NECA

Information On Delegate Voting

As stated in Article XIII of NECA’s constitution, “the Constitution of this Association may be revised or amended at any Convention at which a quorum is present, by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting or represented by delegate or proxy, provided the amendment or revision shall have been recommended by a vote of a majority of the Board of Governors …”

It’s been seven years since a change in NECA’s constitution was last proposed, so the procedures for delegate voting may not be familiar. Here, in brief, is how it will work:

• Each NECA chapter has the right to select a delegate, who represents a company that is a member of that chapter, to vote on a proposed constitutional amendment. (Members of our association who are not members of any chapter also have the right to cast their ballot vote in person or by official proxy. If you need information about procedures under these circumstances, please call NECA Secretary Mike Thompson at 301-215-4528.)

• A NECA chapter may choose its governor to serve as the chapter’s delegate for the purposes of voting on a constitutional amendment. Or, the delegate may be a different person.

• The delegate must present proper credentials before being allowed to vote. For this purpose, a credential form will be sent to each NECA chapter office on September 4. This form is used to identify the designated delegate. It must be returned when the delegate casts his or her ballot vote, as explained below.

• If the “Recommendation to Membership To Dissolve the Constitution” is approved by the Board of Governors at their October 16 meeting, thus necessitating member voting, such will be announced at the Convention’s Opening General Session, which will begin at 10:00 a.m., Sunday, October 17, in the Los Angeles Convention Center. If this is the case, and if a ballot vote is called for, delegates will be instructed to report to the “NECA Business Office,” which will be located in the Convention Center, to present their credentials (i.e., the completed form), receive their ballot, and vote. The deadline for accomplishing this will also be announced at the General Session.

• The number of votes that a chapter’s delegate is eligible to cast is equal to the number of members that have held membership in that chapter “in good standing for at least thirty (30) days prior to taking any vote.” In this specific situation, “good standing” means that, as of September 17, the member’s service charges must have been paid through the payroll month of May (2004-05), which allows for the 60-day grace period.