2023 Elections Committee Report

January/February 2023

BY SCOTT DeARMAN, CHAIR

VVA will elect all its National Officers and Board members during its 21st National Convention. The Elections Committee welcomes those who would like to join the organization’s national leadership.

Sending in a Letter of Intent allows you, as a candidate, to start campaigning and become known to VVA members. This year, rather than appear only in the print edition of The VVA Veteran, statements and photos will also be uploaded to a candidate’s section on the VVA Convention web page. The Candidate’s Packet contains new instructions on how to complete the process, including The VVA Veteran deadline.

VVA National President
VVA National Vice President
VVA National Secretary
VVA National Treasurer
VVA National Board of Directors (At-large) [All Ten Seats]
VVA National Board of Directors (Regional) [All Nine Seats]

All National Officer and Board positions are for terms of two years, beginning at the close of the 2023 National Convention, through the close of the 2025 National Convention.

Candidates for all positions open for election must be individual members of VVA in good standing.

Candidates for National Officer positions must meet the requirements to hold office as set forth in the VVA National Constitution under Article I, Section 5, Paragraph A.

To wit: “To qualify for election… to any of these offices, a candidate must have been an individual member of the Corporation, in good standing, (1) for a continuous period of not less than twelve months immediately preceding the opening of the National Convention at which such candidate seeks election; and (2) such candidate must have held a position as an officer or board member at the national level or as an officer at the state council or chapter level, during any continuous period of twelve months prior to the date of the opening of the National Convention.”

Candidates for At-large and Regional Board of Directors must meet the requirements to hold office as set forth in the VVA National Constitution, Article I, Section 4, Paragraph B (1 and 2) for Regional Directors, and Article I, Section 4, Paragraph B (1 and 3) for At-large Directors.

To wit: “To qualify for election, a candidate must have been a member of the Corporation, in good standing, for a continuous period of not less than the twelve months immediately preceding the opening of the National Convention at which the candidate seeks election…. The candidate must have held an elected position at the national, state, or chapter level for any continuous period of twelve months prior to the date of the opening of the National Convention.”

In addition, candidates for Regional Board positions must reside within the region they wish to represent.

Prospective candidates must submit a Letter of Intent to the VVA Elections Committee, postmarked no later than March 31, 2023. The body of the Letter of Intent or a separate sheet of paper along with the letter must include the name, mailing address, phone number, email address, and the position being sought. A prospective candidate may announce and run for only one position.

The Elections Committee would like to go as paperless as possible. We will send the Candidate’s Packet by email (if desired) and we encourage you to do so. Please state your preference in your Letter of Intent. Letters of Intent must be signed.

If, at a later date, you decide against running for office, you can easily withdraw, following the instructions in the Candidate’s Packet. The Elections Committee is accepting Letters of Intent at: VVA Elections Committee, c/o Adolph Gardner, 7 Crum Road, Walkersville, MD 21793-8018.

All Letters of Intent must be postmarked on or before the March 31, 2023, deadline. They must be sent to the Elections Committee’s Walkersville, Maryland, address. Any Letter of Intent that does not meet the postmark requirement or is sent to any other address will not be accepted by the Elections Committee.

Three other important documents are due on March 31, 2023: the Declaration of Candidacy, a copy of your DD-214, and a signed SF-180. Exceptions are noted in the Packet.

After the March 31 deadline, potential candidates intending to run from the floor cannot announce their intent to run for office either publicly or privately; cannot campaign in any way or distribute any campaign materials, including on the Internet; and cannot accept any contributions prior to being approved as a candidate by the Elections Committee at the Convention. Any violation of this rule will result in disqualification from the election process.

Please refer to the VVA Board Policies Reference Guide under “Strategic Documents, Travel Policy, Additional Criteria,” page 64, H (2) (a-b). Once you have announced your candidacy, this policy applies directly to travel and budget expenditures.

The Elections Committee will send a Candidate’s Packet to those who submit their signed Letter of Intent in the manner they have requested, by mail or electronically. Mailed packets will be sent via Certified Mail-Return Receipt Requested. Those who choose to have the packets emailed will receive them shortly after the committee receives the Letters of Intent.

Emailed Candidate’s Packets come in a fillable and printable PDF format. Fill in and print each form individually, and then sign the necessary forms and mail them to the committee. The committee encourages you to send us the documents with a tracking number or certified return receipt requested. Adolph Gardner is the contact person for information about Candidate’s Packets. His phone number is 301-845-4296.

These packets contain detailed information, instructions, and rules regarding the conduct of the election process. Included in these packets are all forms that candidates are required to complete and return to the Elections Committee.

The Candidate’s Packet includes a Deadline Date Calendar that lists events and dates that are very important to each candidate’s campaign. Failure to meet any of the deadlines will be grounds for disqualification. The deadline dates this year have changed, so please pay special attention to them.

Candidates may use the national flag of the United States, the VVA national logo, and the VVA national flag on their campaign material. No VVA, state council, or chapter letterhead may be used. Campaign materials are considered to be (but are not limited to) buttons, pins, brochures, posters, pictures, emails, and websites. A photograph of a candidate wearing a VVA national, state council, or chapter lapel pin is acceptable. A photograph of a candidate wearing a jacket, shirt, or hat with a VVA national, state council, or chapter logo or patch also is acceptable.

Candidates may not solicit or accept campaign contributions in any form from VVA or any VVA state council or chapter. Campaign contributions are considered to be (but are not limited to) money, paper, envelopes, postage, free printing, free phone calls, use of websites, and email.

Candidates may not solicit or accept any campaign endorsement from VVA, any state council or chapter, or VVA newsletters, newspapers, or websites.

Candidates may solicit and accept campaign contributions and endorsements from any VVA member, provided that the contributions and endorsements are not in violation of the rules and that written endorsements are on the individual’s personal stationery. It is strictly prohibited for any person to use VVA national, state council, or chapter letterhead, websites, or email for the purposes of writing letters of endorsement.

A candidate’s own website or email may be used to campaign. Do not create a campaign website until you have read the detailed instructions in the Candidate’s Packet

It is neither the wish nor intention of the VVA Elections Committee to embroil prospective candidates in unnecessary red tape in order for them to have their names on the 2023 VVA National Election Ballot.

The rules, instructions, and requirements in this announcement — as well as those in the Candidate’s Packet — are simple and easy to read, understand, and follow. Therefore, the failure of a candidate to play by the rules or to meet the requirements of the VVA Constitution and Elections Committees will cause that candidate to be disqualified and his or her name removed from the ballot.

The Elections Committee wishes all the candidates the very best during the campaign process.

The 2023 Elections Committee: Scott DeArman, Chair; Jill Mishkel, Adolph Gardner, Terry Nolan and Ben Humphries.