Election Framework

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1. FINAL ARBITER OF THE SECOORA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION PROCESS
   1. According to SECOORA By-Laws from July 31st 2007, the SECOORA Board Development Committee has the following charges: establishing the criteria for Board elections; establishing procedures for determining winners of Board elections; handling disputed election results; and establishing procedures governing candidates’ conduct regarding election campaigns. The following sections summarize the election procedures for the implementation of the 2008 Board Election and provides for a process to ensure an inclusive, fair, and impartial election of the SECOORA Board of Directors.
   2. The 2008 SECOORA Board of Directors Election Procedural Framework, drafted by the Board Development Committee, has been vetted, commented upon, and supported by the Executive Committee (EXCOM).
   3. The Board Development Committee has chosen to carry out some of its responsibilities through an impartial Nomination Sub-Committee made up of those Board Development Committee members not running for re-election to the SECOORA Board. The Chair of the Nomination Sub-Committee is Lundie Spence.
   4. The 2008 SECOORA Board of Directors Election Procedural Framework, when established by the Board Development Committee, will be posted on the SECOORA web site.
   5. The Nomination Sub-Committee will act as the final arbiter of the 2008 Board of Directors Elections.
2. NOMINATION PROCESS AND THE OFFICIAL SECOORA BOARD ELECTION BALLOT FOR 2008
   1. SECOORA By-Laws are the basis for the development of the 2008 Board Election process.
   2. The elections will be held during the 2008 SECOORA Membership Annual Meeting May 13-14, 2008, Jacksonville, Florida.
   3. The 2008 Board Election shall fill those positions on the Board of Directors that will become open on June 12, 2008, due to the staggered time for terms of office of SECOORA Board members. Specifically, seven (7) Board members elected last June 12, 2007 will have completed their one year term of office on June 12, 2008. (Industry/Private Sector--Carroll Hood; Academic/Research/Education Sector--William Dewar, Lynn Leonard, Frank Muller-Karger; Public Agencies/Non-Profit/Other Sector--Sandra Vargo; and, At Large FL--Otis Brown, and George Maul).
   4. The Nomination Sub-Committee is also authorized in this election to make nominations for Sustaining Member Board of Directors Seats (up to four may be elected by the SECOORA members in good standing subject to the 25 Board member limit),
   5. Criteria and Deadlines for nominees wishing to fill these 7 Board positions, plus any for Sustaining Members: (a) individuals who are representative of SECOORA’s broad constituency; (b) SECOORA members have paid dues and have become a SECOORA Member in Good Standing by COB* April 15, 2008., and, (c) the nominee submits a 2 page CV by April 15, 2008 to the Nomination Sub Committee Chair (Lundie Spence Lundie.spence@scseagrant.org). A nominee may be a candidate in only one category of Board Seat (Institutional Member Seat in the Industry/Private Sector; Institutional Member Seat in the Academic/Research/Education Sector; Institutional Member Seat in the Public Agency/Non-Profit/Other Sectors; or in one of the At Large Seats).
   6. The Nomination Sub-Committee shall initiate the solicitation process from three sources: (a) outgoing Board members who have the one-year term; (b) identification of nominees from the membership by the Nomination Sub-Committee; and (c) SECOORA members may nominate themselves or other members as candidates.
   7. Each nominee must provide a current 2-page resume, consisting of background and experiences that pertain to ocean observing systems and ability to represent SECOORA.
   8. The Nomination Sub-Committee will review nominations of candidates on behalf of the Board Development Committee. All nominees meeting the announced criteria will be submitted as a draft Slate of Candidates to the Board of Directors for approval.
   9. The approved Slate of Candidates and their CVs will be posted on the SECOORA website with a notice emailed to all SECOORA members.
   10. No nominations will be accepted from the floor during the annual meeting to this Slate.
   11. Ballots will be cast by members in good standing (or their proxy) who are present May 13, 2008 at the Annual Meeting.
3. PROCEDURES GOVERNING CANDIDATES’ CONDUCT REGARDING ELECTION CAMPAIGNS
   1. Once nominated to be a candidate for a Board seat, the person nominated may seek support for a position on the Board through verbal, electronic, or written communication. Such campaigning for a SECOORA Board Seat shall not occur in the form of criticism of any other person nominated for a Board Seat that is the subject of a 2008 Board Election.
   2. Once nominated to be a candidate for a Board seat, nothing of tangible or intangible value may be exchanged between such candidate and any SECOORA member or member representative.
   3. Should an incident be reported to the Nomination Sub-Committee that, if true, constitutes prohibited campaign activity, the Nomination Sub-Committee will investigate and resolve the matter. If unable to reach a resolution, the Nomination Sub-Committee will refer the matter to the full Board of Directors for resolution.
4. TIMELINE OF EVENTS FOR BOARD NOMINATIONS PROCESS
   1. March 11, 2008 Notice. A notice shall be emailed by the SECOORA Staff to all SECOORA members and posted on the SECOORA web site with the following information:
      1. 2008 SECOORA Board of Directors Election Procedural Framework
      2. Criteria for 2008 Board Nominations as provide in B.5 above with information on openings in the various Board categories (Institutional Member Seat Industry/Private Sector (one Seat); Institutional Member Seats Academic/Research/Education Sector (three Seats); and Institutional Member Seat Public Agencies/Non-Profit/Other Sectors (one Seat), and the At-Large Seats from Florida (two Seats)
