Regional Elections Postponed Until At Least April
DURHAM, NC (February 28, 2007) – Sean D. Elliot, national secretary for the National Press Photographers Association, today said that elections in Regions 2 and 6 will be postponed again, this time until at least April.
The delay is due, Elliot said, to the withdrawal of one candidate and the failure of another candidate to provide a campaign statement by the deadline. If a new candidate can be found, and if the other candidate provides a campaign statement by March 12, then elections can proceed in April. Otherwise, the postponement will continue, Elliot said today.
"As directed by NPPA’s Standing Rules, two candidates must run for each office for a valid election to be held," Elliot said in October. "In the event that full slates of candidates are not found, elections will be postponed until full slates are ready."
In 2006 the even-numbered Regions had until September 30 to present full slates in order to hold their elections on time. Region 10 was the only Region to hold an election at the appointed time in November 2006. Elections in Regions 2, 4, 6 and 8 were postponed late last year when they failed to put forward a full slate of candidates as required by the organization’s rules. Region 4 has since held its election.
Nominations chairs in each Region are responsible for finding qualified candidates and filling the Region’s slate with at least two candidates for each office (two for director and two for associate director). "To run for office in the NPPA an individual must be a News Division member in good standing for the year preceding candidacy and must be nominated by the nominating committee in the Region in which they reside," Elliot said.
Regional directors serve as voting members of the NPPA’s board and meet annually to approve the organization’s budget, make other decisions regarding the governance of the NPPA, and hear reports from the various committee’s and programs. Associate directors serve as the regional membership officer, dealing with the day-to-day needs of the members in the Region and they are designated as the stand-in for the Regional director if needed. Associate directors are not required to attend the annual meeting and may only vote if they are in attendance as proxy for the regional director.
When the elections are finally held they’ll be conducted online, as in the past, with balloting taking place through the member’s only area of the NPPA Web site. In each Regional election the online voting is open for a full month.
Elliot urges those who are interested in running for office, or who are curious about the duties of regional officers, the operation of the board of directors, or the governance of NPPA, to contact him or the election’s nominations chairperson in their Region. Elliot can be reached at secretary@nppa.org.
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