UPDATE 9/9: Voting for the Special Election is now open. Members may vote by filling out a digital ballot or printing and filling out a printable ballot.
Digital ballot: https://forms.gle/PyWrpBWFng3S
Printable ballot: https://drive.google.com/file/
The 2024 Nomination and Election Committee (NEC) of Democrats Abroad Japan (DAJ) is proud to call a special election for National Secretary, and call upon our membership to submit their nominations for the 2024 DAJ National Secretary Special Election.
Roles of the Secretary (DAJ bylaws Article V, Section 1)
The Secretary shall maintain a current database of members including a list of members of the organization and containing the name, mail and e-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers, U.S. voting district/State and such other information as the DPCA (Democratic Party Committee Abroad) may from time to time require, minutes of all meetings, and all files and administrative records of the organization. The minute books shall be open for inspection by members. The Secretary shall be responsible for communication with the DAJ membership and shall maintain privacy of the membership in accordance with applicable privacy and data protection laws. The Secretary shall be a DPCA voting representative with one vote.
If you are interested in holding an officer position, you must fulfill the following requirements in order to qualify:
- Be a member in good standing pursuant Article III of the By-Laws of Democrats Abroad Japan. You can confirm your membership by signing into democratsabroad.org and going to “Account Settings”.
- Not be completing a 2nd consecutive term for the office in question, as per the term limits set out in our by-laws pursuant to Article X, Section 1: “No National, or Chapter Officer, nor any Members-at-Large can serve more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same position.”
DA Japan Bylaws are available here:
https://democratsabroad.atlassian.net/wiki/pages/viewpageattachments.action?pageId=5285216801&preview=%2F5285216801%2F5329521017%2FDA-Japan-Bylaws-Rev-2019.pdf
Nomination Procedure
In order to join the election process, members may nominate themselves or another member by sending an e-mail to [email protected] no later than 11:59pm Japan time on Sept 7th (Sat), 2024. All nomination emails should include the following:
- Complete name of the person nominated.
- Contact information including phone number and email address.
- Name of the nominated position.
Election Calendar
- August 18th (Sun): Nominations open
- September 7th (Sat): Nominations close
- September 9th (Mon): Ballots distributed and voting begins
- September 28th (Sat) at 11:59pm: Deadline for returning ballots
- September 30th (Mon): Ballot counting
- Results announced within 15 days of ballot counting
Distribution of Ballots
Ballots will be distributed electronically on September 9th (Mon). A link to the ballot will also be available on the DAJ Special Election Website.
Candidate Statements
Any statements provided from candidates for National Secretary will be listed here:
- Brent Neilsen: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f0fKGfD9qTskvSJxCjxIMrJix0Rl9lnz/view
- Ryusei Iizuka: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18SyMg5P_imN07SLUDCZrdo4QhbaaPims/view
Voter Eligibility
In order to vote, you must be a DAJ member in good standing. Voters casting a ballot for a Member-at-Large candidate must live in the corresponding region.
Ballot Counting (update: 8/28)
Ballot counting will occur on September 30th (Mon) 19:00: Ballot counting on Webex and is open to observers.
https://democratsabroad.webex.com/democratsabroad/e.php?MTID=m96c00998e0788b22f9b1171ac4ddb95d
Meeting number = 23004750434
Meeting Password = dems
Sincerely yours,
DAJ 2024 National Secretary Special Election NEC
Raymond K. Terhune (Chair)
Rachel DePalma (Secretary)
Patrick Shumaker