Election FAQs

Have a question? Please try to find the answer here before contacting the Election Committee.

Click on a question to reveal the answer.

Who may vote?

Registered members may vote in all regions/areas where they are qualified and approved. Members eligible to vote in any region/area may vote for all national positions.
Detailed information about project structure and voter eligibility is at Who is Eligible to Vote?

Do I have to be Registered to vote?

Yes. Effective 2004 members must be registered with the Election Committee in all areas of their Project participation and have registered themselves to vote no later than May 31st in order to receive a voting password for a given annual election.
If you have registered to vote, and your area(s) of participation and/or email address have not changed, you do not have to re-register.
All Registration is disabled beginning June 1st and continues until the conclusion of the National Election, including runoff elections.

Is there a cut-off date that would make me ineligible to vote?

Yes. According to the EC Procedures, you must be a Registered USGenWeb member and have registered to vote no later than May 31st of the year of the election.
"A requirement that one be a member (registered voter) for at least 30 days prior to the start of an election is acceptable purely on an administrative basis."
Registrations will not be accepted beginning June 1st until the conclusion of the National Election, including runoff elections.
YOU are responsible for informing the EC if your Email address or project participation changes

How do I vote?

About July 1, the Election Committee will announce the beginning of the voting period, and where to obtain your voting password. Your voter password will enable you to vote for every position for which you are eligible to vote. All registered voters are eligible to vote for the National Coordinator and RAL.

Set your spam filters to accept mail from Registrar@usgwelections.org Follow the instructions in the email containing your voting password to cast your ballot.

How do I know which region(s) I am in?

NENC - Northeast North Central Region:
Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin

NWPL - Northwest Plains Region:
Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming

SEMA - Southeast Mid-Atlantic Region:
Alabama, Delaware, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia

SWSC - Southwest South Central Region:
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah

National Special Projects:
Archives Project, Family Group Sheets Project, Kidz Project, Tombstone Project, African American Griots.

Sub-projects of the Archives Project are: Census Images, Court Cases, Digital Map Library, Marriage Records, Military Pensions, Obituary Project, and the Special Collections Project.

I believe I am eligible to vote, but I did not receive a password.

Voting passwords are not sent automatically. They must be requested by a registered USGenWeb Voter at https://usgwelections.org/GetVoterPassword.cfm
If you have problems obtaining your voting password, please contact the EC Member or Temporary EC Representative assigned to your region or special project for assistance. Please include your full name; current and alternate Email Addresses; State, County, or Special Project affiliation(s); and your position within those Project(s) e.g. County Coordinator, Town Coordinator, Archives File Manager, etc.
Please -- Do not wait until the last few days before the election ends before contacting the EC about a password. The EC will make every effort to see that all eligible members who have registered to vote have an opportunity to vote; but last minute requests may not allow the EC enough time to arrange for a password to be sent to you
Remember to set your spam filters to accept mail from Registrar@usgwelections.org
The EC is not responsible for individual spam filters that prevent the delivery of official USGenWeb mail; nor can we visit validation sites to be placed on an accept list.

How do I know who has been nominated?

Check the Nominations Page regularly. During the nomination period (1-14 June) the page will be updated daily to reflect the latest nominations. After nominations close, a list of candidates with email addresses can be found on the Meet The Candidates page. As they are made available to the EC, a Campaign Page URL for each nominee will be included.

I would like to vote, but I am concerned that my vote will be revealed.

The identity of voters and their vote(s) are never revealed! That information is considered extremely confidential, and is not available to any Project Member, including EC Members or Temporary EC Helpers. You may feel quite confident that no one will ever know who you voted for, or even if you voted at all.

How can I learn more about the candidates and issues before voting?

Check the Meet The Candidates page for Email addresses for the candidates, and access to available campaign pages.
Subscribe to appropriate Regional Mail List(s)
Subscribe to Discuss-L, a general discussion list where members may discuss items of interest at the Project's National level. To subscribe, go to https://accounts.google.com/signup
Read the minutes and all motions voted on by the Advisory Board. Updated monthly.
Check with your State Coordinator regarding state or local level lists that might be available.

Who may place a name in nomination?

Any USGenWeb Project Member may nominate for any available position for which the nominee is qualified. However, only those members qualified to vote in a given region/area/position may vote in that respective region/area/position.
Members may nominate themselves.
Nominator names are confidential.

What are the qualifications for office?

From the USGenWeb Bylaws, revised July, 2010.
Article VI. Section I. DUTIES/QUALIFICATIONS OF ADVISORY BOARD:

"Nominees for National Coordinator shall have the following qualifications: at least one year (the twelve months immediately preceding an election) of continuous service and current activity as a member in good standing, and eligibility to vote within The USGenWeb Project. Qualifications of nominees for State Coordinator Representative, Local Coordinator Representative, and Special Project Representative are the same with the addition that their service shall have been as a State Coordinator, Local Coordinator, or one of the various positions associated with the Special Projects, respectively. "In good standing" is demonstrated by responding promptly to email, actively supporting researchers' efforts to find information, maintaining their website with appropriate, up-to-date content, and serving as a good example of the guidelines and standards of The USGenWeb Project."

Nominees for Representative at Large shall have the same qualifications as those for National Coordinator.

Who determines the eligibility of a member to run for a specific office?

The EC does not make an eligibility determination. The EC contacts the appropriate local leadership within a given area, state or special project for verification that the nominee has met the necessary requirements.

Is an Assistant State Coordinator who was appointed to his/her position eligible to vote for and seek office as a State Coordinator Representative?

Yes. Ref: Section VI. B. of the Election Committee Procedures as amended by the Advisory Board November 7, 2003.

"It is consistent with the spirit of Bylaws Article VI, Section 9 that Assistant State Coordinators and State Co-Coordinators shall have the same right and privilege as State Coordinators to run for and hold office."

I would like to place a name in nomination or nominate myself, but I don't want my identity revealed.

The identity of the nominator is confidential! Only select EC Members will know the name of nominators and the names of nominators are never revealed to anyone else, including the nominee.

I just received notice from the EC that my name has been placed in nomination. What do I do now?

Follow the instructions in the notice. You will have two days (48 hours) to make your decision and respond. You will be accepted as a candidate upon verification of eligibility. If you do not respond within the 48 hour period, you will not be listed as a nominee, and you must be renominated if you wish to be accepted as a nominee.

I still have a question or two . . .

Ask your Project Coordinator, Advisory Board Representative, or state your question on one of the mail lists, such as DISCUSS-L

If you still need assistance, contact one of the EC Members or Temporary EC Representatives for your region/project. Please be patient. It's a very busy time of the year for the EC, but your question will be addressed as quickly as possible.

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The Election Committee of the USGenWeb Project is a non-partisan standing committee charged with managing national polls and elections for the Project; providing a secure voting system; maintaining an up-to-date and accurate list of all members; and providing Volunteers with information about elections and candidates. It is not affiliated with any other election, voting, or campaign project or committee. Contact Pat Asher, EC Chair, or your regional EC Representative with questions and concerns.