Purpose

This purpose of this document is to clearly define the policies and procedures used by IGDA Scotland when electing chapter directors. The Election Procedures Policy adopted by the chapter’s Board of Directors is only superseded by the IGDA Bylaws.

Qualification for Office

The nominee must be a member of the IGDA in good standing and with voting rights.
The nominee must have read the IGDA Scotland Bylaws and agree to be bound by its terms.

Responsibilities and Positions

The following statements are excerpted and modified from the IGDA Bylaws. All definitions and policies are specified within the Bylaws.

“There shall be a Board of Directors of the Chapter, which shall supervise and control the business, property, and affairs of the Chapter, except as otherwise expressly provided by law, the IGDA Affiliated Chapter Agreement, or these Bylaws”

“Elected Directors on the Board of Directors shall serve for a term of two (2) years.”

“The officers of the Chapter shall consist of a Chair, a Vice-Chair, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The Chapter shall have such other assistant officers as the Board of Directors may deem necessary, and such officers shall have the authority prescribed by the Board. One person may hold more than one office, with the exception that the Chair may not also hold the office of Secretary or Vice-Chair.”

Nomination Eligibility

Members

Any member who meets the qualifications above may nominate himself – or herself – for election, by following the procedure below.

Directors

Any director whose seat is coming up for election may nominate himself – or herself – for re-election by following the procedure below. Directors in elected seats currently serving on the Board, whose seats are not coming up for election, may not nominate themselves for election to a different seat. Directors in appointive seats may not nominate themselves for election to an elective seat without first resigning from the appointive seat.

Candidates’ Statements

Each candidate will have the opportunity to prepare a statement that will be published to the IGDA and IGDA Scotland websites and emailed to chapter members as part of the election materials.

This statement may be no more than 400 words long. Any statements longer than 400 words will be returned to the candidate and the candidate will be asked to provide a shorter one. If no statement of 400 words or less is provided before the close of nominations, the election materials will state that no statement was provided.

Candidates are advised to maintain a professional tone and focus their statements on their personal philosophy, priorities and goals for the organization (e.g. 3/4 of statement). It is acceptable for candidates to provide some background on themselves (e.g. 1/4 of statement).

No candidate’s statement will be edited for any reason. However, the chapter Chair reserves the right to request edits or revisions if it is deemed that a candidate’s statement contains inaccuracies, false statements, or inappropriate language or content.

Election Process:

The following is a schedule recommended for your chapter election process.

Monday 20th October

Call for nominations opens.

Tuesday 11th November

Nominations closed. All nominations must be received by this date.
Must be a member by this date to participate in the vote.

Wednesday 12th November

Distribute Election Materials to members

Tuesday 18th November

Deadline for votes

Wednesday 19th November

New board members to be announced at Annual General Meeting

Nomination Process

Candidates must submit their intention to stand for election by email to info@igdacotland.org along with their candidate statement by 23:59 (UK time) on the designated nomination deadline date. By nominating themselves, candidates certify that they meet the qualifications for candidacy and agree to be bound by the Bylaws of IGDA Scotland. Nominees who fail to meet the qualifications for candidacy will be disqualified.

Withdrawal

Candidates who want to withdraw from the election before the election materials are emailed to members should notify the chapter Chair prior to the election meeting.

Effect of Withdrawal or Disqualification

If any candidate withdraws or is disqualified from the election before the ballots have been counted, votes for the candidate will not be counted. If a winning candidate withdraws or is disqualified after the ballots have been counted and before he or she has taken his or her seat, the non-winning candidate receiving the next highest number of votes will be elected. If no non-winning candidate is available, the seat will be declared vacant by the board

Inspector of Elections

The designated inspector for the 2014 election will be Tristin Hightower, Operations Manager for the IGDA. The inspector is responsible for tabulating the ballots after the elections closes.

Election Materials

When voting begins, members who are eligible to vote will be sent the election materials. The materials will include the candidates’ statements and instructions as to how to submit their ballot. The election materials will indicate the number of candidates and the number of seats being elected.

Voting Procedure

Directors for IGDA Scotland are elected by “approval voting” in which members are entitled to vote for as many or as few candidates as they like, including all or none, regardless of the number of seats open for election. The candidates receiving the most votes will be elected.

General Notes:

All elections should be guided by the provisions contained in the IGDA Scotland Bylaws. Any rules of procedure adopted by the chapter for elections, or required by local statute or common law should be reviewed in context of the Bylaws. Unless superseded by local statute, all questions of order or procedure should be determined in accordance with the IGDA’s Bylaws.