You have questions, we have answers! There have been some good questions we've received on our FY18 Section Election, so we wanted to collect them and provide answers in one stop. The FAQ is grouped by the following topics:
- Candidate Slate
- Elected Officers & Positions
- Petition Period
- Nominating Committee
If you find that your question is not listed here, let us know! Contact information is at the end of this post. We hope that this helps you understand and participate in the FY18 Election!
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Candidate Slate
What is the Candidate Slate?
This is the listing of candidates that have been vetted by the Nominating Committee and are eligible to be elected officers should they be voted in. It includes listing each candidate for all elected positions:
- President
- President-Elect
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- Vice President of Professional Development
- Vice President of Career Guidance/Outreach
- Section Representative
What is the “Vice President of Career Guidance/Outreach” - I thought it was just “VP of Outreach”?
This is the Vice President of Outreach. Our Section By-laws call out the official position title as Vice President of Career Guidance/Outreach, so it has to be listed on the slate that way.
Why is there an election for President for FY18? I thought that the President-Elect became President?
In FY17, the position of President-Elect remained unfilled. As a result, the President position is on the ballot again for FY18.
I want to add a candidate to the slate - how do I do that?
You can nominate additional candidates, provided that:
- The member you want to nominate is eligible for the position;
- The member you want to nominate has given written consent to being placed on the ballot;
- A minimum of two percent or five of the voting members of the section, whichever is greater, have signed a petition or endorsed an email to place the candidate’s name on the ballot
As of May 17, 2017, our section currently has 582 members on our roster. Two percent of that, rounded up to the next whole number, would be 12 members.
All of required information list above must be submitted to the Nominating Committee before the closure of the petition period in order for a candidate to be considered for the final ballot.
I heard that this was the last year for Section Reps. Is that true?
Yes. You can learn more about how that impacted this election cycle in our blog post, FY18 SWE PNW Election & Section Rep Role Update.
For live link on blog: http://swepnw.blogspot.com/2017/02/fy18-swe-pnw-election-section-rep-role.html
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Elected Officers & Positions
What is the eligibility criteria for the elected officers?
Anyone who wants to run for an officer position must first be a paid SWE PNW member in good standing with the Society, Region, and Section. The president, vice president(s), and section representative(s) must be voting members of the Society. All other section officers must be voting members of the section.
What are the terms for the elected officer positions?
Section officers serve in a position for a term of one (1) fiscal year, to coincide with the Society’s fiscal year which is July to June.
Can someone serve in the same position in back-to-back years?
Yes, as long as they still meet the eligibility requirements for the position they are running for in the following year.
The only exception is with President-Elect position. The person serving as the President-Elect will continue on to the President position the following year. In effect, the person filling the President-Elect role serves the section as an elected officer for 2 years, one fiscal year term each of President-Elect and President.
Can an officer hold more than one position at one time?
Yes! Officers may hold more than one office provided that there is a minimum of three elected officers of the section. However, no one may hold the office of president and treasurer at the same time.
What are the duties of each position?
Here are the duties per our section by-laws and including current operating expectations:
President
- Represent the section before the public and preside at meetings of the section and its executive council
- Appoint the chairs of all committees, with the approval of the executive council, except the chair of the Nominating Committee
- Approve the appointment of all committee members, except the members of the executive council
- Authorize the disbursement of the section funds within the budget approved by the executive council
- Be an authorized signatory on all section accounts
- Coordinate activities and execute the business and policies of the section between meetings
- Review and approve the year-end section financial report
- Perform other duties normally associated with the office of the president or as may be assigned by the executive council or the governance documents
President-Elect
- Serve as president in the year following their term as president-elect
- Assume the duties of the president if the president is temporarily unable to serve
- Assist the current president with all duties
Secretary
- Maintain records of the section, record meeting minutes at all EC meetings, maintain and update bylaws as needed.
