best practices for election procedures in acs local sections and divisions

American Chemical Society

Best Practices for Election Procedures in ACS Local Sections and DivisionsWilliam H. (Jack) Breazeale, Jr., Chair ACS Committee on Nominations and Elections

American Chemical Society 2

Webinar Objective

• Offer a tutorial that presents information on best practices for election procedures in ACS Local Sections and Divisions


Local Section/Division Election Procedures

Webinar Key Content Areas:• Manner of Elections • Balloting (paper and electronic)• Role of Tellers• Reporting Election Results • Vacancies, Election Disputes



Webinar Key Content Areas:

(Candidates)• Finding future candidates (discussion)

(Logistics)• Follow-ups • Acknowledgments



• “A Local Section/Division shall elect its own officers, Councilors and Alternate Councilors.”

(ACS Constitution - Article XII, Sec. 5b and Article XIII, Sec. 2b)



• Local Section and Division bylaws govern the election process. Following the bylaws and revising where appropriate, minimizes election disputes and avoids the possibility that an election must be re-run.


Manner of Elections

Local Section and Division bylaws typically specify that:• Officers, Councilors and Alternate Councilors are

elected by members for a specific term. (Neither Society Affiliates, Local Section/Division Affiliates, may vote, nor hold an elected position. Student members may vote; and if the bylaws permit, they may hold an elected office.)

• A Nominating Committee is required, and by whom and by when the Committee is appointed.


Manner of Election

Local Section and Division bylaws typically specify:• How the election will be conducted for officers

and Councilors (balloting at a regular meeting, by mail, and/or electronic balloting)

• The opportunity for nomination by petition


Balloting

• Balloting should be fair and open to all eligible voters.

• Ballots should include the name of candidates in a predetermined order (bios and statements should also be included).

• Ballots should be returned in a separate envelope with a space for a signature.


Balloting

• Always request a current mailing list for those members eligible to vote. (Remember neither Society Affiliates nor Local Section/Division Affiliates may vote.)

• Retain this list with your voting information for one year. • Ballots should not be printed as part of a local section

or division newsletter. • The period for distribution and return of ballots is

usually clearly stated in the bylaws and adhered to.


Balloting

All ACS elections must be conducted confidentially: the local section/division does not know how an individual member voted in the election.


Electronic Balloting

• Check your bylaws to ensure that the bylaw election information is current and allows for electronic balloting.

• Ensure that words like “mail”, “signature”, “envelope”, and other similar words are removed from the local section/division bylaws.

• If changes are needed, submit proposed changes to the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws (C&B) at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



Like mail ballots electronic balloting procedures shall meet the requirements of:

1) Fair and open balloting

2) Balloting that is confidential

3) Protection against fraudulent balloting

4) Ballot archiving

5) Timely reporting of results


Electronic Balloting - locating a vendor for electronic elections

Check with:• Other local section/divisions using an electronic

voting system• Local college or university – they may have

electronic balloting systems for their own use to which they may be willing to give you access

• SurveyMonkey – www.surveymonkey.com

http://www.surveymonkey.com/


Electronic Balloting - locating a vendor for electronic elections

• Survey & Ballot Systems –– www.surveyandballotsystems.com (contact

[email protected] for details)

• The ACS national election vendor – VR Election Services (VRES)– www.vres.us

http://www.surveyandballotsystems.com/


http://www.vres.us/



• Local Sections and Divisions that are currently using an electronic voting system may be totally electronic or using a hybrid much like the ACS national election system: a combination of paper and electronic ballots.



Process for electronic balloting in the ACS national election:• ACS national election uses an outside vendor (VRES)

to manage all aspects of the election. The vendor mails the ballots out to all of the voting membership, receives the ballots back at their office, and tallies the votes.

• Immediately prior to the election period, the Society sends the vendor the list of all current ACS members. The list qualifies these members as eligible to vote in the election.



Process for electronic balloting in the ACS national election:• The vendor uses the list of member numbers to

generate Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) for each ACS member.

• The vendor tracks which PINs are used for electronic voting and mail ballots in order to reconcile the situations in which a member were to vote by both methods.



• Solutions for resolving double voting include:– First ballot received takes precedence – Mail ballots take precedence – Internet ballot takes precedence – Both ballots denied



• The procedure used in ACS national elections is that the first ballot received (either by Internet or by mail) takes precedence and automatically prohibits the second ballot from being counted.

• The PINs are encoded as a bar code, which allows the vendor to accurately scan and reconcile each returned (mail ballot).

• After the ballots have been reconciled, any record of the association of the ACS member numbers with the PINs will be destroyed, which ensures confidentiality for the ACS member.



