Election Rules

Elections

The Board of Governors has traditionally passed election rules each year that include the date of the election and rules for absentee ballots under powers of Bylaws Article VI, Section 1, which says elections are to be held "in accordance with rules established by the Board of Governors."

These rules worked well for more than a decade, but the contested election last December made it clear that new rules were needed. The following were developed by Joel Whitaker, Club secretary; Jonathan Salant, a former Club president who chaired the 2011 election board; and staff members Bill McCarren, Sarahanne Driggs, Melinda Cooke and Julie Schoo.

We recommend that these rules be posted on the Club website as a separate link in the Governing Documents/Rules section and that the limits on election activity by Club officers, Governors, and committee chairs and vice chairs be mentioned at the annual retreat each January. A provision in these rules requires them to be handed to each candidate who qualifies for the ballot.

When we revised the Constitution and Bylaws years ago, we decoupled the election rules to make it easier for the Board to update them. Very little needs to be done to our governing documents.

Even so, we do recommend some minor changes to the bylaws. We suggest that in Article VI, Section 1, the words "other than Journalist members" be changed to "Communicator members." We also want to reword the phrase that now reads, "No Governor whose term of office extends beyond the next annual meeting may be nominated as an officer in an annual election unless he or she submits a written resignation as a Governor effective no later than the next annual meeting." We propose changing the wording to, "Governors whose term extends beyond the next annual meeting and are running for an officer position must submit a letter of resignation, effective on the date of the next annual meeting to the chair of the election board and Club secretary when petitions are filed."

In Section 3, instead of the secretary nominating "five Journalist members" to the election board, we want to give him or her the authority to nominate an unspecified number of "Journalist and Communicator members."

And we propose one change to our Constitution under membership. Under the section on Communicator members, we propose a provisional category like thus: "Should the Club reach its limit of Communicator members, those applying for membership under this category shall be given temporary "provisional" status, where, upon the payment of dues charged Communicator members, will have access to all Club facilities and activities and pay the member rate for programs. Such provisional members will not have voting privileges and cannot run for Club office nor serve on Club committees."

1. The date for Club elections will be set annually by the Board of Governors. The Board will set a nominating period of four weeks, and then provide a period of two weeks to review nominations before certifying candidates to run. Club members wishing to run must place petitions at the Club, including the offices they are seeking, at least one week before the end of the nominating period.

2. At the same meeting that the Board sets the election schedule, including the start of nominations and a deadline for requesting absentee ballots, the secretary will nominate a chair of the election board for Board approval. The secretary shall nominate the remainder of the election board prior to the date of the election.

3. The Board of Governors, through the secretary and election board, will vet the eligibility of all candidates to run in the category of their membership classification before the ballots are printed. Candidates may be asked to provide additional proof of eligibility. The Board and/or Club membership committees, or staff at their direction, may be asked to research the employment of prospective candidates, including the right to ask for a criminal background check, and make recommendations as to whether they should be allowed to run. A candidate so disqualified will be entitled to appeal to the Board.

4. Club committees, whether enshrined in the Constitution and Bylaws or established by the president or Board, report to the president of the Club and have no independent status. Accordingly, they cannot endorse candidates nor take any actions that could give the impression that they are backing certain candidates. They cannot spend any committee funds to support candidates, nor can use any social media sites set up for the committee, such as a Facebook page.

5. Club officers, Governors and committee chairs and vice chairs may endorse candidates on their own, and may indicate their current Club positions on their endorsement letters or emails, including using their titles under their names. Current officers, Governors and committee chairs and vice chairs may also use their current positions in messages seeking election, including using their titles under their names when they sign letters to Club members. They are not to use their official Club photographs on their campaign literature. Candidates who hold current Club positions are not to give any indication or insinuation that their candidacies are supported by the Club.

6. Candidates are not to use Club logos, the Club seal, or the Club flag on any campaign websites.

7. Candidates are not to communicate with staff on election-related matters. Candidate statements should be submitted to the election board chair, who will ask the staff to post them on the Club website. All questions or requests must be submitted in writing to the election board chair, who will bring them to the attention of the appropriate staff member and respond to the candidate.

8. Upon qualifying for the ballot, candidates will receive a copy of the election rules and contact information for the election board chair, and must sign a statement that they agree to be bound by the rules set down by the Board of Governors. Candidates who do not sign such a statement will not be allowed to run for office.

9. The election board may, at its discretion, arrange debates among candidates for Club office. The board, should it choose to schedule debates, shall decide on the format for such debates, which offices to feature, and whether such events will be webcast. Club committees may also hold candidate forums but must invite all qualified candidates for the offices featured.

10. Staff members of the congressional press galleries will oversee the counting of ballots as independent monitors. No other outside monitors will be permitted.

11. Ballots will be cast on the members-only 14th floor. No politicking will be allowed on the 14th floor, including a candidate accompanying a supporter to the voting booth. Candidates may greet prospective voters at the stairs on the 13th floor. Campaign literature may not be handed out or made available to members on the 14th floor except that a voter may take to the voting booth a flyer he or she received from a candidate at the bottom of the stairs leading to the 14th floor.

12. All complaints, including challenges to a candidate’s eligibility, must be submitted in writing to the Club secretary and election board chair. If the violations are such that they warrant a candidate’s exclusion, such recommendations must be submitted in writing by the secretary and election board chair to the Board of Governors. Both the secretary or election board chair and the candidate will have the opportunity to present their cases to the Board, which will have the final say on who is eligible to run under Bylaws Article VI, Section 1: "The Board of Governors shall not place on the ballot the name of any person who is not a member in good standing."

13. The Board of Governors is the final arbiter of the Club’s election rules.