The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is seeking candidates for its board of directors from Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah. Nominations are open for candidates for election to the board representing District 7 and District 9, whose current directors’ terms will expire in 2018. District 7, currently represented by Dr. John Howe, includes Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. District 9, currently represented by the board chairman, Dr. Michael Whitehair, includes Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Utah. District directors serve six-year terms. Terms for the new directors sought for Districts 7 and 9 will begin during July 2018 and end in 2024. Candidacy requirements Candidates must live in the district they seek to represent and must have been active members of the AVMA for at least five consecutive years immediately prior to the election. Interested parties can either be nominated by the principal veterinary organization of a state within their district, or they can file nominating petitions signed by 50 AVMA voting members residing within the district. The AVMA’s Elections web page offers a guide to the process of becoming a candidate and running for election, and features rules and instructions, nomination forms, and a primer on how the AVMA conducts electronic balloting. Nominations for candidates for the District 7 and District 9 board positions are due Feb. 1. Members who live in each district will vote in the elections March 1-31.
