Election Rules

ELECTION RULES FOR THE 2023-24 MEMBERSHIP YEAR

Adopted November 2023

A. GENERAL RULES

Candidates for state office must meet the qualifications as set forth by the ATPE Bylaws.
There are only two ways to be nominated as a candidate for state office:
1. Candidate’s official nomination form must be received at the state office by March 15.
2. A candidate may be nominated from the floor of the House of Delegates (HOD).
A candidate conference shall be held prior to the HOD meeting to review these election rules.
Questions, interpretations, and other issues concerning these election rules shall be directed to the Nomination/Election Committee chair. The chairperson may confer with the Executive Committee or the Board of Directors (BOD).

B. CAMPAIGN RULES (SEE CANDIDATE CAMPAIGN MATRIX)

The approved election rules will be posted on the ATPE website following BOD approval of the election rules and any subsequent amendments approved by the BOD.
Nominations for state office will be accepted immediately after the BOD approves the Election Rules. Campaign activities, including travel to meetings outside the candidate’s region, distribution of campaign materials, and expenditures pursuant to Item 5 of this section, shall not be undertaken from the conclusion of elections at the ATPE Summit until the BOD approves the Election Rules and official written notification is received at the state office.
Candidate contact information will be posted in the appropriate section of the ATPE website as soon as practicable for all region presidents to view. Candidates who meet the March 15 nomination deadline may provide video clips to the state office to post on the ATPE Summit webpages. The video clips must meet guidelines set by the ATPE state office. Candidates may use personal social media outlets to promote their candidacy independently after notice is received at the state office.
For candidates whose nomination forms are received at the state office by March 15, separate and random drawings will be made at the state office to determine candidate placement for the following: ATPE News magazine, summit program, website, ballot, and speech. Each candidate will provide an image and a résumé to the state office for publication. Candidates may request one set of electronic contact information for all delegates. Delegate contact information will be provided to candidates who request it approximately twenty (20) calendar days before the election. Delegate contact information may only be used for candidate campaign purposes and may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose. Candidates shall take necessary precautions to safeguard the contact information to prevent it from misuse.
Campaign expenses may not exceed $1,500, including donated materials, professional services, and postage. The candidate’s actual campaign travel expenses, donated volunteer travel prior to the summit, and donated volunteer time (e.g., folding, stuffing envelopes, working the campaign table, helping make campaign materials, etc.) are excluded. The entire cost for an event that is held to promote a candidate is subject to the $1,500 campaign expense limit total. Candidates are permitted to seek assistance, fiscal or otherwise, from local units and regions.

For transparency, within thirty (30) days after the election, each candidate must submit a signed statement, reporting total campaign funds raised; expenditures paid by, or on behalf of, the candidate; and any remaining unused balance. This statement must be submitted to the state office for review by the BOD. Failure to submit campaign expenses within thirty (30) days will render the member ineligible for future state officer candidacy.
During the summit, whether in person or virtual, candidates, or anyone representing a candidate, must not engage in campaign activities during the HOD meeting with the exception of official candidate speeches described below.
Candidates and their representatives are prohibited from campaigning at region caucuses.
Nominations will be opened when the HOD meets. Nominations from the floor must be announced prior to the closing of nominations. Skits, audiovisual materials, or other media will not be allowed during speeches.
Each candidate will be allowed up to seven (7) minutes for a speech to be delivered during the HOD assembly.
A time display will indicate the remaining time increments.
During the HOD assembly, all complaints shall be presented in writing to the chairperson of the HOD, or their designee, within ten (10) minutes of the alleged infraction. The chairperson may forward complaints to the chairperson of the Nomination/Election Committee to be considered in accordance with guidelines set out in these Election Rules, Section A, General Rules.
A candidate found to be in violation of these campaign rules may face sanctions, administered by the Board of Directors, as deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors.

Candidate Campaign Matrix

	Nomination received by deadline	Nomination received after deadline	Nomination from the HOD floor
Drawing for placement in ATPE publications	Yes	No	No
Drawing for ballot order	Yes	No	No
Drawing for order of speech	Yes	No	No
Delegate contact information	Yes	No	No
Distribution of campaign materials prior to HOD	Yes	Yes	No
Subject to $1,500 campaign expense limit	Yes	Yes	Yes

C. VOTING DELEGATES VERIFICATION PROCESS

Delegates will be verified and granted secure access to delegate, voting, and balloting materials prior to the HOD meeting. Voting delegate attendance shall be recorded on the official delegate list.
Only registered voting delegates will be permitted to participate in debate and vote during the HOD meeting.
The Nomination/Election Committee chair, or their designee, will verify the certification of delegates.
If a certified delegate is not able to attend the HOD, a written notification from the local unit president must be presented to the State Secretary naming the substitute delegate who wishes to serve in place of the absent delegate. This notification must be received no later than seven (7) days prior to the HOD meeting.

D. ELECTION PROCEDURES

Each delegate must be verified individually and must receive their own voting credentials for use in the officer voting. No one may verify, receive, or cast ballots for anyone else. At the discretion of the Nomination/Election Committee chairperson or their designee, an identification card may be requested at the time of a delegate’s verification. If a ballot is lost, no replacement will be made. Delegates must pick up their credentials at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the state officer election to participate in the electronic voting.
Official polling will be conducted after the close of nominations. The chair will announce when the voting window will open and close. Delegates will be allowed a minimum of ten (10) minutes to cast their votes for the state officers. Each delegate will cast their own ballot.
A runoff will be held if a candidate does not receive more than fifty percent (50%) of the votes cast. In the case of a runoff, the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be in the runoff. The following procedures should be observed for runoff balloting:
1. Runoff ballots will be conducted in the same manner as primary balloting.
2. Upon receiving notification of the election results, including the need for a runoff election, the HOD chairperson will inform the HOD of the office that requires a runoff election and will announce the two candidates in the runoff election.
3. The announcement will be made informing the HOD that the voting window will open in at least 15 minutes for the commencement of the runoff election.
Election results, as provided by ATPE’s electronic voting vendor, will be announced to the HOD after notification of the affected candidates.
The HOD chairperson will inform the HOD of the new officers. All results are final.
Final vote tabulations, indicating the number of votes received by each candidate, will not be announced to the HOD but will be included in the official minutes of the HOD.