“Any interested candidate meeting the eligible candidate requirements provided below must submit to the ARWA office address his/her intent to seek election of the Board of Director’s position for his/her respective District 60 days prior to the election date. Upon notification, the ARWA office will provide the potential candidate with an application to seek election package which must be completed and returned within 30 days to the ARWA for qualifying approval.

The interested candidate must possess the following qualifications to be determined an eligible candidate and qualified to seek election for his/her District:

• - The candidate must have five years of consecutive employment with a water utility member of the ARWA or five years service as a board member of an ARWA water utility member. ARWA legal counsel will verify employment, board service and ARWA membership with appropriate parties.
• - Candidate must secure a letter from an ARWA water utility member within the district recommending the candidate for election. A list of ARWA water utility members within the District will be provided to interested candidates.
• - Candidate must agree, if elected, to cease any employment by contract or agreement written or verbal with other similar organizations who seek the same funding as the ARWA and who provide similar or duplicated member services.

One member of the Board of Directors shall be elected from each district. The person elected to serve as director for a District shall be required to be affiliated with a member water utility as a certified water operator or an operator with both water and wastewater certification, as a water utility general manager or water utility board member. The candidate must reside within the ARWA District for which he/she is seeking election. At the annual membership meeting, a caucus for each district whose directorship position is expiring shall be held for the purpose of receiving nominations of pre-qualified candidates from the voting delegates of Voting Members in that District. Except as provided below in the event of a tie after a caucus run-off, an appointed caucus chairperson will accept nominations of candidates who have previously met qualifying criteria, and by majority vote of the voting delegates of Voting Members from each respective district, one nominee will be chosen. The nominee will then be presented at the annual business meeting to the voting delegates of the Voting Members present for their concurrence. If a quorum is present at the annual business meeting, the nominee for such district receiving the majority of votes from the voting delegates of Voting Members present and entitled to vote thereon shall become the next director for that District.

In the event that two or more candidates are competing during the caucus, and if no candidate receives a majority vote in the caucus, a run-off caucus election shall be held between the two candidates with the greatest number of votes. In the event of a caucus run-off, the candidate receiving the majority of votes from the voting delegates of Voting Members in that District will be the nominee for that district. If a caucus run-off election occurs and no one receives a majority vote in the caucus, the tie will be reported at the annual business meeting to the voting delegates of the Voting Members of that District present and the determination of the candidate who shall be the director for the District shall be made by a vote of the voting delegates of that District present. The candidate receiving the majority of votes of the voting delegates of that District present at the annual business meeting shall be the director for that District. If the tie is not broken by the District voting delegates present during the Annual Business Meeting and no other nomination is made from the District voting delegates present, a letter will be mailed following the Conference to every member water system in said District stating the outcome of the ARWA Annual Business Meeting District Election and asking for nominations from the District water system voting member Delegate to be returned to the ARWA within in two weeks. If nominees are received, they will be presented to the full ARWA Board of Directors for vote and approval. If no nomination is received from the District water system members voting delegate, a director will be selected and approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.