2023 NAMI Elections
The NAMI Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the 2023 NAMI Elections are open. The NAMI Board welcomes nominations of current NAMI members from state organizations and affiliates across the Alliance. Members are also invited to bring forward proposed amendments to the NAMI Bylaws and Board resolutions.
Please read the Election Information 2023 document to learn how to submit Board candidate nominations and bylaws amendment proposals.
2023 Open Letter to NAMI Membership
For more information on this year's call for candidates, please read the 2023 Open Letter from the NAMI Board President. Again this year, the board is highlighting specific skills that they are seeking in candidates to strengthen the current skill sets on the board. The letter also highlights the nomination process and requirements of the candidates.
NAMI Board President, Joyce A. Campbell, explains what NAMI Board service means and outlines requirements for potential candidates in the following video.
Are you interested in learning more about NAMI Board service? We invite you to attend the NAMI Board candidate expectations call via Zoom on Monday, April 3 from 6:00-7:00 pm ET. You can register for the call here.
2023 Elections Key Dates
Below are important deadlines and key dates related to this year's NAMI elections process:
- March 30, 11:59 p.m. ET: Membership submission deadline for NAMI State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates
- April 6, 6:00 p.m. ET: Candidate nominations, proposed bylaws amendments and resolutions are due
- Week of May 1: Voting packets emailed to eligible NAMI State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates
- May 9: Online voting opens
- June 5, 6:00 p.m. ET: Online voting closes
- June 8, time TBD: NAMI Annual Meeting
Candidates for the NAMI Board of Directors
The election of new members to the NAMI Board of Directors takes place leading up to the NAMI Annual Meeting which will be held virtually this year on June 8.
Five new members are elected each year to serve for a standard three-year term. Nominees must be current NAMI members of the NAMI Affiliate or NAMI State Organization making the nomination. Each NAMI Affiliate and NAMI State Organization may nominate no more than one candidate. Nominations may be made only by NAMI Affiliates and NAMI State Organizations in good standing - those that have submitted their memberships and dues to NAMI by the membership deadline of Thursday, March 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET (70 days prior to the Annual Meeting).
To ensure compliance with NAMI's Bylaws, 75% of the NAMI Board must be "persons who have or have had lived experience with serious mental illness, or parents or other relatives, including civil partners, thereof". Candidates are asked to make a statement to this effect. Because all currently seated board members for the 2022 - 2023 term do self-identify under this definition, nominations of those who do not have lived experience as an individual or as a family member are welcomed to this 2023 election cycle.
Potential candidates are encouraged to read the Undertaking NAMI Board Service document to help them make an informed decision before embarking upon NAMI Board service.
Bylaws Amendment Proposals and Resolutions
For consideration in the 2023 Elections, proposed amendments to the NAMI Bylaws and proposed resolutions must be sent to the NAMI office at the address below by United States Postal Service (USPS), either by registered mail, certified mail, Express Mail or Priority Mail, or any other USPS service offering Return Receipts or Signature Confirmation. Any submissions must be received by NAMI no later than Thursday, April 6. Proposed amendments to the NAMI Bylaws must be submitted in amendment form, with the full text of the relevant bylaws section(s) including any strikeouts or additions. For guidance on making submissions, please contact us at [email protected].
NAMI, Attn: Elections 2023
4301 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300
Arlington, VA 22203
Voting Information Distribution
NAMI will be sending voting materials electronically to the leadership of each eligible NAMI State Organization and NAMI Affiliate. These voting materials will be emailed the week of May 1. The email will contain the necessary information on how to credential in order to participate in the election process, and direct affiliates and state organizations to the NAMI website for details about candidates for the Board as well as proposed bylaws amendments.
To be sure that voting information gets to the correct leaders for your NAMI organization, please work with NAMI Member Services to update your current leadership contacts in our national database.
Online Voting
Eligible NAMI State Organizations and NAMI Affiliates will communicate to NAMI the person who should submit their organization's ballot on their behalf. Those credentialed voters will then be sent instructions to cast their ballot in the online voting system. Voting opens on Tuesday, May 9 and will close on Monday, June 5 at 6:00 p.m. ET SHARP.
Election Results
Election results will be reported at the virtual NAMI Annual Meeting on Thursday, June 8. Results will also be posted on www.nami.org/voting.