MARCH 20, 2012 PRIMARY ELECTION

ENDORSEMENT PROCEDURES

IVI-IPO will contact candidates who have filed with the State Board of Elections or with the County Clerk.  We only hold interviews in contested races.

Candidates are required to fill out our questionnaire, upon the receipt of the questionnaire the Political Action Committee(PAC) will begin to schedule sessions and contact candidates.

All members in good standing are invited to sessions in which they are qualified electors.  Members would have to be a member for 6 months to be able to vote at endorsement meetings.

Candidates who have filled out a questionnaire are invited to present to the assembled members. This usually is a 15-20 minute presentation and question and answer session.  This presentation is given to our members, the general public are invited, however we do not allow opposing candidates to be present.

After the candidates have been interviewed the members who have heard all the candidates for the office in question, then conduct a non-binding straw poll. At this point motions from the floor are entertained, IVI-IPO rules only allow for endorsement and only for as many candidates as are elected.  Motions are then debated, the first winning motion ends the process.

If there are sufficient members present (10-15 percent of the membership of the effected district and 2/3 or 3/5 voting in the majority- the higher numbers are for statewide and larger districts) a "membership endorsement" is effected immediately.  Otherwise the vote from the interview session is then sent to the State Board who then votes on the recommendation.