Article IV. Elections

Section 1.

The officers of the League shall be elected by a plurality vote cast on official ballots at a national convention or by mail. If necessary, a runoff vote shall determine an election. In the event that a Member Society has voted by mail and is also represented at the convention, the delegate or delegates in concert, may cast their Member Society's vote as they wish in a runoff election.

Section 2. Nominating Committee

1. The Vice President shall serve as Chair of a nominating committee including, but not limited to, the Regional Representatives from as many Regions as possible. The chair shall issue, through the medium of the League's publication, described in Article VII, Section 4, a call for nominations no later than nine (9) months prior to the national convention at which the election will take place. If the Vice President wishes to be a candidate, the President shall appoint a co-chair.

2. The nominating committee shall select one or more nominees for each executive office, and the committee chair shall submit a report to the President and the Executive Secretary by March 31. The Executive Secretary shall, in turn, submit to each member the ballot, along with biographical data on each candidate by April 30. The ballot shall instruct members to return it to the Nominating Committee Chair and shall be accompanied with a stamped, self-addressed envelope stamped "Ballot".

3. The Treasurer shall submit to the Nominating Committee Chair a current list of members and the number of people belonging to each member society in order that he/she determine each society's eligible votes as provided under Article I, Section 2.a.

4. Additional nominations may be made by any member by mail to the committee chair and shall be included on the ballot or, if received after completion of the ballot, entered into nomination by the committee chair at the annual business meeting described in Article VIII, Section 1. Provision shall also be made at the aforementioned business meeting for nominations from the floor. All nominations must be accompanied by the candidate's written consent to serve, if elected.

Section 3. Conduct of Elections

Elections for each office currently up for election shall be conducted separately at the League Business meeting by the Nominating Committee Chair or designated nominating committee member, in the following order: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Executive Secretary. In the event any runoff election is necessary, nominations for each office shall not close until the results of the previous election have been announced, otherwise, they shall close as the election proceeds. The committee chair or his/her designee shall add the votes and announce only the final total for each office. The mail ballots shall be turned over to the Executive Secretary, who shall retain them for sixty (60) days and may then destroy them, provided the election has not been challenged under Section 4 of this article.

Section 4. Election Misconduct

1. Nominating committee members and others who assist in conducting an election shall not participate in, nor shall League funds, nor its official seal, nor its official stationery be used for any electioneering activities for the advocacy of a candidate, principle, or party. Groups or committees may be formed around genuine policy differences or support of specific candidates, so long as no official endorsement is made or implied.

2. In the event of a challenge, in writing, of any phase of the election procedure, the full council, by mail vote, shall decide within sixty (60) days after such challenge what part, if any, of the election results should be considered invalid. A new election for the office(s) in question shall be completed within ninety (90) days of such invalidation; the previous officeholder(s) shall meanwhile assume the office(s) in question.