The slate of candidates for the Area XII 2010 elections has been finalized, and you can download biographical information here. If you are a member of the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers and reside within Area XII (California, Nevada, Hawaii or Guam), you are eligible to vote in this election, and you should receive a ballot in the mail some time in early June 2010.

As you may have heard by now, this year’s elections process includes a new option: voting at the conference in Davis. Why the change? In the last election, approximately 10% of the membership sent in ballots. We’d like to see this number increase, and perhaps offering more than one way to return your ballot can help.

If you prefer to mail your ballot that is still an option. Just take a look through the candidate list and mark your selections on the ballot card. Then put a stamp on the ballot and put it in the mail. Note that ballots must be postmarked by July 1.

If you’re planning to attend the biennial conference in Davis, you can simply bring your ballot with you. An official ballot box will be on site, and all you need to do is place your ballot in the box. Only official Area XII ballots will be counted, so please make sure you bring the ballot included in this mailing. Duplicate ballots will not be accepted. If you’re nervous at all about forgetting to bring your ballot, you might want to put it in the mail. More information and a reminder notice will be sent to all conference registrants in the coming weeks.

We hope this new process will give you more options for voting for your new Area XII Board and will ultimately increase the number of returned ballots. The future of Area XII is literally in your hands in the form of a ballot card, so please take a few moments to vote.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Nominating Committee Chair via e-mail at pastchair@areaxii.org.