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Notice of nominations

The first step in the election process is the holding of nominations. The first step in the holding of nominations is to alert the membership that nominations are to take place. The International Constitution is quite specific as to how this is to be done:

“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 address.” (Appendix D, Section 2, sub-section D)

The notice should indicate what offices are to be filled, and should state the date, time and place of both the nominations meeting and the election. (Nominations and elections can, from a legal standpoint, take place at the same meeting, though this is not practical for most locals.)

The form of the notice is less important than is the timing. The information may be included as a part of a regular meeting notice. It may be given by printing the notice in a newsletter or other publication that is mailed to the membership, provided it is prominently displayed and not buried in the middle of an article on some other subject. Notice may also, of course, be given in a special letter addressed to each member. The important thing is that the notice must be mailed to all members at least 15 days before the meeting at which nominations are to be made.

Because no mailing list is ever 100 percent accurate, it is usually wise to post notices on bulletin boards concerning the nominations and elections in addition to the mailed notice.

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