2025 Election Rules

General Election Rules

The slate of candidates will be posted on longleafpinerealtors.com on August 29. 

Candidates may only begin campaigning after being notified by Jane Cannon, staff liaison to the Nominating Committee, that the slate of candidates has been posted on the Association website.

Starting at 8:00 a.m. September 22, 2025, online voting may be done anytime during the voting period running through 5:00 p.m. September 26.

To request nomination information, or for any questions you may have, contact Jane Cannon, staff liaison to the Nominating Committee for the Association, at 910-323-1421 or email Jane Cannon.

The ballots will be tabulated at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 26.

  • In the Association election, the online voting system ensures that only REALTOR® members of the Longleaf Pine REALTORS® Association can access ballots and vote, and restricts each REALTOR® to voting only once. 
  • All votes must be cast online before the close of the voting period.
  • All votes are considered confidential.
  • Candidates receiving the largest number of votes cast are elected.

Qualifications of Leadership Candidates

The elected Officers of the Association shall be: a President, a President-Elect, three Vice Presidents (Member Engagement, Community Outreach, and Education), a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The Secretary and Treasurer may be the same person. They shall be elected for a term of one (1) year. The President-Elect shall automatically succeed to the position of President in the year after his or her term without the necessity of standing for election. To be eligible for election to President-Elect, the candidate must have served in some capacity on the Board of Directors for a minimum of one (1) year within the last five (5) years.

Nomination of Officers, Directors, and MLS Committee Candidates

At least two months before the annual election, a nominating committee of five (5) REALTOR® Members shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors. The nominating committee shall select one or more candidates for each office, one or more candidates for each place to be filled on the Board of Directors, and the MLS Committee. (To be eligible for nomination for Officer and Director, a candidate must have no less than three (3) consecutive years of REALTOR® Membership in the Association as of January 1st following election.) The report of the nominating committee shall be mailed or where permitted by State law, electronically transmitted to each REALTOR® Member eligible to vote, at least three weeks preceding the election. Additional candidates for the offices to be filled may be placed in nomination by a petition signed by at least twenty percent (20%) of the REALTOR® Members. The petition shall be filed with the Chief Staff Executive at least two (2) weeks before the election. The Chief Staff Executive shall send notice of such additional nominations to all members eligible to vote before the election. To be placed on the ballot by petition, the candidate must meet the same eligibility requirements as those mentioned in Section 1. And Section 4 above.

Election of Officers, Directors, and MLS Committee

The election of Officers and Directors shall take place at the annual meeting. The annual election shall be held each year during the month of September at a place or places designated by the Board of Directors. The times and polls will open and close on Election Day shall be determined by the Election Committee and be published at least three weeks prior to the election. Election shall be by ballot. The ballot shall contain the names of all candidates and the offices for which they are nominated. No Officer, Director, or MLS Committee Member shall succeed him or herself other than the Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer may succeed him or herself one (1) time. Absentee voting shall be permitted provided the absentee ballot is cast in person and signed at the Association’s Office during regular scheduled office hours, within eight (8) days prior to the election where permitted by state law, and in accordance with applicable state requirements, election of officers may be conducted by electronic means, in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Directors. Candidates receiving the largest number of votes cast are elected. In the event of a tie vote, the election shall be decided by lot.

Sanford Council Director

Notwithstanding this Section 4, the Sanford Council Director shall
be selected by the Sanford Council in such manner as the Council may determine, and the Sanford Council Director shall not be subject to any of the requirements outlined in Section 4 other than the requirement of being a REALTOR® Member.

Counting the Vote

At the close of the voting period (5:00 p.m. on September 22), the online votes will be tabulated, certified, and the candidates will be notified.

In the event of a tie vote, the election shall be decided by lot. The staff liaison will notify the President and Secretary of the results, and the results will be posted on the Association website, longleafpinerealtors.com, once all candidates have been notified.

  • The results will also be published in a special edition of “The Week” and all social media outlets.
  • Any protest must be lodged within ten days of the election.
  • All votes will be considered confidential.