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Important Information for Brothers Running for an Elected Position

Elections for the offices of Grand President, Vice President-Finance, and Provincial and Regional Vice Presidents will be held at the 52nd Grand Chapter Congress, August 14-18, 2019. Visit the Congress page for registration and hotel details.

Please note that as of March 1, 2019, a number of policies and guidelines have been updated from prior years. All candidates and delegates are encouraged to read Policy N and the guidelines below in their entirety. Please email the Nominations Committee at nominations@dsp.org for assistance.

Nomination Requirements

The Bylaws and Policies describe the qualifications needed to serve in these leadership roles, the election and tenure of office, the nominations process, the order of elections, balloting and non-majority results. Please review them for more information on these important topics.

Requirements for Serving in a National Office of the Fraternity:

The brother must have been an initiated member of Delta Sigma Pi for at least three years at the time of election. Note: There are no exceptions to this rule and it is strictly enforced.
For Provincial leadership positions, the brother must live in the respective province. This rule is also strictly enforced.
For Regional leadership positions, the brother must live in the respective region or within a reasonable distance outside of any border of the region except as specified in Bylaws Article VIII, Section 4. Regional Vice President nominations for those residing outside of the region made from the floor at Congress must receive written approval from the Nominations Committee prior to submitting the nomination.
The brother must be an alumni, faculty, or honorary member in good standing. Collegiate members are not eligible for Grand Officer positions.
The brother should have proven administrative ability (in business as well as the Fraternity), exhibiting sound decision-making faculties, creativity and imagination, resourcefulness, and confidence in the prudence and soundness of personal actions. Nominees must acknowledge adherence to the Leadership Code of Conduct with their signature. Note that incumbents must also submit a new Leadership Code of Conduct affirmation at the time of re-nomination.
The brother should have demonstrated unqualified interest in, and dedication to, the Fraternity.
Brothers who serve in these positions do so as volunteers. They are not financially compensated for the time they devote to the Fraternity. Only necessary out-of-pocket costs and travel expenses may be reimbursed. Travel, postage, phone, email costs, etc. are covered up to a pre-determined level for each position. It is strongly recommended that all candidates have email access as official Fraternity business is conducted via email.
Nominees (including Regional Vice President nominees) must be able and willing to attend a National Leadership retreat near Cincinnati, OH in September following Congress.
All elected volunteers must acknowledge certain conditions related to the use of a personal automobile while on approved Fraternity business. Failure to acknowledge these requirements may prevent an individual from continuing in their role.

Nomination Form

All nominations for elective office must be submitted online using the electronic submission form.

All information requested on this form must be supplied if the recommendation or nomination is to be considered. If any item is non-applicable, please write in N/A.
All nominees must agree to abide by and support all Fraternity Bylaws, Ritual and policies (refer to the Leadership Code of Conduct in Policy CC.) and indicate so by signing or acknowledging the certification statement provided. No candidate will be placed in nomination until an actual signature or acknowledgement affirming the Leadership Code of Conduct is obtained indicating this certification (see Policy N.1.A.). Incumbent officers seeking re-election must submit a new signed Leadership Code of Conduct affirmation.
Nominations for Grand Officers must be received at the Central Office no later than July 1 in odd-numbered years in order to be published as the Nominations Committee Report that is posted on the Fraternity website (with electronic notification to chapters) and distributed to delegates at the Grand Chapter. Nominations will also be accepted in advance for any newly created regions or provinces that become officially recognized at the upcoming Grand Chapter Congress.
Note that candidates for elective office are asked to submit a Statement of Platform and/or comments. This statement is not to exceed 200 words by actual word count. The statements are published and/or distributed for review by voters. Only the first 200 words, by actual count, of any statement will be published. Once a statement is published, it cannot be altered by the nominee; the Fraternity retains the right to make corrections as needed.
The city of residence, state and an email address for all nominees will be posted on www.dsp.org. No other contact information will be published related to election purposes.

