A new cycle is beginning in the ARRL's system of representative democracy. Every year, the July and August issues of QST carry a one-page solicitation for nominations for the positions of director and vice director in one-third of the ARRL's 15 divisions. While the announcement on page 72 necessarily reads a bit like a legal notice, it describes a critical component of our organization's decision-making process.

While it is well known that the ARRL was created in 1914, few recognize December 18, 1923 as the date that our "republic" was established. I had to look it up myself. On that date the Board of Direction (as it was then known) adopted a new constitution that gave licensed members the right to elect representatives on a geographic basis. Prior to that the directors were elected on an at-large basis, which as a practical matter meant that the Board was self-perpetuating. The at-large arrangement served Amateur Radio well while the ARRL was small, but the Board members were sufficiently far-sighted to understand that something better was needed for the future.

In the words of the February 1924 QST editorial, "The time has now come when we are a big enough organization to adopt the idea of divisional representation, and the new constitution provides that there shall be one director from each division in the United States, charged with the duty of keeping himself informed on the needs of the membership in his division, that he may act as their representative in the guiding of A.R.R.L. policies." With some fine-tuning the same system of representation exists today, with the same objective.

As ARRL members we tend to take for granted that we have a Division Director to whom we can express our desires and concerns. In fact, our system of governance is much more open to such membership input than that of most associations. Compared to the governing boards of most non-profit organizations, ours is extraordinarily active and engaged. This is no accident. ARRL directors have a strong sense of accountability to the members who elected them and they each devote hundreds of hours per year to ARRL affairs without compensation.

The process of selecting directors, who serve for three-year terms, is also more open to membership participation than is true of many associations. The process begins with a nomination petition signed by as few as ten Full members of a division. It is submitted to the Secretary along with a statement of willingness to serve signed by the candidate and information on his or her qualifications for office. A candidate must be at least 21 years old and must have four years of continuous ARRL full membership and four years of valid authorization as a radio amateur in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations of the United States immediately preceding nomination. Eligibility is certified by an Election and Ethics Committee made up of three directors, none of whose seats, of course, are up for election in the year they serve on the committee. Vice directors are elected in the same manner as directors and succeed to the position of director in the event of a vacancy.

The ARRL has a higher standard for potential conflicts of interest than do most associations. Usually the members of an association's governing body must simply divulge the existence of potential conflicts and must then recuse themselves from related decisions. In the case of the ARRL, Article 11 of our Articles of Association provides that anyone who might have a financial interest in any decisions made by the Board is disqualified from serving. There are both advantages and disadvantages to such a high standard, and there are ongoing discussions among Board members as to the possible revision of Article 11.

If there is more than one eligible candidate for either director or vice director, ballots will be mailed in late September to every ARRL Full member in that division. Accompanying the ballots will be 300-word statements written by the candidates and, if they wish, their photographs. Candidates and their supporters may also campaign, and usually do, subject to standards that are intended to ensure that members are not misinformed and that ARRL resources are not used. Ballots are returned by mail to an independent auditor and are counted on the third Friday of November at ARRL Headquarters by tellers working under the auditor's watchful eye. The results are announced the same day.

In this way, the 15 voting members of the ARRL Board receive the authority to make decisions. Members propose candidates, select among them, and then have the opportunity to provide input directly to the one that is elected to represent them on the Board. The system put in place in 1923 has stood the test of time and continues to serve Amateur Radio well.

It should be obvious, but we'll say it anyway because it is so frequently misunderstood: ARRL Board members have no other motivation than the perpetuation and growth of something they love. The mission of the ARRL is to do what's best for Amateur Radio. All of our organization's resources are devoted to that end.

"What's best" at any given time is whatever a majority of the elected directors decide, through a process that is very similar to a legislature. Detailed work is done in committees, which make recommendations to the full Board. Decisions involve compromise. Few members -- including Board members -- will agree 100% with every decision. But the process is legitimate, yields good if not perfect results, and deserves every radio amateur's participation and support.

As Winston Churchill said, it's the worst form of government -- except for all the others.