About: Rules Explorer

About this site

This site sets the current rules beside model rules. It is not an official publication of the Collin County Republican Party.

The notes describe the current rules as they are written. The case for each change in the model sits in its own place, under "Why", and rests on the Election Code, the RPT Rules and Robert's Rules.

To report an error, use the contact details at the bottom of the Precinct 125 home page.

How to read a redline

A redline shows how one version becomes the other, word by word.

The County Chair ~~may~~ shall call the meeting within 20 days.

Green, underlined words are in the second version only. They were added.
~~Red, struck~~ words are in the first version only. They were removed.
Plain words are the same in both.
Side by side shows the two versions in 2 columns, with the same marks.

The redline compares the topic as a whole. The two versions often number their sections differently, so the section labels sit above the text and are not marked.

A topic marked New in the model has no matching text in the current rules. A topic marked Not in the model has no matching text in the model. Its note says where the model deals with the subject, if it does.

The texts

Current rules (adopted June 22, 2026)

The Executive Committee re-adopted the Bylaws and the Standing Rules for 2026-2028 on June 22, 2026.

Bylaws: the text posted on the party website.
Standing Rules: the adopted text, rebuilt from the records. The copy posted on the party website is missing sections, so this site does not use it.

Why the Standing Rules had to be rebuilt

On June 22, 2026, the Committee re-adopted the Standing Rules as they stood at the end of the last term. No complete copy of that text was available. The rebuilt text starts from the copy of May 5, 2025, and adds each later amendment that the minutes confirm.

The copy on the party website leaves out these adopted parts:

the yard-sign duty in the Elections Committee section (Art. V §13 D);
the whole Technology Team section (Art. V §14);
the whole Prayer Team section (Art. V §15);
the heading, purpose and first 3 items of the Election Security section (Art. V §16). The website prints the last 3 items as part of the Elections section.

The website copy also says "Executive Director" in the rule on notice of a committee vacancy. The adopted report says "Executive Committee Secretary", and this site follows the report.

Model bylaws and model standing rules

A full rewrite of both documents. The text shown is the working text of October 3, 2026. It has not been adopted.

Download the model text: Model bylaws (Word), Model bylaws (PDF), Model standing rules (Word), Model standing rules (PDF). Each file ends with the state law source notes, which are not part of the rules.

Sources

Texas Election Code, as published 2026-05-14.
RPT Rules as amended 2026-06-12, and the 2025-06-14 text where it still governs until 2027-01-01.
Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 171, as published 2026-06-01.
RNC Rules as posted 2026-02-24. No topic cites them.
Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th edition. It is copyrighted, so the site gives only section numbers and short paraphrases.

The Sources page has the full text of every cited section of the Election Code and the RPT Rules.

How the model is drafted

For the 8 aims behind the model's changes, with examples you can open in the reader, see Why these changes on the Overview.

Plain language

The model follows the contract-drafting style of Kenneth Adams, author of A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting.
"Shall" means a duty of the person named. "May" means a choice. "Must" states a condition.
Rules that simply state a fact use the present tense, as in "The quorum is 1/4 of the membership."
Each defined term is defined once and used the same way in both documents.
Old legal words such as "said", "herein" and "in the event that" are gone.
Where a rule tracks wording the law requires, that wording is kept exactly.

State law, without section numbers

The model follows state law, but the rule text does not cite statute section numbers.
The Legislature renumbers and amends the Election Code often. A rule that says "as state law provides" stays correct when that happens.
Every rule that comes from state law carries a mark (†) in the text.
The State Law Source Notes list each marked rule, the statute behind it, and what kind of requirement it is. They also come with each download.
The kinds are: mandatory; a default the party may change; a limit on the party's choices; or a state procedure the party must use.
The appendix is a reference, not part of the rules. It can be updated after each legislative session without a vote.
On this site, every topic also lists the sources behind it, with a link to the text.

