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BY-LAWS OF THE DUPLICATE BRIDGE ASSOCIATION OF REVISED MARCH 2007 ARTICLE ONE Organization A. This organization shall be known as the Duplicate Bridge Association of
Atlanta, hereinafter referred to as DBAA. B. The DBAA is incorporated as a non-profit organization under the laws of
the state of C. The geographical area of the DBAA's operation is assigned to it by the Board of Directors
of Georgia State Unit 114 and may be modified from time to time. ARTICLE TWO Objectives The objectives of the DBAA are: 1. To promote duplicate contract bridge; 2. To assist Georgia State Unit 114 in the promotion and conduct of sanctioned
bridge tournaments and activities; 3. To host sanctioned sectional tournaments held within the geographical area
of the DBAA; 4. To periodically run an ACBL sanctioned game (DBAA Game) within the geographical
area of the DBAA; 5. To conduct and supervise elections for the Area Representatives to the
6. To support duplicate bridge clubs in the DBAA geographic area. ARTICLE THREE Membership Members of the DBAA consist of members in good standing of both the American
Contract Bridge League and Georgia State Unit 114 who reside in the geographical
area of the DBAA. ARTICLE FOUR Membership Meetings A. A membership meeting of the DBAA shall be held during each calendar year.
The time and place shall be set by the Board of Directors of the DBAA. B. Special meetings of the membership may be called at anytime by a majority
of the Board of Directors, or upon petition of 50 members of the DBAA. C. Written notice of all membership meetings shall be posted on the DBAA web
site and at the DBAA Game for three consecutive weeks prior to the scheduled
date of the meeting. At least three weeks prior to the scheduled date of the meeting, this notice
shall be given to all club managers in the DBAA area for posting at their
respective clubs. This notice must state the purpose(s) of the meeting. D. A quorum for a meeting of the membership shall be 50 members. Unless otherwise
specified in these By-Laws, a majority vote is required to pass a resolution. ARTICLE FIVE Board of Directors A. Except as otherwise provided, affairs of the DBAA shall be managed by its
Board of Directors. B. The Board of Directors shall consist of the following members, each of
whom must be members of the DBAA: 1. The President of the DBAA; 2. The Vice President of the DBAA; 3. The Secretary of the DBAA; 4. The Treasurer of the DBAA; 5. The DBAA representatives to the Georgia State Unit 114 Board. C. The Board of Directors of the DBAA shall hold a regularly scheduled meeting
each month. D. A quorum for the transaction of business at a meeting of the Board of Directors
shall consist of 50% of the voting directors. Proxies are not allowed. E. Members of the Board shall serve without compensation. F. A member of the Board may be removed by a two-thirds vote at a meeting
of the membership. Notice of intent to remove a member of the Board must
accompany the announcement of the meeting. Anyone whose removal has been
proposed shall be given the opportunity to be heard at this meeting. G. Any vacancy created by the removal of a Board member shall be filled by
election at the same meeting. The nominee must win by a clear majority,
which is defined as 50+% of the votes cast. H. Upon majority vote of the Board of Directors, a member may be prohibited
from voting on any matter in which the Board determines that member has
a financial interest. ARTICLE SIX Officers A. The officers of the DBAA consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary
and Treasurer. B. The term of office of each officer shall be two years. The word "year"
shall mean the period from the adjournment of the annual meeting until
the adjournment of the next annual meeting of the membership. Each officer
shall continue to serve until the term for which the officer was elected
has expired, and/or a successor has been duly elected and/or qualified. C. A vacancy in any office (other than removal for cause) shall be filled
by the appointment of the President, with the approval of the Board. The
person so appointed shall hold office for the remainder of the unexpired
term. D. The duties of the President are: 1. To perform all actions necessary to carry out these By-Laws; 2. To preside at all meetings of the membership and the Board of Directors; 3. To prepare an annual report on the affairs of the DBAA to be presented
at the annual meeting of the membership; 4. To execute orders and resolutions of the Board of Directors of the DBAA
and Georgia State Unit 114; 5. To perform any actions necessary between meetings of the Board of the DBAA.
