A publication of Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. ®
An organization chartered by the U.S. Congress
December 2000/January 2001
Election Committee Report
Rules of Engagement
By John Kahler, Chair
Vietnam Veterans of America will conduct its election of all national officer and board positions during the Tenth National VVA Convention. The convention will be held from July 31 through August 5, 2001, in Greensboro, North Carolina.
POSITIONS OPEN FOR ELECTION
VVA National President, VVA National Vice President, VVA National Secretary, VVA National Treasurer, VVA National Board of Directors (At-large) [all ten seats], VVA National Board of Directors (Regional) [all nine seats].
TERM OF OFFICE
All national officer and national board positions are for terms of two (2) years, beginning at the close of the 2001 VVA National Convention, through the close of the 2003 convention.
ELIGIBILITY
Candidates for all positions must be individual members of VVA in good standing. Candidates for national officer positions must meet the requirements to hold office, as set down in the VVA National Constitution, under Article I, Section 5, Paragraph A, as revised August 1999.
To wit: "To qualify for election. . . to any of these offices, a candidate must have been an individual member of the Corporation, in good standing, for a continuous period of (1) not less than twelve (12) months immediately preceding the opening of the National Convention at which such candidate seeks election. . . and such candidate must have held a position as an officer or board member at the national level or as an officer at the state council or chapter level, during any continuous period of twelve (12) months prior to the date of the opening of the National Convention at which such candidate seeks election.
Candidates for at-large and regional board of directors must meet the requirements to hold office as set down in the VVA National Constitution, under Article I, Section 4, Paragraph B(1) for Regional Directors and Article I, Section 4, Paragraph B(2) for At-Large Directors as revised in August 1999.
To wit: "To qualify for election, a candidate must have been a member of the Corporation, in good standing, for a continuous period of not less than twelve (12) months immediately preceding the opening of the National Convention at which candidate seeks election. . . The candidate must have held an elected position at the national, state, or chapter level, for any continuous period of twelve (12) months prior to the date of the opening of the National Convention.
Candidates for regional board positions must reside in the region they wish to represent.
ANNOUNCEMENT DATES
The election announcement covers November 15, 2000, through March 15, 2001.
LETTER OF INTENT
Each prospective candidate must submit a letter of intent to the Election Committee, providing name, address, phone number (home and work), and the position he or she is seeking.
A candidate may announce and run for only one position.
With regard to eligibility (above in this announcement), a prospective candidate for national officer and board positions must include a letter of intent, a signed statement that lists the national, state, and chapter positions he or she has held, and the dates these positions were held.
The Election Committee is now accepting letters of intent. Send letters to:
VVA Election Committee
PMB 264 5500
Olympic Drive, Suite A-105
Gig Harbor, WA 98335IMPORTANT NOTES
All letters of intent must be postmarked on or before March 15, 2001.
All letters of intent must be sent to the Election Committee’s Gig Harbor address.
Any letter of intent that does not meet the postmark requirement or is sent to any other address will be considered invalid and will not be accepted.
CANDIDATES’ PACKETS
On Monday, January 29, the Election Committee will begin mailing candidates’ packets to those prospective candidates who have submitted their letters of intent. To avoid possible loss or destruction of these packets, they will be sent via certified mail, return receipt requested.
These packets contain information, instructions, and rules regarding the conduct of the election process that are of vital importance to every candidate. Included in these packets are forms that must be completed as instructed, then returned to the Election Committee.
Note: The candidates’ packets will include a cut-off-date calendar that lists specific events and dates that are very important for each candidate’s campaign. Failure to meet any of the deadlines is grounds for disqualification.
CONDUCT OF CAMPAIGNS
1.) Candidates may not use the VVA national logo or flag, nor that of any state council or chapter in or on their campaign materials. Campaign materials are considered to be (but are not limited to) buttons, pins, brochures, and the like. A photograph of a candidate wearing his or her VVA national, state council, or chapter lapel pin is acceptable. Additionally, a photograph of a candidate wearing a coat, jacket, shirt, or hat that has a VVA national, state council, or chapter logo on it also is acceptable.
2.) Candidates may not solicit or accept campaign contributions in any form from VVA, or from any VVA state council or chapter. Campaign contributions are considered to be (but are not limited to) money, paper, envelopes, postage, free printing, free phone calls, and use of website or e-mail.
3.) Candidates may not solicit or accept any campaign endorsement from VVA, from any VVA state council or chapter, or from their newsletters, newspapers, web, or e-mail sites.
4.) Candidates may solicit and accept campaign contributions and endorsements from any member of VVA, provided that the contributions or endorsements are not in violation of Rules 2 and 3 listed above and that any written endorsements are on the individual’s own stationery. It is strictly prohibited for any person to use VVA national, state council, or chapter letterhead stationery, web, or e-mail sites for the purpose of endorsing a candidate.
5.) A candidate’s own web site or e-mail may be used to campaign, but the restrictions mentioned in Rules 1 through 4 remain in effect.
It is not the wish or the intention of the VVA Election Committee to encumber prospective candidates with red tape for them to have their names on the 2001 VVA national ballot. There are, however, certain procedures that must be followed by all candidates to keep the election process within the guidelines of the VVA National Constitution and to make the process fair and even for all candidates.
The rules, instructions, and requirements set down in this announcement, as well as those that will follow in the candidates’ packets, are simple and easy to understand and follow. Therefore, the failure of a candidate to adhere to the rules or meet the requirements of the VVA National Constitution and the Election Committee will be cause for such candidate to be disqualified and his or her name removed from the ballot.
We on the Election Committee welcome those members who are about to step forward and take part in the election of the officers and board members who will guide VVA for the next two years.
The 2001 Election Committee includes Jack Clark, Scott DeArmen, Jill Mishkel, and Cheryl Nicol. It is chaired by John Kahler, who can be reached at 713-794-3662 (work), 713-949-9098 (beeper), or by e-mail at jrkahler@juno.com
E-mail us at TheVeteran@vva.org