The party's constitutional rights

The model defines "state law" as Texas law that validly applies to the party under the United States Constitution, as the courts interpret it.
That includes the freedom of association the First Amendment protects for political parties.
A Texas law that is unconstitutional, on its face or as applied to the party, does not bind the party under the model.
The model states that nothing in it waives a constitutional right of the party or its members.
Because every rule from state law is marked, members can see which rules depend on a statute.

Clear rules, fewer disputes

Where a current rule can be read two ways, this site shows both readings. The model then states one plain rule.
For example, the model gives every Executive Committee meeting the same 10 days' notice, however it is called.
Committee rules state each committee's duties, its standard and who decides. They do not script how a committee runs its meetings.
The Precinct Chair Recruitment and Vetting Committee uses its judgment on an applicant's fitness. The Executive Committee still makes the appointment, by the majority vote the law sets.
Rules on meeting procedure are marked "Special Rule of Order". Changing one takes a 2/3 vote with notice, as Robert's Rules provides.

How the notes are written

Each note describes a text as it is written today.
Problems in the current rules are stated plainly, with the law they conflict with.
The case for each change in the model is kept under "Why", so the description and the argument stay separate.
Robert's Rules is copyrighted. This site cites it by section number and gives a short paraphrase, never its text.

Use of AI

Parts of this site and of the model rules were drafted with the help of an AI system, Claude, made by Anthropic.
AI helped draft the model's wording, the notes on each topic, the list of issues, and the site's code.
People made the policy choices in the model, such as vote thresholds, notice periods and who decides.
Citations were checked against the source texts listed on the Sources page.
Errors are still possible. Check the Sources page for the source text, and use "Suggest a change" to report a problem.

Suggesting a change

Each topic has a "Suggest a change" button. It opens an email to the Precinct 125 inbox, with the topic and section already filled in.
Every suggestion is read and considered.
No suggestion changes the model rules automatically. A change is made only after review.
Suggestions and the names of the people who send them are not published.

What is not certain in the rebuilt Standing Rules

Some meeting records are missing or unclear. Where that matters, the rebuilt text follows the best evidence, and the points below say what is not known.

Four items, most likely adopted January 22, 2025. These are Art. I L, Art. II §1 B, Art. V §4 F and Art. V §10 B. No minutes of that meeting were found. The result of two related votes on November 18, 2024 is also unknown. The rebuilt text uses the wording of the May 2025 copy.
Four changes, most likely adopted February 19, 2025. These are "or Team" in Art. III §1 E, the heading of Art. IV §8, "Communications/PR Team" in Art. V §5, and Art. VI §4 on House District meetings. No minutes of that meeting were found. The wording of Art. VI §4 differs from the committee report of February 3, 2025, and no record explains why.
The legislative-priorities exception in Art. V §4. The minutes confirm it was adopted on March 3, 2025. Its place at the end of the paragraph follows the May 2025 copy.
The discipline items in Art. III §3 C. Item 3 and the sanctions paragraph were adopted on May 5, 2025, but the minute is unclear. The notice paragraph matches the April 2025 committee report, but no minute quotes it.
Executive Team Directors, Art. IV §8. Adopted on June 9, 2025. The minute has a comma that the report does not. The rebuilt text follows the report.
Two paragraphs added to Art. V on September 15, 2025. The minutes do not attach the report. The text comes from the only committee report sent with the meeting call. The "Executive Director" wording on the website is not explained by any minute.
Missing minutes. No minutes were found for January 22, February 19 and March 20, 2025, or for June 1, 2026. An amendment made at one of those meetings could be missing. The Party Secretary's own files have not been checked.
Actions that changed no text. Two actions applied to single meetings and are not shown: a reading of the rule on second and third committee choices (February 3, 2025), and endorsement procedures (November 3 and December 1, 2025).

Printing and sharing

Each topic has a Print button. It prints that topic's text, its redline and its note on one page.
Your browser's own print command prints the topic in view.
Copy link copies a link to the topic, with the versions and the view you chose.