The policies of the ARRL are established by 15 Directors who are elected to the Board on a geographical basis, with elections for three-year terms held in five divisions each year. At the same time, Vice Directors are elected on the same basis. Responding to solicitations in the July and August issues of QST, ARRL members in the Atlantic, Dakota, Delta, Great Lakes and Midwest Divisions have nominated 15 candidates for the 10 positions of Director and Vice Director.

One candidate for Vice Director was found to be ineligible by the Ethics and Elections Committee, which left one eligible nominee for Vice Director in each of the five divisions. Accordingly, all five have been declared elected to three-year terms beginning at noon on January 1, 2012. Two incumbent Directors were unopposed and have been declared re-elected. There will be balloting for Director in the Atlantic, Delta and Midwest Divisions.

Atlantic Division

Incumbent Atlantic Division Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR, of Bradford, Pennsylvania, faces two challengers for his position: John Mueller, K2BT, of Falconer, New York, and Philip Theis, K3TUF, of Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Before becoming Director in 2006, Edgar served two terms as Vice Director.

Vice Director Tom Abernethy, W3TOM, of Accokeek, Maryland, has been elected to serve his third term as Vice Director. Russell Trippy, W2RDT, of Kennedy, New York, was nominated for this position, but the ARRL Ethics and Elections Committee found that he did not have the four years of continuous membership required by the Articles of Association.

Dakota Division

Current Dakota Division Director Greg Widin, K0GW, of Stillwater, Minnesota, was unopposed for the position and was declared re-elected without balloting. Widin was appointed Vice Director in October 2007, upon the resignation of then-Dakota Division Vice Director Twila Greenheck, N0JPH, and was elected to that position in 2008. He moved into the Director position when then-Dakota Division Director Jay Bellows, K0QB, was elected International Affairs Vice President at the 2010 ARRL Board of Directors Annual Meeting.

Vice Director Kent Olson, KA0LDG, of Horace, North Dakota, was also declared re-elected without balloting. This will also be Olson’s first full term; he was appointed in January 2010 to replace Widin when he moved into the Director’s position.

Delta Division

Incumbent Delta Division Director Mickey Cox, K5MC, of West Monroe, Louisiana, will face current Delta Division Vice Director David Norris, K5UZ, of Batesville, Arkansas, for the Director slot. Both Cox and Norris have served one term in their respective positions, and both were elected to the Board after serving as Section Managers.

With Norris vying to become Director, Tennessee Section Manager Glen Clayton, W4BDB, of Cleveland, was the only person nominated for the position of Vice Director in the Delta Division. Being the only candidate, he was declared elected without balloting.

Great Lakes Division

Current ARRL Great Lakes Division Director Jim Weaver, K8JE, of Mason, Ohio, was the only nominee for the position and was declared re-elected without balloting.

Incumbent Great Lakes Division Vice Director Gary Johnston, KI4LA, of Edgewood, Kentucky, decided not to seek re-election. Michigan Section Manager Dale Williams, WA8EFK, of Dundee, was the only nominee for this position, so he was declared elected without balloting.

Midwest Division

Current Midwest Division Director Cliff Ahrens, K0CA, of Hannibal, Missouri, will face Keith Kaiser, WA0TJT, of Kansas City, Missouri, for that position. Ahrens was appointed Vice Director in 2006 after then-Midwest Division Vice Director Bruce Frahm, K0BJ, moved up to the Director position when Wade Walstrom, W0EJ, passed away.

Incumbent Vice Director for the Midwest Division Rod Blocksome, K0DAS, of Robins, Iowa, is running unopposed and is therefore declared re-elected without balloting. Blocksome has served as Vice Director since January 2010 when then-Midwest Division Director Frahm was elected ARRL Vice President at the 2010 ARRL Board of Directors Annual Meeting and Ahrens moved into the Director position.

Ballots will be sent to all full members of the League in the Atlantic, Delta and Midwest Divisions who are of good standing as of September 10, 2011 (you must be a licensed radio amateur to be a full member). The ballots will be mailed not later than October 1, 2011 and, to be valid, must be received at ARRL HQ by noon Eastern Time on Friday, November 18, 2011. A committee of tellers will meet on that date to count ballots in the presence of an independent auditor. In each case, the candidate with the greatest number of votes will be declared the winner.

Absentee ballots are available to those ARRL full members licensed by the FCC but temporarily residing outside of the US. Members overseas who arrange to be listed as full members in an appropriate Division prior to September 10, 2011, will be able to vote this year where elections are being held. Even within the US, full members temporarily living outside the ARRL Division they consider home may have voting privileges by notifying the ARRL Secretary prior to September 10, 2011, giving their current QST address and the reason another Division is considered home.