Election Rules for upcoming nominations

General Rules for Nomination and Election of Local Officers-Eboard Members

CWA Local 2001 will conduct an election of officers for the 2027-2029 term. Nominations will be held during the regularly scheduled membership meeting on September 10, 2026 in Charleston at CWA Local 2001. General rules for the election are printed below as required by the National Labor Relations Board. 

1. RELEVANT DATES 

Nominations                                                                                                               September 10, 2026 

Declinations                                                                                                                 September 17, 2026 

Candidates Mail Out                                                                                                           Refer to Rules below 

Ballots Mailed Out                                                                                                               September 18, 2026 

Duplicates Mailed Out                                                                                                         September 25, 2026 

Tabulation/Election Day                                                                                                       October 16, 2026 

Protest Deadline                                                                                                                  October 23, 2026

2. RULES FOR NOMINATION 

The Election Committee of Local 2001 will receive nominations for Officers at the regular membership meetings scheduled for September 10, 2026. Nominations shall be closed by declaring nominations closed first, second and third time. Nominees must be members in good standing with Local 2001. Nominees must be present to be nominated or the person making the nomination must have the written consent of the nominee and present it to the Election Committee Chairperson. Nominees may make an acceptance speech, limit 3 minutes or the person making the nomination may speak 3 minutes on the nominee. Any candidate wishing to decline must do so in writing and must be received in the Union Office by September 17, 2026. 

3. DISTRIBUTION OF CAMPAIGN LITERATURE 

Section 401 (c) of the LMRDA states, in part, that each labor organization “will comply with all reasonable requests of any candidate to distribute by mail or otherwise, at the candidate’s expense, campaign literature in aid of such person’s candidacy to all members in good standing of such labor organizations. 

Although Section 401 (c) specifies distribution to “all members in good standing” a labor organization must also honor requests for distribution of literature to only a portion of the membership if such distribution is practicable. 

All requests for mail-outs of campaign literature will be honored by bona fide candidates when received by the Local. All candidates will be permitted as many mail-outs of campaign literature as time permits. However, at least seven (7) days’ notice of a request for a mail out must be given to the Local Union Office to ensure that an Election Committee member can be present on the day requested and to give the office adequate time to prepare mailing labels. A candidate will also be permitted to notify the Local at once of all dates he/she desires to mail out literature. In this event, only one seven (7) day notice would apply. 

All candidates will be required to deliver campaign literature to the union office, sealed in an envelope with appropriate postage attached. The union will furnish at the cost of $10 to each candidate, address labels of all members in good standing. 

The candidates may use volunteers to put their address labels on their literature or the union will provide this service at a cost of $50 payable in advance. 2 

After attaching labels to the literature, the candidate, accompanied by an Election Committee member, will take his/her literature to the Post Office for mailing. The local will pay the expense of the Election Committee member for this service for all candidates. 

4. CAMPAIGNING 

Section 401 (g) of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, as amended, provides that any monies received by the CWA or any other labor organization by the way of dues, assessments or similar levy, or monies of any employer may not be utilized directly or indirectly to support the candidacy of any person in a union election of officers. This prohibition extends to equipment, vehicles, office supplies, records of personnel of the CWA or any other labor organization and to employers, whether or not they employ CWA members. 

5. LOCAL 2001 MEMBERSHIP LIST 

The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, as amended, provides that once within 30 days prior to the election, every bona fide candidate will have the right to inspect (not copy) a list containing the names and last known addresses of all local members subject to a collective bargaining agreement. A membership list will be available for inspection during Local 2001’s normal office hours. A telephone call to the union office prior to a candidate’s visit is advisable to ensure the list is available and not being examined by another candidate. 

6. VOTER ELIGIBILY 

Article XV, Section 4 (d) of the International Constitution and Article XII, Section 4 (c) of the Local Bylaws require that only members in good standing shall be eligible to vote. 

Article VI, Section 5 of the International Constitution states that any member who is delinquent for 60 days in the payment of dues, shall be automatically suspended from the rights of membership. 

