Background
vTools Nominations & Petitions was created for IEEE volunteers to help them select eligible candidates to be on the ballot for an upcoming election.
Currently, this tool is only available for Sections’ Nomination and Petition processes.
There are four (4) stages that the Nominations process goes through:
- Appoint Election Committee
- Call for nominations
- Nominations
- Petitions
The chart below (which is also available in the vTools Nominations application) shows an overview of the stages:
The icons on the left of the chart show the status of each stage:
The following flowchart is a visualization of the nomination process:
Pre-requisites
Please note that member/volunteer accounts used in this process must have a valid member number and email address, and have a Membership Status of “Active” in order to be eligible for the Nomination/Election process.
Begin the Process – Appoint the Election Committee
Responsible: Section Executive Committee member(s)
Log in to https://nominations.vtools.ieee.org/ with your IEEE Account. On the left, the Section should automatically be populated with your Section ID (e.g):
To start the Nomination process, click “Submit.” The system will show that the Nomination process has been created. You can now click “Add Member” to add members to the Election Committee:
Enter either the member number or email address of the members you wish to add. Here, you may also specify the Role these members will play (Member or Chair). These can be changed later, if needed.
After the members have been added, the page should look like this:
If you want to change the Role of any of the members, click the pencil icon next to the role and change it to either Chair or Member. Note that there can only be one Chair, so if you select someone else to be Chair, the other person’s role will automatically switch to Member.
Here, you can also remove members. Removed members will move to the bottom of the page and show as “Deactivated Members.” You can click “Reactivate” to add them back, if needed.
Once all the members have been added, click “Notify” at the bottom of the page to announce the Election Committee. You will see a pop-up box like this where you can review the notification before you send:
If all looks OK, click “Send.”
At this point, the announcement has gone out, and the system will show that it is “Awaiting Call for Nominations”. You may edit the Election Committee further, if needed. An “Edit” button will appear on the screen.
Note: If you click “Edit,” Election Committee Members’ access to the tool will be temporarily suspended until the Election Committee is re-notified.
You can now log out of the application.
Call for Nominations
Responsible: Election Committee member(s)
Log in to https://nominations.vtools.ieee.org/ with your IEEE Account. Click the hyperlink for the OU under the Open Nominations Processes header.
Click “Call for Nominations” in the menu on the left:
Select Positions
Under “Positions,” click the link to select your officer positions. In the pop-up box, select the positions you want to include in this nomination. Select as many as desired/needed.
When done, click “Save” at the bottom.
You will see that the positions have been added:
Create Timeline
Under “Timeline,” click on the link to plan your Nomination Process dates. Start by selecting a Planned Election Date that is at least 12 weeks from today’s date. The system will assist by generating a set of other dates for you to establish your timeline. Click OK to accept; these dates can be edited later.
Note: The dates for the Nomination process are listed in reverse chronological order, with the first deadline listed at the bottom of the page.
Adjust the dates as needed and click “Save.” The timeline will populate on the page:
At this point, you can now send the Call for Nominations. Click the button to do so.
Review the content in the pop-up box. You may edit this text as needed. Once done, click “Preview” at the bottom of the window, and, if satisfied, click “Send” on the next screen.
You will now see that the Call for Nominations has been sent and is set to “Pending.” It will eventually change to “Sent”:
The banner at the top of the page will now show “Accepting Nominations”
You can now log out of the application.
Self-Nomination by Members
Responsible: Members of the OU
Currently, members can self-nominate themselves, or be nominated by another member of the Section. IEEE MGA Staff can also nominate a candidate from the “Nominees” admin page (if needed).
Members should log in to https://nominations.vtools.ieee.org using their IEEE Account.
Once logged in, click on the link that says “Accepting Nominations”:
You will be presented with a form that is automatically populated with your IEEE member number, allowing you to self-nominate. You may also enter another member number to nominate someone else. You may select up to two (2) positions for yourself or the member you are nominating. Complete the form and click “Submit” at the bottom of the page.
