Bylaws

Approved 15 September 2011

300.0 NOMINATIONS, ELECTIONS, APPOINTMENTS.

301. Process.

The Past President who is the chair of the Nominations and Appointments Committee shall contact all organizational units of the Society each year inviting the submission of suitable names to be considered by the Nominations and Appointments Committee for the various elective and appointive offices.

302. Board of Governors Members-at-Large.

1. Nominations. Annually, the Nominations and Appointments Committee shall provide a slate of at least two nominees for each of the forthcoming Member-at-Large vacancies. The Nominations and Appointments Committee should also take into consideration any anticipated vacancies caused by a Member-at-Large becoming an Officer and include the vacancy on the upcoming Member-at-Large election ballot, so the replacement for the vacant Member-at-Large position would be member-elected. Recommendations for such nominees shall be solicited from members of the Board of Governors and from the chairs of all other organizational entities of the Society. Additionally, the Nominations and Appointments Committee shall publish a call for nomination in a publication normally reaching all Society members.

2. Terms of Service. Members-at-Large shall each serve three years on the Board of Governors. Members-at-Large may serve more than one term on the Board of Governors; however, such terms shall not be consecutive. Members-at-Large who are elected to fill a vacancy will only fill the remainder of the vacated Member-at-Large term, but can seek re-election for a full, three year term as Member-at-Large without a gap in service.

3. Petitions. In the event that a nominee’s name is not selected for a position on the general election ballot, and the nominee is a member in good standing and of the proper member grade to seek election, the nominee may seek to have his/her name added to the ballot by filing, prior to the date specified in the nominations calendar, a petition.

   (IEEE Must Have) For each elective office of the Society, individual voting members eligible to vote in such election may nominate candidates either by a written petition or by majority vote at a nomination meeting of the organizational unit, provided such nominations are made at least 28 days before the date of the election. The number of signatures required on a petition shall be determined in accordance with IEEE Bylaws as follows. For all positions where the electorate is less than 30,000 voting members, signatures shall be required from 2% of the eligible voters. For all positions where the electorate is more than 30,000 voting members, 600 signatures of eligible voters plus 1% of the difference between the number of eligible voters and 30,000 shall be required.

   Members shall be notified of all duly made nominations prior to the election. Prior to submission of a nomination petition, the petitioner shall have determined that the nominee named in the petition is willing to serve, if elected; evidence of such willingness to serve shall be submitted with the petition.

   (IEEE Must Have) Signatures can be submitted electronically through the official IEEE society annual election website, or by signing and mailing a paper petition. The name of each member signing the paper petition shall be clearly printed or typed. For identification purposes of signatures on paper petitions, membership numbers or addresses as listed in the official IEEE membership records shall be included. Only signatures submitted electronically though the IEEE society annual election website or original signatures on paper petitions shall be accepted. Facsimiles, or other copies of the original signature, shall not be accepted.

   The number of signatures required on a petition shall depend on the number of eligible society voters, as listed in the official IEEE membership records at the end of the year preceding the election

   The Nominations and Appointments Committee shall ensure that all such candidates are properly qualified, as stated in the Constitution. The Nominations and Appointments Committee shall further ensure that the petition signatories are Members in good standing and that the signatures coincide with the dates of petition collection established in the call for nominations.

4. Write-in Candidates. Ballots shall provide for write-in candidates.

5. Ballots. Ballots shall be mailed to the Society membership on or before July 1 with a statement that only those ballots received at the balloting agency within two months of their distribution date shall be counted.

The result of the balloting shall be transmitted to the Society President prior to the date of the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors.

6. Means of Election. The President shall declare those candidates having a majority of votes to be elected, subject to ratification by the Board of Governors at its Annual Meeting. Ties shall be broken by the Board of Governors. Should an elected member fail to accept office, the candidate receiving the next highest number of votes shall be certified elected. If a vacancy cannot be filled in this manner, the Board of Governors may make contingent elections.
7. Notifications. The Society Past President shall expeditiously notify the Secretary of the IEEE Technical Activities Board of the new Board of Governors’ membership.

