JWN Bylaws Revision Adopted
In a vote of 31-0, JWN members approved revising board election procedures as outlined in Article II (below).
The JWN Executive Board spent 5 months in deliberating the proposed revisions, sought advice from neighbors, and provided public feedback opportunities. The motion to vote on the revisions passed at the September General Meeting 30-0-0.
Major Takeaways:
- Candidates must declare their intention to run to the Nominating Committee a minimum of 30 days before a scheduled election. Floor nominations are no longer allowed.
- Candidates shall submit a short bio and answer a series of questions no later than 21 days prior to the election. All candidate information will be compiled into a voter guide that will be available online and via the eNews distribution list no later than 14 days before the scheduled election.
- Members will vote for all candidates on one ballot and submitted ballots must include neighbors names and addresses.
- Members who cannot attend the election may request and submit an absentee ballot no later than the day of the election (drop off locations TBD). Absentee ballots will be numbered and assigned to members who request them via email and may not be duplicated.
- All other ballots must be submitted in-person at the election meeting.
Article II. EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1. Board members and officers:
- a) The Executive Board shall have seven members, including a Chair, Vice-chair, and five members-at-large.
- b) All board members must be members of the neighborhood association.
Section 2: Nominations:
The executive board shall designate a nominating committee at least one month in advance of each regular election. Notice of the creation and solicitation of members of the nominating committee will be posted in the previous neighborhood newsletter. The committee shall consist of one member of the executive board and two members of the neighborhood association who are not members of the executive board. Call for nominations will be announced in the winter mailed Newsletter. Any candidates for the Board must declare themselves in writing via email to the Nominating Committee no later than 30 days before the scheduled election. Candidates shall submit a short bio and answer a series of questions no later than 21 days prior to the election. Candidate responses will be compiled in a voter pamphlet promoted via digital media and will reside on the JWN website. Candidate responses will be available to the membership no later than 14 days prior to the election.
Section 3. Term of office:
An Executive Board member shall hold office until the next regular election for the respective position, or until the position is vacated as provided under Section 8.
Section 4. Elections :
a) Regular elections for all Executive Board positions shall be held at the annual meeting. Voting will occur at an in-person
meeting. Members who cannot attend the in-person meeting may request a ballot ahead of time, which must be returned
no later than the day of the election prior to the start of voting at the in-person meeting.
Information on how to obtain and return an absentee ballot will be included in the voter pamphlet. Absentee ballots will
be available upon the publication of the voter pamphlet. Each requested ballot will have a unique ID number. Reproduction
of ballots is not allowed. Ballots shall be retained for a minimum of 60 days after the election. Only one voting representative
for each business or nonprofit.
b) When a position becomes vacant under the provisions of Section II.8, a special election for the office shall be held as follows:
i. If regular elections will be held at either of the next two meetings following the date the position is vacated, the position shall be filled by a regular election.
ii. Vacant seats may be filled on an interim basis by a majority vote of the board. The membership must be notified of interim appointments via the eNews and website. A special election must be held within 60 days of the first general meeting held after the appointment, where it will be announced with requests for self-nominations. Candidates must submit the required materials and declare themselves 30 days before the election and follow the existing rules for elections.
c) A candidate for any office must be a member of the JWN and either:
1. Have attended and signed in at one of the previous six JWN general meetings, and have submitted a written statement of their willingness to serve in the position to the Executive Board prior to the election.
d) Voting in all elections shall be by written ballots. Candidate names and the positions they are running for will be included on a single ballot. No write-in candidates. Ballots must include the voter’s legal name and address.
f) A vote is valid if it meets all the following conditions
i. is cast by a JWN member present during the vote or via absentee ballot, and
ii. is the only vote cast by the JWN member during the vote, and
iii. is for a qualified candidate for the position, according to subsection c, above.
g) To be elected, a candidate must receive a majority of the valid votes cast and must receive at least six valid votes.
h) When no candidate receives a majority of the valid votes cast, a runoff vote will be held immediately between the two candidates with the most valid votes.
i) When a candidate receives a majority of votes cast, but less than six votes, a final up-or-down vote on the candidate with the most votes is held. If the candidate does not then receive at least six votes, the position shall remain vacant.
j) If no one is elected to a position at the meeting where a regular or special election for that position is scheduled, the position shall remain vacant and a special election for the position shall be held at the next general meeting.