vote.
STANDING RULES (meeting schedule, the $250 routine-expense limit, virtual meeting rules)
Vote: two-thirds — but only a simple majority if previous notice was given. Can be adopted or suspended by a majority.
FIVE WAYS AMENDMENTS ARE LOST
1. It was an idea, not wording. The chair can't put a sentiment to a vote. Bring text.
2. It missed the ten-day window. No exceptions, no waivers, however good it is. It waits for the next regular meeting.
3. It was raised at the wrong meeting. Special Meetings can only transact the business named in their call. Proposed Bylaws Amendments belong at a Regular Meeting.
4. It conflicts with a higher authority. LD5 sits under the MCRC bylaws, the AZGOP bylaws, and Arizona Revised Statutes. A Proposed Bylaws Amendment that contradicts them can't stand, even if it passes.
5. Nobody knew why. Two-thirds is a high bar. Text arriving with no explanation gets voted down by members protecting an important document they don't want changed casually.
WORDS YOU'LL HEAR AT THE MEETING
PREVIOUS NOTICE — Telling members in advance, in writing, exactly what will be voted on. Email counts.
QUORUM — The minimum number of members who must be present for business to happen. 15% of membership at a regular meeting.
TWO-THIRDS VOTE — Two of every three votes actually cast. People who abstain aren't counted on either side.
SCOPE OF NOTICE — The outer boundary of what the floor may change, set by the text that went out. Nothing broader can be adopted.
RATIFICATION — The vote that formally adopts the Proposed Amendment.
REGULAR MEETING — One of the District's scheduled meetings, at least six a year. Distinct from Special and Organizational Meetings.
PC — Precinct Committeeman. Elected and Appointed PCs are the membership of the District.
ROBERT'S RULES — LD5's parliamentary authority. It fills every gap the Bylaws don't address.
READY TO WRITE ONE?
The official submission form walks you through every required field: target Article, Current Text, Proposed Text, and Rationale.
Questions about the process? Email: info@azld5gop.com
This is a plain-English summary prepared for LD5 Members, not a legal document. Where this page and the Bylaws disagree, the Bylaws govern. Drawn from the AZLD5GOP Bylaws adopted 9/22/2023 — Article XII (Amendment of Bylaws), Article VII Section 1 (notice and quorum), the Special Rules of Order, and the Standing Rules.