ELECTION AND CAMPAIGN RULES Boston Teachers Union Local 66

Transcription

1 ELECTION AND CAMPAIGN RULES Boston Teachers Union Local Constitution and Bylaws The nomination and election of Boston Teachers Union (BTU) Local 66, President, Vice- President, Secretary-Treasurer, Field Representatives. Political Director, Executive Board, Paraprofessional Council and Delegate to any Affiliated Body Member will be conducted in accordance with the Boston Teachers Union Local 66 Bylaws and the AFT Constitution. 2. Term of Office The Officers and members of the Executive Board and Delegates shall serve for two calendar years after the election or until their successors are elected. The President and Executive Vice President shall automatically be delegates to all conventions and affiliated bodies. Membership BTU membership is acquired once a dues paying member submits a signed application card to the BTU office. Those applications are reviewed and voted on at the next Executive Board eeti g a d appli a ts e ership is the affir ed a ajorit ote of present members at the subsequent membership meeting. 3. Eligibility to Hold Office To be eligible for nomination a member must have obtained valid signatures of at least one hundred (100) members in good standing for the offices of President, Executive Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, Field Representatives, Political Director and at least fifty (50) signatures for the positions of the Executive Board. At least twenty-five (25) valid signatures shall be obtained by a candidate for Paraprofessional Council or Delegate(s) to All Affiliated Bodies. 4. Nomination Papers Nomination papers will be available beginning at the February Building Reps meeting and in the Boston Teachers Union office from Monday - Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. for the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, Elementary Field Rep., Secondary Field Rep., Paraprofessional & Substitute Field Rep., Political Director, Executive Board and Delegate(s) to All Affiliated Bodies. 5. Submitting Nomination Papers A candidate or their pre-desig ee pro ust su it their No i atio Papers to the Ele tio Committee at the March Membership Meeting starting at 3 pm and ending at 6:30 or until the end of the meeting, whichever is last. All signature pages, for each office, must be submitted at the same time. Candidates should be sure that they or their proxy have all pages before submitting. Papers will then be sealed in an envelope that cannot be reopened for additional pages. Candidates will also be asked to provide the exact presentation of their name for the ballot. A carbon copy receipt will be provided stating candidates name for ballot, school, positio, u er of pages su itted, desig ee s a e, sig ature, a d date.

2 Candidate Eligibility Determinations On March 9th, the Election Committee validated submitted signatures beginning at noon. Upon completion, all eligible candidates will be notified through their provided address; a list of validated candidates will also be sent to the membership by Special E-Bulletin. Ineligible nominees will be advised of the reason(s) they are not eligible to run for office. 6. Candidate Information Meeting On March 16th at 4:00 p.m., the Election Committee met with all interested candidates at the BTU hall to discuss ele tio pro edures, i spe tio of the u io s e ership list, distri utio of campaign literature, observers, and other campaign rules. At this meeting, a drawing was held to determine candidate position on the ballot. If a candidate was absent and did not have a representative at the meeting, a pre-designated proxy or an election official was allowed to represent the candidate in the drawing. Candidates to be represented by a pre-designated proxy, the candidates were to notify the Election Committee Ombudsman by 5 pm on March 15th. 7. Candidates Statements Candidates may submit statements to be published in the Boston Union Teacher newspaper. The Deadline for statements and photos must be ed to the Editors of the newspaper before April 12, Statements are limited to a total of one hundred and fifty (150) words. It is the responsibility of the candidates to put at the top of their statements their name and the office for which they are running, which will count towards the 150 word limit. The wording of a a didate s state e t ill e pri ted e a tl as re ei ed. Ca didate state e ts shall e presented in alphabetical, last-name order under the heading of each office. If a candidate state e t is ot re ei ed fro a a didate, the a didate s a e and the office she or he is ru i g for ill e pri ted ith the ords No state e t re ei ed e t to or elo the a didate s a e. 8. Ca didate s Night Candidates will be invited to address the membership after the April 12t h Membership meeting. Candidates will speak in the ballot order selected and will be allowed to campaign before and after (but not during) the event. 9. Inspection of the Membership List Each candidate may inspect (not copy) the BTU membership list once within 30 days prior to the election. No candidate is entitled to receive a copy of the list. The membership list will be available for inspection at the BTU office between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Any candidate who wishes to inspect the list should contact Charles Johnson at the BTU office at (617) to make an appointment. 10. Distribution to Membership

