It turns out the DNC charter specifies that the chairman of the party be a full time position. The Hill reports that the party ignored that rule during the tenure of Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and appears poised to ignore it again to select Rep. Keith Ellison as the next chairman:

“The National Chairperson shall serve full time and shall receive such compensation as may be determined by agreement between the Chairperson and the Democratic National Committee,” Article V, Section Four of the charter reads.

Some Democrats believe the party overlooked that portion of the charter to accommodate Wasserman Schultz because President Obama directly appointed her…

Some Democrats believe that even under a strict reading of the charter, the party would waive the provision if it sees Ellison – the first Muslim elected to Congress and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus – as best equipped to lead.

Obviously the rules are not going to be a deal-breaker in the party of Clinton and Obama. But Howard Dean who is seen as the most serious challenger to Ellison’s bid, has already raised the idea that DNC chair should not be a part-time job. “This job is 80-90 hours a week. You can’t do both,” Dean said. At 10 minutes into this clip there is video of Dean making the case followed by Ellison responding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoMNYyPojgc

Ellison tells MSNBC, “The people who know me know that nobody is going to outwork me. I’m going to be tireless working all the time and I’m going to be making sure that the message gets to the people.”