2024 ACLU-PA Board Elections
Pursuant to the bylaws of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, the organization’s 25-member board of directors consists of 13 members elected by chapters and 12 members elected at-large by ACLU members from across Pennsylvania. At-large delegates are not selected from specific regions, chapters or constituencies. All terms are for three years. All Directors are eligible for a second three-year term. Directors’ terms are staggered so that about a third of the board members’ terms expire each year. After the completion of two full three-year terms, no Director is eligible for election to the board for at least one year, except as necessary to allow a board officer to complete their service. A candidate for election to the board may be nominated by the board’s standing Nominating Committee or by petition. In the event that the number of qualified nominees does not exceed the number of openings, then under the by-laws the Secretary of the board casts a unanimous ballot for the uncontested slate, and no general election is held. Otherwise, an election among all ACLU-PA members is held each fall, for terms beginning at the recess of the Board’s annual December meeting.
To ensure broad-based, statewide leadership, each of the 13 chapter-elected seats on the board represents 1/13 – that is, 7.7% – of the membership. Of those members elected by chapters, some are elected by chapters with at least 7.7 percent of the total state membership (“higher membership chapters”) and the balance are elected by all the members living in the geographic areas of chapters with less than 7.7 percent of the membership (known as “lower membership chapters”). The board’s philosophy, however, is that no Director serves as a “representative” of any chapter; rather, all board members, once elected, are expected to exercise their duties and responsibilities in the best interests of the ACLU-PA and its members as a whole.
Annual elections allow the organization to meet its commitment to diversity and equity and to elect candidates that possess the types of balanced skill sets that are needed to effectively govern a non-profit corporation. The overarching theme of every board election is a commitment to a diversity of representation
- geographic diversity
- racial/ethnic diversity
- gender diversity
- a diversity of skills and professional backgrounds
- persons from a variety of age groups
- persons with disabilities
Nominees for At-Large Members of the Board of Directors
In accordance with the by-laws, any 50 members of the ACLU-PA may by petition nominate a candidate for the board of directors. Any member of the ACLU in good standing and residing within Pennsylvania is eligible for nomination to be an at-large member of the Board of Directors. Petitions for candidates must include the signatures of 50 current ACLU-PA members.
- Petition form for at-large members (download the document at the bottom of the page)
Signed petitions must be in the hands of the nominating committee by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, July 12, 2024. Mail your petition to ACLU-PA Board Nominations, P.O. Box 60173, Philadelphia, PA 19102 or you can email scanned petitions to hbginfo@aclupa.org (if you email, please mail the originals afterward).
Alternatively, any member of ACLU-PA in good standing who wishes to bring their own interest in Board service to the attention of the Board’s Nominating Committee is invited to send a letter and resume, along with endorsements or recommendations from other members, if desired, to the above physical or email address prior to the same deadline, July 12, 2024. The Committee will carefully assess any such self-nomination for potential inclusion on the slate.
The full slate of candidates—including both those selected by the nominating committee and any nominated by petition—will be included on the final ballot if an election is needed. In accordance with the bylaws amendments passed by the membership in Fall 2017, however, if the number of nominees does not exceed the number of Directors to be elected, the Board Secretary shall cast a unanimous ballot for the unopposed nominees, and they shall be declared to be elected without the necessity of a formal vote of the membership. If the number of nominees exceeds the number of available seats (a contested election), members will receive a ballot via mail as an insert in the fall edition of the ACLU-PA newsletter.