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Procedures for Elections

Procedures

Elections Committee

December 10, 2018

Charge: Oversee the entire election process including nominations, vetting nominees, running the election and reporting results.

Collaborate with the Board on seeking appointments to the Board.

Optimal number of members: minimum of 3 with 2 from the general membership and/or from the appointed members of the Board

Responsibilities:

The President is succeeded by the current President-Elect, and the 3 Executive Officers President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer) are elected on odd numbered years.

The 4 elected Board members are elected on even numbered years.

Nominations

  1. Nominations for Executive Officers and elected Board members shall be sought from the entire MassCUE membership using a variety of communication venues.
  2. The election committee shall communicate via email and MassCUE website the criteria and responsibilities of a Board member to the membership when seeking nominees.
  3. The election committee will vet nominees and inform them of their acceptability status within one week of submission.
  4. Every effort should be made to bring forth two candidates for each elected position.

Criteria

Candidates are defined in the Bylaws, Section 4 subsection d, Membership of Governing Board.

Candidate for President-Elect must also have actively served as a member of the Board of Directors for at least one full term (2 years).

Candidates for Treasurer should be experienced with reading and evaluating budgets. Prior service on the MassCUE Finance Committee (or similar committees for other organizations) is preferred. The treasurer must chair the Finance Committee. The treasurer also must be available throughout the year for appropriate communication with the Finance Committee and Executive Officers.

Candidates for Secretary should be detail-oriented, be good listeners and writers, be well-organized, and very responsive to requests for information. Experience as a recording secretary (or service in similar roles on a MassCUE committee or in another organization) is preferred, but not required.

Candidates for President-Elect should have a firm understanding of and experience with the operation of the organization and the board. Candidates should be familiar with current Board business and should have served at least one term as a Board member or should have prior service as Committee Chair, as an Officer on the Board, or have had other leadership roles within MassCUE that have provided a broad perspective of the organization. The candidate should understand the succession to the Presidency and be prepared to serve a four-year term.

Candidates must read and agree to abide by:

Campaigning

Nominees, who have access to the membership list, may not use it for campaigning, as it would be in violation of our Privacy Policy.

Candidate Presentation

Nominees will be presented to the membership in alphabetical order

Timeline

Calendar / Timeframe Tasks
Second week in January – Second week in February

Prepare and post an electronic announcement to membership (published on MassCUE webpage, electronically mailed to membership and listed on electronic newsletter) that nominations are open. This post should include a description of the position, the position criteria, Code of Conduct for Board Members, Responsibilities of Board Members and the nomination process. Committee will acknowledge receipt of candidate’s intention via email to candidate within one week of received submission.

In the event that someone does not qualify, the reason should be sent with the acknowledgement.

Second week in March

Nominations close.

Nominees are vetted by the Elections Committee, making sure that criteria is met and nominees are informed of their status.

Slate of vetted candidates is prepared and posted on the MassCUE Website along with voting procedure.

Electronic announcement sent email to all current members with voting instructions. Instructions should include closing date and time for voting.

Posting contains candidate headshot, name, school district name, email address for posting on the web page and candidates election statement not to exceed 200 words.

Second Week of April voting takes place

Voting takes place via a secure and anonymous electronic ballot. The voting tool, approved by the Board, should allow loading of the current membership list and email of only those members and allows only one vote per member.

Each voter is responsible for completing the task of voting.

During the voting period additional reminders may be sent by the election committee to all members if:

  • the election website goes down during the voting period

● as a reminder that the voting period is active

Third Week of April Elections Committee prepares results and presents to the board.   Winners will be notified by the election chair within 2 days of closing. Results are announced electronically and posted on the web site.
October Those elected assume their elected position at the May meeting following the Election. They serve along with current members with all rights of Board members. Outgoing members complete their terms after the fall conference.
Mid October Collaborate with the Board on seeking candidates for appointment to the Board at the November meeting.