2023 Annual Member Vote FAQ
Who is eligible to vote?
- As stated in NACAC’s Bylaws, only NACAC voting members in good standing on the sixtieth (60) day prior to the start of voting, May 21, 2023, are eligible to vote.
What will we be voting on?
- The vote includes the election of the chair-elect of the board, three directors and two proposed bylaw amendments.
What are the proposed bylaw amendments?
- Reduce the association’s quorum requirement from 10 percent of eligible voting members to 1,000 eligible voting members.
- Increase the number of appointed board directors from a maximum of three to a maximum of five.
Why are we proposing these changes?
- Decreasing Quorum Requirement
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- NACAC increased voting accessibility through a virtual process following the historic special member vote (winter 2021) that granted all eligible voting members the ability to elect officers and board directors. Pre-pandemic, the Annual Member Vote took place at the annual NACAC Conference, where the 10 percent quorum comprised all conference attendees. At our most highly attended conference, 10 percent of conference attendees was approximately 800. Today, for virtual voting, we use the number of eligible voting members in our entire membership to determine quorum. Ten percent of our eligible voting members is approximately 2,500.
- NACAC’s quorum requirement is significantly higher than those of similar organizations. Reducing the quorum to 1,000, maintains a greater voting standard than our highest in-person attendance counts. Doing so will also enable the NACAC board and staff to focus more time delivering on mission-critical activities to support members and the needs of the profession.
- Increasing Appointed Board Directors
- NACAC is a complex and sophisticated organization that requires a wide range of expertise to govern it strategically and effectively. The board believes that the addition of two appointed board directors will expand expertise in much needed areas such as philanthropy, law, finance, association management, and/or local school district leadership. Increasing the number of appointed directors from up to three to up to five ensures that we can rise to meet the challenges of today and anticipate those of tomorrow.
How do I submit comments and/or questions about the proposed bylaw amendments?
- Comments and questions can be submitted to governance@nacacnet.org.
What is the approval process?
- One-tenth (1/10) of all eligible voting members must submit a ballot to constitute a quorum.
- For the proposed bylaw amendments, of the ballots submitted, two-thirds (2/3) must vote in the affirmative for each motion to pass.
- Results of the election will be decided by a simple majority.
When and how will the vote take place?
- Online voting will begin on Thursday, July 20 at 10 a.m. ET and continue until 5 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 8. Watch your email for a personalized voting link on July 20 coming to you from Election Buddy.
- If your institution blocks such emails, or if you won’t have access or be checking your institution email during the summer, please contact governance@nacacnet.org to provide an alternate email address (such as Gmail) to receive your ballot. To ensure that your ballot does not end up in your spam folder, please add invitations@mail.electionbuddy.com to your safe recipient list.
When will the results be announced?
- All members will receive an email message as soon as possible after the results of the Annual Member Vote are confirmed.
Where can I get more information?
- Register for the AMV webinar.
- Register for nominee town halls: Chair-elect Nominees Town Hall | Director Nominees Town Hall
- Learn about the board nominees.
- Review the proposed bylaw amendments.
- Contact governance@nacacnet.org
What is the timeline?
- May 22 – June 15: Member comment period
- May 30 12-1 pm ET: Annual Member Vote webinar. Register Today!
- June 20: Final proposed bylaw amendments and official motions to be shared with members.
- July 20: Voting opens
- Sept. 8: Voting closes