March 5, 2014 Proposed Bylaws Revisions

Suggested revisions to bylaws ‘Election of Officers’

March 5, 2014

Appendix I. Election of Officers

1. When and By Whom

Election of officers[ACM1]  (Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian) shall be conducted at the Annual Retreat by the Secretary. In the event the Secretary is unavailable or nominated for re-election, the responsibility shall pass to an officer who is available and not nominated for re-election, in the following order:  Parliamentarian, Chair, Vice Chair, and then Treasurer.  If these officers are all nominated for re-election or are unavailable, elections shall be conducted by a Delegate of the Employee Forum appointed by a majority of Delegates present[DB2] .  [KP3]

2. Nominations

The Membership & Assignments Committee shall solicit officer nominations from Delegates no later than five days after the Delegate election results in April of each year.[DB4]   A Delegate must have approval from his or her supervisor or manager before accepting a nomination.  The correspondence (letter and email) sent by The Membership & Assignments Committee shall be sent to all outgoing, continuing and newly-elected Delegates[ACM5] .  The correspondence shall encourage Delegates to nominate others and themselves.

The Membership & Assignments Committee shall present nominees at the May Employee Forum meeting. The May Employee Forum meeting shall be attended by all newly elected Delegates, continuing Delegates, and outgoing Delegates. This is the first meeting that includes newly elected Delegates.  The meeting shall include time for five minute presentations to be made by each candidate and one of his or her supporters (a total of ten minutes of speeches by the candidate and his or her supporter.)  [DB6]

Further nominations may be made from the floor for each office at the time of the election at the Annual Retreat. [DB7] A candidate[ACM8]  nominated from the floor must affirmatively accept his or her nomination (and have received pre-approval by his or her supervisor or manager).

Any candidate nominated from the floor at the Annual Retreat may speak for five minutes and may have one supporter speak for five minutes on his or her behalf (a total of ten minutes of speeches by the candidate and his or her supporter.) If anyone nominated from the floor chooses to speak, any previously nominated candidate for the same office may also speak for five minutes. [ACM9] (This is in addition to the time at the May meeting so that Delegates are reminded equally of all candidates.) The Employee Forum Administrative Assistant shall keep time during presentations and will notify the Delegate chosen to conduct the election [DB10] when a speaker has run out of time.

Candidates whose names are submitted to the Membership & Assignments Committee at or before the April meeting shall submit a biographical sketch in the appropriate format for distribution to voters. This sketch shall not exceed 250 words and shall deal only with the qualifications, achievements and ideas of the candidate. Characterizations or criticisms of other candidates or factions, by name or implication, shall not be allowed. The Membership & Assignments Committee shall pass judgment as to the fitness of all submitted sketches, ensuring that all are in compliance with the required format. Candidates and their supporters shall follow the spirit of these precepts in their verbal presentations and other campaigning.

Candidates who are nominated in advance and those who are nominated from the floor shall be encouraged to make the same amount of information available to voters. Nominees from the floor may make an information sheet available at the Annual Retreat in conformity with the appropriate format for distribution to voters.[DB11]

Each candidate will be encouraged to make a photograph of himself or herself available. The Employee Forum will arrange and pay to have black and white photographs made so they are all similar. Candidates shall not be required to have a photograph available. If photographs are available, photocopies shall be included on the candidate information sheet mailed to Delegates. Nominees from the floor may include a photograph on information they distribute at the Annual Retreat.[DB12]

Sketches will be posted on the Forum’s website no later than the end of May, in alphabetical order by office, with no sketch given favored status.  They will also be included in the agenda packet for the Annual Retreat.  [DB13]

3. Eligibility

Officers must be Delegates with at least one year of elected term remaining.[DB14]

4. Election

All new, continuing and outgoing Delegates shall participate in the voting process at the Annual Retreat.  The current Chair and Parliamentarian shall also vote.[ACM15] [ACM16]

The Delegate chosen to conduct the election will call for nominations and call for a vote on  each officer position separately and in sequence, starting with the Chair, followed by the Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Parliamentarian.

Elections shall be by method of “voice vote” or “division of assembly” at the Annual Retreat, as is deemed necessary by the Delegate chosen to run the election.  A candidate must win a majority vote to gain election. In cases where no candidate gains a majority, the two candidates with the most votes in the first round of balloting shall participate in a run-off election. The candidate winning the majority of votes in the run-off election will gain office.  In cases where votes are split among more than two candidates, a run-off election will take place with the candidate with the least votes eliminated. If there is but one nominee for each office, then  [ACM17] a voice vote will be taken[DB18] .