Article V

ELIGIBILITY TO VOTE IN DELEGATE AND INTERNATIONAL OFFICER ELECTION

1.         Rules for Determining Voter Eligibility

            To be eligible to vote in the election for delegate, alternate delegate, or International Officers, a member must have his/her dues paid up through the month prior to the month in which the election is held.  No member whose dues have been withheld by his/her employer for payment to the Local Union pursuant to his/her voluntary authorization provided for in a collective bargaining agreement shall be declared ineligible to vote by reason of a delay or default in the payment of dues by the employer to the Local Union.  Persons eligible to vote under this rule shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:

            (a)        Each person who is otherwise a member in good standing and whose dues are paid through the month prior to the month in which ballots are counted;

            (b)        Under and in accordance with Article X, Section 5(c), of the IBT Constitution, each member otherwise in good standing whose dues record does not reflect that his/her dues have been paid through the month prior to the month in which ballots are counted, who pays his/her dues by checkoff, and whose employer has remitted dues for him/her in the last remittance made by such employer, provided that such remittance was received within ninety (90) days of the date on which the ballots are counted;

            (c)        Each newly initiated member who is not in good standing solely because he/she has not fully paid his/her initiation fees, who pays his/her dues and initiation fees by check-off, and who has been employed in excess of six (6) calendar months; and

            (d)        Each member (1) whose employment is seasonal, (2) who works in the seasonal food industry, (3) who is a member of a Local Union where ten percent (10%) or more of the membership is employed by a seasonal food industry employer, (4) who worked during some period in the twelve months prior to the election, and (5) who paid his/her dues through the last month of their employment.

2          Verification of Voter Eligibility

            The Election Supervisor will supervise and direct the preparation of Election Control Rosters for all ballot counts.  Prior to the commencement of any count of ballots, the eligibility to vote of each member who cast a ballot shall be verified.  An Election Control Roster notation that a member's ballot should be challenged is binding until resolved by the Election Supervisor.  The Local Union official or designated agent in charge of the ballot count, Election Supervisor, representative of the Election Supervisor, or any candidate or observer present may challenge the eligibility of any member to vote.  The ballot of the member whose eligibility to vote is challenged shall be so marked by noting on the outside of the return ballot envelope the reason(s) for the challenge.  The Election Supervisor or a representative of the Election Supervisor shall resolve all outcome determinative challenges.