72-5421. Agreements; ratification; election; absentee ballots.
72-5421
72-5421. Agreements; ratification; election; absentee ballots.(a) A board of education and an exclusive representative selected or designatedunder the provisions of this act, or the act of which this section is amendatory,may enter into an agreement covering terms and conditions ofprofessional service. The agreement becomesbinding when ratified by amajority of the members of the board of education and a majority of theprofessional employees in the applicable negotiating unit who vote on thequestion of ratification of the agreement at an election conducted by the exclusiverepresentative if at least a majority of the professional employees in thenegotiating unit vote. If less than a majority of the professional employeesvote on the questionof ratification, the election is void.
(b) Every professional employee in the applicable negotiating unit whois to be absent from the place and at the time of the election may votean absentee ballot on the question of ratification of the agreement. Uponwritten applicationby a professional employee for an absentee ballot, the exclusive representativeshall transmit to the professional employee, in person or by mail to theaddress provided by the professional employee in the application, a ballot,an unmarked envelope, a larger envelope containing a space for the professionalemployee's signature and addressed to the exclusive representative, andinstructions to the professional employee for casting the ballot. On receipt of anapplication under this subsection, the exclusive representative shall prepareand maintain a list of the names of professional employees who have appliedfor absentee ballots. The returned envelopes shall be checked against thelist of names of applicants and the unmarked envelopes containing the ballotsshall be extracted. The unmarked ballot envelopes shall be opened and theabsentee ballots shall be counted in the same manner as ballots cast at the election.
History: L. 1970, ch. 284, § 9; L. 1980, ch. 220, § 7; July 1.