Running For Office/Applying for Leadership Positions

The deadline for nominations and applications for T&EI elected/appointed positions is OCTOBER 14.

Find some basic information after the jump, below.

Here's the link to run.

Here's the link to apply for a political party chair position.

Running for Office

We have outlined a five step process to follow for delegates who are considering running for office in California Youth and Government. The process is an exciting one, and win or lose, the chances of learning a tremendous amount are nearly 100%.
STEP ONE: Choose what office to run for.
Seem like an obvious step? Well, in some ways it is, but it is still probably the most important decision a candidate will make. Not every delegate is allowed run for every office (for example, sophomores aren’t eligible to run for Youth Governor), and not every office will sound interesting to you. To help you choose which office to run for, we have provided a listing of job descriptions and qualifications.
STEP TWO: Stop and think.
Running for office often requires a little bit of soul-searching. We simply aren’t used to “selling” ourselves in this way, and it helps all candidates for every office (not just in Y&G) to outline some goals and answer a few questions in their own heads before they get started. Here are a few that we’ve come up with:

• Why am I considering running for this office?
• What do I hope to learn from the campaign?
• What goals do I have apart from winning?

STEP THREE: Get nominated.
Because of the HUGE size of California Y&G, delegations can only nominate five candidates to run statewide each year. This means that your delegation most likely will have to have some sort of “mini-election” to decide who gets nominated to run statewide. Each delegation will do this differently, but plan on having to give a short talk at one of your local meetings and then being voted on by the other delegates in your group.
STEP FOUR: Submit your nomination form.
If your delegation does nominate you, it is your responsibility–not your advisor’s or your delegation president’s–to make sure that the necessary forms are submitted to the Y&G office before the deadline. Ask your advisor for the form or get it online, but GET IT IN ON TIME. Late nomination forms will not be accepted, meaning you will be disqualified if you don’t meet the deadline.
STEP FIVE: Plan your campaign.
Spend some serious time thinking about how you want to run for your office. Do you want to be inspirational? Thoughtful? Exciting? What aspects of your own personality do you hope to communicate? How will you do this in your speech? Many delegates like to practice their speeches at other nearby delegations to start meeting people and to work out any wrinkles before arriving at the Training and Elections conference. Ask your advisor for help here…that’s what they’re there for! Running in Y&G is different than any other election experience you may have had–Student Council, Homecoming Court, etc. Ask the expert (your advisor) for help.
STEP SIX: Campaign Statewide.
The most important campaigning will be at the Training and Elections conference. As soon as your delegation gets off the bus, be ready to start introducing yourself and meeting new people. Later, you will be asked to give a speech (probably 1-2 minutes long) about your campaign. Have it well thought-out before arriving, and remember to have fun. The best speeches are by serious, thoughtful candidates who allow their personalities to shine while up in front.

STEP SEVEN: Cross your fingers…
The election winners will be announced at the Training and Elections conference. Remember the goals you thought about at the beginning of your campaign, and think about what you’ve learned even before you find out whether you’ve won. Good luck!

Appointed Leadership

Leadership roles for our first conference of the program year, T&E 1, are selected by staff based on information from the T&E I Conference Leadership Application Forms. Assembly Speakers, Speaker Pro Tems and Committee Chairs are picked on their prior Youth and Government experience and their school and civic background. Delegations may send in as many applications as they want for these positions, but are encouraged to select only those youth who exhibit above average leadership skills.

Elected Officers

When ever 2000 bright motivated teens participate in a leadership program, the level of competition for the two dozen elected positions is intense.

Election Rules

Elections in the ML/C are either: Convention Style, Electronic Balloting, or Secret Ballot.
Convention Style Elections
At T&E I the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is elected by Convention Style election. Each delegation will meet to caucuses and will cast its delegate’s votes in convention style voting.
The Youth Governor is elected through a series of convention style votes. First delegations meet in a caucus to choose which candidate they wish to endorse. The top five candidates advance to the first election at T&E II. There the delegations caucus and choose whom to awards its votes to. Votes may not be split. The top three vote getters advance to the final election in Sacramento.
Electronic Balloting
Most elections take place by electronic balloting. Each delegate is entitled to one vote per office. Delegates come to the polls where they can log in to the voting computers using passwords which will be assigned when you arrive at the conference.
Secret Balloting
Secret ballots are used in the Houses and NIC for the election of their officers. Each delegate is allowed on vote per office. Ballots will be collected and tallied by hand. Delegates may write in votes if they wish.

