THE

CONSTITUTION
OF
THE AMERICAN POLITICS DEBATE CLUB

Preamble
The John A. Ferguson American Politics Debate Club gives students the op-
portunity to enhance their public speaking and leadership skills, collaboration
amongst peers, and persuasive writing. Thus, members become more open-minded
and well-rounded individuals able to effectively express their views through the dis-
cussion of important topics affecting our nation. By doing so, the A.P.D.C. motivates
young citizens to become involved in all levels of government although they may
not aspire a political career. Students are encouraged to join the club regardless of
any political affiliations they may have to take part in heated, yet civilized debates.

Article I: Membership
Section 1. To become a member of the American Politics Debate Club, students are
required to complete the application that is located on the club website. The appli-
cation shall acquire basic information from each member and a recommendation
from either their English or Social Studies teacher. The applications are to be deliv-
ered to the Sponsor who shall finally accept no more than forty members all having
a G.P.A. of or over 3.0. To finalize their admission into the A.P.D.C., members shall
pay the nonrefundable club fee as dictated by the Officers and Sponsor.
Section 2. A students membership may be revoked if they are inexcusably absent
to more than three debate sessions. The Officers are to vote on the invalidation of
the persons membership; if at least sixty percent of them vote in favor of it being
revoked, then the Sponsor shall approve or disapprove. If approved, the ex-member
shall be informed immediately.
Section 3. Members are to be randomly drawn into tiers, with at most five in each,
during a special meeting after the moderators have been elected and before the first
debate session. All members shall be in a tier.

Article II: The Office of the President

Section 1. To be eligible to run for president of the American Politics Debate Club,
the student has to have been a member of the club for at least one school year (with
the exception of the first President).
Section 2. The President is in charge of managing club activities, speaking in meet-
ings and keeping order. He or she is expected to remain impartial and always protect
the Constitution.

Article III: The Office of the Vice President

Section 1. The Vice President of the American Politics Debate Club is to be chosen
as the then Presidential Candidates running mate at least three days before the Gen-
eral Election. Any member may be chosen to be the Vice President.
Section 2. The Vice President shall assist the President with managing the club.
When the President is absent to a meeting, then the Vice President shall assume the
powers of the President for that period. The Vice President is to also serve as the
Competition Adviser; therefore, he or she will aid the members in preparation for
debate tournaments.

Article IV: The Office of the Secretary

Section 1. The Secretary of the American Politics Debate Club shall be nominated
by the President on Inauguration Day. Simple majority is required from the members
for the approval of the nominee at the next meeting.
Section 2. The Secretary is responsible for documenting and storing all information
that is obtained in a folder or binder. He or she is to also take general notes during
meetings; those being but not limited to:
- The time at which a meeting is called to order
- What is spoken of during the session
- The time at which the meeting is adjourned

Article V: The Office of the Treasurer

Section 1.The Treasurer of the American Politics Debate Club shall be nominated
by the President on Inauguration Day. Simple majority is required from the members
for the approval of the nominee at the next meeting.
Section 2. The Treasurer is to manage the finances of the A.P.D.C. This includes
completing necessary forms and delivering monies to the school treasurer.

Article VI: The Post of the Moderator

Section 1. Any member of the American Politics Debate Club may run for modera-
tor. There are to be four elected moderator positions.
Section 2. Only one moderator is to direct a given debate session (with the exception
of the General Election Debate). They are to be unbiased in all meetings in which
they preside.
 Article VII: The Post of the Publicist
Section 1. Any member may apply to be the Publicist of the American Politics De-
bate Club. In the application, the candidate(s) shall identify any computer-related
certifications they have or computer-based courses they have completed. The offic-
ers shall choose the most qualified applicant to be the Publicist.
Section 2. The Publicist is to manage and update the club website and social media
accounts. This includes always keeping the Constitution, Member Application, Pub-
licist Application, Impeachment Form, and Amendment Proposal accessible through
the site.

