Ohio Valley Board 2026 Candidate Declaration & Election Process

This is to announce the call for candidate declarations for the Ohio Valley Board of Directors for the 2026-2028 term.

If you are interested in serving the creative community, advocating for photographers’ rights, and shaping our local programming, we invite you to declare your candidacy. To ensure a June 1st seating of the new board, please review the requirements and timeline below.

Board Composition & Open Seats

The Chapter Board currently consists of 9 seats. For this election cycle, there are 7 seats available for a two-year term.

Requirements for Becoming a Candidate

In accordance with chapter and national policy:

• To serve on the Board: You must be a Professional, Associate, or Basic Member in good standing.
• To serve as an Officer (President, VP, Secretary, Treasurer): You must be a Professional (including Life/Leader), Merit, or Beginning Professional Member. Basic Members may serve as Directors but may not hold officer positions.
• Term Length: Board members serve a two-year term.

Submitting Your Declaration

Candidates for the board must declare their own candidacy. To submit your declaration, please send an email to ohiovalley@asmp.org with the subject line “2026 Ohio Valley Chapter Board Candidate Declaration.”

Your email must include:

1. A formal statement of intent: “I hereby declare my candidacy for the Ohio Valley Board of Directors.”
2. Your current ASMP membership level.
3. (By April 21) A brief bio and candidate statement (maximum 500 words).

2026 Election Timeline

To ensure a fair and impartial process, we follow the mandatory ASMP Chapter election schedule:

• March 1 – April 1: Candidate Declaration Period.
  • All declarations must be received by 11:59 PM on April 1st.
• April 1 – April 21: Bio Submission.
  • Candidates must provide their bio and statement for the ballot.
• May 1 – May 14: Voting Period. If the election is contested (more candidates than available seats), voting will be conducted via electronic ballot provided by the National Office.
  • If the number of candidates is equal to or less than the number of available seats, all candidates will be seated by default without a vote.
• By May 21: Results Announcement.
  • Results will be shared with the membership via email and the chapter website.
• June 1: New Board Seated.
  • The new board officially begins its term and will meet to appoint/elect Chapter Officers.

Questions?

If you have questions about the duties of a board member or the election process, please contact ohiovalley@asmp.org