Elections + Voting

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Elections + Voting

Who Can Vote?

Active members of the Council of Magickal Arts, Inc. are entitled to the following:

One vote per open position on the Board of Directors
Voting for the Representatives of their regional Area
One vote on each referendum presented at the twice yearly Great Works meetings (our general business meetings).

Voting for the Board of Directors is done online through 7pm Saturday of Festival.

Should you be unable to attend the Great Works meeting, you may choose to designate someone who is attending as your proxy.

What Is Getting Voted On?

The following lists contain some of the various positions throughout CMA that are determined by election:

Area Representatives : 1 year terms. Ballots collected in-person at Area Meetings during our Samhain Festival.
- Austin
- Central Texas
- Coastal Bend
- North Texas
- Outlands
- San Antonio
- Southeast Texas
- West Texas
Vendor's Representative: 1 year term. Ballots collected electronically until 7pm Saturday of our Samhain Festival.
CMA Board of Directors + Transparency Advocate: 1 year term. Ballots collected electronically until 7pm Saturday of our Samhain Festival.
- Executive Director (ED)
- Assistant Executive Director (AED)
- Director of Communication (DoC)
- Director of Finance (DoF)
- Director of Member Services (DoMS)
- Director of Property + Assets (DoPA)
- Director of Records (DoR)
- Transparency Advocate* (TA)

Additionally, at every Festival (barring extenuating circumstances) CMA holds our Great Works (general business) meetings. Referendum items must be submitted to the Director of Records 30 days prior to the start of Festival to be added to the Great Works meeting Agenda. Any item submitted after that time can be discussed, but not voted on, during the Great Works meeting and can be added to the GW Agenda for the subsequent GW meeting.

Running For Office

Board of Directors + Transparency Advocate

CMA is a volunteer-run organization, and this includes our Board of Directors. Our Board must be able to conduct all of the business aspects of the Council of Magickal Arts, Inc. and serves as the extension of our member's will. Serving as a board member means being held responsible for not only the decisions made by the Board itself, but also of the day-to-day goings-on of the corporation. It can be very trying of one's patience, have long hours, and can require making some tough decisions. It can also be very rewarding, as you are taking a direct hand in determining the direction of CMA and are helping to foster a community in which your fellow pagans and spiritually-minded individuals can grow and flourish.

Candidates for a Board position must meet the following requirements, and the meeting of these requirements will be verified by the current Director of Records. Completing verification means someone is, according to our bylaws, eligible to run for and hold a Board position. Whether someone is competent, suited for, or desirable as a Board Member can only be determined by a vote of the Members.

To serve on the Board of Directors, a Member must meet all 4 criteria below:

Be a current CMA Member and in good standing.
Have been a CMA Member for a minimum of one year + one day in the time period immediately preceding the declaration of candidacy.
Serve as any of the following:
1. Lead Area Representative for a minimum of one year;
2. Area Representative for a minimum of two years;
3. Senior Festival Staff for a minimum of one Festival;
4. Service or experience matching the position sought for two years minimum, and have been a member of CMA for at least five years (i.e. CPA and a member from January 2011 to February 2016)
Sign an Affidavit of Disclosure regarding any felony convictions.

Felony conviction does not preclude candidacy or service on the Board of Directors.

All Affidavits of Disclosure shall be held in confidence in the official archives of the Corporation by the Director of Records.

Additionally, election to the position of Director in CMA requires the use of your Legal Name. CMA Officers have to be listed on public legal records. The Executive Director, Director of Records, and Director of Finance must all be prepared to file paperwork for Bonding as Fiduciary Officers of a 501(c)3 corporation. There is no expectation of privacy when running for election or serving as a member of our Board of Directors.

Proxies

While every active member of CMA is entitled to one vote on each referendum item during the Great Works meetings, sometimes members are unable to be present in order to cast their vote. In that situation, a proxy may be assigned: someone who will be present and will cast your votes for you.

Please keep in mind that BOTH the individual whose vote is being proxied AND the person who will be present at the meeting will BOTH need to have active memberships with CMA on the date that the proxy will be used for voting. Proxies should only be assigned to someone you trust to vote in your best interest.

The Great Works Proxy Form will need to be printed out, signed in front of a 3rd-party witness, and given to the Director of Records. Alternatively, the Director of Records has assigned times during festival during which proxies may be assigned. Please check the Festival Schedule to verify those scheduled times.

You can find the proxy form here.