Elections
ELECTIONS
DEFINITIONS
===ELECTION CYCLE:=== The “Election Cycle” is defined as starting with the last regularly scheduled ConCom Meeting closest to but no less than 10 days prior to the start of the current convention. It ends with the Post-Con Meeting for the current convention. ELECTION DATE: The “Election Date” is defined as the last day for which ballots shall be accepted, normally the date of the Post-Con Meeting of the current convention.
VOTER ELIGIBILITY
POLICY: ConCom members may opt-in to voting during the staff registration process. A valid email address must be included with staff registration to guarantee the opportunity to vote. ConCom members must complete registration as staff upon the close of the ConCom meeting scheduled closest to but not less than 28 days prior to the start of the current convention to guarantee voting privileges. ConCom members who have registered to vote who do not meet any or all of these criteria may be removed from the eligible voters list.
CANDIDATE ELIGIBILITY / NOMINATIONS
POLICY: All candidates for all positions must have held a position on the Norwescon ConCom within the past five years. Nominations open at the second-to-last ConCom meeting before the start of the current convention provided this meeting is at least 30 days before the convention starts. Nominations close at the last ConCom meeting before the start of the current convention provided that it takes place at least 10 days before the convention starts. Nominations may be made in person at ConCom meetings or by email to the Election Committee. All nominations must have a second. Candidates may make an optional two-minute presentation at the ConCom meeting scheduled closest to, but not less than 30 days prior to the start of the current convention, and at the ConCom meeting scheduled closest to, but not less than 10 days prior to the start of the current convention. There may be a question and answer period at this time. There may also be an additional statement/question and answer session at the Post-Con Meeting if the Elections Committee feels it is warranted.
BYLAW CHANGES
A bylaw change may be proposed by any ConCom member. To be considered on the ballot, a bylaw change must be proposed in writing before the first opening of nominations. The exec team may waive this requirement by majority vote. The elections chair may assist a member in writing a bylaw change in a format so that voters can easily understand the change being proposed.
BALLOTS AND VOTING
POLICY: Voting is conducted online using a secure voting system or in person at the convention or post-convention meeting. Ballots should be emailed to all eligible voters at least 30 days prior to the election date but must be emailed no later than 21 days prior to the election date. If the ballots cannot be emailed 21 days prior to the election date (due to meeting schedules or other factors) the Election Committee Chairman shall propose to the Exec Team by the January meeting of the current convention year a modified schedule for Elections taking the entire convention timeline into account. Upon approval by the Exec Team, the modification will apply to the current convention only. If multiple ballots are received from the same voter, and they cannot be contacted to confirm which ballot is to be used, the ballot received last shall be used. The older ballot shall be discarded and not counted. The ballots must include: • General Election information • Candidates’ statements, email addresses, and phone numbers • An individualized link to a secure online voting system. Physical ballots provided at the convention must include: • General Election information • Candidates’ statements, email addresses, and phone numbers • Ballots • Blank ballot security envelope All ballots shall be validated and logged in by the Election Committee. Any ballot received without knowing who it came from shall be considered anonymous and shall not be counted. The Election Committee shall consist of three people. The Chair shall appoint the Election Committee Chair who shall then recruit two assistants. Polls should close at the end of the post-convention meeting. The Election Committee Chair determines when and where the Elections Committee shall count the votes. The votes should be counted following the Post-Con Meeting and the winners announced at the social following the post-convention meeting.
QUORUM DETERMINATION
POLICY: Before the votes are counted, it must be determined whether the election has reached quorum and is therefore valid. If quorum has not been met, up to 24 hours of extra time may be allotted at the discretion of the Elections Committee Chair to gather more ballots. At the end of that time, if quorum has still not been met the envelopes are not opened and the election is declared invalid. A re-vote is then run.
VOTE COUNTING
PROCEDURE: Physical ballots are opened and votes counted in secret by the Elections Committee. For the first counting of votes one person announces the votes while the others tally the votes, the tallies are then compared. The counting is then done again, with another person announcing the votes, vote counts must match. Once reconciled, tallies of physical ballots are combined with the tallies of all electronic votes to determine the result. In case of a tie in any one race or discrepancy in vote totals, the votes for that position are counted a third time, with the third person announcing the votes.
TIES
POLICY: Ties for Elected Officers: If there is a tie in any race, the candidates are given 48 hours to decide if they wish to proceed with a re-vote. The only option for any candidate is to continue their candidacy or withdraw. No random mechanism (coin flip, dice roll, etc.) may be used to decide the winner. If only one candidate decides to continue at the end of that period, the position will go to that candidate. If there is more than one candidate that wishes to continue their candidacy, a re-vote will occur.
POLICY: Ties for GoH Selection Committee: If three or more candidates are tied for the GoH Selection Committee positions, those candidates are given 48 hours to decide if they wish to proceed with a re-vote. The only option for any candidate is to continue their candidacy or withdraw. No random mechanism (coin flip, dice roll, etc.) may be used to decide the winner. Withdrawals, if any, will be accepted in the order received until only two candidates remain. Those two remaining candidates will serve on the GoH Selection Committee. At the end of the 48-hour period, if more than two candidates decide to continue, a re-vote will occur with all candidates.
RE -ELECTIONS
POLICY: In the case of not reaching quorum, the election for all positions is re-run with the same candidates running again if they choose to continue, as per the Bylaws, Section Two.
POLICY: In the case of a tie, if the tied candidates decide to proceed, the election for that position is re-run with the tied candidates running again, as per the Bylaws, Section Two.
PROCEDURE: In both cases, candidates will be asked for revised or additional candidate statements if they wish to supply them. The re-vote is conducted electronically only. Ballots must be emailed within 17 calendar days from the invalid election or tie. The deadline for closing online voting shall be at least 10 business days from the date of mailing of ballot materials to voters. Within 7 calendar days of the re-vote deadline it is determined whether quorum has been reached and, if so, the votes are counted and the winner announced. This process is repeated until there is a quorum and a winner. See Addendums for sample election forms.