Get ready for the ERS Board of Trustees election
One way to make sure you are represented in benefits discussions is to take part in the upcoming Board of Trustees election. ERS will accept nominations starting March 1 until March 31 at 5 p.m. CT to fill one of three elected positions on the ERS Board.
ERS will distribute nomination packets to state agency executives and Human Resources directors in February.
Who can run
State of Texas agency employees who are contributing to the ERS Retirement Trust and most state agency retirees who are getting an annuity from ERS can run.
- Note: In this year’s election, employees of the Department of Transportation and Health and Human Services Commission are not able to run because those entities already have representation on the Board. But, employees in those agencies can nominate candidates from other agencies, sign a nomination petition and, of course, vote in the election.
Who can vote
ERS members and retirees can vote in the ERS Board of Trustees election if they have an ERS account balance as of Jan. 31, 2023 or are receiving an annuity from ERS.
Candidate eligibility
To get on the ballot, a candidate must gather a minimum of 300 unique signatures from eligible voters. Candidates are encouraged to gather between 400 and 500 signatures to allow for invalid entries. If a person signs a nomination petition more than once, or signs a petition for more than one candidate, neither signature will be counted.
Nominations process
In addition to the paper petition forms traditionally used in past Board elections, voters will have the option to electronically nominate a candidate on a dedicated ERS nominations website.
The process to cast an e-signature for a nominee is very similar to online voting. On the ERS nominations website, the voter will log in by typing in their individual credentials: their ZIP code, date of birth and portions of their first and last names. Using the known credentials, the website will automatically authenticate voter eligibility.
Why you should consider a run and make sure to vote
The Board makes important decisions regarding your member benefits such as:
- designing plans for your health care and pharmacy benefits,
- selecting third-party administrators of health insurance and other benefit programs and
- authorizing new programs.
The Board also manages the Texa$averSM 401(k) / 457 Program and oversees the ERS Retirement Trust Fund, which invests state, agency and member pension contributions.
More information
News About Your Benefits will have more information in the coming weeks about the nomination process.
In the meantime, you may want to take a few moments to learn more about the Board, the current trustees and their recent activities. There’s a wealth of information––including trustee bios, presentation and video from past meetings––in the Board of Trustee section of the ERS website.