BE IT RESOLVED:

That the International Union Constitution, Appendix D, Section 2 is amended to read as follows:

Section 2. Election of subordinate body officers.

1. To be eligible for election, a nominee must be a member in good standing of the local union in which the nominee seeks office or of a local affiliated with the council in which the nominee seeks office, and must meet such other conditions as are stipulated in the constitution of the subordinate body.
2. An Election Committee shall be established and shall have general responsibility for the conduct of the election in accordance with this Constitution and the constitution of the subordinate body. Any challenge concerning the eligibility of any nominee shall be referred to the Election Committee for decision and the decision shall be reported to the subordinate body prior to the election. The Election Committee shall also report, as expeditiously as possible, the results of the balloting, together with recommendations regarding any protests which have been lodged regarding the conduct of the election. No member of the Election Committee may be a candidate for office.
3. The terms of office for officers of subordinate bodies shall be set forth in the constitution of each subordinate body, but may not exceed three years in the case of local union officers or four years in the case of council officers.
4. Not less than fifteen days prior to the holding of nominations for local union officers, a notice of the nominations and elections shall be mailed to each member at the member’s last known home address. Notice of nominations and elections for council officers shall be sent to each affiliated local not less than fifty days prior to the election or notice may be given as required by the council’s approved constitution.
5. Nominations may be made at a regular or special meeting by a local union member or by a council delegate. Nominations may also be made by a nominating committee, unless prohibited by the constitution of the subordinate body. Those nominated shall be afforded the opportunity to decline, and the name of any nominee who declines shall not appear on the ballot. Write-in votes shall not be valid for any purpose.
6. In any case where there is only one nominee for office, such nominee shall be declared elected. In all other cases, election shall be by secret ballot. All local union members or council delegates shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to vote.
7. Secret ballot elections may be conducted with use of paper ballots and voting machines. Local unions with 2,000 or more members may conduct secret ballot elections with the use of remote electronic voting systems; provided an alternative voting method is made available to any member who does not have access to the electronic system selected. Local unions with less than 2,000 members may conduct secret ballot elections with electronic voting systems upon the approval of the International President.
8. In all cases in which election of officers is occurring simultaneously for both at-large and district seats, distinct ballots shall be issued, separating the at-large from the district contests. Ballots from at-large contests shall be indistinguishable as to district or constituency, and such ballots shall be cast in such a manner that they cannot be identified as coming from a particular district or constituency.
9. Local union elections may be conducted at the same meeting as nominations or at the following meeting or by referendum, as provided in the local union constitution. Council elections shall be held in accordance with the constitution of the council.
10. Any candidate whose name is to appear on the a paper, screen or electronic ballot shall have the right to have present an official observer of the candidate’s own choosing, who must be a member of the Federation, in all places where ballots bearing the candidate’s name are to be prepared, distributed, cast or counted.
11. Upon completion of the voting, the ballots shall be tabulated and the candidate for each office receiving a majority of the votes cast for that office shall be declared elected. Any remaining unfilled offices shall be filled through a run-off election in which there shall be a ballot bearing two names for each office to be filled, such names being those nominees who received the greatest number of votes in the first balloting and the candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. Those elected shall be installed in office immediately but in no event later than 10 days after the tabulation of the election ballots, and regardless of any election related protests that are filed. Upon installation of the new officers, the names, addresses and terms of office of the newly elected officers shall be submitted to the International Secretary-Treasurer so that credential cards may be issued in accordance with the provisions of Article IX, Sections 18 and 23, of this Constitution. The preelection incumbents shall remain in office until new officers are installed. The Election Committee will inform the subordinate body of the results of the tabulation of ballots.
12. Vacancies in office shall be filled in accordance with provisions of the constitution of the subordinate body. If no constitutional provision exists, vacancies shall be filled by vote of the executive board of the subordinate body.
13. All election records, including ballots and electronic votes, shall be retained by the subordinate body for at least one year after the election.

SUBMITTED BY:
International Executive Board