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CERF Board of Directors Election Process

   Employees in participating counties elect board members for the County Employees' Retirement Fund.
   The election process is governed by the Board’s Election Policy, which addresses:

Section 50.1030 RSMo, Supp. 1999 provides that CERF's Board of Directors shall consist of eleven members with no more than one director representing the same elected county office. Whenever a director’s term expires, the Association to which the member is a member, may appoint a nominee to fill that director’s position. Any elected county office that does not have representation shall have the right to have a representative nominated for election to the Board that year.

Directors may be either currently employed or retired members of the system. Individuals eligible to serve on the Board include either an elected county official or an employee of the county official’s office which does not have representation on the Board or whose term is expiring at the end of that calendar year.

Section 50.1030 states that the director’s terms expire on December 31 of each year. Therefore, elections must occur prior to December 31 of each year and must allow sufficient time for the Board to meet and resolve a tie vote.

Because the statute allows all county employee members of the system the right to vote by secret ballot in each election for directors, voting will occur by mail ballot. The Board, or its designee, shall prepare and mail ballots to all members eligible to vote on or before September 15 of each year. To be eligible for counting, ballots must be received no later than midnight on October 15 of each year. In the event that there is only one nominee for each vacant Board position in any given year, then the Board shall not distribute ballots that year and the nominees shall be deemed to be elected to membership on the Board effective January 1 of the following year.

Nominees for an open director’s position shall be placed on the ballot in one of the following ways:

Nomination by Association

Any established and recognized association representing a particular elected county office may nominate a candidate, provided that office either does not have a representative on the Board or has a representative on the Board whose term is expiring at the end of the calendar year. The name of any association nominee must be received by the Board for inclusion on the ballot prior to midnight on August 15.

Nomination by Petition

Any member of the system eligible and qualified to be elected to the Board may obtain a petition for nomination from the Board. If the member collects one hundred fifty (150) signatures, equally divided among the classes of counties then existing in Missouri and having members who belong to CERF, of individuals eligible to vote in support of his or her candidacy and is otherwise qualified, then the member shall be included on the ballot. Signatures will be verified to ensure that those names appearing on the petition are members of CERF. In order to be placed on the ballot, a nominee must submit a petition which meets the requirements outlined in this paragraph no later than August 31.

The Board shall tabulate and determine the validity of the ballots no later than midnight on November 15.

In the event of a tie vote, a majority vote of the entire sitting Board shall break the tie, except that a director standing for reelection shall not vote on his or her own seat.

If a member leaves office for any reason during his or her term, the Board of Directors shall obtain a recommendation from the Association representing the county elected office vacated. The Board of Directors shall appoint that person recommended to complete the remainder of the term. In the event no recommendation is made within sixty (60) days the Board shall name a replacement representing the county elected office vacated to fill the remainder of the term.