3 Candidates can purchase mailing stickers for campaign mailings. Lists will be printed by either Alpha or Zip Code order at the following rates: set (s) of Building Rep. mailing stickers at a cost of $25.00 per set. set (s) of Membership mailing stickers at a cost of $75.00 per set. Building Rep. mailing stickers - $25.00 per set; Membership mailing stickers - $75.00 per set; Para and Sub mailing stickers - $35.00 per set; Elementary School Teachers mailing stickers - $35.00 per set; Secondary School Teachers mailing stickers - $35.00 per set; and Retired Teacher mailing stickers - $40.00 per set. set (s) of Retired - Elementary Mailing stickers at a cost of $20.00 per set. set (s) of Retired - Secondary Mailing stickers at a cost of $20.00 per set. set (s) of Retired - Paraprofessionals Mailing stickers at a cost of $15.00 per set. Candidates should contact the union office at (617) to request mailing stickers. 11. Campaign Restrictions The Election Committee follows the Federal law prohibiting the use of any union or employer funds to promote the candidacy of any person in a union officer election. This prohibition applies to cash, facilities, equipment, office supplies, copying, and mailing list acquired while working for or at the BTU etc. Union officers and employees may not campaign on time paid for by the union and cannot use BTU-sponsored meetings and events for campaigning unless all candidates are invited and allowed the same privileges. Federal law also provides that candidates must be treated equally regarding the opportunity to campaign and that all members may support the candidates of their choice without being subject to penalty, discipline, or reprisal of any kind. Candidates are also responsible to monitor the behavior and activities of supporters promoting their candidacy. 12. Voter Eligibility The BTU will provide the eligibility lists which will be used for all facets of the election. Applications for Membership received after the March 23 membership list comes out will not be on the list to receive a mail in ballot for the Primary. Application for Membership received after April 21 will not be on the list to receive a mail in ballot for the Final Election. These members, if deemed eligible, can vote in person at the BTU Hall on May 3rd (Primary) or June 7t h (Final). 13. Ballots A secret ballot election is required for all union officer elections and therefore should be completed individually by the member receiving the ballot without interference or request to complete the ballot in a group setting or at a school site. Members may vote by mail OR in person. The first ballot received by AAA will be the ballot that is counted. Voters whose mail ballots have been received will not be allowed to vote in person. If there is a Primary, ballots will be mailed out by the AAA s Ne York Offi e o April rd a d are due back by April 28th at 5 pm. Ballots for the Fi al ele tio ill e ailed out the AAA s New York office on May 8th and are due back by June 2nd at 5 pm. The AAA containing a double envelope system that allows for absolute secrecy will mail all Ballots out. Ballots must be returned according to instructions.

4 14. Observers Ea h a didate a desig ate o e O ser er per desig ated ti e period, ith a s hedule to be provided by to the ombudsman 48 hours in advance of the start of polling. Observers will be allowed to adequately monitor the election process but not compromise, or give the appearance of compromising, the secrecy of the ballot. A location will be determined by the Election Committee and the AAA for observation. An Observer must be a BTU member. Observers may not wear campaign buttons, stickers, or other campaign apparel, distribute literature, or engage in campaign activities inside the polling place, including conversations about candidates or the election campaign. 15. Election Day For members who do not vote by mail, in-person voting will be held from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on June 7, 2017 (Final) and from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on May 3, 2017 if a Primary election is needed, at the BTU Hall, 180 Mt. Vernon Street, Boston, MA. Members will be asked to present a alid pi ture ID, a dri er s li e se or so e other for of pi ture ide tifi atio at the polls. After deter i i g that a e er is eligi le to ote, the AAA ill ark the e er s name off the eligibility list. The member will be given a ballot based on the Field Rep. that is assigned to his or her school, program or Job Title and instructed to vote in secret using one of the voting booths available for the election. All members will be required to use the voting booths. Booths with chairs will be available for those who prefer to sit. No campaigning or advocating for any candidate will be permitted in the polling area or inside the BTU Hall on Election Day. Only the AAA, the Election Committee, and members who are voting or waiting in line to vote will be permitted in the polling area. Tally of Ballots The AAA will tally the Ballots with the observation of the Election Committee and any candidates or their pre-designated observers at the BTU Hall after the polls close on May 3, 2017 for the primary; and on the morning of June 8, 2017, the day following the Final Election. Ea h a didate a desig ate o e o ser er to e desig ated e ail to the o uds a 8 hours in advance of the start of polling. AAA will certify results. Write-in votes are not permitted in the Boston Teachers Union election. The candidate who receives the highest number of votes cast for each office will be declared elected. Any tie votes will be decided by a coin toss conducted by the Election Committee after the tally is completed. 16. Election Results The election results will be posted at the Boston Teachers Union office, the E-Bulletin and Boston Union Teacher newspaper and in the Building Reps. Handout at the June 14th Membership meeting. 17. Questions or Problems Candidates and members with questions about the nomination or election procedures should o ta t Do a O Brie, O uds a of the Ele tio Co ittee at donnahobrien@comcast.net.

5 Any violation of these rules should be reported promptly to the Election Committee so that corrective action can be taken, if necessary. 18. Protests In the event of a margin of less than 5% of the total votes cast in a particular race between elected and defeated candidates, a recount may be granted. If a recount is required, the candidate must request a recount in writing to the chairpersons of the election committee within twenty-four (24) hours from the time the election results are announced. 19. Election Records The AAA will be responsible for maintaining all nomination and election records for at least one year after the election, as required by federal law. The above rules are not all inclusive. The Boston Teachers Union Local 66 Election Committee, as needed, may issue additional election rules or clarifications during the nomination and election period. (Issued By: Boston Teachers Union Election Committee Date: Compiled March, 2017