AMEND:Section3. The National Election Committee shall designate the dates for nominations, acceptance of nominations and for the distribution and tabulation of ballots, and shall so notify the membership in a timely manner. The last date for acceptance for nominations shall be at least thirty (30) days before the distribution of the ballots. No announcement of intent to run for an office or campaigning shall occur until the nomination of a candidate has been made and accepted in the nomination period. No candidates for  national office shall run a campaign as a pair. The last date for receiving and tabulating of ballots shall be at least thirty (30) days after the ballots are distributed.

Rationale: Announcing the intention of running for office prior to accepting a nomination gives an unfair advantage to anyone who has decided to run early as well as overwhelms the members with seemingly endless town halls, Facebook messages, YouTube videos, as well as distracts from day-to-day Union business outside of the nomination and election period. The election and nomination period have time parameters set by the NEC and there should be no campaigning outside of them. Additionally, each office is its own independent position, and a campaign should not be run as if two people are on the ballot together.