(a) As part of a candidate statement, each candidate shall provide the following information in the format specified by the Election Coordinator:

(b) As part of a candidate statement, a candidate may provide a list of no more than 10 endorsements by individuals or entities,

(c) As part of a candidate statement, a candidate may provide answers to the following questions:

A candidate's answers to the preceding three questions indicating his or her opinion or positions on issues of general concern to the System's membership may be included, so long as they are clearly stated as the candidate's opinion or view and do not exceed the length limits specified by the Board in the Notice of Election. The answers must be truthful, and must not include any remarks or questions that are inherently misleading, including rhetorical remarks and questions that are inherently misleading. Answers may not refer to individual members of the Board or other candidates for election to the Board by name or inference.

Any portion of a candidate's answers to the questions above which, in total, exceeds the length limits specified by the Board in the Notice of Election will not be distributed.

(d) The candidate statement shall be filed with the Election Coordinator by the deadline indicated in the notification letter sent to qualified candidates. Once filed, statements may not be changed or withdrawn except by the Election Coordinator. Any candidate statement received after the deadline will not be distributed.

The Election Coordinator shall distribute candidate statements to the candidates in each contest following the candidate statement filing deadline. The Election Coordinator shall accept written comments concerning a candidate statement from opposing candidates for fourteen calendar days following the date he or she distributes the submitted candidate statements. The Election Coordinator shall attempt to resolve a dispute between candidates over a submitted candidate statement. Only those written comments that allege a candidate statement violates the provisions of this Section may be considered.

The Election Coordinator shall reject or edit any statement which he or she determines contains obscene, vulgar, profane, scandalous, untrue, libelous or defamatory matter or which does not meet the statement limitations stated above. The Election Coordinator may request the candidate to verify the truthfulness of any factual statements. The candidate shall provide timely verification upon such request as specified in the notification letter sent to qualified candidates. The Election Coordinator shall remove any portion of the candidate's statement a candidate is unable to verify. All decisions by the Election Coordinator related to candidate statements are final.

Nothing in this section shall be deemed to make candidate statements or the authors thereof free or exempt from any civil or criminal action or penalty because of any false, slanderous or libelous statements offered for printing or distributed to voters. Information contained in the statement is the responsibility of the candidate and the System shall not be held responsible for the validity of any candidate statement or the contents thereof.

Following the review of candidate statements by the Election Coordinator, he or she shall distribute to each candidate in the respective contest all candidate statements as they shall appear in election materials distributed to eligible voters.

Any copy or representation of election material, such as the ballot or campaign materials that include the System name, logo or registered mark of the System, shall include a disclaimer that neither the System nor the Teachers' Retirement Board endorses any particular candidate or position.