IEEE Bylaws

I-308. Nominations and Elections

8. Voting Members Candidate Notification.   In accordance with Article XII of the IEEE Constitution, the Board of Directors shall submit to all voting members on or before 1 May of each year a list of nominees for President-Elect; Delegate/Director or Delegate-Elect/Director-Elect, whichever is applicable; and such other officers to be elected by voting members for the coming term.
   
   
9. Petition Candidates.  Individual voting members may propose, by petition, names to be added to the IEEE annual election ballot for positions of the officers to be elected by the voting members or groups of voting members for the coming term.
   
   For all positions where the electorate is less than 30,000 voting members, signatures shall be required from 2% of the eligible voters.
   
   For all positions where the electorate is more than 30,000 voting members, 600 signatures of eligible voters plus 1% of the difference between the number of eligible voters and 30,000 shall be required.
   
   Qualifications of petition candidates and procedures for announcement, distribution, and approval of petitions shall be specified in the IEEE Policies. 
   
   The completed petition shall be submitted in a letter to the Board of Directors, to be received at IEEE Headquarters no later than twelve o'clock noon on the Friday preceding 15 June of the year of the election.
   
   
10. Approval of Ballot.  During the period between the Friday preceding 15 May and 1 August of the year in which the election will be held, the Executive Committee shall be authorized to take any necessary actions on any petitions and to approve the ballot.
    
    
11. Ballot Submission Schedule.   On or before 1 August, the Board of Directors shall submit to eligible voting members on record as of 30 June, a ballot listing all nominees for the positions to be filled by election by the membership.
    
    
12. Candidature Withdrawal.   Each proposed nominee named by the Board of Directors shall be consulted and, if he/she so requests, his/her name shall be withdrawn.  If any write-in candidate shall be declared to have won an election (see Bylaw I-308.15), he/she shall be so notified and requested to serve.  If he/she declines to serve, the candidate receiving the next highest vote shall be declared to have won the election.
    
    
13. Ballot Presentation.   The list of nominees required to be submitted to all voting members by the Constitution shall contain one or more names for the office of President-Elect.
    
    The ballot presented to voting members of each of the  Regions/Divisions where an election of Region/Division Delegate/Director or Region/Division Delegate-Elect/Director-Elect is to take place shall contain the names of not fewer than two nor more than three candidates submitted in accordance with the MGAB and TAB sections of these Bylaws. In addition, the ballot shall contain the names of candidates nominated by valid petitions in accordance with IEEE Policy 13.8. The source of nomination of each candidate shall be identified. When desired, the Region ballot may also contain names of candidates for other Region offices (other than Region Delegate/Director) as determined by the Region Committee. If an individual is a voting member in Societies in more than one Division, that individual may participate in the election of each such Division. Regardless of how many Society memberships may be held within any one Division, an individual shall have only one vote in each Division election.
    
    For those cases where more than one candidate is on the ballot for any single office, the source of the nominations shall be identified adjacent to each name and the order of the list of names on the ballot for each office shall be randomized or determined by a lottery process conducted by the Tellers Committee.  The ballot shall carry a statement to the effect that the order of the names was randomized or selected by lottery and indicates no preference.
    
    
14. Ballot Marking; Voting; Tellers Committee Announcement; Election Results.   Ballots will be valid only when completed in accordance with the instructions accompanying the ballot and when received at IEEE Headquarters or by a qualified organization designated by the IEEE Executive Committee before twelve o’clock noon on the first working day following 30 September (the "final election ballot receipt date"). Ballots shall be validated and votes shall be tallied under the actual or delegated supervision of the Tellers Committee not later than the fifth working day following the final election ballot receipt date. As provided in Bylaw I-306.22, the Tellers Committee shall announce the result of the tally of the votes not later than the eighth working day following the final election ballot receipt date in a report to the Board of Directors signed by the Chair of the Tellers Committee. The results of the vote shall become official upon acceptance by the Board of Directors of the Tellers Committee report, and in the case of an election challenge, the Executive Committee report.  Each nominee for office listed on the ballot and each write-in candidate having votes recorded in such report according to Bylaw I-308.15 shall be advised promptly of the Tellers Committee tally of the votes applicable to their respective elections. Eligible voting members shall be permitted to vote in each election for one nominee for each office appearing on the ballot. Subject to Bylaws I-302.9 and I-306.6, the nominee, for each office for which the election is being held, receiving the greatest number of qualified votes shall be declared elected. In the event of a tie vote, the Board of Directors shall choose between the nominees involved.
    
    
15. Write-in Votes; Election Report.   For IEEE elections and elections of all organizational units where ballots are used, the ballots shall include and identify, for each office in said election, space in which the voter may indicate the name of any person he/she desires to elect to that office, provided the individual is not already on the official ballot for the intended position.  For such names to be counted in the election, each person so indicated shall meet such qualifications as may be specified for the office by the Constitution or Bylaws of the organizational unit conducting the election.  The number of votes so cast for any such person shall have the same effect on the outcome of the election as if his/her name had been submitted on the ballot.  The tally of such votes shall be included in the election report whenever the number of votes is sufficient to affect the order of preference of the candidates for the office.  The provisions of Bylaw I-308.14 shall be observed.