303. President-Elect, Vice Presidents.

1. Nomination. The Nominations and Appointments Committee shall make an open solicitation for nominations for the offices of President-Elect and the various Vice Presidents, who shall serve on the Board of Governors for the succeeding term. Such solicitation shall occur not later than sixteen weeks prior to the Spring meeting of the Board of Governors. Nominations for President-Elect shall be restricted to individuals who have previously served as elected members of the Board of Governors. Individuals who have been Board-appointed to fill a Member-at-Large vacancy are not considered to have been member-elected therefore, these individuals shall not qualify for consideration for any position, which member-election is a prerequisite. If the need for a special election arises, it may be handled out of cycle provided that such solicitation shall occur no later than sixteen weeks prior to the Fall meeting of the Board of Governors. Special elections will follow the same guidelines as the President-Elect and Vice President elections.

   All Officer candidates must receive two nominations from Society members. Individuals may self-nominate for the Officer position provided that each nomination is seconded. In the case of self-nomination, the nomination must be seconded by an additional two individuals who are not the nominee.

   Annually, the Nominations and Appointments Committee shall provide a slate of at least two nominees for each of the forthcoming Officer vacancies. A maximum of three candidates can appear on the ballot for each Officer position becoming vacant.

2. Terms of Service. The President-Elect shall serve two years in office; he/she shall automatically succeed to the position of President, serving two years in that post. On becoming Past President, he/she shall automatically become the Chair of the Nominations and Appointments Committee. The Vice Presidents shall each serve three years in office. Individuals holding the aforementioned positions may serve more than one term on the Board of Governors; however, such terms in a single office shall not be consecutive.

3. Willingness to Serve. The Nominations and Appointments Committee shall obtain, in writing, from each individual who has received two or more nominations for any office, an agreement to serve if elected.

   Individuals who so agree shall be placed on the ballot and may be required to supply a brief biography, which shall accompany the ballot.

4. Presentation of Candidates. The chair of the Nominations and Appointments Committee shall provide to the Board, via e-mail, at least six weeks before the Spring meeting, the names of candidates for each position coming vacant at the end of the year. Each candidate will have provided, in advance, to the chair of the Nominations and Appointments Committee, written assurance of willingness and ability to serve.

5. Ballots. Employing electronic mail or other electronic means, the members of the Board shall elect the officers of the Society. The election ballot will be done position-by-position and the election information will be provided by the chair of the Nominations and Appointments Committee. Balloting will be conducted in sufficient time for the results to be confirmed by the Board at its Spring meeting.

6. Tally. The Society requires that there be more than one candidate for each Officer position on the ballot. The candidate receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the run-off ballot will include only those candidates who are tied for the lead. In the run-off tally, the candidate receiving a majority of the votes shall be declared the winner.

If the incoming President-Elect or one of the incoming Vice Presidents is an elected Member-at-Large of the Board of Governors, that Officer shall vacate the Member-at-Large position and the Member-at-Large vacancy shall be filled by the Board of Governors by the candidate having the next highest number of votes on the current year’s Member-at-Large election.

304. Regional Directors-at-Large.

The nomination process shall follow that of the Board of Governors Members-at-Large. The election shall take place in conjunction with the Board of Governors Members-at-Large election. Directors-at-Large are elected locally by members of the corresponding regions from regions 1-6 (US), 7/9 (Canada and Latin America), 8 (Europe/Middle East/Africa) and 10 (Asia/Pacific Rim), respectively. The Directors-at-Large shall each serve two years on the Membership Board.

305. Division Director-Delegate.

1. Nomination by Society. The Society’s Nominations and Appointments Committee will provide to the Executive Committee in any year in which the Society participates in IEEE elections for Division Director-Delegate or Division Director-Delegate-Elect, whichever is employed in the Division to which the Society belongs, nominee(s) for that post.

   Upon confirmation of the recommendation(s) of the Nominations and Appointments Committee by the Executive Committee, a single nomination shall be reported to the Division Nominating Chair.

2. Participation in Division Nominating Process. The Society President and/or his/her designated representative shall participate on the Division Nominating Committee, which is empanelled by the past Division Director-Delegate.

3. Permissibility of Single Nomination. The Society may permit the nomination of a single candidate for the post of Division Director-Delegate or Division Director-Delegate-Elect.