[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 10]
[Revised as of January 1, 2008]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR1210.403]

[Page 108-110]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
  CHAPTER XI--AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND 
      ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
PART 1210_WATERMELON RESEARCH AND PROMOTION PLAN--Table of Contents
 
                     Subpart B_Nominating Procedures
 
Sec. 1210.403  Voting procedures.

    (a) Proxy voting by producers and handlers for producer and handler

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nominees shall be permitted at all district conventions: Provided, That 
producers may cast proxy votes for producers only, and handlers may cast 
proxy votes for handlers only. In non-multi-State districts, proxy 
voting shall be permitted for all producer and handler nominee balloting 
to determine the districts' nominees. In multi-State districts, proxy 
voting shall be permitted for all producers and handlers participating 
in a State's balloting to determine the State's nominees. No other proxy 
voting, such as for district convention chairperson, shall be allowed. 
Any person wanting to cast proxy votes must demonstrate authorization to 
do so. Authority to cast a proxy vote on behalf of another person shall 
be demonstrated through documentation containing:
    (1) The proxy voter's name, address, and telephone number;
    (2) Signature and date signed;
    (3) A certification identifying the proxy voter as a producer or a 
handler; and
    (4) A statement identifying the person being given authority by the 
proxy voter to cast the proxy vote.

All proxy documentation must be received by the Board at its 
headquarters address at least two weeks before the district convention 
is scheduled to convene. For the purpose of the initial district 
convention, all proxy documentation must be forwarded to the Department 
representative identified in the call for the district convention in a 
manner that will ensure receipt, at the address specified in the call, 
at least 72 hours before the district convention is scheduled to 
convene. The Board, or in the case of the initial conventions the 
Department representative identified in the call or other representative 
of the Department, may challenge any proxy vote and disqualify any 
challenged vote for cause. In the case of duplicate proxy authorizations 
by any person, only the first authorization, determined by date will be 
allowed. In the case of duplicate dates, the proxy which is received 
first will be allowed.
    (b) In non-multi-State districts, convention chairpersons shall be 
elected by a majority vote of the eligible voters in attendance. In 
multi-State districts, the election shall be by majority vote of all 
States present with each State's vote(s) determined by a majority vote 
of the eligible voters of that State in attendance. Each such State is 
entitled to one vote, plus one additional vote for each 500,000 
hundredweight volume of production in the State as determined by the 
three-year average annual crop production summary reports of the 
Department or, if such reports are not published, then the three-year 
average of the Board's assessment reports: Provided, That for the first 
two conventions, the Department's Crop Production Annual Summary Reports 
for 1979, 1980, and 1981 will be controlling as to any additional 
production volume votes.
    (c) In multi-State districts 3, 4, 5 and 7, the convention 
chairperson will direct the eligible producer voters and handler voters 
from each State to caucus separately for the purpose of electing a State 
spokesperson for each group. Election of each State spokesperson shall 
be by simple majority of all individual voters in attendance. In lieu of 
written ballots, a State spokesperson may be elected by voice vote or a 
show of hands. The role of the State spokesperson is to coordinate State 
voting and to cast all State votes.
    (d) Convention chairpersons will coordinate the entire producer and 
handler nomination process. In conducting the nomination process, each 
convention chairperson will ensure that:
    (1) Voting for producer nominees is limited to producers, and voting 
for handler nominees is limited to handlers; and
    (2) Producer candidates for nomination are producers, and handler 
candidates for nomination are handlers.
    (e) Voting, for producer and handler nominees, in non-multi-State 
districts shall be on the basis of one vote per person, except that 
persons authorized to cast proxy votes shall be allowed to cast all 
proxy votes not disallowed by the Board or the Department. Election of 
nominees shall be on the basis of a simple majority of all eligible 
votes cast.
    (f) Voting for producer and handler nominees in multi-State 
districts shall be on a State by State basis. Producers and handlers 
from each State shall

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caucus separately, at the district convention, for the purpose of 
determining which nominees shall receive their State's vote(s) for 
membership on the Board. Each State's vote(s) shall be based on a simple 
majority of all votes (including proxy votes) cast by producers or 
handlers voting in their State's caucus. Each State represented at a 
multi-State district convention shall have one vote for each producer 
position and one vote for each handler position from the district on the 
Board. Each State shall further have an additional vote toward each 
position for each 500,000 hundredweight volume of production in the 
State as determined by the three-year average annual crop production 
summary reports of the Department or, if such reports are not published, 
then the three-year average of the Board's assessment reports: Provided, 
That for the first two calls for nominees, the Department's Crop 
Production Annual Summary Reports for 1979, 1980, and 1981 will be 
controlling as to any additional production volume votes. Each State 
spokesperson will cast the State's vote(s) for each nominee position. 
Election of nominees shall be on the basis of a simple majority of all 
State votes cast.
    (g) During the voting for convention chairperson, State 
spokesperson, and Board member nominee, should no candidate receive the 
required simple majority on the first ballot, the number of candidates 
may be reduced by dropping one or more of the lowest vote recipients 
from the list of candidates. The balloting will be repeated until the 
position is filled.
    (h) Two nominees shall be elected for each of the producer and 
handler positions from each district on the Board. The two nominees for 
each position shall be elected simultaneously. The convention 
chairperson will open the floor to the nomination of candidates for 
possible election as a Board member nominee for each available position. 
Each position will be dealt with separately (i.e., candidates for one 
position will be nominated and then elected before the convention moves 
on to the next available position). Each eligible voter may vote for two 
of the nominees on one ballot. The two nominees receiving the greatest 
number of votes and at least a simple majority of the votes cast will be 
elected as the district's Board member nominees for the position. No 
individual elected as a nominee for Board membership may be a candidate 
on subsequent Board member nominee ballots (i.e., two different producer 
names and two different handler names must be submitted as nominees for 
each producer and handler position from each district to the Secretary 
of Agriculture). There shall be no designation of first and second 
choice nominees.

[54 FR 38205, Sept. 15, 1989, as amended at 58 FR 3355, Jan. 8, 1993]

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