2006 AEA Election

17 Council and Eight Officer Seats Open in 2006 Election

Seats Available
There are a total of 17 Council seats open in this year's election. In the Eastern Region Principal category there are seven seats: one one-year term and six five-year terms. Also in the East under the Chorus category there are 3 seats for five-year terms. (There are no Stage Manager seats available this year in the Eastern Region.) In the Central Region, there is one five-year Principal seat available. (There are no Chorus or Stage Manager seats available this year.) In the Western Region, there are four Principal seats: two five-year terms, one three-year term, and one two-year term. In the Stage Manager category there are two five-year terms available. (There are no Western Chorus seats available this year.)

This year, in addition to the Council seats, the eight Officer seats are also open. There are five National Officers: President, First Vice President (a member qualifying in the Principal category), Second Vice President (a member qualifying in the Chorus category), Third Vice President (a member qualifying in the Stage Manager category) and Secretary/Treasurer. There are also three Regional Officers, one Regional Vice President for each of Equity's geographic regions (Eastern, Central and Western). All Officers serve for a term of three years.

Candidate Qualifications

General Criteria: Only a member who is in good standing, who has attained the age of 18 and has been in good standing for the two-years prior to nomination, shall be eligible to be an Officer, Councillor or Regional Board member. Candidates must also meet the qualifications for the applicable employment category (Principal, Chorus or Stage Manager) as defined below.

Principal Councillor Criteria: In addition to meeting the general criteria, a candidate running in the Principal category must be a member in good standing who has performed Principal work under no less than two Equity contracts or who has worked no less that one Equity contract performing Principal work for no less than ten weeks.

Chorus Councillor Criteria: In addition to meeting the general criteria, a candidate running in the Chorus category must be a member in good standing who has performed Chorus work within five years preceding the nomination or appointment to office (for the 2006 election this date is June 1, 2001) provided the member has not worked as a Principal performer for a total of 52 weeks within two years prior to such nomination or appointment to office (for the 2006 election, this date is June 1, 2004).

Stage Manager Councillor Criteria: In addition to meeting the general criteria, a candidate running in the Stage Manager category must be a member in good standing who has worked as a Stage Manager five years preceding the nomination or appointment to office (for the 2006 election this date is June 1, 2001): (1) under Equity contract for at least 30 weeks solely as a Stage Manager or Assistant Stage Manager; or (2) under no less than five Equity contracts solely as a Stage Manager or Assistant Stage Manager.

Becoming a Councillor
There are two ways to run for Council: being nominated by a Nominating Committee or being nominated by Independent Petition.

Nominating Committee Nomination
If you wish to be nominated for a Council seat by a Nominating Committee, you must submit a letter of intent, requesting such consideration, to the Equity office in your geographic Region. Your letter of intent should state (1) you are a member in good standing resident in the applicable region; (2) you are eligible to run in accordance to the Constitution and By-Laws; (3) if nominated by a Nominating Committee you agree to run for a designated term and (4) if elected you will serve. Upon receipt of your letter of intent, an election packet will be sent to you. The election packet contains forms on which you must indicate the employment category (Principal, Chorus, Stage Manager) for which you wish to run and written documentation of your eligibility to run for that seat as defined in the Candidate Qualifications. This year's deadline for submission to a Nominating Committee is Monday, February 6, 2006 (by 5:00 PM EST in all offices).

Nomination by Independent Petition
Members may also be nominated to run for the Council by Independent Petition. Any 17 members in good standing resident in the applicable Region must sign this petition. Candidates nominated by Independent Petition must meet the same criteria as those nominated by a Nominating Committee. Standing as a candidate by Independent Petition is an alternate way to run for election. Any eligible member is free to run for office by Independent Petition rather than by the Nominating Committee process. Also, in some years there have been more qualified candidates interviewed by a Nominating Committee than there are open seats. Candidates who are not selected by a Nominating Committee are also free to run by Independent Petition.

If you would like to run by Independent Petition, you must submit a letter of intent stating that: (1) you are a member in good standing resident in the applicable region; (2) you are eligible to run in accordance to the Constitution and By-Laws; (3) you are willing to be nominated and placed on the ballot and (4) if elected you will serve. Upon receipt of your letter, you will be sent an election packet, which includes the same forms and documentation to be completed and submitted as described in the Nomination by Nominating Committee section. You must also complete and submit the Independent Petition Nomination Form, included in the packet, signed by at least 17 members in good standing resident in the applicable region. This year's deadline for receipt of Independent Petitions is Friday, March 3, 2006.