ASECS members voted to approve the new Bylaws. An impressive 57% of members voted, with 97% in favor. Thank you for your commitment to good governance!
The new Bylaws will come into effect with the new membership year, July 1, 2025.
You can find a summary of the revisions in the slide deck on the right, and review the versions as well.
Days left to vote
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What?:
- ASECS membership will vote on whether to pass revised Bylaws, as reviewed and approved by the Executive Board and legal counsel.
Why?
- Click here to access a summary of the reasons and types of changes we are voting on.
- These changes broaden the definition of fields of scholarship, promote more inclusivity, and provide representation for graduate students and early career scholars on the Board.
When?
- The voting period will take place from July 15-Oct. 10, 2024, in accordance with our Constitution and Bylaws (see Article X).
Who?
- Only current (dues paid) ASECS members may vote.
- Not sure if you’re a current member? You can check the status of your membership by logging in to your profile, as well as make changes to your profile here: Membership Profile or by emailing the Executive Director, Benita Blessing.
- Want to become a member or renew your membership? Click here: Membership
How?
- 20% of current members must take part in the vote for it to be valid; 2/3 of voting members must vote in favor of the new Bylaws for the measure to pass.
- ASECS is using “Election Runner” to run this vote.
- Current members will receive a ballot via that system from “director@asecs.org.” Check your spam folder if you did not receive a ballot, or contact the Executive Director for assistance.
- If you are not yet a member, you can join or renew your membership (see above). Once you do so, you will receive a ballot within 24-48 hours.
- Voting is easy: You will just click on the ballot link in the email to you and vote either “yes” to accept the proposed new Bylaws or “no” to reject them. There is no need to remember a password; the email link is unique to you and cannot be shared.
- The voting system will send reminder emails to you weekly until you vote. They’ll stop once you vote!
20% of Current Members Must Vote
2/3 of Votes Must be “Yes” for Bylaws Measure to Pass
Percentage of Members’ Ballots Cast
Summary of Bylaws Changes
Click here to see the slide deck.
Bylaws Revisions – Current and New Draft
Bylaws Task Force Committee and Charge
Bylaws Task Force 2023-2024
- Misty Anderson, ASECS 2nd Vice President [1st Vice President 2024-2025], co-chair; Professor of English, affiliate Professor of Theatre and Religious Studies, University of Tennessee
- Paola Bertucci, ASECS 1st Vice President [President 2024-2025], co-chair; Professor of History and History of Medicine; Curator-in-charge, History of Science and Technology Division, Peabody Museum, Yale University
- Manushag (Nush) Powell, ASECS Parliamentarian, ex officio, non-voting; Professor of English, Purdue University
- Benita Blessing, ASECS Executive Director, ex officio, non-voting
- George Boulukos, Professor of British Literature and Africana Studies, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
- Mark Boonshoft, Associate Professor of American History; Chair in American Constitutional History, Virginia Military Institute
- Jason Farr, Associate Professor of English, Marquette University
- Jennifer Germann, Regional Affiliate of Institute for European Studies, Cornell University, and Independent Scholar, British and French Art History, Women’s and Gender Studies
- Monica Anke Hahn, Assistant Professor of Art History, Community College of Philadelphia
- Christy Pichichero, Associate Professor of History, French, and African and African American Studies, affiliated faculty in Women and Gender Studies and War and the Military in Society programs, George Mason University
- Chunjie Zhang, Associate Professor of German, affiliate faculty in Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, East Asian Studies, Critical Theory, Global Migration Center, and Religious Studies Graduate Group, UC Davis.
Bylaws Vote FAQs
- Is my vote secure?
- Yes. Each voter is assigned a unique Voter ID and Voter Key and can only vote once. All elections have SSL (https://) grade security with 256bit encryption.
- Can I vote from my cell phone or tablet as well as my computer?
- Yes. You just click on the link in the email. There is no sign-in required.
- I made a mistake when I cast my ballot.
- Contact the Executive Director for help (director@asecs.org).
- I paid my membership dues for this membership year, but didn’t get a ballot.
- Contact the Executive Director for help (director@asecs.org).
- Is it really that important for me to vote?
- YES! 20% of all current (dues paid) members must vote in order for the referendum to be valid.
- Why does the percentage of ballots cast fluctuate downwards on some days?
- The number of ASECS members increases daily throughout the membership year every time someone becomes a member or renews membership, but the 20% minimum votes is constant. Over time, therefore, the number of votes needed will increase.
- I have a question about an aspect of the current or proposed Bylaws.
- Contact the Executive Director (director@asecs.org) so we can get you the information you need.
- I don’t use the email address that is associated with my ASECS membership account anymore.
- If you no longer have access to the email associated with your membership, contact the Executive Director (director@asecs.org).
- Is there a way to vote that isn’t online?
- All votes must be conducted electronically. If voting online would pose a challenge for you, please contact the Executive Director (director@asecs.org) for help.
- How often do Bylaws need renewing?
- An association’s bylaws should be renewed as the association’s needs change and to comply with new federal and state laws for nonprofits. Many associations review their bylaws every 3 years.
- Will there be updates on how the vote is going during the voting period?
- No. The percentage of ballots cast is the only thing that is recorded until the election is complete.
- Can anyone see how I voted?
- No. Election administrators can see only whether a voter cast a ballot, when it was cast, and the IP address.
- When will the results of the vote be announced?
- It can take several days to certify a vote. We’ll try publish the results within 7-10 days.
- I can see the ballot, but I can’t click it to vote.
- Take a screenshot of what you see, or write down the error message, and contact the Executive Director (director@asecs.org) for help.