These actions must be reported at the next Board meeting; 6. To perform duties and responsibilities assigned by the officers of the
following Boards of Directors: a. ACBL b. District 7 c. Mid-Atlantic Conference d. e. DBAA E. The duties of the Vice President are: 1. To perform the duties of the President when the President is absent or
unable to do so; 2. To perform other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Directors. F. The duties of the Secretary are: 1. To obtain from the ACBL a current membership role of the DBAA as necessary
to conduct elections or for other DBAA needs; 2. To attend all meetings of the Board of Directors and the membership, and
record the Minutes of the proceedings at those meetings; 3. To distribute unapproved Minutes of the prior meeting to the Board Members
at least one week in advance of the next meeting. Said Minutes will contain
notice of the next meeting; 4. To distribute approved Minutes of the prior month's meeting to the DBAA
clubs; 5. To handle correspondence as directed by the President; 6. To perform other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Directors. G. The duties of the Treasurer are: 1. To handle all income and expenses under the guidance of the President and/or
the Board of Directors; 2. To keep complete, accurate records and to prepare a “Treasurer’s Report”,
summarizing at minimum the prior month’s activity to be delivered at the
monthly Board Meeting; 3. To prepare a yearly financial statement for the annual meeting of the membership; 4. To provide annually the Treasurer's Reports and all data pertinent to an
individual selected by the Board to review the accounts of the DBAA; 5. To perform the duties of Club Manager for the club number 139659, Georgia
State Unit 114, DBAA; 6. To perform other duties as assigned by the President or the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE SEVEN Area Representatives A. The terms and number of Area Representatives are defined in the Georgia State Unit 114 By-Laws. As of March 2007, there are five Area Representatives, all serving two-year
terms which begin in odd-numbered years. Future terms of three of the Area Representatives shall begin in even-numbered
years and two in odd-numbered years. If Unit 114 changes the terms or number of Area Representatives, the DBAA
board shall change the terms accordingly such that as close to an equal
number of representatives as possible are elected in each year. B. An Area Representative vacancy (other than removal for cause) shall be
filled by the appointment of the President, with the approval of the Board.
The person so appointed shall hold office for the remainder of the unexpired
term. C. The duties of Area Representatives are: 1. To serve as liaisons between the Boards of the DBAA and Georgia State Unit
114; 2. To perform other duties as assigned by the President or Board of Directors. ARTICLE EIGHT Nominations and Elections A. The President of the DBAA shall appoint a Chairman and two members of the
Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee Members shall be members
in good standing of the DBAA. They cannot be elected officials and shall
not be eligible for nomination. B. Candidates for all positions must be members in good standing of the DBAA. C. The duties of the Nominating Committee are: 1. Perusing potential candidates; 2. Selecting at least one candidate for each office listed on the ballot; 3. Publicizing the slate of candidates 60 days prior to the date of election
so that the membership has the opportunity to view the list and give due
consideration prior to the election; 4. Sending the list of candidates to each local club to be read to their membership
and posted in their playing area prior to the election. The name of the
Nominating Committee Chairman and instructions for receipt of an absentee
ballot shall be posted at the bottom of the slate of candidates; 5. Allowing the addition of any person(s) wishing to run for office whose
name is not on the slate proposed by the Nominating Committee. Any such
candidate may have their name put on the ballot by notifying in writing
the Chairman of the Nominating Committee, no less than 30 days prior to the date of the election. If required,
an amended slate of candidates shall be issued; 6. Notifying the officers of their election. D. The Chairman of the Nominating Committee shall choose an appropriate number of members
for an Election Committee to handle the election in a comfortable and efficient
manner. The Election Committee Members shall be members in good standing
of the DBAA. They cannot be elected officials and shall not be eligible
for nomination. E. The duties of the Election Committee are: 1. Holding the election at the membership meeting. If the meeting is held
during a tournament, the balloting shall start with the first session of the tournament and continue through the evening session on Saturday. Members shall have the opportunity to
vote an hour before the start of each session and a half hour after the
session. 2. Operating the ballot boxes and tallying the results. a. A member of the Election Committee must be present when the polls are open to verify