Nomination Process (for GCC)

Nominations must be received at the Central Office by July 1 in odd-numbered years to be published as the Nominations Committee Report that is posted on the Fraternity website (with electronic notification to chapters) and distributed to delegates at the Grand Chapter. Nominations will also be accepted in advance for any newly created regions or provinces that become officially recognized on July 1 following the nominations due date.

Nominations will begin to be published online beginning in January 2019.

The Nominations Committee will continue to assemble a list of candidates to be presented to the delegates through July 1. Any nominations occurring after July 1 may be submitted from the floor of the Grand Chapter Congress in accordance with the Bylaws and Policy N.1.B. Please see Bylaws and Policies for complete details.

Nomination Process (for Interim Elections)

Upon creation of a vacancy, the Grand President is to name an interim appointee for Provincial Vice President as soon as a worthy candidate is identified. The Provincial Vice President is to name an interim appointee for Regional Vice President in case of vacancy. The Provincial Vice President may appoint himself or herself, pending the election.

Within 60 days of notification of the vacancy, the Grand President or Provincial Vice President, respectively, will issue a “Call for Election” and establish an election date, and determine if the election will take place at a Provincial Council Meeting or by mail ballot.

Electronic nominations will be accepted for a period of three weeks from the date the election was announced. The interim appointee and all other eligible brothers will automatically be considered candidates upon their completion and submission of the nomination form and any statement of position.

Campaign Policies and Guidelines (for Grand Chapter Congress and Interim Elections)

Policies and guidelines for campaigning are designed to ensure candidates and the members who they desire to represent are fully engaged, informed, and equipped to fulfill their respective responsibilities in the electoral process.

All candidates for elected office are subject to the following guidelines and expectations:

Members submitting a nomination may not engage in any campaign activity until they have been confirmed as candidates by the Nominations Committee, and not before January 1, 2019.
Candidates are accountable for compliance with the Fraternity’s Code of Conduct and campaign polices and guidelines. Candidates also bear accountability for ensuring their supporters are in compliance with the Code of Conduct and all policies and guidelines. Candidates may contact the Nominations Committee for guidance or clarification. Candidates are expected to participate in any orientations or training sessions for the purpose of ensuring clarity and compliance with election and campaigning policies and guidelines.
Confirmed candidates may actively campaign for election by engaging members in conversation at Fraternity events; making presentations in-person or using remote communications technology at chapter meetings (upon majority approval of said chapter’s executive committee); participating in caucuses or other forums arranged for that purpose; creating a campaign website; disseminating information through email, social networking, text or instant messages, etc.; and/or by providing messages to chapter presidents (which may be read aloud, copied or distributed electronically to chapter members at the discretion of the president).
Campaigning at Fraternity events should not distract from nor pull attendees away from scheduled activities or programming.
Candidates may distribute materials in order to promote their candidacy at local chapter meetings and events, as well as at Grand Chapter Congress. Distribution of promotional materials is prohibited at regional, provincial, or national events (including regional initiations and chapter installations) with the exception of Grand Chapter Congress.
Confirmed candidates may wear a name badge (or similarly sized sticker, ribbon, or button) at local, regional, or national events indicating their intent to run for office.
If at any time individual members or officers of a chapter wish for a candidate or the supporters of a candidate to cease campaigning contact and communications, the members or chapter representatives should communicate this desire to the candidate in writing using a method which provides an electronic timestamp (email, text message, direct message, chat, etc.), retaining a timestamped copy for their records. The candidate should immediately cease campaigning contact and remove the individuals or chapters from any campaign distribution groups or lists.
- Continued campaigning contact should be reported to the Nominations Committee along with the timestamped request to cease communications and evidence (with timestamps) of subsequent communication. The Committee will review and determine if a violation has occurred.
- If a member cannot provide timestamped evidence of a violation or if the accused candidate can provide timestamped evidence that the communication in question predated the request to cease, the Nominations Committee may conclude no violation has occurred, though the candidate will be directed to cease communications from that point forward unless the individual or chapter re-initiates contact at a later date.
Any organizational member may report a suspected violation of nominations, election, or campaign policies or guidelines to the Nominations Committee at nominations@dsp.org.