Governance elections for the NYSCA Officers and Regional Directors are beginning to ramp up.  Members interested in campaigning for a position on the NYSCA Board of Directors should start planning now. 

As most of us have said from time to time under a variety of different circumstances, “if only I were in charge.”  Well, if you have not before, here is your opportunity to put those sentiments into an affirmative action plan to contribute to the future of our profession in New York state. 

Plan to make your mark on chiropractic by getting involved now!

As a not-for-profit professional trade organization in New York, the NYSCA Constitution and Bylaws dictate the qualifications needed to campaign for either an officer’s position or a seat on the Board as a regional director.

2024 NYSCA Elections—Open Positions

Because this is an odd-numbered year (2024), there are six regional directors’ positions open on the Board:

• three (3) each representing Region 2 comprised of NYSCA Districts 6 & 7 (Nassau and Suffolk Counties); and
• three (3) each representing Region 4 comprised of NYSCA Districts 12, 15, 16, & 17 (Cayuga, Cortland, Jefferson, Lewis, Onondaga, Oswego, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Orleans, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Wayne, Yates, Chemung, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara, and Wyoming Counties).

Certain incumbent directors will be eligible to re-run for the position each now holds.

2025 NYSCA Elections

Positions for NYSCA officer – president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and communications secretary – or Regional Director in Regions 1 and 3 will be open for election next year, 2025, since it will be an odd-numbered year. 

Candidates for the Position of Regional Director

To be eligible to campaign for the position of regional director, candidates must meet the following qualifications:

• The candidate must work or reside in a district that falls in the area represented by either Region 2 or Region 4;
• The candidate must have served as an officer of the district or a delegate representing a district to the NYSCA House of Delegates within either Region 2 or Region 4;
• The candidate must have been an active member of the Association for the three (3) years immediately preceding nomination; and
• The candidate must have attended at least seventy percent (70%) of district meetings in the year immediately preceding nomination.

Elections Timeline

The nomination process/timeline for Directors and Executive Officers is as follows:

• March 1 - Nominations begin.
  To nominate yourself or a colleague for an open position, please use the Contact Us form to email the NYSCA Administrative Office.
• April 1 - Postmark/receipt deadline for completed "Intent to Run" forms 
  In order to vote, you must be an eligible NYSCA member by April 1.
• May 1 - Voting opens
• May 15 - Voting closes
• May 29 - Ballots will be counted and results finalized
• June 1 - Nominees elected to the office will assume the duties and responsibilities of their office 

Note: In the event of an uncontested election (where the number of open positions equals or exceeds the number of candidates campaigning for said positions), the NYSCA Constitution and Bylaws state that "individuals running for office shall be elected by a single vote cast by the current Secretary of the NYSCA, or if the Secretary is unavailable, by the current President, Vice President or  Treasurer of the Association in that order." (Article VII, Section A.3.a)

Nomination and Application Process

NYSCA members meeting the qualifications for office may self-nominate themselves for a position on the NYSCA Board or they may be nominated by other NYSCA members for a position on the Board.  All candidates aspiring to a Board position need to formally accept their nomination by filling in an “Intent to Run” form, linked on the NYSCA Elections page under “Application Process.” 

In addition, candidates will also need to fill out a “Disclosure form” – part of the “Intent-to-Run” packet, in order to provide the Association membership with notice involving any potential conflicts of interest the candidate may have and which the Association should be made aware of in its deliberations that may involve any private or personal interests of the candidate or their practice enterprises the nominee may hold in their private or professional life. Disclosure of a conflict does not disqualify a candidate from holding office necessarily but may require that a conflicted officer or director abstain from voting on one or more relevant issue or activities involving the Association whenever and wherever the stated conflict may arise.

Finally, all candidates must fill out a curriculum vitae (CV) – again, part of the “Intent-to-Run” packet -- highlighting their education and training, licenses held, and personal and professional achievements and awards received.  The Association uses the information obtained from the CV form to construct a biographical sketch on each candidate that is supplied to NYSCA members when ballots in a contested election are sent to the NYSCA membership.

All three items – the Intent to Run, Disclosure and CV forms -- necessary to declare an intent to campaign for a NYSCA leadership position are found in the “Intent-to-Run” packet noted above. 

For this year’s election, interested nominees must submit the components of a completed Intent-to-Run form to the Association by April 1.  Ballots in contested elections are scheduled to be emailed (or mailed if email is unavailable) by May 1.  Successful candidates assume elected office on June 1, the beginning of the next NYSCA fiscal year.