Election rules

The Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) nomination and election process will be conducted in accordance with the WSNA bylaws

The term of office for WSNA elected positions shall be two years and begin on declaration of election. The terms of office for ANA Representatives/Alternates shall begin according to the ANA Bylaws, and the term of office for AFT Delegates/Alternates shall be in accordance with the constitution and bylaws of the AFT.

As provided in the WSNA bylaws, a member in good standing has a right to nominate candidates for WSNA office and seek election to positions within WSNA. A member in good standing is defined as a member who is current in the payment of dues to WSNA. A member who is more than thirty (30) days delinquent in dues payment shall not be considered in good standing.

No member may run concurrently as a candidate for more than one board, council, or committee position. However, this does not prevent a candidate from running for Representative to the ANA Membership Assembly and/or Delegate to the AFT National Convention while running for a board, council or committee position.

A person shall not concurrently serve as an officer, director and/or staff member of another organization if such participation might result in a conflict of interest with WSNA.

To be eligible for election to the Staff Nurse positions on the WSNA Board of Directors, a WSNA member must meet the bylaws definition of Staff Nurse and be represented for collective bargaining by WSNA throughout the term of office.

To be eligible for nomination and election to the Labor Executive Council, the Labor Nominations/Search Committee, and/or as a delegate to the AFT national convention, a person shall hold current membership in the WSNA, be represented for collective bargaining by WSNA and meet the definition of staff nurse.

To be eligible as a representative/alternate to the ANA Membership Assembly, a person shall be a WSNA and ANA member.

Members shall be notified through a WSNA official publication at least six (6) months prior to an election, of their right to nominate candidates or be a self-declared candidate for office.

Notice of election shall be mailed to members at least fifteen (15) days prior to the date when ballots must be returned in order to be counted.

Members shall be notified through a WSNA official publication at least six (6) months prior to an election, of their right to nominate candidates or be a self-declared candidate for office.

• January 15, 2025 – deadline for nomination and consent-to-serve forms for candidates wishing to have their nomination considered by the Nominations/Search Committee as part of the initial slate of candidates which will be published in an official WSNA publication.

• March 1, 2025 – deadline for nomination and consent-to-serve forms for candidates wishing to have their name and candidate statement published in an official WSNA publication and appear on the election ballot.

• April 30, 2025 – candidate nominations will be accepted from the floor of the WSNA Convention at the time designated in the Convention agenda. This is the final opportunity to submit nominations.
  
  Write-in candidates shall also be allowed.
  

• May 1, 2025 - All candidates wishing to accept the nomination for office (including self-nominations) must complete the WSNA consent-to-serve form. Candidates that have not submitted a consent-to-serve form by 12:30 p.m. on May 1, 2025, will not appear on the election ballot.

WSNA dues records will be reviewed to determine the eligibility of all nominees. Eligible nominees will be notified of their eligibility. Ineligible nominees will be advised of the reason(s) they are not eligible to run for office.

On Wednesday March 19, 2025, and Wednesday May 7, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. WSNA will host an on-line meeting with all interested candidates to discuss election procedures, inspection of the union’s membership list, distribution of campaign literature, observers, and other campaign rules.

Each candidate may inspect (not copy) the WSNA membership list once within 30 days prior to the election. No candidate is entitled to receive a copy of the list.

The membership list will be available for inspection at the WSNA office during normal business hours from April 25, 2025 through May 24, 2025. Any candidate who wishes to inspect the list must contact the WSNA Office to schedule a time to inspect the list.

WSNA will honor any reasonable request by a candidate to mail campaign literature to members at the candidate’s expense. Reasonable shall be defined as no less than 5 business days. Requests will be honored in the order received. Campaign literature must be provided to the Executive Director in sealed, stamped envelopes which are ready for mailing. Each candidate should check with postal officials to determine the proper postage.

Candidates must pay WSNA in advance $.08 per mailing piece to cover the cost of address labels.  Candidates must pay WSNA in advance for any third-party vendor costs required to attach address labels and deliver campaign literature for mailing. If WSNA staff is used to attach address labels and deliver campaign literature for mailing, candidates will be required to reimburse WSNA in advance for staff time at the staff members’ hourly rate of pay. Candidates must contact the WSNA Office to arrange a mailing.

The last day the WSNA will accept ready-to-mail campaign literature from candidates is May 27, 2025.

WSNA will honor any reasonable request by a candidate to distribute campaign literature to members by e-mail. Such campaign literature must be sent in pdf file format via email to candidates@wsna.org. WSNA shall forward the campaign literature to members within 5 business days of submission.

Candidates may distribute campaign materials at the WSNA Convention, however no campaigning, including the distribution of materials will take place on the convention floor during convention sessions.

The last day WSNA will accept candidate campaign literature for email distribution is May 27, 2025.

Federal law prohibits the use of any union or employer funds to promote the candidacy of any person in a union officer election. This prohibition applies to cash, facilities, equipment, email, vehicles, office supplies, etc., of WSNA and any other union, and of employers whether or not they employ WSNA members. Union officers and employees may not campaign on time paid for by the union. This rule shall apply to all elected positions.

These restrictions apply to all candidates for any WSNA office, whether or not the candidate is represented for collective bargaining or whether or not the WSNA office is directly related to collective bargaining.

Federal law also provides that candidates must be treated equally regarding the opportunity to campaign and that all members may support the candidates of their choice without being subject to penalty, discipline, or reprisal of any kind.

Candidate name placement on the ballot for each elected position, will be listed in alphabetical order by candidate last name.

Any member whose application for membership has been received and is current in the payment of dues on May 6, 2025, will be eligible to vote in this election.

A notice of election will be mailed to the last known home address of each WSNA member on or before May 21, 2025

Candidates are entitled to have observers present at the tally of ballots and may serve as their own observer. Observers must be WSNA members in good standing. Candidates must submit the names of their observers via email to candidates@wsna.org no later than May 22, 2025.

The election will be open at 8:00 am PT on May 26, 2025, and close at 5:00 pm PT on June 26, 2025.

Ballots will be tabulated beginning at approximately 9:00 am PT on July 1, 2025.

For all offices except ANA representative/alternate and AFT delegate/alternate, a plurality vote shall constitute an election. In the case of a tie, the choice shall be decided by lot.

Results of the election shall be declared on the date the votes are counted and shall be announced in the next official WSNA publication following the election.

WSNA is responsible for maintaining all nomination and election records for at least one year after the election.

Candidates and members with questions about the nomination or election procedures should contact the Executive Director. Any violation of these rules should be reported promptly to the Executive Director so that corrective action can be taken, if necessary.

Any member wanting to challenge the election may do so by filing a written protest with the WSNA Board of Directors within thirty (30) days after the official announcement of the election. The Board will then appoint a committee to consider the protest. The protesting party will state in writing and with specificity the reason(s) for the protest and provide all relevant facts and materials for that committee to render a decision.

The above rules are not all inclusive. Additional election rules or clarifications may be issued by WSNA as needed during the nomination and election period.