Feature
APA's Council of Representatives has proposed two amendments to the association's bylaws that members will vote on this fall:
One will permit online voting in APA elections. If it is approved, members will continue to receive paper ballots for those elections offering online voting. Members will have the option of voting online or by mail.
The second amendment would provide a voting seat on council for each of four national ethnic-minority psychological associations: the American Association of Asian Psychologists, the Association of Black Psychologists, the Society of Indian Psychologists and the National Latino/a Psychologists Association.
Council also voted not to send pro/con statements with the proposed amendments.
APA will send the ballot to the membership with the Apportionment Ballot on Nov. 1.
Below are the proposed bylaws amendments; bracketed text is to be deleted and underlined text is to be added.
ARTICLE III: BILL OF RIGHTS FOR MEMBERS
All Members and Fellows shall have the right to vote, to hold office, and to secure fair consideration for governance appointment in the Association. Voting in any Association election may be done by either mail or electronic means.
ARTICLE VIII: OFFICERS
The President-elect shall be a Member of the Association, elected by preferential [mail] ballot, and shall take office as President-elect on January 1 of the year following his/her election. During the term of office, the President-elect shall serve as presiding officer of the Association, the Board of Directors, and Council in the absence of the President.
ARTICLE X: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
The Election Committee shall issue annually a call [by mail] to all voting members of the Association for nominations for the office of President-elect. The nomination ballots shall provide spaces for at least three names to be listed in order of preference. Forty-five days after [mailing] sending the nomination ballots, the Election Committee shall close nominations and shall make a preferential count of nominees for President-elect. The Election Committee shall then prepare for the final election ballot a slate including the names of the five persons who receive the largest numbers of nominating votes.
2. The Election Committee shall [mail] send to all voting Members of the Association the final ballot, which shall include nominees for President-elect and may include the names of nominees to such other offices as may be appropriate.
5. Forty-five days after [mailing] sending a final ballot, the Election Committee shall close the election and shall make a preferential count of the election ballot. Tie votes shall be resolved by lot. The Election Committee shall also secure reports from the Divisions and from the State/Provincial Associations of the results of all elections conducted by them. The election results shall be reported by the Election Committee to the Board of Directors and Council within thirty days after the ballot closes.
ARTICLE XX: AMENDMENTS
The Association, by [mail] vote of the voting Members on the official rolls of the Association at the time of [mailing] sending, may adopt such Bylaws or amendments to Bylaws as are consistent with the Association's Certificate of Incorporation and are deemed necessary for the management of the affairs of the Association.
Amendments may be proposed (a) by Council, (b) by the Policy and Planning Board, (c) by the Board of Directors when approved by Council by a majority vote, or (d) by petition signed by four percent or more of the Members of the Association. A copy of each amendment proposed, with space appropriate for voting and such explanations of the amendments as are deemed necessary, shall be [mailed] sent to the last recorded address of each Fellow, Member, and voting Associate member. Pro and con statements shall accompany amendments unless two-thirds of the representatives present and voting consider such statements to be unnecessary. Forty-five days after the date of [mailing] sending, the poll shall be closed and the votes counted by the Election Committee, which shall certify the results to Council at its next meeting, at which time the amendment, if passed by two-thirds of all Members voting, shall take effect.
New seats The second proposed bylaws amendments will provide a voting seat on Council for each of four national ethnic-minority psychological associations (American Association of Asian Psychologists, Association of Black Psychologists, Society of Indian Psychologists and National Latino/a Psychologists Association). The following explanatory note will be included: The Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) has advised us at this time they will not send a representative to APA Council. Nonetheless, it is being included in the proposed amendments so that if and when ABPsi decides to send a representative they will be able to do so. "Territorial" is also being added where appropriate throughout the amendments.
ARTICLE V: COMPOSITION OF THE COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES
Council shall be composed of Representatives of Divisions, Representatives of State, [and] Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Associations, members of the Board of Directors, the Officers of the Association (the chief staff officer shall serve without vote), [and] the APAGS Representative and one Representative from each National Ethnic Minority Psychological Association (the Asian American Psychological Association, the Association of Black Psychologists, the National Latina/o Psychological Association, and the Society of Indian Psychologists).
5. Council Representatives of a Division [or], a State/Provincial/Territorial Association, or the Asian American Psychological Association, the Association of Black Psychologists, the National Latina/o Psychological Association, and the Society of Indian Psychologists shall be members of [the Division or State/Provincial Association] their respective constituencies and Members of the Association, and shall be elected for a period not to exceed three years. If during that three-year period the Division or State/Provincial/Territorial Association is allocated fewer seats, the Division or State/Provincial/Territorial Association shall recall the appropriate number of Representatives. The term of office of the recalled member is thereby terminated.
6. Each APA Fellow, Member, and voting Associate member shall choose the Division(s) or State/Provincial/Territorial Association(s) through which he/she elected to have his/her interest represented on Council by allocating, at the time of the annual dues statement, a total of ten (10) votes to the Division(s) and/or State/Provincial/Territorial Association(s) through which he/she wishes to be represented the following year. However, only Fellows, Members (or voting Associate members) of the Divisions or State/Provincial/Territorial Associations so designated will be allowed to nominate and elect their Council Representatives. The Representatives of each of the National Ethnic Minority Psychological Associations shall be designated by their respective Association.
8. A Council member who has served for six consecutive years shall not be eligible for election or appointment for a period of one year as a Representative from any Division, State/Provincial/Territorial Association, National Ethnic Minority Psychological Association, or coalition.
That a new APA Bylaws Article XVI be added.
Article XVI: NATIONAL ETHNIC MINORITY PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATIONS
1. As provided in Article V.1, the Asian American Psychological Association, Association of Black Psychologists, National Latina/o Psychological Association, and the Society of Indian Psychologists shall each have one voting representative serving on the Council of Representatives of the American Psychological Association.
2. Each of these National Ethnic Minority Psychological Associations shall exercise such control over its members so that membership in such Association shall not imply membership in the American Psychological Association.
3. The American Psychological Association shall not be responsible for the acts or omissions of these National Ethnic Minority Psychological Associations, except as specifically authorized by these Bylaws or other duly promulgated rule of Council.
Note: If passed by membership, the current Article XVI and subsequent articles will be renumbered.
