OSBA Elections Information

The Election Center

The Oregon School Boards Association is organized as one general state association with up to 24 regionally elected representatives established across 14 geographic regions to support member participation and representation.

In odd-numbered years member boards vote to elect regional representatives for even-numbered positions on the OSBA Board of Directors. Member boards also vote to elect all regional representatives on the Legislative Policy Committee.

In even-numbered years member boards vote to elect regional representatives for odd-numbered positions on the OSBA Board of Directors. Member boards also vote on the OSBA Legislative Priorities and Principles.

Resolutions submitted to the membership are also on the ballot along with candidate elections.

Discover more about the duties and responsibilities of an OSBA Board of Director here.

Contact OSBA if you have questions about nominations or election procedures. Call 503-588-2800 or 800-578-6722, or e-mail OSBAelections@osba.org.

Photo Credit: Mark Alan Lovewell/Vineyard Gazette

Election Resources

Nominating Information and Candidate Forms

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Candidates for the OSBA Board of Directors and Legislative Policy Committee (LPC) must be nominated by official action of a member board within the region they serve.

Nomination and Candidates forms will be available on August 19, 2024. For your reference, we’ve posted this list of currently open positions with incumbents.
Candidate and Resolution Information

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Nominations will open August 19. At that time you can view information about each candidate nominated, their professional resume, and responses to the candidate questionnaire.

Resolutions submitted for the membership’s approval can be viewed 30 days prior to the election.

Election Timelines

In 2024, elections will be held for OSBA board directors holding odd-numbered positions, plus board Positions 10 (Linn\Benton\Lincoln) and 20 (Washington).

Download 2024 Elections Calendar

Election of Regional Members of the OSBA Board of Directors

Date	Action
Aug 19	Notice of position vacancies on the OSBA board and official nomination forms distributed
Sept 27	Nominations close
Oct 15	Official ballot sent to OSBA membership
Nov 15	Voting period opens
Dec 15	Voting period closes
Jan 1	Newly elected regional members of the OSBA Board of Directors officially take office

Resolution Election

Date	Action
Sept 27	All resolutions to be submitted to the membership for a vote must be received at the OSBA offices
Oct 15	Resolution details, along with an official ballot, will be sent to the membership
Nov 15	Voting period opens
Dec 15	Voting period closes

OSBA Officer Election

Date	Action
Sept 13-15	The currently seated OSBA Board of Directors meets to elect officers. Candidates receiving a majority of the votes cast for any officer position on the OSBA board shall be elected.

Election Assistance

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Candidates must be nominated by the official action of a member board within the region. Official board action is also required to cast the board’s vote for candidates and resolutions. The sample documents are provided to assist boards in the election process.

Nomination Questions

How does a local board nominate a candidate for the OSBA board or Legislative Policy Committee?

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To become a candidate for your regional OSBA board position, you must be nominated by a local board in your region. Your nomination does not have to come from your own board and you may receive more than one nomination, although only one is required. Following your nomination, you must then submit your candidate information to OSBA by the deadline stated in the election calendar.
How do I become an OSBA board member?

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To become a candidate for your regional OSBA board position, you must be nominated by a local board in your region. Your nomination does not have to come from your own board and you may receive more than one nomination, although only one is required. Following your nomination, you must then submit your candidate information to OSBA by the deadline stated in the election calendar.
How do I become an OSBA Legislative Policy Committee (LPC) member?

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You may run in the next election for the LPC seat representing your region. To become a candidate for your regional LPC position, you must be nominated by a local board in your region. Your nomination does not have to come from your own board and you may receive more than one nomination, although only one is required. Following your nomination, you must submit your candidate information to OSBA by the deadline stated in the election calendar.
How do I get a resolution on the ballot?

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An individual board member cannot submit a resolution to the membership directly. However, each member board within a region has the ability to put forward a resolution to be considered by the membership. A board writes a resolution, passes it by a majority vote of its own board, and then sends it to OSBA by the deadline stated in the election calendar.
Can I campaign for my position?

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Yes. The candidate forms completed and submitted during the nomination process will be posted on the OSBA website. In addition, you may contact other board members in your region for campaigning purposes. OSBA has created a listserv for each region which may be used for campaigning, or you may request a mailing list of the board members in your region from OSBA at info@osba.org.

There may also be opportunities at the OSBA Fall Regional Meetings for you to campaign. Contact La’Nell Trissel if you are interested in speaking at your regional meeting this year.

Voting Questions

Is there any literature available on the candidates and resolutions?

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Yes. Candidate information is posted online as soon as we receive it.
Does each board get one vote?

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For OSBA board and Legislative Policy Committee positions each board gets one vote. For resolutions, a weighted voting system based on student population is used. A complete explanation of this system can be found in Section 2.4.2 of the OSBA Bylaws (230k ).
How do we place our vote with OSBA?

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The board must take official board action and then submit that information to OSBA. Your board will be provided a link in order to access electronic voting. In cases of computer or Internet failure, you may also fax or mail your vote to OSBA.

Mail:
- OSBA, 1201 Court St NE, #400
- Salem, Oregon 97301
- Fax: (503) 588-2813
Our board is provided with more than one vote for voting on resolutions. Do we have to place all votes the same way?

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No. You may cast your votes as a board in any manner you choose.
I am an ESD board member. Our ESD has school district members in several regions. Where does our board vote?

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You vote in only one region. The location of your main facility determines the region wherein your board will vote. If a member Education Service District’s boundaries span more than one OSBA region, that member board must declare in which region it intends to vote and vote only in that region.
I am a community college board member. Our community college has locations in several OSBA regions. Where does our board vote?

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You vote in only one region. The location of your main facility determines the region wherein your board will vote. If a member community college’s boundaries span more than one OSBA region, that member board must declare in which region it intends to vote and vote only in that region.
Don’t local boards only get to vote for those representatives from their region?

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For regional representatives on the OSBA board and LPC, the answer is yes. For resolutions, the answer is no. The entire membership of OSBA votes for resolutions, regardless of which region put the resolution on the ballot.