WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO ASSOCIATION POLICY

ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERS

January 2012

BACKGROUND

WPRA Bylaws Section 5.02 states:

"Election of Directors shall be by secret ballot of the membership. The Board Operations Committee shall establish procedures concerning the conduct of elections, distribution of ballots to all members, voting and counting of ballots. Results of an election shall be made known to the membership by publication or other means as soon as practicable after the election."

ELECTION PROCESS

1. One membership, one vote.

There will be only one vote per membership in the Wisconsin Public Radio Association (WPRA). Eligibility for membership is determined solely through financial contributions to Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) made on behalf of WPRA.

2. Deadline for submission of nomination papers:

Notice of an election of Board Members shall be made in the “Radio Waves” newsletter, on the WPRA Web site (www.wpra.org) and on the Wisconsin Public Radio stations and Web site.

Wherever possible the e-mail and Web site notice shall include:

A. The nomination form

B. Clear instructions for nomination including, but not limited to, information and documents, especially a resume, to be submitted, the deadline for submission of nomination forms and the address to which nominations are to be submitted.

C. A statement that nomination forms and instructions may be obtained by request to WPR Audience Services or to WPR Regional Offices.

D. A statement that, if the registration forms are not filed properly, the nominee will not be placed on the ballot.

3. Nominees:

Nominees must be members of WPRA and must reside in the WPR region for which they would represent membership on the Board. This will be determined by WPR membership data in advance of the election. The coverage area of the station or stations within that region determines the region and residence must be within the coverage area, generally determined by the zip code of the nominee. Members-in-standing currently are determined by the combination of zip code, mapping and self-selection.

4. Return nomination forms:

All nomination forms, accompanied by the candidate’s resume, must be returned to the Regional Office of the region in which the nominee intends to run. Nomination forms may also be filed electronically on the WPRA Web site. Radio Waves and Web site information will indicate that, if the forms are not returned properly, the nominee will not be placed on the ballot.

5. Verification of candidate eligibility:

Prior to submission for inclusion on the master list, each Regional Manager will check the membership and residence status of each prospective nominee in his or her region. Regional Managers will send their lists of names and residences to central WPR staff member to verify with the WPR Membership (Listener Development) unit that nominees hold current, certifiable membership in the WPRA. Any issues arising from this verification process would immediately be resolved by the Regional Manager with the nominee in question. This would be accomplished before the nomination papers are given to the WPRA Board Operations Committee, which would create the ballot.

6. Development of the ballot:

Each Regional Manager will collect the nominating papers, prepare a list of candidates, and forward that list, along with copies of the nomination materials for each member, to the central WPR staff member assigned to assist the WPRA Board Operations Committee. A master list will be compiled, verified with Regional Managers and the verified information will be given to the WPRA Board Operations Committee for its consideration in February of the election year. Regional Managers are responsible for developing candidate profiles.

If at the February meeting a Regional Manager shall report to the Board Operations Committee that there are no candidates qualified for office in that region, the Board Operations Committee shall immediately cause a regional nominating committee to be formed. The committee shall consist of the regional manager, a Board Director for that region, and two association members at least one of whom is known to be an active volunteer from the region. This nominating committee shall recommend up to two qualified nominees to the Board Operations Committee no later than the last day of March of that year. The Board Operations Committee shall review the candidates and, if satisfied that they are qualified, cause them to be added to the elections list.

The Operations Committee shall develop a ballot for each region based on the nominations submitted and the best interests of the Association.

7. Run-off procedure:

In the case of a region where there are more than two (2) candidates, the Board Operations Committee may determine that a run-off (primary) election will occur to reduce the number of candidates to two. WPR central staff will deliver a special run-off ballot along with a statement that candidate profiles and resumes may be seen on the WPRA Web site before the end of February, with a return date of the last day of March to ensure that the final ballot would be mailed by May 1.

8. Mailing of the general ballot:

On or near May 1, WPR central staff will deliver by regular mail or e-mail the final (general) ballots along with candidate profiles solely to members of that region with a return date of May 31. Profiles are also available for viewing on the WPRA Web site (www.wpra.org).

9. Voting:

Voting shall be conducted via a secure web site, paper ballot or other appropriate means. Members with visual, learning or physical limitations may vote by telephone (following instructions provided on the ballot) by contacting WPR Audience Services, which will forward the ballot to central WPR staff to submit the ballot on the member’s behalf.

10. Counting ballots:

To ensure fair and neutral counting of ballots, the WPRA will engage an outside agency to collect and count the ballots. All ballots will be properly communicated to the agency to ensure confidentiality of the voting process.

11. Notification of results:

The official vote count and list of winners will be provided to the central WPR staff member who will ensure that Regional Managers and the Director of WPR are informed of the results (winners and losers).

It is the responsibility of the Regional Managers to immediately notify the winners of their status and invite them to the May WPRA Board meeting. It is the responsibility of the Director of WPR to notify the President of the WPRA. It is the responsibility of the central WPR staff member to ensure that letters are mailed on behalf of WPRA to both winners and losers indicating their status. The staff member or Association member responsible for the WPRA Web site will ensure that notice is posted with the results of the election.

12. Welcome to new Board members:

The President of the WPRA will welcome new Board members at the Fall Board meeting. The Director of WPR will ensure that new Board members are given the opportunity for an orientation to WPR.