7. OBSERVERS 

Section 401 (c) of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act states, in part, that: “Adequate safeguards to ensure a fair election shall be provided including the right of any candidate to have an observer at the polls and at the counting of the ballots…” 

Candidates will be permitted to have an observer present at the preparation, and mailing of the ballots and at their receipt, opening, and a candidate may have as many observers at the counting of the ballots as may be necessary to observe the counting and to ensure a fair election. 

Observers must be members of the Local; they may speak at election committee meetings and may challenge a voter or the counting of a ballot; they shall be allowed to stand in a place where they can clearly observe the tally process but may not interfere with that process. Observers are not allowed to touch the ballots or the membership list. 

8. BALLOT POSITION 

Candidates’ names will appear on the ballot exactly as they are pulled from the nominee ballot box at the regular meeting when nominations take place. 

9. BALLOT PREPARATION AND MAILING 

The Local 2001 Election Committee will design the official election ballot. Local 2001 will be responsible for printing, custody, and control of the outer envelope, return envelope, and ballot envelope. On September 18, 2026 at 8:30 a.m., the Election Committee will meet at the Local 2001 office to prepare and mail the election material and ballots. 

Each member will be mailed: 

(1) Voting instructions on an unmarked ballot. 

(2) One small envelope marked “ballot envelope”. 

(3) One Larger return-addressed envelope with each member’s address label on the back of the envelope. 

These three items will be enclosed in an envelope which will have as the return address: 

CWA-2001 Election Committee

P.O. Box 11026

Charleston, WV 25339

The voting instruction will advise members to mark their ballot in private, place it in the secret ballot envelope, seal it, and then place the secret ballot envelope into the return-addressed envelope. A separate post office box will be used to receive the voted ballots. Voters will be instructed to mail the envelope so as to be received prior to the deadline of October 23, 2026. Members will be warned that if their address label is torn off their ballot will not be counted. The label must appear on the return envelope and correspond to the voter eligibility list in order to be counted. 

If a member does not receive a ballot by September 24, 2026, they must call the union office no later than 12 NOON on September 25, 2026 to receive a duplicate ballot. At that time, after determining that those members who submitted requests are eligible voters and after obtaining updated addresses, at least two members of the Election Committee – if needed, observers, and any interested persons, will re-mail ballots and accompanying information to these members. Additionally, the Post Office Box will be checked prior to or on September 25, 2026 by two members of the Election Committee for undeliverable ballots and an attempt will be made to obtain correct addresses in order that ballots can be remailed on the day duplicates go out. 

10. COLLECTION & TABULATION OF BALLOTS 

At 8:30 a.m. on October 16, 2026 the Election Committee, candidates or their observers will collect ballots from the Charleston Post Office, Charleston, WV. Postal authorities will be instructed that ballots are not to be released from their custody under any circumstances before the scheduled time. Immediately after returning from the Charleston Post Office, the Local 2001 Election Committee will start the tally of ballots. The counting process will continue until completion. 

Before actually counting the ballots, the Election Committee will do the following: 

(1) Check the return envelope to see that the address label for each member is on the back of the envelope and corresponds with the appropriate name of the official eligibility list. (Any envelopes that do not have the proper address label on them will be marked “VOID”.) 

(2) Open the return-address envelope and remove the unmarked ballot envelope. 

(3) After mixing ballot envelopes, open the ballot envelope and stack the marked ballots.” 

These procedures will ensure secrecy. During the counting of the ballots only the Election Committee will physically handle the ballots, however, candidates or their observers will be permitted to watch the entire process. All ballots counted and uncounted will be kept in view of the observers at all times until the count is compiled. 

11. ELECTION RESULTS 

Complete election results will be posted at Local 2001’s office and will be forwarded to each job steward for appropriate posting at work sites. 

12. ELECTION PROTESTS 

All protests concerning the conduct of the election must be in writing and received by the Election Committee no later than October 23, 2026. 

Chairperson Election Committee, CWA Local 2001

109 Capitol St

Suite 600

Charleston, WV 25301

13. ELECTION RECORDS 

CWA Local 2001 must preserve election records for a period of one (1) year following the election. 

14. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, it should be noted that the above rules and regulations are not all conclusive. Additional election rules may be promulgated as needed during the election period. 

Election Committee, CWA Local 2001