Article 5 - Election Process

I. The nomination process will start on October 15 and run through October 31. The Vice-President shall accept nominations from any active Member. A Member may nominate as many or as few candidates for any and all offices (including the At-Large positions) the Member wishes to submit nominations. Any person nominated for more than one position (other than an At-Large position) shall choose one preferred position before noon on November 7. All nominees must accept or decline nomination prior to noon on November 7 by notifying the Vice-President. Failure to notify the Vice-President constitutes declining the nomination.

II. The voting process will be held for two weeks starting no earlier than noon on November 7 and running through November 21. The Vice-President shall accept votes from any active Member. Ballots must be received by November 21 to be counted. Ballots may be cast by personal message to the Vice-President via the BDGA message board, by e-mail to the Vice-President, or by hand-written ballot personally given to the Vice-President. Ballots must include the Member’s name, the office(s) for which they are voting, and the candidates for whom they are voting. The Vice-President shall preserve all ballots until December 31 of the year of the election.

III. To win an office, the candidate must receive a simple majority of the votes cast for that position. If there is no majority, a run-off election will be held for the top two candidates. All ballots for the run-off election must be received by November 30.

IV. The BDGA Board shall take office on the January 1 following the election. The December meeting shall be a transition period with incoming officers invited to sit in on the Board meeting, but without voting privileges.

V. Offices will be held for one calendar year.

VI. No Member may hold more than one elected office at a time. There shall be no limit to the number of committee positions that a Member may hold.

VII. Special elections to fill vacated officer positions may be held at any time at the discretion of the Board.

VIII. A person may only hold a particular office (including At-Large Representative) for a maximum of 4 consecutive terms. After 4 consecutive years in a position, the person may serve in any other office (if they so desire and are elected to do so). The person may also be re-elected to the same office later, but only after a minimum hiatus of 1 year.

IX. For the At-Large positions, the top four vote-getters (not counting the individuals elected to one of the other officer positions) will be elected. In the event of a tie for the fourth position, a run-off election will be held between the two (or more) nominees.