Council and area representative elections 2012

WDM is a democratically-governed movement of individual members, groups and affiliates who work together for global justice. Every three years we hold elections for our Council, which sets overall policy for WDM, including approving the strategies for major areas of work.

Stand for election by filling out the online consent form. The deadline is Friday 13 April.

The Council meets four times per year, with its Executive Committee meeting a further four times between full Council meetings to deal with financial, personnel and other issues.

At the same time we hold elections for the Area Representatives’ Forum. Their role is to represent the groups in WDM’s governance structure (three are appointed to Council), to network best practice across the different areas and to facilitate joint working between groups. The Forum meets once a year and holds bimonthly telephone conferences.

All members of Council, its committees and the area representatives undertake work on a voluntary basis. The time commitment expected varies, but shouldn’t be too burdensome. In general it is about six days per year for Council members and fewer for Area Representatives. Travel and subsistence costs associated with meetings are reimbursed.

All posts are elected for a period of three years and any member of WDM is eligible for nomination. Voting is by single transferable vote, with every individual member having one vote. WDM groups also have five votes and affiliates have up to five votes.

How to stand or nominate someone

If you would like to stand or nominate someone for elections, the following rules apply:

1. A WDM member can be nominated for the positions of:

• Council member 
• Area Representative for their area. 

2. Each person standing must complete a consent form. This can be done either online or on paper. Call the office on 020 7820 4900 to receive a paper copy. If you complete the form online, your proposer and seconder(s) must email our returning officer, Roger Miller, r.miller365@btinternet.com confirming their nomination. Read the Principles of Electoral Process (PDF). 

3.The consent form must be accompanied by a biography and election statement of no more than 200 words. Without the statement only the candidate’s name will appear. Candidates should note that these statements will be subject to spell checking and will be posted on WDM’s website. Candidates may also send in a photograph to accompany the statements on the website. 

4. A valid nomination must be supported in one of the following ways:

• Proposed by a WDM group and seconded by a different WDM group;
• Proposed by a WDM group, seconded by two individual members who are not members of the proposing WDM group;
• Proposed by one individual member, seconded by a further two individual members. Of the three members, not more than two shall be from the same group. 

5. The same rules apply for nominating and seconding someone to the Area Representatives’ Forum except that the proposer and seconders must be from the WDM region for which the representative will be elected. 

6. An individual is eligible to stand, nominate or second if he/she is a fully paid up member of WDM nationally at the date the forms are received by the returning officer. 

7. A group is eligible to nominate or second if it has at least five fully paid- up national WDM members on 28 February 2012. 

Stand for election

Stand for election by filling out the online consent form.