During the 2017 Department Convention, the membership voted to adopt a new method for voting for Department Officers. All voting for Department Officers will now take place via ballots and scanned with electronic tabulation machines. This will provide a private setting in which to cast secret ballots and expedite the voting process. This guide will provide some pertinent information for the voting process at your 2018 Department Convention.
The annual election of Department officers shall be by special order of business, the results of which should be announced at 1:00 P.M., or as soon as practical thereafter, on the day set for adjournment of the Convention or at the call of the Chair.
Voting for all elected Department Officers shall be by official ballot provided upon registration to any Posts so registered based on paid delegate strength. All official ballots are the responsibility of the acting chairman of each delegation and shall not be replaced for any reason under any circumstances.
How does Department come up with delegate strength? Each Post shall be entitled to two (2) delegates and two (2) alternates and to one (1) additional delegate and alternate for each additional (100) one hundred members provided that the per capita tax is paid fifteen (15) days prior to the Department Convention.
Additionally, according to Section 6, Article 5 of the Department Constitution, a member of the Department Executive Committee shall be a delegate Therefore, the Post that they are a member of will receive one additional vote.
Each Post will receive one (1) official ballot for every paid delegate at the time of registration with the exception of the Past Department Commander’s ballot, which will be provided on the floor at the time of voting as detailed in Section 6, Article V of the Department Constitution. Ballots may either be voted collectively by the acting chairman of each delegation or individually by Post delegates to the Convention. The vote of any delegate absent and not represented by an alternate shall be cast by the majority of the delegates present from the Post.
Those candidates having an endorsement on file at Department by May 30, 2018, will be pre-printed on the ballot. The ballots shall provide for a write-in candidate for each office, should one be nominated off the Convention floor without prior endorsement by their respective Post.
Nominations for Department Officers shall be from the floor of the Convention. Nominating speeches shall be limited to five (5) minutes each. No more than two (2) seconding speeches shall be made for each candidate, each of which shall not exceed two (2) minutes.
Immediately following nominations, ballot voting shall begin on electronic scanning equipment provided by the Orange County Supervisor of Elections. All ballot voting shall be completed by 1:00 p.m. except Posts still in line to vote at that time. Once all the votes have been scanned the election is closed and tally begins.
A team of election officials will oversee the election process. These officials shall consist of an employee of the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office, the Assistant Department Adjutant, and the Department Assistant Judge Advocate or a representative appointed by the Department Commander in his/her absence.
The election officials will examine any ballot rejections to determine the intent of the ballot. If a ballot reflects votes for two (2) candidates for the same office that ballot will have that one (1) office’s vote cancelled and the balance of the ballot cast as presented. Should duplicate ballots be presented, the scanners will reject the votes from both ballots.
The election officials will supervise the vote tally collected by the scanners. The candidate for each office that receives the most votes shall be declared the winner. The results will be placed in an envelope which will be presented to the Secretary of the Convention (Department Adjutant) on the Convention stage to be announced.
In cases of a tie vote, a roll call of Posts for the purpose of casting their votes for the tied candidates shall continue until one candidate receives the majority of votes cast, the roll call is complete or until there shall be only one candidate for a particular Department office.
All official ballots will be retained as permanent record of the Department for a period of two (2) years.
WASHINGTON — As part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) ongoing efforts to modernize and improve Veterans’ experience with the disability claims process, VA unveiled its latest enhancements to the Decision Ready Claims (DRC) program, which will expand the pool of Veterans, surviving spouses and service members eligible to participate in the program.
“These enhancements are another key step in modernizing VA’s benefits delivery to Veterans to a fully digital operating environment,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin. “With electronic claims processing as a foundation, VA’s innovation will improve service to Veterans, their families and survivors.”
In addition to claims for increased disability compensation (commonly known as claims for increase), Veterans will now be able to file certain claims for direct service connection, presumptive service connection and secondary service connection. Additionally, surviving spouses will be able to file certain claims for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, and transitioning service members will be able to file pre-discharge claims less than 90 days from leaving the military. Veterans who choose to submit their claim under DRC can expect to receive a decision within 30 days from the time VA receives the claim.
To file under DRC, Veterans must work with an accredited Veteran Service Organization (VSO) representative, who will ensure all supporting evidence — such as medical exams, military service records, etc. — is included with the claim submission. This advance preparation by the VSOs allows claims to be assigned immediately to claims processors for a quick decision.
In the future, VA aims to expand the DRC program, where possible, to ensure more Veterans can get faster decisions on their claims. For more information about DRC or to find an accredited VSO representative, visit https://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/DRC.asp.
More than 60 volunteers from Post 273, in Madeira Beach, joined together to feed over 100 local veterans and families at their annual Veterans Christmas Day Party.
They would like to send a special thank you to Boy Scout Troop 371, from Largo, for their service!
Commander Steve Shuga has been on the road a lot this month. Who can blame him for being tired and dozing off a little. Unfortunately, Luther sees a “golden” opportunity. mischievous
Luther is a real History buff! How can you go anywhere new, if you don’t know where you have been already? Today, Luther is learning more about the history of The American Legion and Department of Florida.
Luther loves to play games, even traditional ones! BINGO is one of his favorites when he visits some of our Posts across Florida. Today he is having a BINGO party with some of his friends!
Luther! That is not how we use our office equipment, those things are very expensive, and vital to printing important materials for our members. No one wants a photo copy of your….
During the 2017 Department Convention, the membership voted to adopt a new method for voting for Department Officers. All voting for Department Officers will now take place via ballots and scanned with electronic tabulation machines. This will provide a private setting in which to cast secret ballots and expedite the voting process. This guide will provide some pertinent information for the voting process at your 2018 Department Convention.
Department Commander Steve Shuga has finally had it! He is Face-timing Santa. Santa is not too happy either.
LUTHER!!! You’ve done it now! Commander Steve Shuga won’t stand for this….Your antics have gotten totally out of hand!
Commander Steve Shuga has been on the road a lot this month. Who can blame him for being tired and dozing off a little. Unfortunately, Luther sees a “golden” opportunity. mischievous
Luther has learned a lot since his arrival. He is sharing that knowledge with his friends, and now fellow Legionnaires.
Luther is a real History buff! How can you go anywhere new, if you don’t know where you have been already? Today, Luther is learning more about the 
Luther says even though there is no snow in Florida, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy “snow” activities. You just have to improvise! 
Luther isn’t as “sprout” as he once was, and after this morning’s workout, even he can use a little muscle cream.
Oops, we think Luther may have gone a little overboard this time…. the struggle is still real….
Luther knows the importance of staying healthy! He works hard to stay strong and fit! But…. the struggle is real….
Luther is just checking in with Santa. All is well in the North Pole and everything is on track. 
Luther loves to play games, even traditional ones! BINGO is one of his favorites when he 
Luther has dedicated his life to serving veterans, from lobbying congress for change to something as simple as polishing up a retired Marine’s boots!
Luther remembers the sacrifices and service of those who were prisoners of war, as well as those who are missing in action, and their families. 
Luther! That is not how we use our office equipment, those things are very expensive, and vital to printing important materials for our members. No one wants a photo copy of your….