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Any candidate for a position on the Falls Run Community Association (FRCA) Board of Directors must be an Owner, a Voting Member, or a Resident. “Voting Member” is defined in Article III, paragraph 3.3 of the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for Falls Run to be the person designated by all of the owners of a Falls Run home. No more than one Co-owner or Resident of a dwelling unit may be elected to the Board of Directors at any one time. The term “Falls Run Member” will be used throughout this election document to refer to an Owner, a Voting Member, or a Resident. Candidates should be available for active participation on the Board.
Term of Office
The Board will consist of seven directors, each member serving for two years. The terms of the directors are staggered to maintain continuity of operations (i.e., four directors are elected one year and three directors elected the next year). No elected director may serve for more than three (3) consecutive terms (Articles of Incorporation, Art. VII, para. C)
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Under the auspices of the FRCA Board, the Election Committee (EC) conducts all aspects of the annual Board of Directors election. Falls Run Members who serve on the EC are prohibited from being named as candidates.
The Board shall establish policies and procedures for nominations no later than ninety (90) days prior to any election (Article 3.1 of the Bylaws). Any Falls Run Member can submit the names of prospective candidates for election to the Board. The slate of candidates will be announced no less than 45 days prior to the last voting day of the election.
Election Process
Each dwelling unit in Falls Run is limited to one vote, and the person casting the vote must be a Falls Run Member. A form for proxy voting has been developed per paragraph 2.9 of the Bylaws. A written request for proxy voting from the Owner must be made to the Election Committee Chairperson. By executing that proxy form, the owner relinquishes the right to vote in the election by designating a Resident or Voting Member. Ballots may be delivered in person at the community center or may be mailed to the community center prior to the closing date of the election. The determination of voting eligibility, conduct of the election, and tabulation of votes takes place under the supervision of the Board and the Election Committee.
The ballot mailing address is as follows: Falls Run Community Center
Attn: Election Committee Chairperson 101 Bridgewater Circle
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
An Election Committee is appointed annually by the Board, under whose discretion it serves. The Committee selects its own chairperson. The committee supervises all aspects of the election; develops the rules for conducting the election, including rules for campaigning; conducts the election; counts and tabulates the votes and announces the winners.
Written notice of the election, stating the place, process, date and time is mailed to Falls Run Members no less than 60 days before the ballots are mailed (i.e., 90 days before the last day of voting). The notice will be addressed to owners of record as per the database maintained by Armstrong Management.
Campaigning by the candidates may begin no more than 45 days before the start of the voting period. Candidates, in the course of their campaign, may attend meetings of Board-appointed committees to familiarize themselves with the committee functions and attend Community Center meetings and activities. The candidates may place brochures or other campaign literature on a table designated for that purpose or stand at the door after the meeting and distribute these materials. Candidates may not verbally campaign at these meetings or activities. Candidates may place election materials in Falls Run Members’ newspaper holders (not the US Postal Service boxes). Campaign signs may not be displayed in the Falls Run community. Candidates may not purchase advertising space in the Falls Run Gazette.
The FRCA Board will schedule and conduct at least one Meet the Candidates forum for all Falls Run Members to meet and listen to the candidates.
Any director may be recalled from office by an election majority (50%+1) of the Falls Run Members. The vote may be called for by the Board of Directors or by petition with signatures representing eighty percent (80%) of the Falls Run Members in the community (one signature per dwelling unit).
Villa Residents
Villa residents, in addition to paying dues to the FRCA, pay a separate fee to The Villas at Falls Run Condominium (Unit Owners Association). In addition to having the opportunity to elect their own Unit Owners Association Board of Directors, Villa residents are entitled and encouraged to participate fully in the annual FRCA process by becoming or nominating a candidate and voting.
Candidates should possess the following qualities:
· willingness and ability to devote a substantial amount of time to the position
· strong oral and written communication skills
· computer literacy
· administrative, financial and management skills
· ability to work with diverse groups within the community
Ties and Recounts
The EC will publish vote totals for those candidates elected to the Board. Vote totals of those candidates not elected will be available to any resident upon request. In the event of a significant tie, the candidates involved will be notified immediately and given the opportunity to observe an automatic recount. A tie confirmed by recount will be broken by having a disinterested party toss a coin.
A recount will be conducted only in the event of a tie (automatic recount) or in the event of a one percent or less differential between the vote totals of two or more candidates. Candidates whose vote totals are within one percent of each other may request a recount. For either the automatic recount or a requested recount, the candidates who are affected will be notified immediately so that they may exercise their right to observe the recount process. Any recount will take place on the same day the votes are counted
Revised: April 23, 2008