STC’s 2008 Election
Preliminary Slate of Candidates for Society Office
| Office |
Candidate |
| Second Vice President* | Michael A. Hughes |
| Larry Kunz |
|
| Secretary | Sharon K. Garrity |
| Char James-Tanny |
|
| Directors (Four to be elected, each for a three-year term) |
Suzanne E. Guess |
| Rob B. Hanna |
|
| Hillary Hart |
|
| Judith M. Herr |
|
| Linda S. King |
|
| Rich Maggiani |
|
| Lisa R. Pappas |
|
| Garret H. Romaine |
|
| Nominating Committee (Two to be elected, each for a two-year term)** |
Dia H. Burroughs |
| Carolyn Kelley Klinger |
|
| Carolyn Luttrell |
|
| Thea Teich |
|
** Members of this year’s Nominating Committee are Suzanna Laurent (Manager), Mustang, Oklahoma; Jackie Damrau, Dallas, Texas; Rachel Houghton, Hillsboro, Oregon; Constance L. Kiernan, Bowie, Maryland; and Betsy M. Maaks, Naperville, Illinois.
Procedures for STC’s 2008 Election
The annual STC election will be held in March and April, 2008, and only members who have paid their dues by February 28, 2008, will be eligible to vote. An option on the dues renewal forms and new membership applications for 2008 allows members to receive their ballots via e-mail. In March, members who selected this option will be e-mailed voting instructions. Members who did not select this option will receive their ballots by first-class mail.
Be sure to renew your membership by February 28 to have a say in STC’s future!
2008 STC Campaign Policies
STC and its Nominating Committee seek to provide a fair election environment. Everyone should review these policies regarding campaign activities.
What STC Provides for Each Candidate
STC Web Site. STC provides an area on the STC Web site with the following information:
- Name
- Position
- Personal Web site URL
- Statements of specific length (the answers provided by the candidate to specific questions on the candidate application form)
Each candidate will have an area to answer questions asked by the membership. The STC office will provide instructions on how to access the “Question and Answer” area to answer any questions. Candidates will receive an e-mail when someone sends a question to all candidates for a certain position. Candidates’ answers are posted on the site for all members to view.
STC e-Blasts. The STC office can send up to two (2) campaign messages per candidate via e-mail to all STC members who have not opted out of receiving Society e-mail. This message will include automatically added information about how recipients can opt out of receiving future campaign messages. Candidates should remember that recipients may perceive large numbers of e-mail messages as spam, thus reducing the impact of future messages.
The voting for STC’s 2008 election begins March 12 and closes at noon ET (16:00 GMT) on April 14, 2008. The STC office will not send campaign e-mails once voting begins March 12.
What the Candidate Is Required to Do
- Candidates must include the URL for their Society page in any campaign materials (see below for allowed campaign materials).
- Candidates must prepare statements of specific length, adhering to maximum character limits defined by the STC office for each venue (STC Web site, Intercom, and election ballot).
- Candidates must prepare an article of up to 1,000 words for use in community newsletters. Candidates will be provided with a list of community newsletter editor and webmaster contact information and are encouraged to contact newsletter editors as early as possible.
- Candidates are required to refrain from negative campaigning.
- Do not make promises you cannot keep. If elected as a member of the STC Board of Directors, you will be voting on issues as a representative of all members, not a particular constituency—and even if you do not vote with the majority, you are bound to support the final decisions of the Board. You may want to reconsider running for STC office if you feel you cannot fulfill this obligation.
- Second Vice President candidates will provide a statement that conveys their vision for STC’s future.
Allowed Campaign Materials
Candidates are allowed to provide campaign information on their own personal Web site and by contacting individuals personally. The candidate biography page on the STC Web site will provide a link to the candidate’s personal Web site page.
NOTE: E-mail lists that are administered through the Society office and subscribed to based on an elected position in a community, such as the Presidents’ list or Treasurers’ list, are not appropriate venues for campaign messages from individual members.
Can I Run for STC Office by Petition?
Candidates may run for an STC-elected office by petition. Any candidates choosing to enter the election via petition should follow the process outlined in the STC Bylaws in Article VIII, Section 2D.
What Communities Can Provide to Candidates
Communities can only provide the following information about the election and only in the following venues:
Community Web Site. Community webmasters may post an information page about the STC election. The information includes the election positions, candidate names, and candidate biography Web page URL for each candidate. Webmasters may also place a link on the community home page to the information page. Webmasters will be provided with an election Web page template as a guideline, available through the STC office, which is adjustable as needed to fit your community’s style.
Community Newsletters. Community newsletter editors must post an informational article or column about the election slate. The information includes the election positions, candidate names, and candidate biography Web page URL for each candidate. Newsletter editors may also provide a link or URL (depending on delivery format, printed or online) to the community Web site information page and the STC elections page.
- Community newsletter editors may accept an article from each candidate. Candidates will provide an article of up to 1,000 words.
- Community newsletter editors may decide not to print candidate articles if newsletter space is at a premium or the issue schedule does not permit.
- Community webmasters and newsletter editors will receive the STC election information, with applicable template URL references, in November once the preliminary slate is confirmed.
What Individuals Can Do
As community members, individual members may do the following:
Endorsements. As an individual member, you may endorse a particular candidate. The appropriate place to endorse a candidate is in the STC Governance section of the STC Forum. (NOTE: Group endorsement of a candidate by a community, chapter, or committee is not allowed. E-mail lists that are administered through the Society office and subscribed to based on an elected position in a community, such as the Presidents’ list or Treasurers’ list, are not appropriate venues for endorsements from individual members.)
- Ask the candidates questions. The STC Web site will provide a “Question and Answer” area where individual members can post a question for all of the candidates for a position. All candidates for an elected position will receive the question and have the opportunity to post an answer.
- Offer an opportunity to each candidate. If you would like to extend an opportunity to candidates to present their views, the opportunity must be submitted through the “Question and Answer” area to all candidates.
For More Information
Contact the manager of the Nominating Committee, Suzanna Laurent, via e-mail or at +1 405-376-4210 if you have questions about these policies or running for office.
Petition Process for STC Election
The preliminary slate of nominated candidates for Society office for 2008 was released in November. As described in Article VIII, Section 2D of the STC Bylaws, additional candidates may be nominated by petition for the following offices: Second Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Director, and Nominating Committee member. (Please note that candidates may not be nominated by petition for the offices of President and First Vice President.)
All candidates must be senior members of the Society by the time the Board of Directors is inducted at STC’s annual business meeting in June 2008, during STC’s 55th Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Petitions must be signed by 400 voting members. The full name and address of each member must appear next to the member’s signature.
For a candidate to be nominated by petition, the STC office must receive the following forms by 4 PM ET (16:00 GMT) on January 16, 2008:
- Candidate’s signed statement of availability
- Petition containing 400 signatures, as described above
- Candidate’s biographical information and statements, including answers to the required questions
- Candidate’s portrait photo
Copies of the statement of availability, instructions for writing the biography, and other materials regarding the election are available from the Society office.