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Election Central: Regional Delegate information
Represent your fellow members

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– What are Regional Delegates?
– Role of Regional Delegates
– Requirements of Regional Delegates
– How to Become a Regional Delegate

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What are Regional Delegates?

Regional Delegates are non-chapter members selected to represent their region at the national convention.

In September 2016, the House of Delegates voted to give non-chapter members a larger voice in the Society’s governance. This vote, in the form of a bylaws amendment, was done for two primary reasons:

– About 41 percent of the Society’s members aren’t affiliated with a chapter.
– Until the vote, only delegates representing chapters could vote on important Society business, such as bylaws changes, updates to the Code of Ethics and resolutions.

Although some discussion was given to eliminate the delegate structure, the Society felt there is still great value in on-floor discussion and debate — which happens when delegates meet during the SPJ Convention .

To satisfy the desire for important debate, and give voice to non-chapter members, the chapter delegates voted to create a regional delegate system.

This is where you come in.

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Role of Regional Delegates

Members chosen to be Regional Delegates will operate in the same way as chapter delegates: They will attend two business meetings at the annual convention, participate in any discussion and ultimately cast votes on behalf of his/her regional peers.

Like chapter delegates, regional delegates will have one vote for every 50 members (or fraction thereof) who are unaffiliated with a chapter. If there are more Regional Delegate volunteers than votes available, we will conduct an election to determine delegates.

Unfortunately, no stipend or reimbursement is available for Regional Delegates.

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Requirements of Regional Delegates

Those selected as Regional Delegates are required to review any meeting material and attend the opening and closing business sessions during the annual convention.

Regional Delegates must be members in good standing. They cannot belong to local chapters and must represent the region in which they live.

To help better understand the role, and what happens at the Society’s business meetings, delegate training is available at each convention.

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How to Become a Regional Delegate

Use the form below to apply to become a regional delegate.