The Apportionment Ballot
The Apportionment Ballot is conducted annually to determine the
composition of the following years’ Council. The system used combines
the original Albee Commission plan developed in 1966 and the Wildcard
plan adopted by the membership in 1997.
Each voting member of APA receives a ballot with ten votes to
distribute among eligible constituencies (divisions and state/
provincial associations) according to his/her interests. Each division
and state/provincial association is invited to send an accompanying
statement (100 word limit) to solicit members’ votes. The statement
generally outlines the mission and important activities that the
organization is currently undertaking.
A division or state/provincial association receives one Council seat
for each 1% of the allocated votes calculated as shown:
* If allocated votes less than .5%, 0 seats awarded.
* If allocated votes .5% to less than 1.5%, 1 seat awarded.
* If allocated votes 1.5% to less than 2.5%, 2 seats awarded.
* If allocated votes 2.5% to less than 3.5%, 3 seats awarded.
* If allocated votes 3.5% to less than 4.5%, 4 seats awarded.
* Etc.
In addition, 48 “wildcard” seats are allocated to divisions and state/provincial associations (sppas) based on the proportion of the total
votes allocated to divisions and to sppas. If, for example, the
results show a 66.6:33.3 ratio (divisions:sppas), then 32 additional
seats would be awarded to divisions and 16 to sppas. Seats would first
be given to the divisions or sppas that did not receive a first seat
in the initial allocation. “First seats” would be awarded in the order
in which the units approached the 0.5% threshold. If seats remain in
either the division pool or the sppa pool after “first seats” have
been distributed, then the remaining seats would be awarded to the
unit (divisions from the division pool, sppas from the sppa pool) that
came closest to gaining a next seat, until all 48 “wildcard” seats are
distributed.
The results of the apportionment ballot, together with the current
membership of Council, are taken into account as the Election Office
generates a listing of division and state/provincial association
vacancies on Council for the following year. It is important to note
that:
* A division or state/provincial association that is allocated
fewer seats for one year than those allocated the previous year must
recall the appropriate number of representatives.
* If the division has more than one representative serving on
Council, it will be the division’s responsibility to determine which
representative will be recalled.
* Once a representative is recalled, the individual’s term is
over (APA Bylaws, Article V, Section 4). Even if the division regains
the lost seat on the next apportionment vote, a new election for
Council representative must be held to fill the seat.
Taken From: http://www.apa.org/about/division/door2.html
For more information about this site,
contact Kelly Kadlec, Division 35 webmaven.
