-
Qualifications: Officers, Section Council Liaison, and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee must be members of the Section.
-
Ballot: The Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall be elected by ballot as hereinafter provided.
-
Nomination and Election of the Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and Executive Committee Members: Each year the Nominating Committee shall nominate at least two candidates for the office of Vice-Chair and for each open Members-at-Large position on the Executive Committee. The Nominating Committee shall make every reasonable effort to propose a slate of nominees such that there will be representation from the small colleges as well as from the larger institutions, compliance with Article V.2 as regards student nominees, a reasonable balance in representation from the four states, and such that the terms of no more than three Members-at-Large end simultaneously. During the final year of the terms of the current Secretary-Treasurer, the Nominating Committee shall nominate at least one candidate. The Nominating Committee shall notify the Secretary-Treasurer of the slate of nominees not later than sixty days before the Annual Meeting, except under extraordinary circumstances.
The Secretary-Treasurer shall make known to the membership the vacancies that will be filled by upcoming elections, solicit suggestions for nominees, and announce opportunity for nominations from the membership.
The Secretary-Treasurer shall poll the Section membership by ballot containing the names of candidates proposed by the Nominating Committee along with means by which the voter may enter other names. The Secretary-Treasurer shall ensure that communication and voting are carried out in such a manner that no members are unable to participate due to the techniques used. Nominations for any office may be made by the membership and the Secretary-Treasurer will include on the ballot names of those whose nomination is supported in a manner and in a timely fashion as specified by the Secretary-Treasurer, by at least twenty percent of the current membership of the Section. To be valid, each ballot must be returned in a manner specified by the Secretary-Treasurer and received by the Secretary-Treasurer or his or her designate at least three weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. During the first two full years after the formation of the Section, the ballots shall be counted by the Secretary-Treasurer or by his or her designate. During later years the ballots will be counted by a Past Chair designated by the current chair or, if necessary, by another person designated by the Chair. The election shall be decided by a plurality of those voting. If there is a tie for one or more offices, the Executive Committee shall decide the election for those offices, with the Chair voting only in the case of a tie among the other Executive Committee members. The Secretary-Treasurer shall communicate the results of the election to the Chair at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting.
-
Selection of a Section Council Liaison: During its final meeting of the calendar year, the Executive Committee shall elect or re-elect, a member of the Section to serve as Section Council Liaison for the calendar year following his or her election.
-
Official Year: The official year shall extend from the close of the Annual Meeting to the close of the Annual Meeting of the succeeding calendar year.
-
Vice-Chair, Chair-Elect, and Chair: The member elected as Vice-Chair shall serve in that office for one year, then for one year as Chair-Elect, and then for one year as Chair. The Chair shall not be eligible for the office of Vice-Chair in the year following his or her term of office.
-
Terms of Office: The terms of office of the Officers and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall begin at the close of the Annual Meeting of the Section immediately following their election. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve for a term of three years and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The tenure of a Member at- Large of the Executive Committee shall terminate in the event of his or her assumption of a post as an elected Officer of the Section, and the unexpired portion of his or her term shall be filled as hereinafter provided for a vacancy. The term of office of the Section Council Liaison shall begin at the beginning of the calendar year following his or her election. The Section Council Liaison may serve no more than three consecutive terms.
-
Vacancies in Offices: If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair, the Chair-Elect shall succeed and complete the term and shall serve as Chair also in the following year. The Vice-Chair shall serve simultaneously as Chair-Elect during the remainder of the term and shall continue to serve as Chair-Elect in the following term.
If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair-Elect otherwise than through advancement to Chair, the Vice-Chair shall become Chair-Elect. In this case, and if the office of Vice-Chair becomes vacant for other reasons, the office of Vice-Chair shall remain vacant for the remainder of the term. For the next scheduled election, candidates for both Chair-Elect and Vice-Chair shall be nominated.
If vacancies occur in the offices of both the Chair and the Chair-Elect, the Vice-Chair shall become Chair and shall complete the term. In this case a special election shall be held to fill the offices of Chair-Elect and Vice-Chair. The members so elected shall continue to serve as officers in the normal succession order.
If a vacancy occurs in the office of the Secretary-Treasurer, the Section Council Liaison, or a Member-at-Large, the Executive Committee may elect a replacement to serve until the vacancy can be filled by means of a regular election by the members of the Section in the case of Secretary-Treasurer and Members-at-Large.