MABLSA Elections Procedures

MID-ATLANTIC BLACK

LAW

STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

2013 ELECTION RULES AND

PROCEDURES

2013 Election Rules & Procedures

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ELECTED POSITIONS 3

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS 4

CAMPAIGNING 6

ENFORCEMENT OF ELECTION RULES AND PROCEDURES 8

ELECTION SPEECHES, VOTING, & RESULTS 9

ELECTION CALENDAR 11

APPOINTED POSITION INFORMATION SESSION 12

2013–2014 REGIONAL OFFICER APPLICATION AND CANDIDACY STATEMENTS 13

DESCRIPTION OF ELECTED OFFICERS 15


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ELECTED POSITIONS

Any 2012–2013 dues-paying member of a MABLSA law school chapter may run for office.

The following MABLSA positions are eligible for election:

Regional Chair

Regional Vice Chair

Regional Secretary

Regional Treasurer

Regional Director of the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition

Regional Director of the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition

Regional Director of Community Service

Regional Director of Programming

Attorney General

Regional Parliamentarian

Baltimore/Washington Sub-Regional Director

Virginia Sub-Regional Director

Philadelphia Metro Sub-Regional Director

Pennsylvania/West Virginia Sub-Regional Director


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CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

Pre-Certified Candidates. Any 2012–2013 dues-paying member of a MABLSA law

school chapter who completes and returns the Officer Application prior to the stated

deadline will qualify as a pre-certified candidate.

All materials must be submitted to the Regional Parliamentarian at [email protected] by 11:59pm Sunday, January 27, 2013.

Nominations from the Floor. Only positions that do not have any pre-certified

candidates at the opening of the Regional Convention are open to nominations from

the floor. Nominations from the floor will be accepted at a designated plenary session.

Any active MABLSA member may nominate any active member at the

Regional Convention for an elected position.

To make the nomination, the member need only rise and state “I nominate

[insert name] for the position of [insert position].” Each member is only

permitted to nominate one person for each officer position.

In the event that a candidate is nominated from the floor, the candidate

must complete the Officer Application within 24 hours of accepting the

nomination.

Final Certification Requirements. All candidates must attend the Mandatory

Candidates Meeting in order to run for and be elected to office. The mandatory

candidates meeting will be held at the 2013 Regional Convention at 4:30 pm on Friday,

February 15, 2013.

Post-Election Meeting. Any candidate who wins election to a MABLSA Regional

Office is REQUIRED to attend the Transitional Meeting on Sunday, February 17, 2013,

12:00pm – 2:00pm. This meeting is mandatory so please make your travel

arrangements accordingly.

mailto:[email protected]


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Important Considerations.

No individual who has been elected to a regional position will be permitted

to run for a National Executive Board position.

Serving on the MABLSA Regional Executive Board is a commitment which

requires travelling to at least four (4) designated in-person meetings during

one’s term and considerable extracurricular work. Please take this into

consideration when determining whether you will run for office and whether

you will be able to carry out the necessary duties.

Travel expenses are not reimbursed or paid for by MABLSA and, therefore,

you should consider your financial resources before running for a position.


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CAMPAIGNING Prior to Commencement of Convention.

Candidates ARE permitted to verbally announce their intent to run for

office prior to the candidate’s meeting with any NBLSA member in any region.

Only the candidate may endorse himself or herself prior to the

commencement of Convention.

No chapter can endorse any candidate prior to the commencement of the

Regional Convention.

No candidate for any Regional office shall disseminate any printed material prior to the commencement of the Regional Convention.

After a Candidate has received a notification from the 2013 Election Committee that his or her application has been accepted, he or she may use Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, a blog, website, or any other electronic method to advertise his or her candidacy.

Candidates may not use any Regional or National listserv to disseminate campaign material and may not post any campaign material to any NBLSA national, regional, or local chapter Facebook group. National, regional and local chapter Twitter accounts are forbidden from retweeting any campaign announcements and/or endorsements.

Candidates may not use pictures of themselves with any Regional, Regional-Elect, or National Executive Board members as part of their campaign materials, including any and all electronic mediums used (i.e., social networking sites, blogs, etc.).

Campaign Material Approval.

All candidates for Regional office must submit copies or proofs of all

tangible campaign materials for approval PRIOR TO dissemination or

display (email documents or proofs to [email protected]).


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Candidate Endorsement.

Local chapters may not publicly endorse a candidate prior to the

commencement of the Regional Convention. Local chapters may endorse

candidates after the commencement of the Regional Convention.

