The VVA Veteran

Vietnam Veterans of America will conduct its election of all National Officer and Board positions during the 12th National Convention. The convention will be held August 9-14, 2005, in Reno, Nevada.

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 years, beginning at the close of the 2005 National Convention, through the close of the 2007 Convention.

ELIGIBILITY

Candidates for all positions open for election must be individual members of VVA in good standing. Candidates for any of the 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 1, 2003.

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 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 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, Article I, Section 4, Paragraph B (1 and 2) for Regional Directors and Article I, Section 4, Paragraph B (1 and 3) for At- Large Directors as revised August 1, 2003.

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 the twelve 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 months prior to the date of the opening of the National Convention.”

Candidates for Regional Board positions must reside within the region they wish to represent.

ANNOUNCEMENT DATES

The time period this election announcement covers is from October 22, 2004, to March 31, 2005.

LETTER OF INTENT

A prospective candidate must submit a Letter of Intent to the VVA Elections Committee, providing his or her name, address, phone number (home and work), and the position he or she is a candidate for.

A prospective candidate may announce and run for only one position.

With regard to the paragraph entitled “Eligibility,” prospective candidates for National Officer and Board positions must include in the Letter of Intent a signed statement that includes the National, State Council, or Chapter positions they have held and the dates they held these positions.

The Elections Committee began accepting Letters of Intent October 22, 2004, at the following address: VVA ELECTIONS COMMITTEE, 14 W. Deer Park Rd., Apt. A, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.

IMPORTANT NOTES

Those who plan to run for an elected position from the floor at the Convention cannot distribute any campaign materials or announce or campaign on any web site, including their own, or accept any authorized contributions prior to being approved as a candidate by the Elections Committee at the Convention. Any violation of the above will result in disqualification.

Letters of intent must be postmarked on or before March 31, 2005.

All letters of intent must be sent to the Elections Committee’s Gaithersburg, Maryland, 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 by the Elections Committee.

CANDIDATE’S PACKETS

The Elections Committee will begin mailing Candidate’s Packets to those prospective candidates who have submitted their Letters of Intent on January 31, 2005. 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 will be some forms. Candidates are required to complete the forms and return them to the Elections Committee.

NOTE: The Candidate’s Packet will include a Cut-off Date Calendar that lists events and dates that are very important to each candidate’s campaign for office. Failure to meet any of the deadlines will be grounds for disqualification.

CONDUCT OF CAMPAIGNS

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 who is wearing a coat, jacket, shirt, or hat that has a VVA National, State Council, or Chapter logo on it also is acceptable.

Candidates may not solicit or accept campaign contributions in any form from VVA, or 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, use of web sites, or e-mail.

Candidates may not solicit or accept any campaign endorsement from VVA, any VVA State Council, Chapter, or VVA newsletters, newspapers, web, or electronic mail sites.

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 and that any written endorsements are on the individual’s personal stationery. It is strictly prohibited for any person to use VVA National, State Council, or Chapter letterhead stationery, web, or electronic mail for the purposes of writing letters of endorsement.

A candidate’s own web site or electronic mail may be used to campaign, but the restrictions mentioned above remain in effect.

It is not the wish, nor is it the intention, of the VVA Elections Committee to embroil prospective candidates in unnecessary red tape in order for them to have their names on the 2005 VVA National Election Ballot. There are, however, certain steps that must be followed by all candidates in order to keep the election process within the guidelines of the VVA National Constitution and to make the process fair and even.

The rules, instructions, and requirements set down in this announcement, as well as those that will follow in the Candidate’s Packet, are simple, and easy to read, understand, and follow. Therefore, the failure of a candidate to play by the rules or meet the requirements of the VVA National Constitution and the Elections Committee will cause that candidate to be disqualified and his or her name removed from the ballot.

The VVA Elections Committee welcomes those members who are about to step forward and take part in a most important part of VVA: the election of Officers and Board Members who will guide VVA for the next two years.

Members of the 2005 Elections Committee: John Kahler, Chair, Washington, D.C. 202- 16-7721 (work), 832-216-6368 (cell); Scott DeArmen, Prescott Valley, Arizona; Jill Mishkel, Portsmouth, Virginia; Cheryl Nicol, Gig Harbor, Washington

The Official Voice of Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. ® An organization chartered by the U.S. Congress

The Official Voice of Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. ®
An organization chartered by the U.S. Congress