Original
IV. Election of Board of Directors
1. One-third of the Director positions on the Board will stand for election by the Members each year.
2. Terms of Directors will begin on January 1st of the year following their election or, if the election is completed after January 1st but before July 31st, as soon as possible after the election.
3. The collection of Member's votes for the election of Directors shall be conducted over a term of at least two (2) weeks each year and only those Members in good standing as of the date of announcement of the election may vote.
4. The Board will announce the dates of the election at least one hundred and twenty (120) days in advance of the election.
5. Each eligible Member may vote for one candidate for each vacancy.
6. The Board of Directors shall prepare and submit to the Members, at least ninety (90) days in advance of the election, a slate of qualified candidates who have agreed to serve.
7. The name of any qualified person who agrees to serve if elected may be submitted by signed, written petition, of at least 500 members in good standing as of the date of the election announcement, to the Board at least sixty (60) days in advance of the start of the election. Any such petition shall identify the Board seat for which the nominee is to be considered. Nominees received under this process shall be included on the ballot.
8. The Directors may allow for the election of write-in candidates for the Board; provided that such person so elected meets the qualification requirements for Service set forth in these Bylaws.
9. All votes shall be cast using an electronic voting method specified by resolution of the Board.
10. Any election shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast by those entitled to vote in the election.
Proposed
IV. Election of Board of Directors1. 1. One-third of each class of Director positions on the Board will stand for election by the Members each year.
2. 2. Terms of Directors will begin on January 1st of the year following their election or, if the election is completed after January 1st but before July 31st, as soon as possible after the election.
3. 3. The collection of Members’ votes for the election of Directors shall be conducted over a term of at least two (2) weeks each year and only those Members in good standing as of the date of announcement of the election may vote.
4. 4. The Board will announce the dates of the election at least one hundred and twenty (120) days in advance of the election.
5. 5. Each eligible Member may vote for one candidate for each vacancy.
6. 6. A Nominations Committee, led by a former Member Director, and composed entirely of Non-Director Members shall determine the nomination process. The members of the Nomination committee will be appointed by the Board of Directors. The Nomination Committee shall prepare and submit to the Members, at least ninety (90) days in advance of the election, a ballot of qualified candidates who have agreed to serve. This ballot shall contain all qualified persons that have been nominated or twice as many nominees as the number of open positions, whichever is less. No member of the Nomination committee may also be a nominee for election.
7. 7.The name of any qualified person who agrees to serve if elected may be submitted by signed, written petition, of at least 500 members in good standing as of the date of the election announcement, to the Board at east sixty (60) days in advance of the start of the election. Any such petition shall identify the Board seat for which the nominee is to be considered. Nominees received under this process shall be included on the ballot. The Board, upon request of a petitioner, will send a single email to all Members indicating the petitioners desire to be on the ballot, along with a link to information about the petitioner (provided by the petitioner).
8. 8. Write in candidates for the Board, are allowed; provided that such person so elected meets the qualification requirements for Service set forth in these Bylaws.
9. 9. All votes shall be cast using an electronic voting method specified by resolution of the Board
10 10.Any election shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast by those entitled to vote in the election.
Rationale
1. Currently, the Nominations Committee is made up solely of Board Members. This allows the Current Board to effectively select the new Board.
2. There has been much discussion of "slate" vs. "ballot". Current Board feels that simply submitting a "slate" of nominees of equal number to the number of open positions and having the membership affirm the selection is legal per our by-laws.
3. These changes would require at least 2 nominees for every open position, unless less nominations than that are received. This guarantees an actual election.
4. The current Board removed the provision for a petition email in the middle of this current election cycle, removing it from the Election FAQ after several people asked to have the email sent out. Adding this to the By-Laws prevents changes to the rules in mid-stream in the future.
5. Currently, the Board does not have to allow write-in votes. This would mandate that they are acceptable.
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