23.  No later than November 12 of each year, ballots will be mailed to each licensed bondsman by the Board.  At the regular December Board meeting, the ballots will be counted by the Board members according to the instructions sent with the ballot to the licensed bondsmen.  The duly elected representative of the licensed bondsmen will serve from January through December of each year.

 

24. At its regular meeting each December, the Board shall hold an election to select a member of the criminal defense bar to sit on the Board, or to name a designee to sit on the Board, for a one-year term beginning on January 1 of the following year.

 

 The Board shall notify the Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and the Tarrant County Bar Association concerning the time and date of each such election, and shall post separate notice of the election at each location at which its meeting agenda is posted in compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act.

 

 The Board shall accept written nominations for candidacy which have been previously presented to its secretary.  It shall also accept verbal nominations at the December meeting. Either form of nomination must be made by someone eligible to vote in the election.  Candidates may nominate themselves.  Any interested voter who cannot attend the election meeting in person may submit a ballot in advance to the Secretary of the Board, and that ballot shall be considered both a nomination and a vote; provided, however, that such a nomination and vote shall be subject to eligibility challenges by those present at the December meeting

 

 Voters and candidates must belong to the following group: they must be members of the State Bar of Texas whose licenses to practice law are in “active” status; they must have their principal offices in Tarrant County, Texas, and they must not be statutorily ineligible from representing criminal defendants.

 

 Anyone who presents himself as an eligible nominator, voter, or candidate shall be accepted in this capacity unless someone at the meeting challenges the eligibility of the individual.  The board shall inquire of those present at the December meeting concerning whether anyone present wishes to challenge the eligibility of any participant in the election.  The board shall adjudicate any such challenges.  A challenger need not be personally eligible to vote in the election in order to challenge the eligibility of a nominator, candidate, or voter.

 

 Election shall be held by secret ballot among those personally present to vote at the December meeting.  Advance ballots submitted to the Board’s Secretary shall also be counted, unless successfully challenged as described above.  These ballots submitted in advance of the meeting, however, must not be secret ballots in order that voter eligibility may be determined at the meeting if and when a proper challenge to a voter’s eligibility is raised.  The candidate receiving the greatest number of votes from eligible voters present at the meeting shall be the winner.  Only in the event of a tie shall a runoff be held.  A tie resulting from a two-way race or runoff shall be decided by lot in a manner to be determined by the presiding officer of the Board.