1. (a) Candidate Nomination Packets

   1. (1) Upon request from a member or participant, the election coordinator shall distribute a candidate nomination packet containing the following information:

      1. (A) Notice of Election;
      2. (B) Nomination certification form;
      3. (C) Petition form; and
      4. (D) Rules and regulations governing the conduct of board member elections.

2. (b) Responsibilities of Candidates Upon Receipt of Candidate Nomination Packet

   1. (1) Nomination Certification Form

      1. (A) Each candidate shall sign the nomination certification form provided by the system indicating that they agree to all of the following:

         1. (i) Accept the nomination;
         2. (ii) Consent to serve, if elected;
         3. (iii) Comply with the rules and regulations governing the conduct of board member elections; and
         4. (iv) Abide by a drawing of lots by the election coordinator in case of a tied vote.

   2. (2) Petition Form

      1. (A) Nominations for candidates shall be made on the petition form provided by the system.
      2. (B) The candidate shall indicate on the petition form the specific board member position for which they seek election. A candidate may not seek election for more than one board member position during any particular election.

   3. (3) Petition Signatures

      1. (A) Only currently eligible active members and currently eligible active participants as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 24004 of this article may sign a petition form nominating a candidate. The petition form shall include all of the following for each member and participant signing the petition and shall be invalidated at the discretion of the election coordinator for illegible or missing information:

         1. (i) Printed name of member or participant;
         2. (ii) Signature of member or participant;
         3. (iii) Month and day of birth of member or participant; and
         4. (iv) Name of member's or participant's CalSTRS employer from the current or prior school year.
      2. (B) Eligible active members and eligible active participants may sign a petition form for more than one candidate.
      3. (C) The minimum number of petition signatures required shall be determined by the board and specified in the Notice of Election.

   4. (4) Return of Nomination Certification and Petition Forms

      1. (A) Only those nomination certification forms and petition forms received by the election coordinator by the deadline specified in the Notice of Election shall be accepted. The candidate must submit the nomination certification form and petition form containing at least the minimum required number of valid signatures in one packet.
      2. (B) Completed petition forms and nomination certification forms shall be submitted to the election coordinator as specified in the Notice of Election. Completed petition forms and nomination certification forms must be received via either facsimile, email or regular mail by the election coordinator by the deadline specified in the Notice of Election. The candidate shall retain copies of petition forms and nomination certification forms transmitted via facsimile or via email until the conclusion of the protest period.

3. (c) Receipt and Recording of Nomination Certification and Petition Forms by Election Coordinator

   1. (1) The election coordinator shall verify the identity and eligibility of individuals on submitted petition forms through sampling or other reasonable and cost-effective method, and shall certify qualified candidates for the board member election.
   2. (2) The position of candidate names and statements in election materials distributed by the system to eligible voters shall be chosen by lot conducted by the election coordinator at the time valid nominating petitions are certified. The election coordinator shall notify qualified candidates of their certification in a notification letter, which shall include the position of their names and statements to be included in election materials distributed by the system.
   3. (3) All deadlines and instructions related to the drafting of candidate statements shall be distributed to all qualified candidates in the notification letter. Upon distributing notification letters to qualified candidates, the election coordinator shall make public the names of the qualified candidates for the board member election.

4. (d) Nomination of Only One Candidate

   1. (1) Where only one candidate has been nominated, the election coordinator shall, upon verification of the identity and eligibility of individuals presented in the nominating petition and upon the candidate's certification of acceptance of the nomination, cancel the remaining election procedures and designate the single candidate to be certified by the chief executive officer as elected.

5. (e) No Viable Candidate

   1. (1) If no candidate has been nominated in an election, or if no candidate has presented a valid petition form and nomination certification form for an election as required by this article, the election coordinator shall extend the nomination period for an additional twenty-one (21) calendar days and publicize this action to active members and participants and other interested parties.

Note: Authority cited: Section 22200.5, Education Code. Reference: Sections 22200 and 22200.5, Education Code.

History

1. New section filed 5-15-2003; operative upon adoption by the Teachers' Retirement Board 3-6-2003. Submitted to OAL for printing only (Register 2003, No. 20).

2. Amendment of second and third paragraphs filed 5-11-2009; operative upon adoption by the State Teachers' Retirement System 4-2-2009. Amendments are exempt from the Administrative Procedure Act and exempt from OAL review pursuant to Education Code section 22200.5(c) (Register 2009, No. 20).

3. Amendment of section and Note filed 1-5-2026; operative 1-1-2026. Exempt from the APA and OAL review pursuant to Education Code section 22200.5(c) and submitted to OAL for filing and printing only pursuant to Government Code section 11343.8 (Register 2026, No. 2).