DBIO Recommended Practices - Nomination of Officers

In the selection of nominees for Association offices, the Association Nominating Committee has priority over Division, Division or section nominating committees. However, the Association Nominating Committee usually starts its work before the Chapter, Division and section nominating committees; therefore, conflicts are rare. The Association slate of candidates is usually determined during the first quarter of the year and presented to the Board of Directors no later than its first meeting of Annual Conference.

A Nominating Committee for each election of members to the executive board shall be appointed by the board no later than May 1. This committee shall be composed of a minimum of three members, no more than one of whom is a member of the current board but at least one of whom shall be a former Division officer (such as past Chair, or member of the previous Nominating Committee).

Duties of the Nominating Committee are outlined below:

1. Each year the Nominating Committee shall present at least one candidate for each office where the incumbent’s term is expiring. The committee shall obtain the written acceptance of each nominee along with brief biographical information, prior to submission of its report.
2. The nominees for Chair-Elect should be aware that attendance at Division Cabinet meetings at the Association Leadership Summit and at the Annual Conference are part of the responsibilities of the elected candidate. An elected candidate should not simultaneously hold more than one office associated with membership in the Division and Division Cabinets.
3. The report of the Nominating Committee shall be published in the official Division bulletin or otherwise sent to Division members on or about September 1. Further nominations, accompanied by written acceptance of the nominee, may be entered by petition of 20 Division members, and shall be filed with the Nominating Committee by September 30th.
4. If the slate includes more than one candidate for any office, election shall be by secret ballot distributed to each Division member on October 1. Electronic balloting is acceptable. The candidate who receives the largest number of votes for any office shall be elected.
5. In the case of a distributed ballot, send the biographical information to the person whose duty it is to prepare and distribute the ballots (e.g., Secretary, Nominating Committee Chair or Bulletin Editor.) Full Members, Student Members, and Retired Members all have the privilege of voting. Mailing labels for envelopes and/or e-mails may be requested from the Association office. Please request these at least one week in advance of distribution.