It’s almost election time again in the Lennox Teachers Association. This year we will be holding elections for two EBoard positions (Secretary and Treasurer) and all Site Rep positions. Anyone with strong opinions about how we’re doing and an interest in getting more involved in your union should consider running. And if anyone is thinking about running for President or one of the VP positions next year, serving as a Site Rep or as part of EBoard is a great way to get your feet wet.

For your convenience, here are the LTA Standing Rules on elections, which include full job descriptions and the election timeline.

Election Standing Rules
I. Election Timeline and Procedural Components

1. The timeline, procedural components, voting by mail procedure and the challenge procedure must be established prior to the election. If the unit has year-round schools, more time is needed because mail balloting may be required.

2. Schools/work sites on alternative calendars shall be considered when setting election timelines.

3. The election begins with the announcement of vacancy(ies) and terms of office and cannot be stopped until the conclusion of the election, including run-offs if necessary.

1. Secretary – 2-year term, staggered relative to Pres and VPs [member of the Executive Board]:
a. Carries on the correspondence pertaining to the affairs of the Association as directed by the President;
b. Keeps a careful and accurate record of the proceedings of each meeting, regular or special, of the Association, Representative Council, and Executive Board;
c. Keeps a careful and accurate roster of meeting attendance and of the membership of all committees;
d. Is responsible for the distribution of minutes, notices of meetings, and agendas for all meetings to members of the Representative Council and Executive Board, and to the Membership when appropriate;
e. Is responsible for the formation and distribution of the Association’s calendar of activities; and
f. Maintains the Association’s webpage and monitors/moderates its social media presence.
g. Stipend = $500/yr.

2. Treasurer – 2-year term, staggered relative to Pres and VPs [member of the Executive Board]:
a. Receives all funds belonging to the Association and is responsible for their safekeeping and accounting;
b. Pays out such funds upon orders of the President;
c. Prepares a written financial report for each regular meeting of the Representative Council and Executive Board;
d. Is responsible for an annual audit of the books of the Association and distributing a summary of this audit to the Membership;
e. Is responsible for submitting membership and financial reports to CTA, NEA, and other agencies as required by law; and
f. Files state and federal tax returns for the Association.
g. Stipend = $500/yr.

3. Site Representatives – 1-year terms (based on formula in the LTA Bylaws, currently = 2 per elementary site, 3-4 at LMS (depending on the number of positions at LMS next year), 1 at preschool, and 1 for TOSAs for a total of 15-16 positions) [members of the Representative Council]:
a. Conduct constant and ongoing liaison between the Representative Council and Active members at the school site;
b. Serve as the official channel through which written communications and publications can be easily and quickly transmitted between the Association and the Active members;
c. Represent the views and the input of the Active membership in votes taken in the Representative Council, conducting frequent and regular polls of such membership for this purpose; and
d. Perform such additional duties as prescribed by the Executive Board.
e. Stipend = $150/yr.

4. A Timeline for Elections shall include the following:
a. Announcement of vacancy(ies) and term(s) of office using a method that will ensure each
member is aware of the opportunity to file a declaration of candidacy;

Announcement = Mon, 5/4/15

b. At least fifteen (15) calendar days between the announcement date of the vacancy(ies) and the
date of the election;

Election = Tues, 5/26/15 – Thurs, 5/28/15 (21 days after announcement)

c. Place, time and date of receipt (date received, not date postmarked) for declaration of 
candidacy forms;

Written declarations of candidacy must be received by Ann Chaffey at Jefferson Elementary by 4pm on Fri, 5/15/15

d. Final date to acknowledge candidates’ declaration of candidacy;

Candidates will be announced on Fri, 5/15/15, no later than 8pm, via the LTA website

e. Date for preparation of ballots;

Ballots will be prepared on Fri, 5/15/15

f. Date on which ballots will be distributed;

Ballots will be distributed to non-running Site Reps and Professional Relations Reps on the morning of Tues, 5/26/15

g. Date by which to request a ballot;