• For more information on local section and division elections, please visit www.acs.org/elections and view the document “Protocols for Conducting Elections in Divisions and Local Sections.”

http://www.acs.org/elections


Role of Tellers

• The appointment of tellers and their roles should be identified in the bylaws.

• Tellers should count ballots, tally votes, determine invalid ballots based on the local section/division guidelines.

• A method for handling tie votes should be clearly stated in the bylaws and adhered to.

• Tellers should report the vote tally, including rejected ballots to the local section or division secretary or other officer as specified in the bylaws. The report should reach the secretary as soon as possible.


Reporting Election Results

• The secretary or designated officer of the local section or division reports the election results as soon as possible.

• Following the report to the local section or division, the secretary should report results to the ACS Executive Director ([email protected]) for certification. The deadline, as designated in the bylaws, is December 1.

• Following the announcement of election results, ballots and a copy of the ballot mailing list should be archived for a period to be specified in the bylaws. The recommended period is one year.



Vacancies and Election Disputes

• In the event of a vacancy by an officer or Councilor of a local section or division, a provision should exist in the bylaws calling for selection of an officer either by succession of an officer, appointment of an officer, or special election.

• Provisions for election disputes should be clearly stated in the bylaws. However, if the dispute cannot be settled, it should be reported to the ACS Committee on Nominations and Elections for resolution.


Vacancies and Election Disputes

• If in a local section or division election the Committee on Nominations and Elections (N&E) finds a significant violation of the Constitution and Bylaws provision regulating procedures, which appears to benefit the winning candidate, the committee may declare the election void and order a new election to fill the vacancy.

• N&E contact: ([email protected])




• Challenges Local Sections and Divisions Face– Identifying candidates to run for office – Following their election bylaw – Reporting election results by the December 1

deadline



• Suggestions for identifying candidates for office:– Have the nominating committee maintain a list of

possible candidates that are carried over each year– Develop a leadership succession plan – Encourage current officers to mentor members who could

possibly become leaders– Recognize current officers for their volunteer efforts – Consider enrolling in the ACS Leadership Development

System Course: “Engaging and Motivating Volunteers”



• The four-hour ACS Leadership Development System course, “Engaging and Motivating Volunteers” offers the following:– How to ask others to step-up and volunteer– How to delegate and share responsibility for projects – How to keep projects moving – Understand what form of motivation will excite and

commit volunteers

• Visit www.acs.org/leaders for more details.

http://www.acs.org/leaders



• How have you identified candidates for local section/division offices?

• What suggestion can you offer others? (discussion)


Other Challenges – Updating the Election Bylaw

• When considering unit bylaw changes, the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws (C&B) offers two documents on the ACS website:– Quick guide for making proposed bylaw changes for

C&B Preliminary Review – Bylaw guidelines and MODEL BYLAWS

• They are located at www.acs.org/bulletin5 - then click Constitution and Bylaws, or contact [email protected]

http://www.acs.org/bulletin5



Other Challenges

• Reporting Election Results by the December deadline– Officers should be listed in the Yellow Book – Committee appointments delayed (Councilor/Alternate

Councilor results critical to the process)– Can’t access FORMS, if election results are not in

• Important: Report Election Results by December 1


Frequently Asked Questions

• Can letters of endorsement be included in the official ballot mailing?



• Can the nominating committee be chosen by someone other than the local section or division chair or the executive committee?



• What are the steps in certifying the local section/division election?



• “If I suspect an election violation in my local section or division, what is my recourse?”


Follow-ups

• Refer to the frequently asked questions (FAQ) document and the slide presentation “A Tutorial on Best Practices for Election Procedures in ACS Local Section and Divisions posted at www.acs.org/elections

• Follow your bylaws as they pertain to elections in the local section or division. Always review the bylaws prior to the beginning of the election process.

http://www.acs.org/elections


Follow-ups

• Update your bylaws as needed by contacting the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws at [email protected] or 202-872-4071.

• For election questions, please contact [email protected] or call 202-872-4461.




Reminder

• Closely following the bylaws helps ensure that officers are properly in place, and are authorized to act on behalf of your local section or division!


Questions/Discussion


Acknowledgements

• The Committee on Nominations and Elections thanks the following for their contributions to this webinar:– Mitchell R. M. Bruce, Chair, Committee on Local Section

Activities – Michael Morello, Chair, Committee on Divisional Activities – Harmon Abrahamson, Chair, Committee on Constitution and

Bylaws– Flint Lewis, ACS Secretary and General Counsel Staff Liaison, Committee on Nominations and Elections– Yvonne Curry, Assistant Secretary for Governance Affairs,

Assistant Staff Liaison, Committee on Nominations and Elections

best practices for election procedures in acs local sections and divisions

Documents

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acs local sections

bylaw election information

division bylaws

bylaws permit

alternate councilors

chair acs committee

acs constitution article