WESTERN REGION OF THE NATIONAL BLACK LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION 2012-2013 Western Regional Convention Election Rules and Procedures Packet
Per Article III, Section 7 of the National Constitution, NBLSA election procedures are designed to help secure the opportunity for as many members of the Association as possible to participate in governance of the Association.
TABLE OF CONTENTS ELECTION RULES AND PROCEDURES POSITIONS ELIGIBLE FOR ELECTION.........................................................................3 CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS....................................................................................3 CAMPAIGNING.................................................................................................................4 ENFORCEMENT OF ELECTION RULES AND PROCEDURES...................................5 ELECTION DEBATES AND SPEECHES.........................................................................5 CHAPTER DELEGATE VOTING.....................................................................................5 BALLOT COUNT...............................................................................................................6 ANNOUNCEMENT OF 2012-2013 WRBLSA EXECUTIVE BOARD...........................6 BALLOT INSPECTION.....................................................................................................6 ELECTIONS PROCEDURES CALENDAR......................................................................6 APPENDIX REGIONAL OFFICER CANDIDATE CHECKLIST........................................................8 REGIONAL OFFICER APPLICATION............................................................................9 REGIONAL OFFICER CANDIDATE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND PLEDGE FORM ............................................................................................................................................10 STATEMENT OF INTENT FORM..................................................................................11 STATEMENT OF GOALS AND AGENDA FOR POSITION........................................12 ADDENDUM Candidates' Statement of Intent and Résumé must be limited to one (1) 8.5''x11'' page each.
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ELECTIONS RULES AND PROCEDURES I.
POSITIONS AVAILABLE FOR ELECTION Any member of a 2011-2012 active BLSA chapter1 may run for office. The following WRBLSA positions are eligible for election: • • • • • • • • • • •
II.
Western Regional Chair Western Regional Vice Chair Regional Treasurer Regional Secretary Regional Attorney General Pacific Northwest Sub-Region Director Northern California Sub-Region Co-Directors Southern California Sub-Region Co-Directors Regional Director of the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition Regional Director of the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition Regional Director of Community Service Coordinator
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS Advance Nominations Any member of an active chapter who fulfills the pre-certification documentation requirements will be qualified as a candidate for WRBLSA office. Each must submit the following: i.
ii. iii. iv. v. vi.
Electronic photograph (attached to statement of intent); Signed acknowledgement of the duties and obligations associated with the office sought; Statement of understanding of financial obligation for office; Statement of intent, no more than one 8.5” x 11” page, for inclusion in the delegates packet; One 8.5” x 11” page résumé, including NBLSA positions held (local, regional or national), for inclusion in the delegates packet; and Letter certifying enrollment and good academic standing from your law school registrar or dean.
Submission of Materials: All materials must be submitted online. The application may be found at www.nblsa.org/wrblsaelections. Deadlines for submission of all elections materials are listed in the calendar below. Nominations from the Floor • • •
Any registered delegate may nominate an active member at the Western Region Convention for a Regional officer position only if there are no candidates running for that position at the opening of the Regional Convention. The officer presiding over plenary will determine the exact time when such nominations would be appropriate. To make the nomination, the Chair of the Chapter’s delegation need only rise and state “I nominate _________________ for the position of ______________.” No second is required. Chapters are only permitted to nominate one person for each officer position.
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An active chapter is a chapter who has paid membership dues and has uploaded a membership roster to the NBLSA Membership database. In order to be considered a member of a chapter, you must have paid dues for the 2011-2012 academic school year and your name must be included in the chapter’s membership roster.
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•
In the event, that a candidate is nominated from the floor, the candidate must meet requirements i - v set forth above in the preliminary certification requirements prior to Election Day (January 14, 2012).
•
All candidates who are nominated from the floor and elected must submit the documents requested under vi-viii of the preliminary certification requirements to the Regional Chair, Chalak Richards, on or before February 3, 2012.
Post-Election Meeting Any candidate who wins election to the WRBLSA Board is required to attend the Transitional Breakfast Meeting at WRBLSA Regional Convention on Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 9:00 AM. The meeting is expected to last until 12:00 PM, so please make your travel arrangements accordingly. Important Considerations •
III.
Serving on the WRBLSA Executive Board is a significant commitment which requires a substantial amount of traveling and extracurricular work. Please take this into consideration when determining whether you will run for office.