16. Unit Nominations and Petition.  For each elective office in any organizational unit of the IEEE, which does not appear on the IEEE annual election ballot, individual voting members eligible to vote in such election may nominate candidates either by a written petition or by majority vote at a nomination meeting of the organizational unit, provided such nominations are made at least 28 days before the date of election. The number of signatures required on a petition shall be determined as follows.  For all positions where the electorate is less than 30,000 voting members, signatures shall be required from 2% of the eligible voters.  For all positions where the electorate is more than 30,000 voting members, 600 signatures of eligible voters plus 1% of the difference between the number of eligible voters and 30,000 shall be required.
    
    Members shall be notified of all duly made nominations prior to the election.  Prior to submission of a nomination petition, the petitioner shall have determined that the nominee named in the petition is willing to serve, if elected; evidence of such willingness to serve shall be submitted with the petition. 
    
    
17. Election Challenge.  A challenge of an election may be made by a candidate, in such election, provided that, not later than 15 days after the candidate is notified of the tally of votes in the Tellers Committee report to the Board of Directors, a written complaint from such candidate is received at IEEE Headquarters setting forth the activity alleged to be in violation of the IEEE Constitution, Bylaws, or Policies that took place prior to the final election ballot receipt date and that is alleged to have materially compromised such election.  A challenge of a recall election may be made by the person who is the subject of the recall election provided that, not later than 15 days after the individual is informed of the tally of votes by the Tellers Committee, a written complaint from such person is received at IEEE Headquarters setting forth the activity alleged to be in violation of the IEEE Constitution, Bylaws, or Policies that took place prior to the final recall election ballot receipt date and that is alleged to have materially compromised such recall election.
    
    A challenge of a vote on a Constitutional amendment (a “referendum”) may be made by any voting member provided that, not later than 30 days after the publication of the tally of votes in such referendum in the Tellers Committee report to the Board of Directors, a written complaint of such voting member and an accompanying petition are received at IEEE Headquarters and such complaint sets forth the activity alleged to be in violation of the IEEE Constitution, Bylaws, or Policies that took place prior to the final referendum ballot receipt date and that is alleged to have materially compromised such referendum.
    
    The IEEE Executive Committee shall report to the Board of Directors its determination as to whether any duly challenged membership election, recall election, or vote on a referendum was materially compromised by activity in violation of the IEEE Constitution, Bylaws, or Policies that took place prior to the final election ballot receipt date (as defined in Bylaw I-308.13), the final recall election ballot receipt date (as defined in Bylaw I-111) or the final referendum ballot receipt date (as defined in Bylaw I-309.), as the case may be, and if so, what remedial action should be taken.  Remedial action may include, but is not limited to, mandating a new election, recall election, or referendum as promptly as practicable under guidelines then established by the Executive Committee, but shall not include mandating the appointment to office of any candidate, the removal from office of any person who is the subject of a recall election, or the enactment or non-passage of any Constitutional amendment where such action reverses the result of the election, recall election, or referendum under challenge.  A successful candidate for office whose election is challenged shall not take office, a person who is the subject of a recall election shall not be removed from office, and any referendum decision shall not take effect until any challenge thereto has been resolved pursuant to this Bylaw.
    
    The IEEE Executive Committee shall make such investigation with respect to the complaint as it deems appropriate and shall make its determination as soon as feasible and in any event within 30 days after copies of such complaint are sent to its members, at which time the IEEE Executive Committee shall submit a written report to the IEEE Board of Directors setting forth: (1) whether the complaint was timely filed and otherwise complied with the requirements of this Bylaw; (2) whether the alleged activity set forth in the complaint violated the IEEE Constitution, Bylaws, or Policies; (3) whether the challenged election, recall election, or referendum was materially compromised by such activity; (4) its determination as to any remedial action that should be taken; (5) the evidence relied on in connection with the foregoing findings and determination; and (6) any reasoning or other information deemed appropriate for inclusion in such report.  Copies of such report shall also be promptly submitted to all candidates in the challenged election, to the person who is the subject of the recall election, or to the complainant and known principal proponents and opponents with respect to the challenged referendum, as the case may be.
    
    A determination by the IEEE Executive Committee shall become final ten days after the date of such report unless notice of an appeal of such determination is received at IEEE Headquarters or Operations Center within such ten-day period.
    
    Subject to the Executive Committee’s power to take action with respect to an election on its own initiative pursuant to Bylaw I-302.9, this Bylaw shall provide the sole and exclusive procedure for the challenge of any election, recall election, or referendum. If there is an appeal of the Executive Committee’s determination, the Board of Directors shall consider the report of the Executive Committee, the appeal, and all evidence deemed to be relevant thereto, and shall make the final determination.