It’s election season—AIR election season, that is. And while it may be tempting to block all incoming information with the words “ballot” or “vote” in it, we need you to help us as we identify AIR’s future leadership.

The Nominations and Elections Committee has been working since May to pull together a strong ballot of candidates. We are thankful to all who agreed to be nominated, who completed our nominee questionnaire, and who ultimately consented to have their name appear on the ballot. These colleagues have stepped forward and opened themselves to the process.

Now we need to hear from you. As we all know, voter turnout is key to any election. You might be surprised to hear that AIR’s voter turnout is no better than what we see in elections around the United States. You might think “my vote isn’t needed, plenty of smart people will take care of that for me.” That’s just not the case. We need to hear from everyone—new and seasoned professionals—to make sure the process reflects what you, the members, want to see in AIR leadership.

You have some difficult choices, as the ballot is full of strong candidates. But we’ve tried to make the process easy. If you don’t know much (or anything) about a candidate, Candidate Profiles are available on the voting site. They include photos, service history, and answers to questions about the future of IR and the candidate’s connection with others in the field. We hope this gives you insight into the candidates and assists you in making your choices.

Ultimately, every vote is important. The AIR elections have had ties and very close votes in the past, in part because strong ballots produce close elections. This means that your vote really does matter; it could be the one that breaks the tie. 

Finally, if no other argument convinces you to vote, this year we’re distributing “I Voted” electronic “stickers” to everyone who votes. You may have seen them popping up on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. The way to get your own is to vote. So, if you don’t do it for the association, or for the intrinsic pleasure of having your voice counted, do it for the satisfaction of having an “I Voted” profile photo.