You will then be presented with a screen that shows you have submitted your self-nomination:
Inside the banner at the top of the page, there is a link where you can update your bio and position statement(s) for the position(s) you selected. If you nominate someone else, they will get a notification with a link to update their own bio and position statement(s).
Complete the form and click “Submit” at the bottom of the screen.
You can now log out of the application.
Announce First Slate of Candidates
Responsible: Election Committee Member(s)
Once the Nominations Deadline has passed (based on the timeline entered above), log in to https://nominations.vtools.ieee.org using your IEEE Account. Click the link for the OU under “Open Nomination Processes” and click on “Nominees” in the menu on the left. Note that you may see a message at the top of the screen showing that the First Slate of Candidates is ready to be announced (if it hasn’t already been done).
You will see the list of Nominees towards the bottom of the screen, and the button to Announce First Slate of Candidates. Click the button to send the announcement.
A pop-up box will appear where you will need to click the checkbox to confirm the announcement.
NOTE: Your Section ExCom must review and approve the Slate of Candidates before sending the announcement. Click “Send” at the bottom when ready.
You will now see that the announcement has gone out. It will show as “Pending” until it is actually sent. Then it will show as “Sent.”
And, the banner at the top of the page will show that it is now accepting petitions.
You can now log out of the application.
Petition Candidates
Responsible: Members of the OU
The petition process serves as a “second chance” for members of the OU to nominate themselves for the positions that have been posted. This process happens only after the first slate of candidates has been announced, and members can only self-petition, same as the self-nomination process. Candidates who self-petition themselves at this stage will need to gain signatures from other members in order to qualify for the nomination process.
Log in to https://nominations.vtools.ieee.org using one of the Petition accounts (regular members of the OU). Click the link under “Open Nomination Processes” that says “Accepting Petitions:
Scroll to the bottom of the page and complete the Self-Petition Form. Click “Submit” once done.
On this same page, you can also sign petitions for members that may have already been submitted.
You can now log out of the application.
Reminder email for Petition Candidates
Responsible: Election Committee Member(s)
During the petition phase, the Election Committee can send up to two (2) reminders to the eligible voting members to sign petitions for petition candidates that have not yet received the required number of signatures.
To do this:
Log in to https://nominations.vtools.ieee.org using your IEEE Account. Click on the link for the OU under the “Open Nomination Processes” header and select “Petition Members” from the menu on the left:
Click the “Send Reminder” button to send the reminder to all voting members. The system will show that a reminder has been sent. It will show as “Pending” until it is actually sent. Then it will show as “Sent”
You can now log out of the application.
Announce Final Slate of Candidates
Responsible: Election Committee Member(s)
Once the petition period has ended, the Election Committee can review and announce the final slate of candidates.
Log in to https://nominations.vtools.ieee.org using your IEEE Account. Click the link for the OU under “Open Nomination Processes” and click on “Candidates” in the menu on the left.
You will be shown the list of candidates, and that the process is in the “Reviewing Petitions” phase. The first slate of candidates will be shown at the top of the page, and any petitions that were submitted will be at the bottom. The page will also show whether the petition candidates are eligible or not.
For the candidates who are eligible, select the Final Slate position from each of the drop-down menus on the right. You do not have to select the same position from the first slate, but you must select a position before proceeding.
When the final slate of candidates is ready, click the button at the bottom to Announce the Final Slate of Candidates.
Review the message in the pop-up box, and check the box at the top of the page. Again, ExCom approval is needed before sending the announcement. Click “Send” at the bottom of the page when ready.
The page will show that the Final Slate of Candidates Announcement has been sent. It will initially show as “Pending” and will change to “Sent” once it actually gets sent.
At the top of the page, you will see that the Nomination Process is Complete. And, if you navigate to the Home screen, the Nomination Process will now show under the header “Closed Nomination Processes”
Congratulations! The Nomination Process is now complete.