2018 VOTING DELEGATE GUIDE

Transcription

1 2018 VOTING DELEGATE GUIDE This guide is devoted to helping you to prepare students to serve as voting delegates during the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC). Your official delegates need to be registered for the conference along with other people from your state. Overview SkillsUSA is a student run organization, whereby student members are charged with the responsibility of governing the affairs associated with the student constitution. States are entitled to student voting delegates commensurate with their membership to represent the views of their state association within the structure of the National House of Delegates. National House of Delegate sessions are three days of a business meeting setting. There are two houses of voting delegates: one for college/postsecondary students and one for high school students. Over 600 young adults, who are geographically diverse and hold various leadership roles within their SkillsUSA chapters, come together to conduct the business of SkillsUSA. Duties and Responsibilities of the National House of Delegates The duties of the voting delegates are important to the operation of the organization; therefore, the selection process for voting delegates must be seriously considered to assure that the voting delegates are aware of their duties and will carry them out diligently. Duties include: Enact bylaws, rules and regulations necessary for carrying out the affairs and activities of the organization Elect officers of the organization Act upon items of business as requested by the National Executive Council and Board of Directors NOTE: Because of the Delegate schedule during conference, it is not recommended for contestants to serve as delegates. A national officer candidate may serve as a delegate and vote, but may not be seated in the House of Delegate s meeting during campaign speeches and problematic questions. Maximum Number of Delegates per State Association Your state association is entitled to send delegates to the NLSC based on your state s membership for the year. Included at the end of this guide is a reference for determining the number of delegates allowed. Find the range of membership in your state. The number to the right is the maximum number of delegates allowed. Use this guide for both high school and college/postsecondary divisions. 1 P a g e

2 Preparing Your Delegates In preparing voting delegates to represent your state in the most knowledgeable manner, the following outline has been developed. Purpose of a National Voting Delegate Represent your state Conduct business of the organization Elect national officers Delegate Etiquette Delegates are to remain professional with candidates, other delegates and elected officers. Delegates are to be present and on time for all meetings. Delegates are to keep fellow delegates informed of daily activities. Delegates are to treat others with respect. Appropriate Attire for Delegates Delegates must be dressed in SkillsUSA official dress (SkillsUSA blazer, black skirt/pants, white blouse/shirt, black shoes) during all delegate meetings. Delegate ribbons will be distributed during delegate training and must be worn at all times while in meetings. Head Delegate If you have a large delegation, it is recommended to appoint a head delegate to act as a spokesperson for the delegation. Duties include: Communicate with the rest of the team Make sure all delegates are in attendance and wearing delegate ribbon Answer roll call during business meetings (see Business Meeting in this guide) Make final decision on vote trading, support and actions Campaigning for National Officer Candidate If you have a candidate running for national office, it is the responsibility of the National Voting Delegate team to campaign. The SkillsUSA Board of Directors has adopted procedures for conducting National Officer Elections. These procedures are sent to a National Officer Candidate upon receipt of their application in the national office. National Voting Delegates should be aware of all campaigning guidelines. Campaign Guidelines: Campaigning is to be conducted only in person and onsite at NLSC and will start only after the adjournment of the Delegate and Meet the Candidates session on Wednesday. Candidates may not use mass or social media of any kind/type/format as campaigning tools, i.e., websites, , texting, mailings, hashtags, and/or any/all social media sites. Candidates and their representatives may not campaign in any manner/format during Activate and Leverage sessions, this includes verbal discussion of candidacy. No campaign literature of any type may be distributed before the time specified in the official adopted agenda. This regulation prohibits advance conference mailings, posting of campaign literature, and 2018 Voting Delegate Guide Page 2

3 campaigning using the web, social media, or texting. Campaign materials are not allowed to be taped to walls, doors, windows or any surface in any hotel or in the Kentucky Exposition Center. If campaign materials are found taped to any surface of any hotel or KEC, fines may be charged To display materials in delegate meeting rooms, candidates are provided one 8 table and candidates must provide their own 24 x 36 free standing display board. Samples of all campaign materials and a folder with itemized list must be approved by the Campaign Material Review Committee. No skits or props of any kind are allowed during any Meet the Candidates sessions or delegate sessions. The only officially sanctioned times for delegates to meet with candidates are during the Meet the Candidate sessions and before or after delegate sessions. Delegate Sessions During NLSC There are five types of delegate sessions during the NLSC. They are: Delegate Training Sessions Meeting where delegates receive an overview of delegate sessions, how to conduct roll call, parliamentary procedure instructions are given, and delegate packets with delegate ribbons are distributed. Delegate Business Meetings Meetings in which delegates sit in reserved seat, roll call is taken and business is conducted. Joint Delegate Sessions Meetings for all three houses, held in the High School House of Delegates room. Delegates will hear from Board of Directors, sponsors and government dignitaries. Informal Meet the Candidates sessions Delegates get to meet the national officer candidates in an open forum. High School candidates will be stationed in the hallway and College/Postsecondary candidates will be stationed around the room near their campaign materials, and delegates talk to them in an individual or group setting. Formal Meet the Candidates sessions Meetings where delegates listen to national officer candidates answer questions. Delegates get to submit questions prior to this session. Candidates will be on stage at the same time. A current national officer will ask a question and each candidate has the chance to reply. Business Meetings Delegates are expected to sit in the area reserved for their state delegation. Alternate delegates in attendance must wear official dress and sit in the official alternate section. Advisors are not allowed to be on the floor to communicate with delegates during sessions. Roll Call is taken to establish an official number of delegates from each state attending the business meeting and to have an official record of votes. Roll call will be taken at the beginning of each business meeting. One person from each delegation (head delegate) should be assigned the responsibility for answering the roll for their respective state. Before responding to the roll call, the spokesperson must stand and proceed to the microphone. He/she should give the name of their state with the number of official voting delegates present. All delegates should stand and remain standing until the national secretary asks them to be seated. This assures an accurate count of delegates. Every business meeting follows a set agenda. The delegates will adopt an agenda at the first official session and additional items may not be presented until all agenda items have been completed. Any 2018 Voting Delegate Guide Page 3

