The Divisions Department serves as a resource for PEF's 228 Divisions. Our responsibilities include coordinating and conducting various elections, such as Division Officer and/or Steward Elections; PEF/AFT/SEIU Convention Delegate Elections; PEF’s Triennial Officer/Executive Board Elections; Special Elections for Statewide Officer and/or Executive Board vacancies. The department also conducts Division Constitution development or amendments, annexations and/or secessions and agency consolidations, and maintains current and historical data on each division and all elections conducted.

During 2000, a total of 220 Division Elections were conducted. From these elections a total of 100 first-time new stewards were elected.

Throughout the year other major elections were conducted or overseen by our department, including the PEF Convention Delegate Elections, other Delegate Elections to send our candidates to the AFT and SEIU Conventions, Special Elections for vacant PEF Executive Board Members seats and the Triennial Election of PEF’s statewide Officers and Executive Board members.

When our department's staff or field office secretaries actually perform election committee-related tasks (nomination/ballot preparation, tallying, mailing, etc.) divisions are billed for the service according to an established fee schedule.

The Divisions Department income received for Division Election Services conducted by PEF Headquarters and various Regional Field Offices totals:

3rd quarter

99/2000 Oct/ $3,475.00

4th quarter

99/2000 Jan/Mar $3,075.00

1st quarter

2000/2001 Apr/Jun $4,055.00

Divisions Membership Status

Due to several agency consolidations and closures, PEF has gone from 233 funded Divisions to 228. At this time, our membership has decreased to 53,522 PS&T, of which 52,569 PS&T (98%) belong to divisions and 1,270 PS&T (2%), remain un-divisionalized. These totals were taken from a Division membership spreadsheet dated May 2000.

Divisions Committee

This department works with the member-comprised Divisions Committee.

The Divisions Committee held three meetings this year, and the Committee reviewed and resolved various Division election appeals, new Division applications and secession/annexation requests. The committee also acted upon several requests for additional stewards, constitutional amendment requests and Division consolidations due to agency mergers.

This department also works with a member-comprised Delegate Elections Committee, which held fourteen meetings this year.

This year we prepared the material for posting the PEF Delegate constituencies and rules in the April Communicator, and assisted with the preparation and verification of the nominating petitions and the preparation, mailing and counting of the ballots. PEF members running for AFT/SEIU Convention Delegate nominations are also handled by this committee.