Article VIII: Elections

Section 1. All those who meet the requirements to run for the Presidency of the
American Politics Debate Club may do so. A special session must be called towards
the end of each school year to allow all the candidates to state why they should be-
come the President. Each of these members shall receive up to two minutes for their
statements. Then, a vote shall occur where all the members cast their ballots for the
top three candidates who they believe are best suited to be president. The results of
the vote shall be announced immediately after they are counted. The three winners
shall then become the nominees and choose a running mate. At the next meeting,
that being the General Election, the three candidates are to participate in the General
Election Debate. The individuals are given two minutes to present an opening state-
ment explaining why they should be president; they shall be asked political questions
by the moderator(s) to test their debating skills; and, the nominees are to each give
a closing statement of up to two minutes further emphasizing why they should be
president. All the members shall have the opportunity to cast their ballots for Presi-
dent and their respective Vice President. The winner of the General Election is to be
announced immediately after the votes are counted. The President Elect will then
write an Inaugural Address that will be presented by him or her on Inauguration Day.
That same day there is to be a banquet for all members and the announcement of the
nomination of the Secretary and Treasurer by the new President.
Section 2. All those who meet the requirements to run for moderator of the American
Politics Debate Club may do so. The election for the Moderators shall take place at
the beginning of each school year. All those running will be placed on a ballot and
asked to give a speech of up to two minutes to all the members. The members shall
then cast their votes for their four choices for moderator. The winners are to be an-
nounced immediately after the votes have been counted.
Section 3. All elections shall be conducted by the Club Sponsor.
 Article IX: Impeachment
Section 1. Any officer of the American Politics Debate Club can be impeached. In
order to be accused, a member must fill out an impeachment form that contains a
statement on who is being accused, why the officer should be impeached and signa-
tures from at least one-third of the members who are in agreement. That document
is to be given to one of the moderators and reviewed by that person. If all criteria is
met, then it will go to the officers for trial; if not, it will be returned to the author of
the form.
Section 2. In the officer's trial, a moderator shall direct a process in which the person
impeached is questioned and given a chance to defend himself or herself. After, the
officers, moderators and publicist are to vote if the accused shall go to the members
for a final trial based strictly on the information presented by the impeachment re-
quest and the officer. In other words, the officers votes shall be unbiased; majority
is required to continue the process. If the impeachment continues, a trial is brought
to the members as a special session. The accused is given a chance to defend himself
or herself, yet again. A quorum of fifty percent of members and sixty percent major-
ity is required for the removal of the individual from their officer position.

Article X: Meetings
Section 1. An introductory meeting is to be hosted for all the incoming and returning
members. This shall take place at the beginning of each school year and the follow-
ing shall be presented or mentioned:
- The Preamble of the Constitution
- The club fee
- The club tee shirt
- The upcoming elections
Section 2. Officer meetings are to occur after each debate session to ensure produc-
tive communication between the Sponsor, President and Officers. At these meetings,
the Officers shall form the agenda for the upcoming meeting that shall be typed and
printed by the Secretary.
Section 3. In a full month (one without breaks or holidays away from school), there
shall be no more than four debates; practically, no more than one session shall occur
per week. The first debate topic of each school year shall be chosen by the Sponsor
for the Officers to demonstrate. They are to describe the process to the new members.
The debate process goes as follows:
The members who are to debate will split into their tiers and both will send a
representative to the Sponsor; then, the Sponsor will flip a coin. The representative
who chose the winning side of the coin will decide whether their tier or the other tier
will start the debate, hence being in favor of the topic at hand. Both tiers receive five
minutes to prepare for the session and to choose a captain. The captain is responsible
for developing an opening statement. Once the five minutes are up, the moderator
will notify the tiers and reintroduce the topic with a short statement. Each captain
then receives two minutes, respectively, to present their statements. After, a debater
from each team will go up at the same time to debate each other. The Moderator will
ask them both a question to be answered by the first debater, then by the second
debater and then rebutted by the first debater. This will happen alternatively until
everyone from each tier has spoken at least once. Two minutes will be given to both
tiers to develop a closing statement. At last, each captain will deliver their closing
statements in the same order of their opening statements. A vote will then be con-
ducted by either the Sponsor, President or Vice President; no one who debated in
that session may conduct the vote. The winning side shall be announced immedi-
ately. That tier will then choose the next debate topic out of a list that was produced
by the Sponsor.
Section 4. Special sessions can be called by the President whenever deemed neces-
sary. Elections, the General Debate, and Inauguration Day are standing special ses-
sions that must be called each school year. Special sessions may also be called for
amendment voting.

Article XI: Committees

Committees within the American Politics Debate Club may be created by the
President whenever deemed necessary by the Officers or the Sponsor. Every com-
mittee shall have a chairperson to preside over as long as the committee is active.
Once the committees goal has been reached, it shall no longer meet. Notes of each
meeting held by the committee shall be turned into the Secretary immediately after
the committee has convened.

Article XII: Amendments

Section 1. Any member may propose an amendment. To do so, he or she must com-
plete a proposal that states the reason for making the amendment and the written
statement that the party is trying to make into an amendment. At least one-third of
the members must sign the form before it is given to one of the moderators for re-
view.
Section 2. If all criteria is met for amending, as decided by the Moderator, then it
shall go directly to the members for a vote. A quorum of fifty percent of members
and a sixty percent majority is required for the amending of the Constitution.
Section 3. The secretary is to type and print the new amendment in the exact form
that is was passed with the date when it was ratified under the amendment number.
The page on which it is printed is to be added behind the last page of the Constitution
in the A.P.D.C. binder.
 Article XIII: Sponsor
The Sponsor of the American Politics Debate Club shall be responsible for
overseeing and guiding the practices of the members (including the Officers) of the
club. This means producing a list of possible debate topics for the debate sessions,
completing necessary forms and procedures for competitions, assisting with the
preparation of tournaments, and interpreting this constitution when necessary.

Article XIV: Ratification

Sixty percent majority is required for the ratification of this constitution for
the American Politics Debate Club. The Constitution is the supreme law of the
A.P.D.C. and show go into affect after Inauguration Day of the year 2017.