Agenda Item #4
SUBJECT: Nomination and Election Process (Article VIII.C.)
STATEMENT OF QUESTION:
Should Article VIII.C. be modified so as to provide for a more cost-effective process for nomination and election processes?
SOURCE AND DATE SUBMITTED: Council 60, 64, 36 – March 17, 2016
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The process to nominate candidates for Local Officer positions is costly and complex. Given that a prospective candidate needs only one other Active Member in Good Standing to provide a nomination, the process can be made much simple and achieve this same result.
A simplified process would be for any Active Member in Good Standing to complete a Commitment to Serve as a self-nomination, and secure one other member to second the nomination. This can be achieved without the unnecessary expense of a secret ballot.
The savings for this change would be about $75,000 over the course of an election cycle.
Elections could also be simplified, which could generate a potential cost savings. The simplification would be to forgo an election when a candidate is running unopposed by considering the sole candidate as duly elected. Given anyone with only a single supporter can be placed on the ballot, the need to conduct an election for an unidentified write-in candidate appears unnecessary.
While the savings for this change could be sizable, there is no way to predict how many elections would be unopposed, and thus duly elected.
PROPOSED RESOLUTION:
WHEREAS, significant savings can be achieved by simplifying the process to nominate candidates for Local Officer positions; and,
WHEREAS, the election process can be simplified by considering an unopposed candidate as “duly elected;”
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, Article VIII.C.1. be changed as follows:
C. Local Council Officers and CWA Convention Delegates
1. Nomination Procedures
a. No later than one hundred and fifty (150) days before the start of the term of office, the International Secretary-Treasurer of the Union shall cause nominating ballots, notifications of commitment to serve statements and cover letters to be mailed sent to all active members of all Local Councils within the United States scheduled for election as provided in Paragraph 3. of this Section. For all Local Councils located outside of the United States the time frame shall be two hundred and ten (210) days before the start of the term of office. The International Secretary-Treasurer of the Union shall notify the Local Council President thirty (30) days prior to distributing said nominating ballots notification. For newly organized carriers, the nominating ballots, notifications of commitment to serve statements and cover letters shall be mailed sent to all active members of Local Councils no later than sixty (60) days following the appointment of Temporary Local Council Officers.
b. Nomination procedures shall be conducted by secret ballot by self-nomination with requirement of securing the support of one additional active member in good standing.
c. (1) Each active member in good standing may nominate one (1) self-nominate her or himself to be a candidate for the office of President, Vice President and or Secretary.
(2) The member shall be responsible for determination of that member’s nominee’s commitment to serve prior to nomination prospective candidate is responsible for securing the support of at least one additional active member in good standing and identifying the member(s) on the commitment to serve statement.
d. Nominating ballots, executed by active members in good standing, Commitment to Serve statements shall be sent to the International Secretary-Treasurer of the Union prior to the count date specified on said nominating ballot and received by the announced close of nominations.
e. Nominating ballots Commitment to serve statements of active members in good standing shall be certified and tallied under the supervision of the Ballot Certification Committee at the International Office.
f. (1) The Ballot Certification Committee shall determine legitimacy of a candidate’s commitment to serve as an elected Officer supporter by any one (1) of the following:
(a) Receipt of a commitment to serve card with the nomination ballot At least one phone call and email to the supporter’s designated phone and email address.
(b) WReceipt of written notification from the supporter prior to the count election mail date.
(c) Checking the indicated block on the transmittal envelope.
(2) If a commitment to serve has not been indicated as outlined in C.1.f.(1) above, the AFA-CWA Membership Services Department will contact the nominee through email, phone call(s), and regular mail letter requesting a commitment to serve statement with the exception that no email, phone call(s), and regular mail letter will be sent to a candidate with less than two (2) nomination votes. Verbal confirmation upon receipt of email, phone call(s), and regular mail letter, confirmed in writing, may also serve as notification of a candidate’s commitment to serve.
(3) The International Secretary-Treasurer of the Union shall cause the names of all nominees who received at leasttwo (2) one (1) nomination ballots and who have indicated their commitment to serve to be placed on the official Local Council election ballot.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, a new Article VIII.C.2.a.(5) be added:
(5) In the event that the only one candidate returns a commitment to serve in a timely manner, such candidate shall be considered duly elected to the desired position.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, the International Secretary-Treasurer shall make other necessary changes to Section IX and elsewhere as needed to ensure consistency with the changes described above.