Section 1. The elected officers of this Association shall be President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, all of whom shall be elected for three-year terms, and a Zone Director from each zone, all of whom shall be elected for two-year terms and shall continue in office until their successors are elected.
Officers shall be nominated and elected during the Annual Conference. The President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected in alternating odd- and even-numbered years every third year of the position term. Zone Directors from Zones 1, 3, 5 and 7 shall be elected in odd-numbered years. Zone Directors from Zones 2, 4 and 6 shall be elected in even-numbered years.
All candidates for the OSEA Board of Directors shall submit the Board-approved Intent/Nomination Form to the Election Committee on or before March 1 of any election cycle to ensure their inclusion in an OSEA Journal issue published prior to Conference. Intent/ Notification to seek office, however, remains available to members through the nominating process at Conference.
All candidates for the OSEA Board of Directors shall comply with the current Board-approved Campaign Guidelines. (Board Policy Section 103)
Section 2. Eligibility to Hold Office
All state officers must have been and still be active members in good standing as defined in Article III for at least one year immediately prior to the date of their election and continue in such active status and represented by OSEA during their term of office, or forfeit such office, except as provided in Article III, Section 2c.
Zone Directors must have been and still be active members in good standing as defined in Article III, Section 2, for at least one year immediately prior to the date of their election in a chapter within the specific zone they seek to represent and continue in such active status and represented by OSEA during their term of office, or forfeit such office, except as provided in Article III, Section 2c.
Section 3. Election Procedure
All officers shall be elected by secret ballot majority vote of the delegates present and voting at the Annual Conference of the Association.
Voting for officers shall be conducted using remote electronic balloting at Conference in accordance with the requirements of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) and the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS).
For the purpose of election of Zone Directors, delegates shall participate only in the nomination and election of the Zone Director who will represent their specific zone.
In the event no candidate for any office herein receives a majority vote on the first ballot, a runoff election shall be conducted between the two (2) candidates receiving the most votes on the first ballot until one (1) candidate receives a majority.
Voting shall also be conducted for all uncontested offices. In order to be elected, the unopposed candidate must receive a majority of votes cast. Failure to do so shall result in the office being declared vacant.
Section 4. Filling of Vacancies
a. In the event the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice President shall assume that position for the remainder of the term.
b. In the event the office of Vice President becomes vacant 60 calendar days or more prior to the next Conference, the Board of Directors shall, by secret ballot majority vote, elect a Vice President from the remaining elected members of the Board to serve until the next succeeding Conference where the position shall be filled by delegate election. In the event no candidate for the Vice President vacancy receives a majority vote on the first ballot, a runoff election shall be conducted between the two (2) candidates receiving the most votes on the first ballot until one (1) candidate receives a majority.
If the Conference election is to fill a mid-term vacancy, the Board shall provide at least fifteen (15) days’ notice to the membership of the vacancy and pending election.
c. In the event the offices of President and Vice President become vacant simultaneously, the Board of Directors shall convene a special board meeting within seven (7) calendar days to conduct an election to fill the vacancies. The Board of Directors shall, by secret ballot majority vote, elect a President and Vice President from the remaining elected members of the Board, to serve until the next succeeding Conference where both positions shall be filled by delegate elections. In the event no candidate for the President and/or Vice President vacancies receives a majority vote on the first ballot, a runoff election shall be conducted between the two (2) candidates receiving the most votes on the first ballot until one (1) candidate receives a majority.
If the Conference elections are to fill mid-term vacancies, the Board shall provide at least fifteen (15) days’ notice to the membership of the vacancies and pending elections.
d. In the event the office of Secretary becomes vacant 90 calendar days or more prior to the next Conference, the Board shall fill the position with a qualified active member in good standing, to serve until the next succeeding Conference where the position shall be filled by delegate election. In the event no candidate for the Secretary vacancy receives a majority vote on the first ballot, a runoff election shall be conducted between the two (2) candidates receiving the most votes on the first ballot until one (1) candidate receives a majority. Nomination and election procedures to temporarily fill the vacancy shall be set forth in Board Policy.
If the Conference election is to fill a mid-term vacancy, the Board shall provide at least fifteen (15) days’ notice to the membership of the vacancy and pending election. If the vacancy occurs less than 90 calendar days prior to Conference, the Board of Directors shall designate an elected member of the Board to perform the duties of Secretary through the close of Conference.
e. In the event the office of Treasurer becomes vacant 90 calendar days or more prior to the next Conference, the Board shall fill the position with a qualified active member in good standing, to serve until the next succeeding Conference where the position shall be filled by delegate election. In the event no candidate for the Treasurer vacancy receives a majority vote on the first ballot, a runoff election shall be conducted between the two (2) candidates receiving the most votes on the first ballot until one (1) candidate receives a majority. Nomination and election procedures to temporarily fill the vacancy shall be set forth in Board Policy.
If the Conference election is to fill a mid-term vacancy, the Board shall provide at least fifteen (15) days’ notice to the membership of the vacancy and pending election. If the vacancy occurs less than 90 calendar days prior to Conference, the Board of Directors shall designate an elected member of the Board to perform the duties of Treasurer through the close of Conference.
f. In the event the office of any Zone Director becomes vacant 90 calendar days or more prior to the next Conference, the Board shall fill the position with an active member in good standing from that specific zone, to serve until the next succeeding Conference where the position shall be filled by delegate election. In the event no candidate for the Zone Director vacancy receives a majority vote on the first ballot, a runoff election shall be conducted between the two (2) candidates receiving the most votes on the first ballot until one (1) candidate receives a majority. Nomination and election procedures to temporarily fill the vacancy shall be set forth in Board Policy.
If the Conference election is to fill a mid-term vacancy, the Board shall provide at least fifteen (15) days’ notice to the membership of the vacancy and pending election.
Section 5. Recall of State Officers and Zone Directors
a. Any State Officer (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer) or Zone Director may be recalled from office upon two-thirds (2/3) secret ballot vote of the delegates present and voting at a Special Conference called for the purpose of a recall action.
b. Recall may only be initiated by a signed petition of thirty percent (30%) of the reported delegates to the OSEA Annual Conference immediately preceding the recall action. The petition shall state the specific reasons for the proposed recall and shall be presented in writing to the President, or Vice President if the President is the subject of the recall petition, and the officer subject to the recall action.
c. Upon receipt of the petition, the Board of Directors shall schedule a special virtual Conference to be held not less than forty-five (45) calendar days but no more than sixty (60) calendar days following its receipt where the charged officer shall be afforded opportunity to rebut the charges and the secret ballot vote shall be conducted via remote electronic balloting. Attendance at said meeting shall be restricted to the Board of Directrors, Conference delegates, appropriate staff representatives of the Association and such witnesses as may be pertinent to the action.
d. A notice specifying the date, time and location of the special Conference shall be issued to those eligible for attendance at least forty-five (45) calendar days in advance of the meeting.
e. If the President has been removed from office as a result of the recall action, they shall automatically forfeit the position of Past President.
f. Elections to fill a vacancy as a result of a recall action shall be held in accordance with Article XI, Section 4 of the OSEA Constitution.