Elections

In accordance to our bylaws, the Pacific Northwest JET Alumni Association holds annual elections with results announced at the Annual Meeting which is held preferably during the Bounenkai (Year End Party).

Executive Board or Steering Council?

The Executive Board shall be the main governing body of the Association, and shall conduct
the general business of the Association. It have the power to set meeting dates and times, form committees, create steering council positions, adopt policies, organize events and elections, facilitate
communication and collaboration between the Association and community groups, and run
the general business of the Association. The Executive Board is made up of two to five officers: one President or two Co-Presidents, one Vice President, one Secretary, and one Treasurer. At minimum, there must be a President and Treasurer.

As deemed necessary by the Executive Board, additional positions may be created with a
simple majority vote to assist the Executive Board in the business of the Association. For each
additional position under consideration, a job description must be provided before a vote can
be taken, at which time the position shall be appointed by the Executive Board until the next
election. These positions and the Executive Officers shall constitute The Steering Council of
the Association. The Steering Council has no minimum member requirements beyond the
minimum Executive Board requirements, and positions shall be created and dissolved as
needed, not to exceed 15 members in total. The Steering Council shall be subject to the same
provisions as Executive Officers as laid out in 5.4, 5.5, and 5.6 in the bylaws.

One person may hold multiple titles except the President (or Co-Presidents) cannot also be the Treasurer.

What You Should Know Before Running

Terms for councilors are thirteen months (from January 1st to the following February 28th, or 29th in a leap year) with the exception of the treasurer whose minimum is 25 months (second February 28th, or 29th in a leap year). There are no term limits.

The expectations for all counselors during their term are:

  • Perform all job duties as described (on website/policy book).
  • Attend at least half of the monthly meetings. For those meetings you cannot attend, update agenda with what you have done in the past month and any motions you need the council to vote on.
  • Check PNWJETAA emails at least once a week.
  • Check PNWJETAA Discord at least once a week, and post opinions, ideas and vote as needed.
  • Attend at least one social event a year.
  • Make a good effort to attend Shinnenkai and Bonenkai.
  • Non-executive board members: join at least one event planning committee.

Positions Available this Year (2025)

Execution Officer Positions

  • President (Co-President if running together)
  • Vice-President
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary

Steering Council

  • Compliance Coordinator
  • Newsletter Coordinator
  • Social Coordinator
  • Systems Administrator
  • Transitions (Career Event) Coordinator

2025 Election Timeline

October 7th – Nominations Open
November 1st – Nominations Close
November 2nd: Nominated Candidates Informed
November 9th: Nominated Candidates Confirm Nomination
Due to only one person being nominated per position, we will not hold voting this year.
November 9th: Platforms Due
November 14th: Elections Open
December 14th: Elections Announced, Bonenkai & Annual Meeting

Interested in running? Please nominate yourself or someone you know by November 1st!

Don’t see a position you’re interested in but have an idea for one? Please email the position title, job description to our board and we will explore adding it to the Steering Council.