For immediate release | March 18, 2016

2016 ALA elections are open

CHICAGO - Voting in the 2016 ALA elections is now open. Between March 15 and March 17, the ALA sent e-mails to voters, providing them with their unique ballot URL and information about how to vote online. The polls will close on Friday, April 22 at 11:59 p.m. Central time. Note that the mailing was sent from the following email: ALA Election Coordinator, noreply@directvote.net, so be sure to check your spam filter if you have not yet received your voting credentials. Should you have problems accessing your ballot, please contact support@directvote.org.

For the eighth year in a row, the American Library Association is holding its election exclusively online. To be eligible to vote, individuals must be members in good standing as of January 31, 2016. Although the election is being conducted online, there remains one exception. Members with disabilities and without Internet access may obtain a paper ballot by contacting ALA customer service at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5. Those without Internet access at home or work can easily access the election site by visiting their local public (or in many instances academic or school) library.

Voters will receive email reminders throughout the election period – on March 30 and April 13 (broadcast email process is completed over a 48 hour time frame). Voting may be completed in one sitting, or an individual may “park” their ballot and return at a later date; however, a ballot is not “cast” until the “submit” button is clicked. Anyone with a “parked” ballot will receive an email reminder to complete the voting process prior to April 22.

Information about the ALA election and the candidates can be found in “Your Guide to the 2016 Elections.” The guide is available as a flipbook or in PDF format. This, as well as other information about ALA elections can be found on the Election Page on the ALA website. A special “pod” and feature slide on the ALA homepage will also take you directly to election information.

Let your voice be heard by casting your vote!

Contact:

JoAnne Kempf

Director, Office of ALA Goverance

Office of ALA Governance

jkempf@ala.org