Election of governors; rules; vacancies

(1) The election of governors shall be held annually on a date set by the board of governors. Any licensee of the Oregon State Bar who is eligible to serve as a governor for a region may file a signed statement of candidacy for the region. Statements of candidacy must be filed with the chief executive officer of the bar. The board shall establish a deadline for filing statements of candidacy. (2)(a) The bar shall distribute ballots containing the names of the candidates for the office of governor in each region to every active licensee in the region. Voting must be completed on or before the day of the election. The chief executive officer shall canvass the votes and record the results of the election. (b) The board by rule may provide for electronic elections under paragraph (a) of this subsection. Rules adopted under this paragraph may provide for electronic distribution of election materials and electronic tabulation of votes. (3) In a region in which only one position is to be filled, the candidate receiving the highest vote shall be declared elected. If a region has more than one position to be filled, the candidate with the most votes received shall be declared elected, the candidate with the next highest number of votes received shall then be declared elected, and so on until all positions are filled. The balloting shall be conducted so that only eligible active licensees can vote, and the secrecy of the ballot shall be preserved. (4) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, the board may not conduct an election for a region if the number of candidates for the region is equal to or less than the number of open positions for the region. If the number of candidates for the region is equal to or less than the number of open positions for the region, the board shall declare the candidate or candidates elected on a date specified by the board. (5) A vacancy in the office of elective member of the board of governors that occurs more than 24 months before the expiration of the term shall be filled for the remainder of the term by a governor elected at a special election held in the manner provided in this section as soon as possible after the occurrence of the vacancy, or as provided in subsection (4) of this section if there is only one candidate. The vacancy may be filled for the period between the occurrence of the vacancy and the election of a new governor by a person appointed by the board. A vacancy in the office of elective member that occurs 24 months or less before the expiration of the term shall be filled for the remainder of the term by a person appointed by the board. (6) A vacancy in the office of public member of the board of governors shall be filled for the remainder of the term by a governor appointed by the board.