General Circular No. 001342
To: Heads of State Agencies and Human Resource Directors
Subject: Civil Service Commissioner Election Information
Issue Date: February 4, 1999
General Circular numbers 1334 and 1337 notified you of the upcoming election of the classified employee member of the State Civil Service Commission. Twelve classified employees qualified as candidates and will be listed on the official ballot in alphabetical order in accordance with state law.
VOTING: All classified employees with permanent status as of December 5, 1998 are eligible to vote. This Department has identified these eligible voters based on the current official employee service record file. Each voter will receive an official ballot, a ballot envelope, a signature slip, a candidate information sheet, and a postage-paid business reply envelope, all inside a larger envelope with an identification label containing the voter's name and department/agency. The voter will vote for a single candidate, place the ballot inside the ballot envelope and seal it and place it in the business reply envelope; then sign the blue signature slip, print his/her name and social security number and place it in the business reply envelope. It is essential to the validation process required by law that the voter's name be printed clearly and the social security number be accurate. The voter may than seal the business reply envelope and mail it in sufficient time to be received in the Civil Service headquarters office no later than 4:30 p.m., February 24, 1999.
BALLOT DISTRIBUTION: The ballots will be distributed to each agency on February 10, 1999. Some agencies have agreed to pick up their ballots from the Department of Civil Service headquarters office at 1201 Capitol Access Road in Baton Rouge on that date and the remainder will receive theirs through United Parcel Service delivery. The election law requires the Appointing Authority to initiate distribution of the voting material to the eligible voters immediately upon receipt.
VOTER CHANGES/OMISSIONS: Listed below are the official instructions concerning voters' employment changes and omissions which may occur between the time of voter eligibility determination and the time that the ballots are distributed within each department or agency.
1. In the event a voter does not receive a ballot from his department, he or his agency may call and give us his name, social security number, and address at which he wishes to receive his ballot. If reviews of the voter eligibility list, distribution records and ballots already received indicate the voter did not receive a ballot, another will be mailed to him. However, the voter still has the responsibility to return his ballot to the Department of Civil Service no later than 4:30 p.m., February 24, 1999.
2. If a ballot envelope is received for someone who has terminated his classified state employment prior to the time of ballot distribution within your organization, return the unopened ballot envelope immediately to the Department of State Civil Service to the attention of Rosemary Hannie.
3. If you receive a ballot envelope for an employee who has transferred to another department, return it immediately to the Department of Civil Service to the attention of Rosemary Hannie.
4. In the event you do not receive a ballot for an eligible voter who has transferred into your department, you or the employee, may call Civil Service in accordance with the procedure as outlined in Item 1 above to receive another ballot.
5. Reasonable efforts should be made to distribute ballots to those employees on leave status or in official travel status, or otherwise not available.
To report or inquire about any of the items above, please call (225) 342-0640 or (225) 342-9024.
SECRECY OF BALLOT; INTERFERENCE WITH VOTER, PENALTY: All employees are reminded that Revised Statute 42:1355 provides that voters shall not be interfered with or influenced in the marking of their ballots and further provides penalties for those who violate the laws relating to the election. To fully ensure the right of each voter to cast a secret ballot, you are encouraged to urge them to mail their ballots to the Department. It is not an acceptable action for an appointing authority or supervisor or anyone else to urge or require any eligible voter to return their ballot in any other way.
You are urged to give this circular the widest and most expeditious distribution possible.
Sincerely,
Allen H. Reynolds
Director