Section 1600.700  Nomination of Candidates

a)         The Board Secretary shall determine the number and type of Board positions to be filled at an election.  The Secretary shall announce the election by October 1 preceding the next election.

b)         Any candidate for an open contributing membership position on the System's Board of Trustees:

1)         Shall be, on the date voter eligibility is determined pursuant to Section 1600.715, an employee who has been certified as a SURS covered employee by the employee's employer and an employee for whom employee contributions have been received in the previous 31 days;

2)         Shall be nominated by a written petition and/or if offered by SURS, by a petition with electronic signatures submitted via an independent, secure third-party vendor selected by SURS, signed by no fewer than 400 individuals who, as of the date of signing, were participants.  Each candidate must submit their own petition and/or obtain electronic signatures on behalf of their own candidacy.  Single petitions listing multiple candidates will not be accepted.

c)         Any candidate for an open annuitant position on the System's Board of Trustees:  

1)         Must have been an annuitant for at least one full year prior to the Election Date as determined pursuant to Section 1600.705;

2)         Shall be nominated by a written petition and/or offered by SURS, by a petition with electronic signatures submitted via an independent, secure third-party vendor selected by SURS, signed by no fewer than 100 individuals who, as of the date of signing, were annuitants.  Each candidate must submit their own petition and/or obtain electronic signatures on behalf of their own candidacy.  Single petitions listing multiple candidates will not be accepted.

d)         For purposes of determining whether a SURS member is a contributing member, participant, or annuitant pursuant to this Subpart G:

1)         A SURS member who is a contributing member or participant in the Self-Managed Plan, described in Section 15-158.2 of the Pension Code, is eligible under the same terms as SURS members who are in the traditional or portable benefit package, described in Sections 15-103.1 and 15-103.2, respectively, of the Pension Code, and a benefit recipient pursuant to an annuity contract purchased under the self-managed plan is an annuitant;

2)         A SURS member receiving a preliminary estimated payment pursuant to Section 1600.420 is an annuitant;

3)         A SURS member receiving a disability pursuant to Section 15-150 of the Illinois Pension Code is not an annuitant, but  is  considered a contributing member for purposes of Board elections.

e)         All candidates must complete an application in the form adopted by the System.  Candidate application forms may be obtained from the Board Secretary, upon written or oral request by the candidate, on or after October 1 immediately preceding the Election Date.  The completed candidate application form shall be submitted to the Board Secretary by the December 31 immediately preceding the Election Date.

f)         The Board Secretary shall determine the eligibility of candidates pursuant to the Illinois Pension Code and this Part.  If a candidate should become ineligible for the Board position after submission of the candidate application form, but before the election, the Board Secretary shall declare the candidate ineligible and remove that candidate from the ballot.  If a candidate should become ineligible for the Board position after the printing of the ballots, the ineligible candidate's votes shall not be counted.

(Source:  Amended at 45 Ill. Reg. 6649, effective May 11, 2021)