2024/2025 GAGB Executive Committee Elections

[Administrator]

Information and a timetable for this year’s GAGB Executive Committee election are set out below.

All GAGB members are eligible, and encouraged, to participate (stand, nominate, vote). As long as you are an ‘active’ member (defined as having interacted with us at some point in the last three years), you will receive a ballot to your registered email. Inactive members are able to request one after that.

This year, there will be one election for the eight Committee Member posts. Each candidate needs to receive two nominations from active members to be valid, and the nominee must ‘accept’ the nomination in the forum thread by the due date. For clarity, there is no Chair election this year as the Chair post is a two-year term.

Executive Committee Election (8 vacancies, 1-year term)

Nominations open: 00:00 Friday 8 November
Nominations close: 23:59 Thursday 14 November (7 full days)
Deadline to accept nomination and submit manifesto to IRO: 23:59 Friday 15 November
Q&A opens: 00:00 Saturday 16 November
Q&A closes: 23:59 Wednesday 20 November (5 full days)
Vote: 00:00 Friday 22 November - 23:59 Thursday 28 November (7 full days)
Result announced: Friday 29 November

The newly elected Executive Committee Members will take office on 1 December 2024.

Nominations

Nominations shall be made using the forums. There will be a dedicated thread, within which members can post and second nominations, as has always been the case.

In addition, as a new alternative, nominations can be submitted via email to elections@gagb.org.uk. This inbox will be checked at least once per day, and all email nominations will be posted in the forum thread, either by the IRO or an Administrator.

Nominations need to be seconded prior to the nominee accepting or declining. A member wishing to second a nomination can either post in the forum thread or email elections@gagb.org.uk. As with the initial nominations, all seconds received via email will be posted in the thread.

Those wishing to nominate via email must provide their GAGB username in order to verify whether a nomination is valid.

The option to send nominations over email, to then be made viewable in the traditional forum thread where all nominations made will feature, follows the current committee’s review of the election process and aligns with feedback received from our GAGB Friends, who were consulted earlier this year on this matter.

Independent Returning Officer

We are pleased to confirm that Patricia Elkins (MsPatt), of the Texas Geocaching Association, will be returning to oversee the election as our Independent Returning Officer. MsPatt will reintroduce herself and make further announcements in due course.

[Patricia Elkins]

Hello GAGB Members:

I have excepted the returning Officer role for the GAGB annual elections. I look forward to assisting with a smooth and fair nomination and ballot process.

The Administrator has provided the dates of the nominating and election periods in the post above mine.
Note there is an E-mail for nominations as well.

At your Service
Patricia Elkins / MsPatt
GAGB Returning Officer

[Patricia Elkins]

Hello GAGB Members:


Nominations for the GAGB Committee for 2024/2025 will be accepted Friday-Thursday, 08-14,
November 2024. There are a total of eight Committee positions to fill. All GAGB active
members at the start of nominations are eligible to nominate another member or second a
nomination. Members who have been nominated and seconded are asked to accept or decline
their nomination in this thread. Please note that the GAGB Constitution states that "6c. Current
Executive Members and the Chair shall not take part in nominations, however they may be
nominated and may accept the nominations."


This means none of the current Committee members may make a nomination or second a
nomination. However, non-Committee members may nominate a standing Committee member
or second the Committee member's nomination. The GAGB Constitution also states that any
inactive member (a member that has not logged on to the forums for the past three years) may
be nominated, but they will not be put forward to election unless they accept their nomination
before the acceptance deadline of midnight Friday, 15 November 2024.


This thread will be closed at the end of the nominations period and anyone who has not been
seconded and accepted during this period will not be considered as a candidate for election.
Candidates for the Committee are requested to send their manifesto, photo (passport style, I
can crop the photo for you if you need help) and geocaching avatar (if you have one) to me,
Patricia Elkins (MsPatt), GAGB Independent Returning Officer
(MsPatt1027@gmail.com) by midnight, Saturday, 20 November 2024.


After the nomination period closes, nominee manifestos, photos, and avatars will be posted in a
locked ‘Candidates for 2024/2025 Committee Elections' thread as well as on the ballot so
you may read about why each candidate is standing for election and the skills they will bring to
the Committee if elected.


A ‘Committee Candidates (2024/2025) - Q&A’ thread will be open during Saturday- Wednesday, 16-20 November 20, leading up to the election where Members may ask the
Candidates about their GAGB goals.
If there are more than eight candidates, the Election for the Committee will be held
during Thursday-Sunday, 21-24 November 20234, More
information about the annual elections can be found in the GAGB Constitution (Section Q)
In the meantime, it is important that you work with your internet service provider (ISP) and set
your e-mail filters to white list e-mails coming from gagb.org.uk .


At your service,
MsPatt
Patricia Elkins
GAGB Independent Returning Officer