Written requests for mail-in ballots must be received either by Ann Chaffey at Jefferson Elementary or delivered to the Association post office box [Lennox Teachers Association, PO Box 2231, Hawthorne, CA 90251] by 4pm on Thurs, 5/14/15. Mail-in ballots will be sent via regular mail on Sat, 5/16/15, to those members on dues paying leave who request them by the above deadline

h. Date(s) when voting will take place;

Voting will take place on Tues, 5/26/15 – Thurs, 5/28/15

i. Deadline date (date received, not date postmarked), time and place for return of ballots;

Completed ballots must be must be received by Ann Chaffey at Jefferson Elementary by 4pm on Thurs, 5/28/15. Mail-in ballots must be delivered to the Association post office box [Lennox Teachers Association, PO Box 2231, Hawthorne, CA 90251] by 4pm on Thurs, 5/28/15

j. Date, time and place where ballots will be counted, which should be immediately following the 
deadline for receipt of voted ballots;

Ballots will be counted on Thurs, 5/28/15 at 4:30pm at Jefferson Elementary

k. Date that announcement of results shall be made to leadership, candidates, members, and 
posted at each work site, which date shall be not later than five (5) calendar days following the 
counting of ballots;

Results will be posted on the LTA website on Thurs, 5/28/15, no later than 8pm, and posted at all school sites on LTA bulletin boards on Fri, 5/29/15

l. Dates and timelines for run-off election, if necessary; and

Run-off election (if necessary) = Mon, 6/1/15 – Weds, 6/3/15
Ballots received/counted = Weds, 6/3/15, 4:30pm
Results announced = Weds, 6/3/15, no later than 8pm

m. Deadline for filing of challenges to initial election and run-off if held (date received, not date 
postmarked).

Written challenges must be filed by Tues, 6/19/15 at 8am with by Ann Chaffey at Jefferson Elementary.

5. Procedural Components should include the following:
a. Method by which Declaration of Candidacy(ies) are submitted (mail, hand delivered, fax);

Declarations of candidacy must be received by Ann Chaffey at Jefferson Elementary by 4pm on Fri, 5/15/15. Declarations may be submitted via e-mail or hand delivery.

b. Procedure for distributing election guidelines/rules to candidates;

Election guidelines and rules will be posted on the LTA website and at all school sites on LTA bulletin boards.

c. Campaign statement of candidates (decide on limit of number of words, and what to do if limitation is exceeded);

Candidate statements will be limited to 50 words or less. In case a candidate submits a statement exceeding 50 words, only the first 50 words will be included on the Candidates’ Statement sheet.

d. Method of distribution of ballots;

Ballots will be distributed to non-running Site Reps and Professional Relations Reps on the morning of Tues, 5/26/15. Non-running Site Reps and Professional Relations Reps will make ballots available to members during non-contract hours before school, at lunch and after school on Tues, 5/26/15 – Thurs, 5/28/15.

Mail-in ballots will be sent via regular mail on Sat, 5/16/15, to those members on dues paying leave who request them by 4pm on Thurs, 5/14/15. Written requests for mail-in ballots must be received either by Ann Chaffey at Jefferson Elementary or delivered to the Association post office box [Lennox Teachers Association, PO Box 2231, Hawthorne, CA 90251].

e. Whether declarations of candidacy must be accompanied by a campaign statement, or whether the statement will be solicited later. If later, a deadline date must be established;

Declarations of candidacy must be accompanied by a campaign statement of no more than 50 words, and submitted by the Fri, 5/15/15, 4pm, deadline.

f. Provision for elections committee chairperson or designee to be present to receive declaration of candidacy by filing deadline;

Ann Chaffey will be available to receive declarations of candidacy 3:15pm – 4pm on Fri, 5/15/15, at Jefferson Elementary. Declarations may be submitted to Ann Chaffey prior to the deadline via e-mail or hand delivery.

g. Announce that the names are to be listed according to CTA alphabet;

Names will be listed according to CTA alphabet.

h. If not provided in governance documents, election will be decided by majority vote. If a candidate does not receive a majority vote, a run-off election shall be conducted between the candidates receiving the highest number of votes. The names on the ballot will be one (1) more than the number of vacancies to be filled.

full text of LTA Standing Rules on election for download