The Democrats Abroad Japan 2017 Elections are officially underway. Candidates for national office and Kanto Chapter office have been given the opportunity to submit candidate statements to the Nominations and Election Committees for the national and Kanto elections. A "Meet the Candidates" event was held on April 9, and candidates' videos are posted below.
Please note that a link to the ballots will be e-mailed to the DAJ membership. Ballots must be returned per the instructions of the applicable nominations and election committee (national or Kanto) by May 5, 2017. Ballots can be cast remotely. The only in-person voting for the national and Kanto Chapter elections will take place at the Democrats Abroad Japan Annual General Meeting at the Wesley Center in Tokyo, Japan at 1:00 pm on Sunday, April 30th.
National Office: Candidate Statements
Please click here to read the written statements of candidates for national office.
Kanto Chapter Office: Candidate Statements
Please click here to read the written statements of candidates for Kanto Chapter office.
Video Statements
Please click here to watch the candidate videos posted on the DAJ YouTube page. NOTE: If you are a candidate and you did not have the opportunity to participate in the Meet the Candidates event, please feel free to submit your own video to [email protected]. You can also post your video on the DAJ Facebook group.
Elections for the Kansai and Tokai Chapters
In principle, officer elections for National and Chapter offices were supposed to have been held by March 31st in odd-numbered years. However, the Democrats Abroad Charter was amended in May 2016 by a resolution co-sponsored by DAJ Chair Tom Schmid. This gives all country committees until June 30th of odd-numbered years to hold their elections. Although the Bylaws of Democrats Abroad Japan still indicate, that elections shall be held by March 31st in odd-numbered years, the nominations and elections committees exercised the discretion granted to them in the bylaws to hold the elections by June 30th as a result of extraordinary circumstances, i.e., the change in the rule at the international level.
Thus, the Kansai Chapter will be holding its elections on or before June 30, 2017. Our newest chapter in Tokai currently has provisional officers who will lead the chapter until such time as elections can be called. If you have any questions about chapter elections, please email DAJ Chair Tom Schmid at [email protected].