CAMPAIGNING
Demeanor Prior to Commencement of Convention Campaign Meeting •
After a Candidate has received notification from the 2012 Election Committee that his or her application has been accepted, he or she may use Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, a blog, website, or any other electronic method to advertise his or her candidacy.
Campaign Material Approval •
Candidates may not use any Regional or National Listserv and may not post any campaign material to the NBLSA regional, national or local chapter Facebook group or other social networking sites.
•
Candidates may not use pictures that include any current Regional or National Executive Board members as a part of their campaign materials.
Candidate Endorsement •
Local chapters may not publicly endorse a candidate prior to the Regional Convention. Local chapters may endorse candidates after the commencement of the Regional Convention.
•
Current National and Regional Board members are prohibited from endorsing any candidate for Regional office at any time prior to or during convention. This includes posting any pictures of them and candidates up for election on any of their social or professional websites. Officers may respond to any questions about a candidate’s specific work performance if the candidate is currently serving on the board, insofar as the officer worked directly with the candidate in question.
Demeanor after Commencement of Official Campaigning
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•
Candidates may wear and distribute campaign materials (flyers, buttons, etc.) to attendees at the Regional Convention.
•
No campaigning may occur inside of plenary. As such, no delegate may wear or prominently display any campaign materials within 30 feet of or inside of the room where plenary sessions will be held.
•
Candidates will not engage in an unfair campaign practice including, but not limited to: infraction or contempt of any campaign rule; libeling or slandering another candidate; and/or maliciously disrupting another campaign.
•
Each candidate is responsible for activity that another undertakes on his or her behalf, as if the candidate is undertaking the activity himself or herself, unless the candidate sincerely and affirmatively discourages such activity.
Termination of campaigning • IV.
V.
ENFORCEMENT OF ELECTIONS RULES PROCEDURES •
Any person registered for the Regional Convention may file a complaint with any Elections Committee member for violation of elections rules and procedures by sending an email to wrblsaparliamentarian@gmail.com.
•
These rules will be enforced and violations will be investigated by the Elections Committee. If any violation is found to have merit, then the offending candidate will be disqualified immediately. The rules will be enforced in an effort to achieve adherence to the goals and principles of WRBLSA.
•
Any decisions made by the Elections Committee that result in the disqualification of a candidate are appealable to the current Regional Chair.
•
The Elections Committee reserves the right to amend or add to the election procedures at any time before the annual meeting not withstanding those specific procedures set out in the Regional Constitution and Bylaws.
DEBATES AND ELECTION SPEECHES •
•
VI.
All campaign materials and solicitation of votes must be taken down and cease one hour prior to the beginning of the Candidates’ Speeches on Saturday, January 14, 2012.
All candidates for office are required to give a speech, which should last for no longer than one minute, and stand for questions during the Plenary Elections session, to be held on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 1:45 PM. The order of Candidates Speeches and Questions and Answers will be determined by the Elections Committee and announced at the Plenary Session to be held on Friday, January 13, 2012 at 10:15 AM.
DELEGATE VOTING PROCEDURES Chapters in attendance
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Any active chapter with a registered delegate for the Regional Convention who attends two of the three plenary sessions during the 2012 Regional Convention is entitled to participate in the election of 2012-2013 WRBLSA Board Officers. Plenaries are scheduled for: - Thursday, January 12, 2012 (2:00 PM – 3:30 PM – Officer Reports) - Friday, January 13, 2012 (3:45 PM-4:45 PM - Announcement of candidates and floor nominations) - Saturday, January 22, 2011 (2:00 PM to 5:30 PM – Speeches & Elections) • VII.
VIII.
BALLOT COUNT •
The election of officers will utilize a secret ballot voting method.
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The candidate that receives the largest percentage of votes for the position will be declared the winner of the position.
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If a candidate is unopposed, he or she must receive a majority of the votes in order to be declared the winner of the position.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF 2012-2013 WRBLSA ELECTED OFFICIALS •
IX.
All candidates who are elected to office will be announced during the Regional Awards Banquet to be held on Saturday, January 14, 2012 in Seattle, Washington.
INSPECTION OF BALLOTS •
X.
All delegates will receive their chapter ballot and all relevant proxy ballots prior to the commencement of candidate speeches.
A candidate has a right to inspect all of the physical ballots submitted for the position to which he or she was a candidate before the close of the Regional Convention.