      3. Request all SECOORA members wishing to make nominations to send the nominations by COB April 15, 2008 to the Nomination Sub-Committee Chair, Lundie Spence (Lundie.spence@scseagrant.org) with the 2 page CV.
      4. Reminder Notice: SECOORA member wishing to designate a proxy to vote in their behalf at the 2008 SECOORA Membership Meeting must notify the SECOORA Executive Director (Parker Lumpkin (parker.lumpkin@scseagrant.org) seven (7) days or more before the SECOORA Election scheduled for May 13, 2008, i.e., on or before May 6, 2008.
   2. April 15, 2008 is the Nomination Deadline.
      1. Outgoing Board of Directors members must commit to be nominated to seek re-election to the Board and submit current CV by COB April 15. The Chair will report to the Nomination Sub-Committee the status of Board members wishing to run for re-election to the Board for an additional term.
      2. SECOORA members who wish to be self-nominated or nominated by other members must submit commitment and CV to Nomination Sub Committee Chair, Lundie Spence (Lundie.spence@scseagrant.org).
      3. SECOORA members nominated by the Nomination Sub-Committee members must submit commitment and CV to Nomination Sub-Committee Chair, Lundie Spence (Lundie.spence@scseagrant.org)
   3. April 25, 2008. The Nomination Sub-Committee shall review nominations and CVs to assure the timeliness of the nomination and alignment with criteria for nominees. The Nomination Sub-Committee shall construct and approve the draft Slate of Candidates. With the approval of the Board Development Committee, the Slate of Candidates shall be submitted to the SECOORA Board for approval on or before May 1, 2008.
   4. May 1, 2008. The SECOORA Board sends their approval of the draft or revised Slate of Candidates nominations back to the Nomination Sub-Committee. The nomination period is closed.
   5. May 6, 2008. The approved Slate of Candidates is posted with their CVs on the SECOORA web.
   6. May 6, 2008. The Nomination Sub-Committee directs the SECOORA Staff to construct the Official 2008 SECOORA Board Election Ballot and approves the final version thereof.
   7. May 7, 2008. The SECOORA Staff will post the Official 2008 SECOORA Election Ballot, the list of dues paying members in good standing, and the list of member’s representatives (or proxy if the timely proxy notice was received) voting in the 2008 Board election. The Nomination Sub-Committee shall meet on this date to review the items posted to confirm with SECOORA Staff that the lists and other items posted for the 2008 Board Election are accurate.
   8. May 13, 2008. The 2008 Board Election will be held using the approved Official SECOORA 2008 Board Election Ballot in envelopes marked with the respective SECOORA member’s name (and the name of the member’s representative or proxy, as appropriate). Results of Board members winning their respective elections and the vote tabulations as counted and approved by the Nomination Sub-Committee are announced.
   9. May 14, 2008. Any run off elections for tie ballots are held. Results of Board members winning their respective elections and the vote tabulations as counted and approved by the Nomination Sub- Committee are announced.
5. ELECTION PROCESS
   1. May 13, 2008. At the 2008 SECOORA Membership Annual Meeting registration, each SECOORA member, or member’s designated proxy, at a registration desk shall be provided with an Official SECOORA Board Election Ballot with the Slate of Candidates from 11:00 am until 11:30 am. Each member or proxy will sign a roster, listing the members in good standing, to document his/her receipt of the Official SECOORA Board Election Ballot.
   2. The Candidates’ CVs, copy of the 2008 SECOORA Board of Directors Election Procedural Framework and Official SECOORA Board Election Ballot will be posted at the registration desk. A limited number of copies of the CV’s and Election Procedural Framework will be available for review.
   3. Ballots must be cast prior to 12:00 Noon on May 13, 2008 in the official ballot box. SECOORA staff and Nomination Sub-Committee members will oversee the ballot box kept near the registration desk. An area will be set aside by SECOORA staff near the registration desk so that SECOORA members can review the Official SECOORA Board Election Ballot and mark their choices for the 2008 Board Election. No electioneering will be allowed in the vicinity of the registration desk, the voting area, or the ballot box while SECOORA members are voting.
   4. Nomination Sub-Committee members, in two separate counting teams, shall count the ballots and match with the number of ballots that were available to be cast.
   5. If there are no “tie votes” or issues with the 67% rule (see Section G), the election results shall be announced by the Chair of the Nomination Sub-Committee to the Annual Meeting attendees as soon as the ballots are counted and the tabulations completed and approved by the Nomination Sub-Committee (at or about 1:30 pm May 13, 2008).
6. ELECTION PROCESS IN CASE OF A TIE VOTE FOR A SPECIFIC BOARD SEAT.
   1. Tie votes will be handled by a run-off election May 14. A ballot shall be constructed by the SECOORA Staff to include those candidate having a equal ballot counts and approved by the Nomination Sub-Committee. No new nominations will be accepted.
   2. Run off ballots will be cast by SECOORA members who are present and have signed the original voting roster
   3. The Nomination Sub-Committee members, in two separate counting teams, count the ballots and match with the number of ballots that were available to be cast.
   4. Announcement of election results as soon as ballots are counted and the tabulations completed and approved by the Nomination Sub-Committee.
7. ELECTION PROCESS TO SEEK A MORE DISPERSED GEOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD

   SECOORA By-Laws, Article IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS; Section 1 states: “Composition of the Board. The Board will be composed of no fewer than 15 members and no more than 25 members in good standing. The number of Board seats filled should at all times be an odd number. No state will hold more than sixty-seven (67%) percent of seats on the Board”.

   1. It is possible in any given election year to have an election that, when the individuals who have won their respective Board Seats are installed as Board members in June or so of each year, results in Board composition that will violate this By-Law section (more than 67% of the Board come from one state).
   2. After the ballots are counted and results are reported to the SECOORA Membership by the Nomination Sub-Committee, if any state has more than (67%) of Board membership, then the Nomination Sub- Committee will follow this procedure:
      1. The Nomination Sub-Committee will first ask if any of the newly elected Board members from that state with more then 67% Board Seats (no later than June 12, 2008) wish to relinquish so that the number of seats from one state can conform to the By-Law requirement in Article IV, Section 1. Should such a Board member announce that he or she wishes to relinquish; the Nomination Sub-Committee will draw up and approve the Slate of Candidates to fill the seat vacated and, with SECOORA staff, present another ballot to the SECOORA Members for election to the newly opened Board Seat.
      2. If no Board member from such a state wishes to resign, the matter will be turned over to the Board of Directors for resolution no later than June 12, 2008, (options include an election of one or more new Board members, acceptance of resignations from one or more existing Board members, or appointment of members to Public Seats by the Board of Directors).
8. CLOSING COMMENTS AND PROCEDURES
   1. The Board Development Committee recommends that the 2008 Election Process be evaluated by the SECOORA Governance Committee and the Board of Directors for necessary By-Laws revisions for the 2009 Board elections. This review shall include the method for the resolution of complaints on candidates’ conduct.
   2. All marked 2008 Board Election ballots, their related envelops, and the vote tabulations materials shall be kept as SECOORA records on the 2008 Board Election and shall be reviewed prior to storage by the Secretary of the SECOORA Board of Directors.
   3. After the announcement of the results of the 2008 Board Election, the Chair of the Nomination Sub-Committee will confirm the 2008 Election is concluded and that the newly elected Board of Directors will be installed as Board members on June 12, 2008.

Sample Ballot

2008 SECOORA Board of Directors Election

May 13, 2008

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Institutional Member

One Seat Industry/Private Sector:

From this list, pick one candidate (cast each vote by circling or highlighting name):

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Institutional Member

Three Seats: Academic/Research/Education Sector:

From this list, pick up to three candidates (cast each vote by circling or highlighting names):

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Institutional Member

One Seat - Public Agencies/Non-Profit/Other Sector:

From this list, pick one candidate (cast each vote by circling or highlighting name):

Xxxxxxxx   xxxxxxxxxxxxx   xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Two At-Large Seats – Florida:

From this list pick up to two people from Florida (cast each vote by circling or highlighting names):

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