Elections

Youth and Government elects officers at all three conferences.
At T&E I NIC Presiding Commissioners, Pro Tems, Secretary of State, State Legislative Counsel, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and Legislative Analyst are elected by secret ballot. A convention style primary election is held at this time for the offices of Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Assembly and the Chief Justice is elected at T&E I in a convention style election (following a secret ballot to select the top three candidates). Sophomore Forum members also elect three of their officers at this conference. The Historian and the Chaplains will be selected by an application process. Each YMCA is encouraged to make a YMCA Banner (like the vertical state banners used in Presidential Elections). Banners help delegates locate their group and add a lot to the ambiance of the event.
At T&E Il we hold our “House” elections. In the Senate and Assembly the Sergeants, Secretary, and Clerks are elected and in the Court the Attorney General, Judicial Review Presiding Justice and the District Attorney are elected. The National Issues Commission (NIC) will select an Administrative Clerk. In the Forum the two top leadership roles, Speaker and Lt. Governor are chosen by the Forum delegates. Caucus elections are held for Speaker of the Assembly and Lieutenant Governor and depending on the number of candidates a primary convention style election will be held for Youth Governor. At Sacramento the top three candidates for Governor will face off in a secret ballot election.
A Candidate Handbook is sent out before the election.

After the Election

All elected and appointed officers are asked to arrive in Sacramento the day before the conference. The Y&G staff spend an intensive day of training and group building with the officers. Elected officers, Chaplains, and the Historian are asked to arrive by 10:00 a.m. on the Wednesday before the conference. Elected officers are expected to set a high standard of behavior for the rest of the group to emulate.
Elected officers and cabinet members are ex officio members of all Legislative Committees and the Senate and Assembly. They will be recognized when visiting the chambers when these meetings are in session.
As ex officio members of these bodies, they have the right to ask questions and speak for or against legislation while in committee sessions with the prior consent of the Chair. All requests to speak must be presented to the chair in writing. Elected officers and cabinet members may not speak on bills while in House Sessions. Additionally, elected officers and cabinet members may not vote on any legislation, because they have the opportunity to visit any number of committee/house sessions, they could (theoretically) vote a dozen times for various bills. The only exception is that in the event of a tie, the presiding officer may cast his/her vote to break the deadlock
Please read the material on the Election Time Line, Categories, and Qualifications and Duties. If you have any further questions, please contact the Y&G office.

Governor’s Cabinet

The Youth Governor will accept applications from delegates to serve as Cabinet Members. The five members of the Governor’s Cabinet will be selected at T&E 2 and will also arrive in Sacramento on Wednesday for the officer training sessions. One of the cabinet members is designated Chief of Staff.

Delegations may have no more than five total nominations throughout all categories. Be sure to review carefully the information in your Advisor Handbook on qualifications for these offices. Any applicant not meeting the listed qualifications will be disqualified.

Category 1: STATEWIDE LEADERSHIP
Youth Governor (Primary at T&E II, Elected at ML/C)
Secretary of State (Primary at T&E II, Elected at ML/C)
Category 2: PROGRAM LEADERSHIP
Lt. Governor (Primary at T&E I, Elected at T&E II)
Speaker of the Assembly (Primary at T&E I, Elected at T&E II)
Chief Justice (Elected at T&E I)
NIC Presiding Commissioner (Elected at T&E I)


Category 3: PROGRAM AREA LEADERSHIP
Attorney General (Elected at T&E II)
District Attorney (Elected at T&E II )
Forum Sgt-At-Arms, Assembly (Elected at T&E I )
Forum Sgt-At-Arms, Senate (Elected at T&E I )
Forum Chief Clerk of the Assembly (Elected at T&E I)
Forum Secretary of the Senate (Elected at T&E I)
Forum Speaker of the Assembly (Primary at T&E I, Elected at T&E II)
Forum Lt. Governor (Primary at T&E I, Elected at T&E II)
NIC Administrative Clerk (Elected at T&E II)
NIC Adversary General (Elected at T&E II)
Presiding Justice (Elected at T&E II )
Secretary of the Senate (Elected at T&E II)
Chief Clerk of the Assembly (Elected at T&E II)
Sgt-At-Arm, Assembly (Elected at T&E II)
Sgt-At-Arm, Senate (Elected at T&E II)
Speaker/President Pro-Tem (Elected at T&E I)
State Legislative Analyst (Elected at T&E I)
State Superintendent of Public Instruction (Elected at T&E I)

 

Appointed positions:

Broadcast Media Producer

Broadcast Media Chief Engineer

Chaplain-at-Large

Chief Page

Governor’s cabinet

Governor’s Lobbyist

Judicial Review Attorney/Justice

Jury Trial

Legislative Committee Chair

NIC Commissions Chair

NIC Adversary Corps

Political Party Chair

Print Media Publisher

Print Media Executive Leadership (T&EII)

Print Media Editorial Staff (T&EII)

Pro Tem of State Constitutional Convention

Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Supreme Court Attorney/Justice

For more information on all of these positions and more – check out the delegate handbook:

http://calymcawebmaster.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/2011-2012-delegate-handbook.pdf