that the player requesting the ballot is: i. A member in good standing of the DBAA, and ii. Not voting more than once. b. Total secrecy shall be maintained until the time of announcement of the results at the
annual meeting. c. No officer, candidate, or member not on the Nominating/Election Committee
shall at any time have access to the ballots. d. No member of the Nominating/Election Committee shall volunteer information to any
member outside the Nominating/Election Committee until all voting has been
completed and the winners have been announced. F. Any member who will be unable to vote in the election may request an absentee
ballot from the Chairman of the Nominating Committee no more than 30 days and no less than 10 days in advance of the election. It shall be the responsibility of
the voting member to return the ballot to the Chairman before the end of
the election or, if the meeting is held during a tournament, by the end
of the second session on Saturday. The Chairman shall ensure that no individual who voted by absentee ballot
votes again in person. G. The Chairman of the Nominating Committee shall announce the results at
the meeting. If the meeting is held during a tournament, this announcement
shall be made during the meal break on the last day of the tournament,
except in the case of a run-off. H. The following conditions shall govern run-off elections: 1. A run-off may be required if no candidate has a clear majority. This condition
can occur when there are at least two candidates running for a particular
office. A clear majority shall consist of 50+% of the votes cast. If no
candidate has 50+%, the two top vote getters shall face each other in a
run-off election. 2. If a run-off is necessary, the Chairman of the Nominating Committee shall
notify the President who shall immediately release a written notice to
all clubs. The notice shall announce that the run-off shall be held at
the DBAA Game during the fourth week following the annual meeting. Polls
shall open from an hour before the game until a half-hour after the game.
Absentee ballots shall be available from the Nominating Chairman 10 days
in advance. When an absentee ballot is distributed, records shall show
that the member has voted. Absentee ballots must be returned to the Nominating
Chairman no later than the day before the run-off. Election results shall
be announced at the DBAA Game the following week. Specific dates for the
election, absentee ballot dates, and the election results date shall be
announced in the notice to the clubs. 3. Because a plurality shall decide these elections, no run-off shall be required
for Area Representatives unless there is a tie for the final representative.
In this case, the run-off for this post shall be held in conjunction with
the preceding guidelines. 4. A recount may be called for by any candidate or member who suspects an
impropriety has occurred. Said person must show reasonable cause to the
Chairman of the Nominating Committee to justify a re-count. I. If there is only one candidate running for each office or area representative
vacancy, an election shall not be held. The Chairman of the Nominating
Committee shall declare the candidate by acclamation at the annual meeting. ARTICLE NINE Committees The Board of Directors may create committees as necessary. The Chairman
and the members of all committees shall be chosen by the President and
approved by the Board. ARTICLE TEN Miscellaneous A. Except as otherwise provided in these By-Laws, the latest revision of the
Scott Foresman edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern. B. Whenever notice is required to be given to any member, director, or officer,
such notice may be given by personal notice, by publication, by email,
or by mail. If notice is given by mail, such notice shall be directed to
the member at the member’s post office address last shown on the records
of the DBAA. Notice may also be given to the members by mailing and/or
emailing a copy to the club manager of each franchised duplicate bridge
club within the DBAA, with instructions to announce and post the notice. ARTICLE ELEVEN Amendment of By-Laws A. The By-Laws of the DBAA may be amended and new By-Laws adopted at a meeting
of the membership. B. Amendments may be proposed by members of the DBAA upon petition signed
by at least fifty members and submitted to the Secretary at least thirty
days before a meeting of the membership. Amendments may be proposed by members of the Board of Directors upon petition
signed by at least two-thirds of the members of the Board and submitted
to the Secretary at least thirty days before a meeting of the membership. C. The Secretary shall incorporate the text of the proposed amendment(s) into
the notice of the membership meeting. D. The favorable vote by two thirds of all members present is required for
passage. The following are not part of the bylaws but are provided as clarifying
information. 1. The most recent amendments to the bylaws are: March 2007 August 1995 2. The geographic area of the DBAA as of March 2007 is the counties of Clayton,
Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton and Gwinnett. The geographic area of the DBAA as of July 2007 is the counties of Clayton, Cherokee, Cobb, Dekalb, Forsyth, Fulton and Gwinnett |
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