(Approved by the ACPSS Board — September 5, 2007)
1. Nomination-Recording Committee
a. The Nomination-Recording Committee will
i. Collect and record all the nominations from any qualifying current ACPSS members (current members refer to those whose memberships are in good standing).
ii. Check the nominees’ and nominators’ membership to verify validity of the nomination.
iii. Confirm with nominees by the deadline about their final decision to be on the ballot.
iv. Announce the candidates on the ballot for each position.
b. Members for the Nomination-Recording Committee and candidacy
i. The Nomination-Recording Committee will consist of 2-3 current Board members.
ii. The Nomination-Recording Committee will be formed by the Board around the middle of September 2007.
iii. Members on the Nomination-Recording Committee will quit the committee if she/he is nominated and accepts the nomination for the election.
iv. In the event not enough Board members are able to serve on the Nomination-Recording Committee, the Board may ask other qualifying ACPSS members to serve on the committee.
2. Positions open for election
a. President (1)
b. Board members (6)
c. Assets Management Committee members (3)
3. Nominations for ACPSS officers
a. Nominators and nominees for ACPSS officers must be current ACPSS members.
b. Any current members can nominate or self-nominate before the set deadline.
c. One eligible ACPSS member can be nominated for only one of the positions.
d. The Nomination Committee is to verify with all nominees on their willingness before their names are officially listed on the ballot.
e. Ballot Designing
i. Ballots will be designed by the Nomination Committee. Candidates will be listed in alphabetic order by their last names.
ii. One ballot will be designed for each of the positions.
iii. The electronic ballots will be announced on the ACPSS listserv and/or the ACPSS website about three weeks before the election.
4. Election Committee (EC)
a. The Election Committee is to conduct the election according to the election rules and procedures.
b. Candidates for the Election Committee must be current ACPSS members who are not candidates for any of the positions of the election.
c. Candidates for the Election Committee are to be nominated by the current ACPSS members and voted by the Board.
d. The Election Committee will consist of 3 (three) members and will be announced by the Board no later than the middle of October 2007.
e. The Board will select chair and vice chair of the Election Committee.
f. Candidates not chosen for the Election Committee will become substitutes, via majority vote of the Board, for the Election Committee if any member of the committee withdraws, is disqualified, or is absent on the day of the election.
g. In the event that there are not enough members on the Election Committee before or during the election, the current board will choose, via majority vote, any qualifying current ACPSS members for the Election Committee.
5. Voting
a. All candidates must be physically present at the time of election. Each candidate may choose to give a brief speech (about 5 minutes), and answer questions, if any, from the voters.
b. Ballots are to be distributed by the Election Committee, in the presence of the Board membership director; Only ACPSS members with current membership can vote.
c. The election committee will collect, check, and count the votes for each position on the election site.
d. In cases where the candidates nominated and confirmed on the ballot at the close of the nominations are equal to, or, fewer than, the number of candidates for the position, voting for that position at the election shall proceed in the following manner:
i. Those candidates who have been confirmed on the ballot, as long as they are physically present and make a verbal commitment to serving, are to be considered elected, before any on-site nominations are called for any unfilled positions.
ii. On-site nominations are only called for any remaining open positions. In such cases where ballots have not been prepared in advance, voters will write the candidates’
names on a validated piece of paper distributed by the Election Committee.
e. A vote is valid only if it is cast by the current qualifying ACPSS member and only if the number of the names chosen on the ballot does not exceed the number of the officers to be elected.
f. Those current members who attend the conference but may have to be absent from the election can cast their votes in the following manner:
i. Sign the voter’s name on the ballot before having it sealed in an envelop, put the voter’s name on the front of the envelop, and have both the chair of the election committee and the Board membership director sign on the back seal of the envelop.
ii. The sealed envelop/ballot is to be kept by the Election Committee chair and presented at the election site.
iii. This vote, if valid, will preclude the voter’s on-site vote should she/he later be able to attend the election.
6. Absentee Votes
a. Those current ACPSS members who are not attending the election or wish to cast absentee votes can use absentee votes, with the following regulations:
i. All absentee votes are open votes, and should be dated and written on the voter’s institutional letterhead, with the voter’s signature.
ii. All absentee votes must be accompanied by a copy of the voter’s government-issued photo ID (e.g., driving license or passport).
iii. All absentee votes must be postmarked 10 (ten) days before the election and must be mailed to the chair of the Election Committee via certified mail. The exact postmark date is to be announced along with the ballot.
iv. All absentee votes will be collected by the Election Committee chair, brought to the election site, and opened in the presence of the election chair, the Election
Committee, and the Board membership director.
v. The absentee vote, if valid, will preclude the voter’s on-site vote should she/he decide to attend the election.
7. Recording and announcing election results
a. Election results are to be recorded on site by the Election Committee.
b. Election results are to be announced by the Election Committee.
8. These rules are to be interpreted by the Board.