Section 9.11. Nominations and Elections of Trustees Representing Districts.
- District Bylaws. Each district shall in its bylaws set forth the method by which the certified member congregations of the Association within that district shall nominate and elect a trustee. Where two or more districts are required to share a single trustee, each such district shall adopt compatible bylaw provisions. In the absence of valid district bylaw provisions, the trustee representing that district or group of districts shall be elected in accordance with the Bylaws and Rules of the Association.
- Time of Election. The election of a district trustee, except an election to fill a vacancy pursuant to Section 6.8(b), shall be held not less than 45 nor more than 300 days before the regular General Assembly following which such trustee is to take office.
- Method of Nominations. The district bylaws shall provide that nominations may be made by a specific number of certified member congregations.
- Method of Election. If a district's bylaws do not include a provision for the election of the trustee representing that district or the group of districts of which that district is a part, the trustee for that district or the group of districts of which that district is a part shall be elected using one of the following methods:
- at large within the district, with each member of a certified member congregation casting a ballot by mail;
- by delegates at a district meeting at which each certified member congregation is entitled to the same number of voting delegates as specified in Section 4.8(a) of these Bylaws, with absentee ballots by the delegates permitted;
- by each certified member congregation, acting at a legal meeting of such congregation, casting that number of votes equal to the number of delegates specified in Section 4.8(a) of these Bylaws, allocated among the candidates as it shall determine;
- by delegates at a district meeting at which each certified member congregation is entitled to the same number and kind of voting delegates as specified in SECTION 4.8(a) and (b) of these Bylaws with absentee ballots by the delegates permitted; or
- by each certified member congregation, acting at a legal meeting of such congregation, casting that number of votes equal to the number of delegates specified in Section 4.8(a) of these Bylaws, with the votes of the congregation allocated among the candidates as it shall determine and by each minister and Director of Religious Education, who meets the criteria for delegate status set forth in Section 4.8(b) of these Bylaws, casting a vote.
- Certification of Election. The secretary of the district or such other district officer as may be designated in the district bylaws shall certify the results of the election to the Secretary of the Association as soon as they are available. Such certificate shall be conclusive that the person so certified has been duly elected if the district has adopted bylaws conforming to the requirements of this section. A trustee elected to fill a vacancy shall take office immediately upon such certification.
- Invalid Election. If the procedures for the nomination or election of a district trustee violate the provisions of these Bylaws, the election shall be invalid and a new election shall be held not more than twelve months after the invalid election.
Last updated on Friday, November 10, 2006.