- Support the virtual brand committee by maintaining connection between the virtual brand committee and the executive council.
Treasurer
- Be responsible for the collection, distribution, and safekeeping of sections funds
- Prepare, maintain, and report as directed on the financial position of section in relation to the approved budget
- Submit a financial report to the Society in accordance with established procedures
- Perform other duties normally associated with the office of treasurer or as may be assigned by the president, the executive council, or the governance documents
- The treasurer manages and reports on SWE PNW’s budget, bank accounts, grants/donations and performs financial audits. If needed, a committee will also lead fundraising drives
VP of Career Guidance/Outreach
- This position leads explore engineering workshops, the University mentoring program, certificate of merit (COM) and COM scholarships, collegiate scholarships.
- The committee funds and manages relationships the following organizations: Kids in Science and Engineering (KISE), Expanding your Horizons (EYH), community outreach booths (PSEC, schools, etc.)
- Chair the Outreach committee
- Coordinate activities of other committees that support the section’s Outreach goals
- Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the president, the executive council, or the governance documents.
VP of Professional Development
- This position leads and manages technical talks and tours, skills development events, social/networking events, and the book club.
- Assume the duties of the president if the president is temporarily unable to serve and if president-elect position is unfilled or if president-elect is also temporarily unable to serve
- Chair the professional development committee
- Coordinate activities of other committees that pertain to professional development of section members
- Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the president, the executive council, or the governance documents.
Section Representative
- Represent the section as a voting member on monthly region conference calls and in person region meetings. Act as a liaison between the section and the region
- Submit section reports to the region (3 per year)
- Perform those duties expected of them as described in the region governance documents
- Perform other duties normally associated with the office of section representative or as may be assigned by the president, the executive council, or the governance documents.
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Petition Period
What is the purpose of the petition period?
The petition period allows sections members to provide feedback on the candidates and section election process. This is also the time for members to ask question about the process.
How long does the petition period last?
The petition period closes 15 days after the slate is announced. For the FY18 election cycle, the petition period closes on May 30, 2017.
What kind of candidate feedback is the Nominating Committee looking for?
The Nominating Committees is looking for your feedback and/or concerns on the candidates list on the slate. This feedback should be focused on the requirements of the position and the mission of SWE.
How will my feedback on candidates be used?
All feedback will be assessed by the Nominating Committee and used to make any necessary adjustments to the slate before the ballot is posted for the voting part of the election cycle.
I want to provide feedback on a candidate - how do I do that?
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Nominating Committee
What is the Nominating Committee?
The Nominating Committee oversees the section election process. They are responsible for the following:
- Soliciting interested candidates
- Vetting interested candidate slate
- Ensuring candidates meet the requirements of the position(s) they are running for
- Reviewing and taking any necessary action on feedback provided during the petitions period
- Presenting the final ballot
- Conducting the voting period and tallying the results
Can members of the Nominating Committee be on the slate/ballot?
No. Per our section by-laws, members of the nominating committee may not become candidates during their tenure of service on the Nominating Committee.
Who are the members of the Nominating Committee that are overseeing the election for FY18 officers?
The members serving on the Nominating Committee in FY17 to support the FY18 election cycle are:
- Tamaira Ross (Committee Chair)
- Cary Kaczowka
- Kimber Hinson
- Maria Barna
How can I get involved in the Nominating Committee activities in the future?
The call for Nominating Committee members typically goes out mid-fiscal year, in the December/January time frame. Look for specific calls then.
Alternately, let one of the officers know and they’ll make sure to keep you name in mind when the call does go out next year.
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This FAQ was compiled and reviewed by Theresa Krack and Elaine Reeves, FY17 Section Representatives. It is based on the information contained in the SWE PNW By-laws and additional information relevant to the FY18 section election cycle.
If you have questions or feedback pertaining to the FY18 Section Election Cycle, please contact the Nominating Committee directly at swe.pnw.nomination@gmail.com.
