PEF 2009 Election Guide

There are no certified candidates for PEF Executive Board Seats #25, #155, #325, #360, and #555. Therefore, a special election will be run for these positions in October 2009.

All of the Statewide Officer positions and all except two of the Regional Coordinators’ positions have also been automatically filled, as well as a number of Executive Board slots.

This PEF 2009 Elections Guide is published in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of PEF. It is also printed as a directory to aid the members of the union in the voting procedure.

Listed in the guide are those offices and positions which will require no election; therefore, no ballot will be sent. Also listed are the Regional Coordinator and Executive Board positions which will require a ballot.

The information on each candidate listed in the guide is the exact information submitted by the candidate. No editing or rewriting was done, except for length.*

This material is presented for information purposes only and should not be construed in any way as an endorsement of any candidate for any position.

* The publishing staff is not responsible for grammatical, typographical, biographical information, or quality of photos submitted by candidates. Candidates are listed in the order their Candidate Directory and Information Sheets were received.

Election Procedures:
X. Election Procedures
The PEF Elections Committee will submit lists of certified candidates and eligible voters to the American Arbitration Association (AAA). Balloting will be conducted by AAA based on these lists, using a double envelope system to insure a secret ballot.

Unless otherwise specified in these rules, recommendations of AAA shall prevail.

In all cases, if a membership card is received at PEF headquarters from any person in a bargaining unit represented by PEF by Tuesday, April 28, 2009, he/she may vote in this election.

Members may receive up to two ballots for the 2009 Regular Elections in one envelope from AAA that states on the front PEF Triennial Elections. One ballot will list the appropriate Regional Coordinator candidates and the other will list the appropriate candidates for Executive Board. If two (2) ballots are received, both must be returned in the one (1) return envelope provided by AAA. No candidate’s professional title will appear on the ballot (i.e. PHd, M.D., etc.). No candidate’s name will appear on any ballot in an uncontested election.

In all instances, candidates will be listed by office, in the order drawn on Friday, May 15, 2009. Slate voting will not be necessary as the Statewide Officers were elected by petition.

If a certified candidate becomes ineligible to hold that office, his/her name will not be included on the ballot. If ballots have already been printed or mailed, but before tabulation, any votes cast for an ineligible candidate shall be void and shall not be considered in establishing a majority or determining election results. Any vacancy occurring after the ballot count is certified will be filled by special election, according to PEF’s Constitution.

In absence of a slate vote, individual votes for an office will be considered void if the votes cast are for more candidates than authorized for the office.

Write-in votes are not allowed.

Members receiving no ballot(s) or a ballot placing them in an incorrect Region or Executive Board constituency will be able to call the AAA hotline, (800) 529-5218, for a ballot or substitute ballot. All such ballots will be held unopened by AAA until just prior to the ballot count, when their validity is determined by the PEF Elections Committee. Any significant number of ballot problems in any one constituency should be reported immediately to the Elections Committee at PEF Headquarters.

Monday, June 1, 2009 – Ballots will be mailed by AAA to eligible voters.

Monday, June 8, 2009 – Call AAA at (800) 529-5218 if no ballot(s) or incorrect ballot(s) have been received.

Monday, June 22, 2009 – Ballots must be received at AAA in New York City no later than 5:00 PM.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 – Ballots counted by AAA. All candidates or their representatives are welcome to observe the count at their own expense. Call PEF Headquarters for information on the time and place for the ballot count.

Policy on Ballot Recounts – Recounts will be held for any individual position only under the following circumstances:
1. 1000 or more total valid votes cast – Where the difference in the candidates’ tallies is less than 2% of the total.

2. 999 or less total valid votes cast – Where the difference in the candidates’ tallies is less than 20 votes.

Pursuant to the PEF Constitution election will be by majority of valid ballots cast and if no majority is achieved, a runoff election will be held as soon as possible.

In the instance of offices of Regional Coordinator and Executive Board, if no majority is achieved on the first ballot, a runoff election shall be held between the two highest vote-getters.

If all positions are not filled on the first ballot, a runoff election shall be held using the AAA rule of two to determine the winners.

A complete list of the certified election results will be published in the August 2009 issue of The Communicator.

At the request of a candidate or slate representative a copy of the scanned ballots (media to be determined by AAA) will be made available. Requests must be made in writing to the PEF Elections Committee within 30 calendar days following the certification of the election.