Current National and Regional Board members, as well as Regional-Elect

Board members, are prohibited from endorsing any candidate for Regional

office at any time. After Commencement of Official Campaigning.

Candidates are permitted to wear and distribute approved campaign

materials (flyers, buttons, etc.) to attendees at the Convention.

No campaigning may occur inside of any plenary session. As such, no

delegate is allowed to wear or prominently display any campaign

materials within 30 feet of or inside of the room where plenary sessions

are held.

No candidate shall engage in any unfair campaign practices, including but

not limited to the infraction of any campaign or election rule outlined in this

document; libeling or slandering any other candidate; and maliciously

interfering with another campaign.

Each candidate is responsible for activity that another undertakes on his or

her behalf as if that candidate is undertaking the activity himself or herself

unless the candidate sincerely and affirmatively discourages such activity. Termination of Campaigning. All campaign materials must be taken down and

solicitation of votes must cease ONE HOUR prior to the start of the plenary session for

candidates’ speeches on Saturday, February 16, 2013.


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ENFORCEMENT OF ELECTION RULES AND PROCEDURES

Any dues-paying member may file a complaint with any elections committee member

for violations of election rules and procedures.

All alleged violations will be investigated by the Elections Committee. If any violation is

found to have merit, the offending candidate will be disqualified immediately. The

rules will be enforced in an effort to achieve adherence to the goals and principles of

MABLSA and NBLSA.

The elections committee reserves the right to amend or add to the election procedures at

any time before the Regional Convention notwithstanding those specific procedures set

out in the National and Regional Constitutions and Bylaws.


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ELECTION SPEECHES, VOTING, & RESULTS

All candidates for office, including those running unopposed, are required to give a

speech and stand for questions during the election plenary session at the Regional

Convention.

Candidates will be informed of the order and time limits of speeches and question-

and-answer sessions at the Mandatory Candidates Meeting.

Delegate Voting.

Chapters in Attendance

Any active chapter with a registered delegate for the Regional Convention

who attends at least seventy-five (75) percent of the plenary sessions during

the 2013 Regional Convention is entitled to vote in the election of 2013–2014

MABLSA Regional Officers.

All delegates will receive their chapter ballot and all relevant proxy ballots prior to the commencement of candidate speeches.

Proxy Vote

In order to utilize the proxy vote procedure, please refer to Article X § 2 of

the MABLSA Constitution.

Only chapters who have submitted proxy materials to the Parliamentarian

by Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 8:00pm Eastern Standard Time will be

entitled to participate in the elections via proxy.

Ballot Count.

Voting will take place by secret ballot.

The candidate for each position that receives the largest percentage of votes

for that position will be declared the winner.


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If a candidate is unopposed, he or she must receive a majority of the votes

in order to be declared the winner of the position.

Announcement of 2013–2014 MABLSA Elected Officers. The election results will be

announced during the 2013 MABLSA Awards Gala on February 16, 2013 in Pittsburgh,

PA.

Inspection of Ballots. A candidate has the right to inspect all of the physical ballots

submitted for the position to which he was a candidate before the close of the Regional

Convention.


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ELECTION CALENDAR

Deadline for candidates to submit Officer Application

Sunday, January 27, 2013, at 11:59pm EST

Deadline for Chapters to send proxy ballot information for the purposes of election

Wednesday, February 13, 2013, at 8:00pm EST

Mandatory Candidates Meeting Friday, February 15, 2013 at 4:30pm EST

Deadline for floor-nominated candidates to submit Officer Application

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Candidates Speeches, Q&A , and Voting Saturday, February 16, 2013

MABLSA Transition Meeting Sunday, February 17, 2013, at 12:00 pm EST

**The Election Committee reserves the right to extend or alter the dates above if deemed necessary.


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APPOINTED POSITION INFORMATION SESSION All persons interested in being appointed to one of the following positions should attend an information session on Sunday, February 17, 2013 from 11:00am – 12:00pm.

