Announcements

Article VI: Election Process for Board of Directors and Executive Board

Section 1. Schedule. Elections shall be held on the following timetable:

September 15 Notice of election and call for nominations
October 10 Membership deadline to be eligible to vote
October 10 Deadline for nominations
Nov. 10 Deadline for distribution of ballots
Dec. 1 Last day to mail ballots
Dec. 5-20 Counting of ballots
Jan. 1 Officers take office

Section 2. Eligible voters. All active members age 19 or older shall be entitled to vote in ICA elections. Affiliate and Corporate members are not entitled to vote. For purposes of this section, an “active member” is one who is a member on October 10th of an election year, and whose membership is current when the member votes.

Section 3. Notice of elections and call for nominations. Notification of the election, the relevant dates, and procedures for voting shall be displayed on the ICA website and sent to members by September 15th. Members with an e-mail address on file with the association will be provided with this material via e-mail. Members with only a post office address on file with the association will be sent the material by regular mail. After candidates have been nominated, a sample ballot shall be placed on the ICA website.

Section 4. Nominations. Nominations shall be submitted to the Secretary in writing not later than October 10. Nominations must be supported by 10 ICA members eligible to vote, and the nominee must state his or her willingness to serve. Nominations may be made in writing, bearing the signatures of the nominators, or by email, in which event they should be sent to and gathered by the nominee and forwarded to ICA. Nominations shall specify whether they are for specific officers or for general Board positions.

Section 5. Distribution of ballots. Ballots shall be sent to eligible voters by November 10th. Eligible voters with an e-mail address on file with the association will be provided with a ballot via e-mail with instructions for submission. Eligible voters with only a post office address on file with the association will be sent a ballot and instructions by regular mail.

Section 6. Return and receipt of Ballots. All ballots must be postmarked by December 1st and returned to ICA by regular mail to an address specified in the instructions. The envelope containing the ballot must bear, as a return address, the name and address of the member voting. The envelopes shall remain unopened until they are counted.

Section 7. Opening and counting of ballots. Opening and counting of the ballots shall take place between Dec. 5 and Dec. 20, by a committee of not less than three individuals selected by the Executive Board, at a time and place determined and announced by the Executive Board. . Before the envelopes are opened, the names provided as return addresses shall first be checked off on the ICA membership list to ensure that no member votes more than once. The envelopes will then be opened and the ballots removed and laid aside so that the identities of the voters are, to the degree possible, unknown when the ballots are counted. If more than five individuals are nominated for general Board positions, the five nominees receiving the most votes shall be declared the winners. In the event the winning nominees do not satisfy the provisions of Articles V and VI of the constitution concerning geographic distribution, the nominee with the next highest number of votes from the relevant geographic area shall instead be declared the winner.

Section 8. Assumption of office. Officers and Board Members take office on January 1 of the year following an election and continue in office for two years.

Section 9. Irregularities. In the event of perceived irregularities or complaints about voting procedures, the Board shall appoint a special committee to investigate and recommend to the Board any actions which may be necessary.