Elections are coming up and I'd like to remind everyone that this Thursday is the deadline for nominations.  All nominations must be in and accepted by Thursday.   I've included Article V of our bylaws below for those interested in reading the detail.  However, in summary, this is the pr0cess:

1. July General Membership meeting: President appoionts chair of election committee.  I announced Chad Daughtrey at that meeting. 
    
2. 30 Days of nominations: Nomination period extends for 30 days following the July general membership meeting.  Nominations includes both making a nomination and having the nominee accept it in those cases where it is made by a third party.
    
3. Mail out Sample Ballot: no fewer than 15 days prior to the meeting, a sample ballot will go out.
    
4. Election Meeting: at the 4th quarterly meeting (specifically) which is in October, there will be an election.  Please note that a quorum of members is physically required at this meeting.  Absentee (mail-in) ballots do not count towards this quorum.  I urge everyone to attend in person if possible. A lack of quorum will prevent elections until the next qualifying date (4th quarterly meeting or October 2011.) 
    
5. Confirmation: At the night of the meeting, any member may request a recount.  If no request is made, the election is final and the election committee dissolves automatically.  If there is a request for a recount, the committee does a second count that evening and the result of that count is final. 

Article V

Elections

Section 1. Time: The election of Officers shall be held at the fourth quarterly membership meeting of the calendar year.
Section 2. Eligibility: Any voting member in good standing of the OSHNA is eligible to hold any office. In order to facilitate the widest possible representation on the Executive Board a candidate for office may not be of the same household as another candidate nor may a candidate seek more than one office simultaneously.

Section 3. Voting: Voting shall be by written ballot or absentee ballot as provided for by the elections committee.

Section 4

[1] Conduct of the Election: At the third quarterly membership meeting, the president shall appoint a chairperson of an elections committee. The chairperson cannot be a candidate in the forthcoming elections

[2] Nominations for Office: The elections committee shall accept nominations for a period of thirty (30) days following the third quarterly membership meeting.

[3] Notice to Members: No later than fifteen (15) days prior to the fourth quarterly membership meeting, the elections committee shall prepare and mail to all members a sample ballot containing the names of all candidates for office, with a space for write-in votes for each office being voted on.

[4] The Election of Officers: The election of officers shall be held at the fourth quarterly general membership meeting. The elections committee shall oversee the election by insuring that only members in good standing cast ballots. The election committee shall be responsible for counting the ballots and reporting the results to the chairperson.

[5] Confirmation of Election: Any member can request a recounting of ballots when the results are reported. If no request is received the results shall be determined to be final. If a recount confirms the results the outcome shall be determined to be final.