ARTICLE X. ELECTIONS

Section 1.

Officers will be elected by secret electronic ballot of the membership. All Members in good standing are eligible for office.

Section 2.

Terms of office for all Officers and Representatives will be 1 year beginning July 1st of each year and ending June 30th of the succeeding year.

Section 3.

The Secretary will be responsible for developing and administering procedures for a fair, democratic and orderly election of Officers and Representatives in compliance with this Constitution. He/she may seek assistance from the administrator as deemed necessary by the Board.

Section 4.

Not less than 30 days prior to June 1, notice of nominations and elections will be provided to all members. The notice will set forth the guidelines and the schedule for nominations and the election. Nominations will be open for at least 14 days and elections for 3 days.

Section 5.

Any member may declare herself/himself a candidate for office or nominate any other member for office. Such declaration/nomination must be submitted by written hard copy or electronically sent to the Association headquarters. Before the close of nominations, each nominee must submit by written hard copy or email acceptance of the nomination to the Association headquarters. A candidate may be nominated for President-Elect and another Board position to further promote continuity from year to year.

Section 6.

Not less than 7 days prior to June 1, an electronic ballot containing all duly nominated candidates for office will be provided to each member. If there is more than one candidate for a Principal Office, such candidates will be listed alphabetically. If there are more than 6 candidates for Representative, such candidates will be listed alphabetically. If there is not more than one candidate running for an office or as a Representative, the candidate is duly elected by virtue of being unopposed. If a slate of candidates runs unopposed, no election is necessary.

Section 7.

Electronic ballots will be counted at the close of voting. Candidates for the offices of President-Elect, Vice- President, Secretary and Treasurer will be elected by a plurality of valid votes cast for each office (i.e., the candidate with the most votes wins the election for each office). The 6 candidates for Representative with the highest total of valid votes cast win the election.

Section 8.

During the transition period, after the election, and prior to July 1, each outgoing Officer will acquaint his/her successor with the functions of the office and will deliver to the Association all books, papers and other property of the Association that may be in his/her possession.