Bylaws
The section between the lines is a direct copy from the 2012 Bylaws. Please do not edit.
Section 3. Nominations and Elections
- The Nominating Committee shall prepare annually a slate of (at least one, but more are preferred) nominee(s) for President-Elect and for each elective officer whose term expires.
- Ballots shall be distributed to the voting membership by the Nominating Committee at least sixty (60) days prior to the Chapter’s Annual Meeting and shall be received by the Nominating Committee by the date previously announced for counting ballots. Candidates shall be declared elected upon receiving a majority of the votes cast. Where there are more than two candidates, a plurality shall elect.
Charge
The Nominations and Elections Committee shall solicit nominations and conduct election of officers as specified in Chapter Bylaws Article IV, Section 5. It shall solicit nominations and conduct the election of the Candidate for MLA Nominating Committee as specified in Chapter Bylaws Article IV, Section 7. The committee chair shall announce the results of all elections at the Annual Business Meeting and in MIDLINE. The committee shall make recommendations to the Executive Board on all policies relating to nominations and elections. It shall document nominations and elections policies and procedures on the Chapter website and in other relevant publications. The committee chair shall prepare a report for each Executive Board Meeting and submit appropriate documentation to the Chapter archives.
The Nominations and Elections Committee shall consist of the Immediate Past President, who serves as Chair, plus at least three members appointed to serve a one-year term by the Immediate Past President. The President and President-Elect may not serve on the Nominations and Elections Committee.
Published at https://mcmla45.wildapricot.org/nominations-and-elections-committee
Ongoing
- The Nominations and Elections Committee shall submit an annual report of its activities to the Chapter President prior to the Fall Executive Board Meeting for incorporation into the Annual Chapter Report for submission to MLA headquarters.
- Submit items of interest to the Communications Committee.
- Submit documents to the Archivist.
Timeline
| Jan-Apr |
Develop a list of potential candidates. Check the Representative to MLA Chapter Council's terms of office. If it will end the following year, this position is up for election. See Notes below. |
| May/Jun |
Recruit at least one candidate for each position up for election. Verify that each candidate is a member of the Chapter and of MLA. Each candidate should fill out a Candidate Biographical Information Form. This form includes a "willingness to serve" statement that needs to be initialed and dated by the candidate. At the end of the form there is a space for candidates to provide statements of interest or aims regarding the position (optional). |
| Jun/Jul |
Chair notifies Executive Board of election slate. |
| July |
Chair sends candidate biographical information in PDF format to the Communications Committee Chair for inclusion on the Chapter's website here: Elections - Biographical Information or include it in the program used to conduct the election. |
| Jul/Aug |
Distribute the ballot. This must be done 60 days before the Chapter's annual meeting, so it's safest to plan to distribute the ballot by early August. |
| Aug/Sep |
Count ballots. Chair notifies candidates, submits report to Executive Board, and announces results on chapter members email list. Chair also submits an article for the next issue of MIDLINE |
| October |
Confirm elections at the October Executive Board Meeting. |
| |
Introduce newly elected officers at the Annual Business Meeting. |
| November |
Submit printout of ballot, completed candidate willingness to serve forms, and election results to the Archivist. |
| |
Chair sends letters of thanks/acknowledgment of service to committee members. |
Chair Responsibilities
- Communicate with the Executive Board as described in the timeline above.
- Notify all candidates of the election results by phone and letter.
- Send letter of thanks to outgoing committee members.
- Send list of individuals approved for wiki access to the chapter archivist.
-
Notes
- MLA Bylaws permit electronic balloting and our Chapter Bylaws stipulate the MLA Bylaws can take precedence. We no longer use paper ballots.
- In the past, we have used a variety of programs to vote electronically, including Qualtrics and Survey Monkey. A link to vote is then distributed via the membership email.
- The Representative to the MLA Chapter Council and Alternate Representative's terms of office run 3 years from June through May.
- The Representatives must be elected in the fall before they take office in the spring following the next MLA Annual Meeting. For example, if the Representatives' terms run from June 2022-May 2025, the position will need to be on the 2024 ballot.
- See Nominations and Elections directory for other documents such as notification letters and sample ballots.
- Ballot timeline through 2018
- Sample election results report
- The candidate's biographical information can be posted on the Chapter's website or can be included with the ballot, depending on the program used. After the initial announcement of the election, 3 reminder emails should be sent sent to the chapter members email list, including one on the final day of voting.
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.