Call for Nominations:
Democrats Abroad Regional Vice Chair Asia Pacific

We are now accepting nominations for the bi-annual election of Regional Vice Chair (RVC) for the Asia Pacific (AP) region! This election will take place during the AP Regional Meeting on the 16th of May as part of the Democrats Abroad Global Meeting. One vote is allocated to each AP country committee and will be cast solely by country committee chairs and vice chairs. The chair and vice chair each carry ½ vote. If either is not present, the other will carry the full vote.

Democrats Abroad has three RVCs, one for each region, who:

• Are elected to a two year term that begins and ends with the regional election.
• Cannot serve more than two consecutive terms.
• Serve as one of 8 voting members of the International Executive Committee. Meetings are currently held weekly and typically last from two to three hours, but this is subject to change with the new leadership. 
• Organize and lead monthly regional calls of about one to two hours to encourage, inform, and create a sense of community among regional country committees. 
• Organize and lead a one to three day annual regional meeting to encourage, inform, and create a sense of community among regional country committees. When practical, these annual meetings are held as in-person events with remote participation available. 
• Act as a liaison between the International Executive Committee and one or more of the Democrats Abroad committees, lending a hand to the committee chair and assuming chair responsibilities should that position not be filled.
• Assist in organizing and attend the annual Democrats Abroad Global Meeting, preferably in person when conditions allow. Note that travel costs are the responsibility of the RVC.
• Work with existing country committees to mediate and resolve issues within their committees including election issues, membership queries, etc. 
• Track compliance status of country committees with Charter requirements and work with emerging and out-of-compliance countries to help bring them into compliance.
• Communicate International Executive Committee decisions, policies, and Democrats Abroad best practices to the country committee leaders.
• Bring regional issues to the International Executive Committee for discussion and resolution.

The eligibility requirements for AP RVC are as follows: 

• Be a citizen of the United States. 
• Be a member of Democrats Abroad residing within a country in the Asia Pacific region.
• Adhere to the principles of the Democratic Party of the United States.
• Due to the extenuating circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, residents of the AP region who are temporarily residing outside of their country of residence due to the pandemic may still run for AP RVC (example: resident of Singapore who is temporarily residing in France due to quarantines and travel restrictions). There must be an intent to return to the AP region following the lift of travel restrictions.

Self-nominations and nominations of others are both welcomed and encouraged! Please submit any nominations via the nomination form at this link no later than 23 March 11:59 PM EDT (UTC-4). Each nominee is required to accept their nomination no later than 31 March 11:59 PM EDT (UTC-4). Nominations from the floor of the election meeting will be accepted as well, and all official candidates will be given time to make a short speech.

A list of candidates will be released on 1 April following the nomination acceptance deadline. 

Please direct any questions to [email protected].

On behalf of the 2021 AP Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC),

Anthony Nitz (Vietnam, Chair)
Christine Valverde (New Zealand)
Michael Ramos (Australia)
Phong Quan (Singapore)

We are proud to report that the US Embassy in Manila is conducting voter assistance events for the entire month of October starting October 14! The embassy will help you with the printing of FWAB ballots and the mailing of completed ballots back to the US. Registration is required, and the events are on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, you can check out this link.