Regional Director of Communication

Regional Director of Corporate Relations

Regional Director of Membership

Regional Convention Coordinator

Regional Job Fair Coordinator

Regional Pre-Law Division Director

Regional Chief of Staff

Regional Director of Social Action

Regional Historian

Regional Director of Alumni Affairs

Regional Financial Secretary

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MID-ATLANTIC BLACK LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

2013–2014 REGIONAL OFFICER APPLICATION AND CANDIDACY STATEMENTS

Please return this application to [email protected] no later than Sunday, January

27, 2013 by 11:59 pm. Name:

Position Sought:

Mailing Address:

Phone Number:

Email Address:

Law School:

Anticipated Graduation Date:

Registrar’s Name/Number:

BLSA Chapter President:

List any NBLSA Offices held on a local, regional, or national level:

List any memberships and offices in any other organizations:

I have read and agree to comply with the Election Rules and Procedures. Signature: ________________________________________ Date: __________________________

mailto:[email protected]

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MID-ATLANTIC BLACK LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION Please return this signed statement to [email protected] no later than 11:59 PM

on Friday, February 16, 2013. Statement of Fiduciary Duty of MABLSA Regional Executive Board Members Regional Executive Board members agree to be governed by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Mid-Atlantic Black Law Students Association and the National Black Law Students Association. Each Regional Executive Board member shall act in the best interest of the organization at all times and shall disclose any information that may be harmful to the organization. I have read and agree to comply with the Statement of Fiduciary Duty of MABLSA Regional

Executive Board Members. Signature: ________________________________________ Date: __________________________ Duties as a MABLSA Officer I understand that, as a Regional Executive Board Member, I will be personally responsible for

attending all meetings. I also understand that I may be asked to perform duties other than those

of my position in order to further the mission and goals of MABLSA.

Signature: ________________________________________ Date: __________________________

Election Policy I understand that I must attend the final plenary session and participate fully in Candidate Speeches. I acknowledge that my failure to comply with any of the aforementioned obligations may result in my disqualification. Signature: ________________________________________ Date: __________________________

Please email [email protected] if you have any questions.

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DESCRIPTION OF ELECTED OFFICERS

A. The Regional Chair shall:

1. Exercise general authority over the business and activities of MABLSA;

2. Coordinate the activities of the Regional Executive Board to ensure implementation

of all internal and external tasks;

3. Chair all Regional Executive Board meetings;

4. Present ideas and propose directions for the organization;

5. Preside over the MABLSA Region;

6. Serve as an ex-officio member of all MABLSA committees;

7. Co-sign with the Regional Treasurer, all checks issued by MABLSA;

8. Appoint other staff persons and committees in accordance with Article IV, Section

of the Constitution;

9. Appoint new board members to vacant board positions with the consent of the

remaining board members;

10. Disseminate National and Regional information throughout his/her Region;

11. Insure the receipt of funds from the Regional Executive Board and/or other sources

in order to finance Regional programs and operations;

12. Organize the annual MABLSA Regional Convention;

13. Perform such other functions and exercise such further duties as the National

Chair, the Board, or the Assembly may assign; and

14. Compile a brief synopsis of his/her yearly activities for the NBLSA National

Annual Report.

B. The Regional Vice-Chair shall:

1. Perform all duties of the Regional Chair in his/her absence;

2. Serve as an internal manager to the Regional Executive Board and oversee all intra-

board relations;

3. Serve as an ex-officio member of all MABLSA committees;

4. Develop and finalize the Regional Executive Board meeting agendas in accordance

with the ideas and input of the Regional Chair;

5. Serve as Chair of the Regional Grievance Committee and present periodic reports

to the Regional Chair; and

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6. Maintain a working relationship with all Presidents of local chapters within

MABLSA.

C. The Regional Secretary shall:

1. Maintain and distribute the minutes and agenda for all meetings of the Regional

Executive Board and the Regional Assembly;

2. Develop an operational calendar of Regional events;

3. Disseminate a copy of the Regional calendar to the Chapter Presidents;

4. Maintain adequate distribution of the official NBLSA stationary to all executive

board members;

5. Coordinate the Regional Board meetings, including the meeting sites;

6. Collect and maintain the officers’ reports for the Regional Executive Board

meetings; and

7. Utilize audio and/or video technology to record plenary sessions at the MABLSA

Regional Convention.

D. The Regional Treasurer shall:

1. Handle all funds and securities of MABLSA and ensure that they are deposited in

such facility, and in such a manner, as the Regional Executive Board may designate;

2. Assure that entries are regularly made in the financial records, accounting for all

funds received and disbursed by MABLSA;

3. Submit the financial records of MABLSA to a Certified Public Accountant;

4. Determine, together with the other Regional officers, the allocation of the MABLSA

financial resources to allow for a steady cash flow;

5. Provide financial reports at each Regional Executive Board meeting;

6. Design, implement, and monitor a financial policy related to expenditures and cash

flow for the Association with the approval of the Regional Executive Board;

7. Develop an annual Regional Budget and submit it to the Regional Executive Board

for approval at the first regularly scheduled Regional Executive Board meeting.