4 delegation wishing to have an item placed on the agenda may present the item in writing to the national president or delegate session coordinator any time before or during the delegate training. A credentials committee is appointed to assist with seating of delegates, serve as facilitators on the delegate session floor, monitor the floor and the replacement of delegates with alternate delegates. The committee is also responsible for keeping the secretary posted on increases and decreases in state delegate counts. Late delegates will be admitted to the floor at appropriate times by the credentials committee. Voting delegates must practice parliamentary procedure during all business meetings. Voting delegates must be present to cast their vote on all floor votes. One person cannot cast two votes. Voting delegates leaving the floor should appoint an alternate who will represent them during the absence. The alternate will sit in the voting delegate s seat during this time. This exchange is to be cleared by a credential s committee member. Voting delegates must stand to be recognized during business meetings. When recognized, he/she must address the assembly from the floor microphone by first giving their name and state before discussing business. A voting delegate desiring to come to the stage and speak from the speaker stand must rise, give their name and state, and ask permission to speak from rostrum. Parliamentary Procedure All SkillsUSA Delegate Sessions are conducted in accordance with Robert s Rules of Order, Newly Revised. Making a Motion 1. Raise your hand. When you are called upon, stand. 2. After you are at the microphone, state your name and the state you represent. Be sure that you speak slowly and clearly so that the secretary can capture the information in the minutes. 3. State the motion by saying: I move that or I move to 4. Someone else from a different state must second your motion in order for the motion to be considered. 5. Once a motion is properly moved and seconded, the chairperson will call for discussion. 6. The person who made the motion has the first right to discuss the motion and will be called on by the chairperson to do so. 7. If you choose to discuss, which means speaking for or against the motion, you must proceed to microphone and wait your turn to be recognized by the chairperson. 8. Always begin your debate with your name and state. 9. At the end of debate, the chair will call for a vote. 10. Once the vote is taken, the presiding officer will rule on the motion Voting Delegate Guide Page 4

5 National Officer Voting Process Voting for national officers is done electronically by secret ballot. A primary election is held for all High School regional offices with more than two candidates. The top two recipients from each region will be listed on the final ballot. The five top vote recipients from the High School and College/Postsecondary At Large candidates and the top vote recipients from each of the Regional officer positions will be National Officers. Any unopposed office must receive a majority of the possible votes. Final voting will be open for twenty minutes following the close of the last business meeting of the day on Thursday for College/Postsecondary and Friday for High School. TAG Tuesday Again this year is an opportunity for your delegates to participate in Train, Act, Grow (TAG). To participate in this ultimate delegate training experience, pre-registration is required. Delegate training just got ramped up a notch with TAG Tuesday! TAG Tuesday will lead delegates on a quest that will allow them to Train, Act and Grow from their leadership experiences so that their ability to engage more, give more and ultimately be a better delegate for their state is key. Pre-registration is required, and three tracks are available: high school state officer, high school chapter member and college/postsecondary state officer or member. Leadership training for high school delegates will build upon creating successful partnerships, opportunities to get involved, managing your reputation and essentials of creating an effective organization. High school delegates will conclude their day with a hands-on, experiential activity that is sure to impact and enhance their leadership ability. College/postsecondary delegates will have an opportunity to focus on individual skills that will kick start their careers: successful networking, creating a marketable you, and balancing personal and professional success. The college/postsecondary training will conclude with live interviews with business leaders who will offer individual feedback on resumes and interviewing techniques Voting Delegate Guide Page 5

6 SkillsUSA Guide for Determining Number of Delegates High School Division , ,501-2, ,501-3, ,501-4, ,501-5, ,501-6, ,501-7, ,501-8, ,501-9, ,501-10, ,501-11, ,501-12, ,501-13, ,501-14, ,501-15, ,501-16, ,501-17, ,501-18, ,501-19, ,501-20, ,501 21, ,501 22, ,501 23, ,501 24, ,501 25, ,501 26, ,501 27, ,501 28, ,501 29, ,501 30, ,501 31, ,501 32, ,501 33, ,501 34, ,501 35, ,501 36, ,501 37, ,501 38, ,501 39, ,501 40, ,501 41, Over 41,500 members, one additional delegate/1,000 members or greater fraction thereof. College/Postsecondary Division , ,251-1, ,251-2, ,751 3, ,251-3, ,751 4, ,251 4, ,751 5, Over 5,000 members, one additional delegate/250 active members or greater fraction thereof. Both High School and College/Postsecondary division s delegate count is based on Total membership Voting Delegate Guide Page 6