Vote for Executive Board Members!

Last October, U.S. Chess announced the formation of a new committee to recruit, screen, and endorse candidates to serve on the Executive Board. That committee was elected at the State Delegates Meeting in 2020.

2020-2022 Nominating Committee Members

Joy Bray (MO), Executive Board-appointed
David Grimaud (SC), Delegate-appointed
Randy Hough (CA-S), Delegate-appointed
Michelle Martinez (AZ), Delegate-appointed
Sophia Rohde (NY), Delegate-appointed
Daaim Shabazz (FL), Delegate-appointed
Hal Sprechman (NJ), Executive Board-appointed
Chris Wainscott (WI), Delegate-appointed
(USCF Notice)

In December, this Nominating Committee completed that process and presented a slate of four candidates. These persons all have achieved goals in chess leadership and have served admirably. Their statements are listed below.

The candidates for the Executive Board are:

Randy Bauer (Facebook)
John Fernandez (Facebook)
Kevin Pryor (Facebook, campaign website)
Ryan Velez (Facebook)

They were vetted and met the criteria. In May, all will stand for the election. It goes without saying that the members should be of high integrity, have a track record of leadership and be innovative thinkers.

Far too long, U.S. Chess has had talented leaders, but one of the aspects the committee looked for in candidates is fresh ideas. Gone are the days when we can settle for the same programs or rest on the laurels of past success. Let’s capitalize on the positive media attention that chess has received.

If you would like to participate in the May election, you must change your status to VOTING MEMBER. Go to your U.S. Chess membership profile dashboard and change it. Select mail or e-ballot. The deadline is May 1st. Below are the details:


US Chess

NEW Online Voting Option!

Thank you for being a registered voter with US Chess

If you are receiving this email, you are currently registered to vote in the 2021 Executive Board election. To be sure that you remain registered, do not let your membership lapse for more than 28 days between now and May 1.

Two ways to confirm your voter registration

Log in to https://new.uschess.org and check your dashboard. If your Voter Registration line indicates “Active,” you are already registered to vote.

You can also search for your name on our list of registered voters:
https://new.uschess.org/registered-voters

Our Online Voting Option

Those members who were initially registered to vote in our previous system are set to receive a paper ballot in the mail. However, all registered voters now have the option to vote online. You can choose this option by clicking the “Update Registration” button on the Voter Registration line of your dashboard. You must have a current email on your member record in order to select the online voting option.

You can change that preference between “Ballot by mail” and “Vote online” up until May 1. The ballot type selected as of May 1 will be the one used for this year. If you were registered in our previous system, your ballot preference will be set to vote by paper ballot by default.

If you encounter technical problems, you can request that staff implement changes to your ballot type by sending your US Chess ID number and whether you want to vote online or by paper ballot to governance@uschess.org.

Voting Process

What you can expect when you choose the online voting option

US Chess will be using Election Buddy to conduct the election, with oversight by the US Chess Election Committee. We will send you a link to participate in the Election on the same day that paper ballots are mailed. That email will come from US Chess (invitations at mail.electionbuddy.com) and will have the subject: Vote now: US Chess – 2021 Executive Board Election. If your invitation does not arrive on the day it is expected, please check your spam folder before contacting US Chess to request a replacement link.

You will have the option to use the link and vote until the same date and time as those sending in paper ballots by mail. To cast your ballot, click on the link in your email and select up to 3 candidates. You must select at least one candidate to have your ballot counted. Once you have selected your choices, submitting them is a 2-part process.

First you must click the orange “Verify your selection” button at the bottom of the ballot. On the next page, you will see your choices and must click the orange “Submit your ballot” button to complete the voting process. Once your ballot is submitted, you cannot reopen it and US Chess will be unable to provide a new link for you to vote. Upon submission, you will be emailed a confirmation message noting that your ballot was submitted.

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