This Regional Budget must include a statement of accounts, statement of unpaid

bills with explanation, statement of transfers between accounts, statement of

income, detailed account of how all funds were used, detailed account of all

anticipated expenses based on future program needs, and other items the Regional

Treasurer deems necessary.

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8. Present a Regional Financial Report at the final meeting of the General Assembly at

the annual MABLSA Regional Convention; and

9. Co-sign, with the Regional Chair, all checks issued by MABLSA.

E. The Regional Director of the Fredrick Douglass Moot Court Competition (“FDMCC”)

shall:

1. Appoint a Regional Moot Court Specialist (“RMCS”). The RMCS must be a

MABLSA member in good standing to serve, and his/her appointment is subject to

approval by the Regional Executive Board;

2. Coordinate the Annual FDMCC according to the FDMCC handbook;

3. Attend the Annual Directors of the FDMCC meeting held by the National Director

of the FDMCC;

4. Maintain frequent communication with the National Directors of FDMCC; and

5. Secure venues and judges for the FDMCC at the Regional Convention.

F. The Regional Director of the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition (“TMMTC”)

shall:

1. Appoint a Regional Mock Trial Specialist (“RMTS”). The RMTS must be a NBLSA

member in good standing to serve; his/her appointment is subject to approval by

the Regional Executive Board.

2. Coordinate the Annual TMMTC according to the TMMTC Handbook.

3. Attend the annual Directors of TMMTC meeting, held in conjunction with the

annual Directors of FDMCC meeting;

4. Maintain frequent communication with the National Director of TMMTC; and

5. Secure venues and judges for the TMMTC at the Regional Convention.

G. The Regional Director of Community Service shall:

1. Coordinate and execute all community affairs project undertaken on a Regional

level;

2. Provide for the recognition of a chapter within the Region who has developed

model community service programs;

3. Organize the Community Service project to be conducted during the Annual

Regional Convention;

4. Maintain frequent communication with the Regional Chapters of Community

Service; and

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5. Coordinate selection of MABLSA Chapter of the Year.

H. The Regional Director of Programming shall:

1. Develop and evaluate Regional programs that keep with the goals of NBLSA;

2. Work with the Sub-Regional Directors to develop and coordinate uniform

programs to maintain the goals of NBLSA and the Region;

3. Serve on the Regional Convention Committee and work with the Regional

Convention Coordinator to coordinate Regional program activities for the Regional

Convention;

4. Oversee the Regional programs funded as National projects, and other programs

including, but not limited to:

i. Regional Academic Retreats; and

ii. Regional Dean Roundtables

5. Develop methods to facilitate the implementation of Regional programs at the local

level; and

6. Maintain frequent communication with the Sub-Regional Directors.

I. The Attorney General shall:

1. Research current legal issues facing the African-American Community;

2. Increase MABLSA awareness of legal issues;

3. Act as a liaison to the NBLSA Attorney General on issues affecting the African-

American community in the Mid-Atlantic Region;

4. Coordinate with members of Congress to define issues affecting the African

American community;

5. Prepare memoranda to be distributed regionally regarding Congressional issues

that affect the African American community; and

6. Plan MABLSA participation in the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Conference;

and

7. Make official statements on behalf of MABLSA with the approval of the Regional

Chair.

J. The Regional Parliamentarian shall:

1. Serve as an advisor and counsel for the executive board on the Parliamentary

Procedure;

2. Decide all questions of interpretation and construction of the parliamentary

authority and procedural rules of MABLSA;

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3. Provide all delegates with the current procedural rules;

4. Coordinate Regional election procedures at the annual MABLSA Regional

Convention;

5. Chair the Constitution/Bylaws Committee;

6. Maintain frequent communication with the National Parliamentarians; and

7. Serve as an ex-officio member of all regional committees.

K. The Sub-Regional Directors shall:

1. Serve as liaisons between the chapters within their respective sub-regions and the

Regional Executive Board;

2. Ensure that the chapters within their respective sub-regions are active;

3. Promote unity of the chapters within their sub-region; and

4. Coordinate events with the other Sub-Regional Directors to promote the unity of

MABLSA as a whole.

MABLSA Elections Procedures

Documents

regional position

regional convention

mablsa regional office

regional officer application

election rules procedures

election calendar

enforcement of election

election speeches