Elections | Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What CPTO leadership positions are available?
Three officer positions are available for election: (Co)President, (Co)Treasurer, and (Co)Secretary.
How do people get on the ballot to be elected?
Any CPTO member may nominate themselves, or be nominated by another person, for an officer position by emailing the CPTO officer email address: officers@cambridgeportpto.org or by nomination at the Annual Meeting. Members may run for multiple roles but may only serve in one role at a time.
I notice the “(Co)” in the titles? What does this mean?
Each role can be held by either one or two people at a time. If the role is held by two people, each person is considered either Co-President, Co-Treasurer, or Co-Secretary, depending on the role. People collaborating on a single role need to both agree to the partnership. We recommend that people interested in collaborating nominate themselves together as a team.
Who can vote in the elections?
Any CPTO member can vote in the elections.
Who is considered a CPTO member?
The CPTO bylaws defines members as “any person affiliated with the Cambridgeport School, including any parent or guardian (or other person filling such a role) of any child enrolled for the current or next school year, and any person working at the school as a teacher, administrator, or other staff member.”
When are CPTO Elections?
CPTO Elections are held during the final CPTO meeting of the school year, considered the “Annual Meeting.” In 2024, it will be possible to attend the Annual Meeting and vote either in person or via Zoom.
What if I can’t attend the Annual Meeting in person?
It is possible to attend the Annual Meeting and vote via Zoom. The meeting link will be shared in our Meeting Agenda, which will be shared in advance on the website Meetings page. Just like in-person attendees, people voting via Zoom will be must share their full name and membership affiliation. Online voters must also share their email addresses with the Secretary for identity verification.
What if I can’t attend the Annual Meeting at all?
If you can’t attend the Annual Meeting to participate in the election, you can assign a proxy (or substitute) to vote in your place. You just need to write a statement that assigns a specific person as your proxy and share this with the Secretary before the vote. You can email it to: officers@cambridgeportpto.org. Our Bylaws state that “Absent Members may vote by a written and signed specific or general proxy dated within six months prior to the meeting named in the proxy. Such a proxy may be given to another Member or mailed to the [Secretary].”
How is voting conducted?
Voting is conducted via secret ballot during the CPTO Annual Meeting, the final meeting of the school year. In 2024, it will be possible to attend the Annual Meeting and vote either in person or via Zoom.
The sequence during the Annual Meeting will run as follows:
- Names of voting members will be recorded. The current Secretary will record the full name and membership affiliation of each voting member and proxy voter, as relevant. For online voters, their email addresses will also be confidentially recorded by the Secretary for identity verification.
- The roles will be introduced: President, Treasurer, then Secretary.
- Nominations will be solicited. Nominations for each role will then be solicited one at a time, in the following order: President, Treasurer, then Secretary. Each nominee will have the opportunity to introduce themselves and their membership affiliation (e.g. caregiver of a Cambridgeport School 3rd grader or School Librarian), as well as share why they want to be elected, highlights of their CPTO service to date, and any special skills they bring to the CPTO. If they are unable to attend the election themselves, a statement may be read in their absence.
- Ballots will be distributed and collected. Secret paper and online ballots will be distributed to each individual voter and then collected to be tallied after the meeting.
When and how will we know who has been elected?
The CPTO Secretary is responsible for tallying all the anonymous paper and online ballots. The Secretary is also responsible for ensuring all voters are eligible members of the CPTO, all proxies have been verified, and that results are shared in a timely manner via newsletter and CPTO website.
When do terms start for newly elected officers?
Officer terms start immediately upon public notification of election.
How long do officer terms last?
Officer terms last for one year. According to the CPTO Bylaws, terms run “until a successor is elected at the next Annual Meeting, unless that person resigns, becomes disqualified, or is removed from office before then.”