ELECTION PROCEDURES CALENDAR ELECTION PROCEDURES CALENDAR Deadline to submit preliminary certification Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 11:59 PM materials for advance nominees Last Day of Floor Nominations, if applicable Friday, January 13, 2012 WRBLSA Candidates Speeches, Q&A and Saturday, January 14, 2012, 1:45 PM Voting WRBLSA Transition Meeting Sunday, January 15, 2012, 9:00 AM Deadline to submit certification materials for Friday, February 4, 2012, 11:59 PM officers elected from the floor
**The Election Committee reserves the right to extend or alter the dates above if deemed necessary.
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APPENDIX
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REGIONAL OFFICER CANDIDATE CHECKLIST 1 Signed acknowledgement of the duties and obligations associated with a WRBLSA elected official 2 Letter certifying enrollment and good academic standing from your law school registrar or dean 3 Statement of understanding of financial obligation for office 4 Statement of intent (goals and agenda for position) for inclusion in the delegates packet 5 RĂŠsumĂŠ for inclusion in the delegates packet 6 Picture for inclusion in the delegates packet, attached to statement of intent
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APPLICATION 1225 11th Street. N.W., Washington, DC 20001 2012 WRBLSA Election Application All materials must be submitted on or before January 8 2012 11:59PM PST. Please submit application online at www.nblsa.org/wrblsaelections Name: ________________________________________________________________________________ School: _____________________________________________________
Year: ________________
Phone: _____________________________________ Email: ______________________________________ Position applying for2: ____________________________________________________________________ What other positions will you hold, apply, or run for election in any organization for 2011-2012? ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Have you ever run for or held an office within NBLSA on the local, regional or national level? If so, which position(s)? ______________________________________________________________________________________ What are your plans for the summer of 2011? Where will you be located? ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Mandatory Attachments and Forms3 Please initial the “Acknowledgement Form” associated with being a member of the Regional Executive Board. Please attach a letter certifying enrollment and good academic standing from your law school registrar or dean. Please attach a statement of intent and résumé. Please do not include any sensitive information such as grades or class ranking.4
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In addition to the position applied for, please list any other positions of interest (2 additional positions maximum). These materials must be attached and completed for consideration for pre-certification. 4 However, candidates may include academic honors. 3
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REGIONAL OFFICER CANDIDATE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND PLEDGE
NAME
POSITION APPLYING FOR
Email Address:
YOUR SCHOOL: YEAR IN SCHOOL:
I, _________________, hereby acknowledge that I have read and understood the duties and obligations of an elected official of the Western Regional Executive Board of the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) as set forth in the organization’s Constitution and Bylaws. Please initial. I further pledge that if elected I will undertake any further preparation necessary to serve competently as a member of the WRBLSA Executive Board. Please initial. Typing your name below indicates that you have read the acknowledgement and pledge and will abide by them to the best of your ability. Signature (Simply type name)
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Date
REGIONAL OFFICE STATEMENT OF INTENT FORM NAME
POSITION APPLYING FOR
ADDRESS
SCHOOL:
CITY
STATE
YEAR IN SCHOOL: POSITION IN CHAPTER:
PHONE: CELL
HOME
EMAIL ADDRESS-PRIVATE
ZIP
AGE (OPTIONAL):
EMAIL ADDRESS-PUBLIC
1. Please write your name as you would like for it to appear on the ballot. (Whether you write your last name before your first name is irrelevant. Be sure to check for any misspellings.) The ballot will contain your name, school, current classification, and age, if provided. 2. Please submit a photo electronically, in JPEG format attached to your statement of intent when submitting your materials. 4. Please write a statement of your goals and agendas for the position you are seeking on the next page. Please include answers to the following questions within your statement of intent: why are you running for this position? What do you hope to accomplish during your tenure in this position? What practical steps will you take to accomplish these goals? How do you envision taking WRBLSA to the next level? How will you hold other board members accountable? You may include any experience that may be related to the position, any honors and awards and any other additional information that you deem necessary. There is a 1000 word limit on statements. Submit application online at www.nblsa.org/wrblsaelections Typing your name below indicates that you have read all the election rules and that you will abide by such rules to the best of your ability. Any impropriety will be grounds for disqualification. Signature
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STATEMENT OF GOALS AND AGENDA FOR POSITION ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________
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