Eligibility, Election, Term Limits, etc., for Board Officers and Directors
The Board elects from its membership the Officer positions (elected positions on the Board’s
Executive Committee) of Chair-Elect and Treasurer.
1. Term of Officers
The terms of Officers of the Science Atlantic Board are defined here.
Election of Officers shall be conducted in accordance with the terms of each position.
2. Protocol of the Meeting to Conduct Election of Officers
The outgoing Chair of the Board shall preside over the initial part of the Annual General Meeting
to elect Officers of the Board. Immediately following the promotion of the existing Chair-Elect to
Chair of the Board, the newly appointed Chair of the Board shall assume office and preside over
the remainder of the meeting. The remaining Officer positions are then elected.
All current Directors of the Board who are present at the meeting may vote in Officer elections.
Pre-voting and voting by proxy are not permitted for election of Officers.
3. Statutory Officers to be Elected
The following statutory positions shall be elected, in the following order:
• Chair-Elect
• Treasurer
4. Eligibility
In order to be eligible for election to a Board Director position, an individual must support the
organization’s mandate of advancing science education and research, adhere to the
Membership Code of Conduct, and support the Charter of the Board.
5. Nominations
Nominations, including self-nominations, must be submitted to the Past Chair or Chair-Elect by
a current Institutional Representative or Board Director in writing, by e-mail, or orally at the
Annual Members’ Meeting. Nominations are accepted until 28 days prior to the meeting, to allow
for the list of nominees to be included in the notice of the meeting. Nominations from the floor
will also be accepted. A nomination will only be valid if the candidate declares orally at the
meeting, or in writing or by email prior to the meeting, that the candidate is willing to take office if
elected. A candidate who fails to be elected for a position may be nominated for a subsequent
position.
6. Voting
Any candidate may make a statement to the Membership regarding their candidature. The
presentation of such a statement shall take no longer than five minutes. The order of
candidates’ statements shall be determined by the Officer presiding over the election using a
random selection process.
To be elected, a candidate must receive votes marked with his or her name from a majority of
Institutional Representatives present. Ballots should be cast marked with the name of an
announced candidate or with the word “abstain.” A candidate can withdraw at any time from
subsequent votes.
In the case that there are more than two candidates running and none receive a majority of
affirmative votes, the vote is rerun with only the candidates receiving the two highest vote
counts eligible (this may result in more than two candidates being eligible.) The vote is retaken
in the case of a tie for first place. The presiding Officer uses a coin toss to choose which
candidate is to remain eligible if the tie persists after the fifth vote. A new call for candidates is
made and the voting process restarts in the case where there is a single candidate but that
candidate does not receive enough affirmative votes.
Voting will be by secret ballot. Two people, who must not be Board Directors, selected by the
Officer presiding over a vote will act as tellers.
7. Record of the Meeting
The minutes shall record the candidates nominated for each position and the elected candidate.
A candidate may request that the statement made to the Board in respect of their candidature
be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.
8. Removal from Office
Board Directors may be removed from office according to the Removal of Officers or Directors
Policy.
9. Casual Vacancies
If an office is vacated, the position may be filled on an interim basis during a regular meeting of
the Science Atlantic Board. A regular election for the position will be held at the Annual
Members’ Meeting using these election procedures.
Term Limits
The Chair of the Board of Directors shall be elected for a two-year term, renewable once only.
The Chair-Elect position shall be a period of one year. The Past Chair position shall extend from
the completion of term as chair until the election of a Chair-Elect. The treasurer position shall be
a term of three years, renewable.
All remaining positions on the Board shall commence with the first election of Directors following
the approval of this by-law, one-third (1/3) Directors shall be elected for a three-year term, onethird
(1/3) Directors shall be elected for a two-year term and one-third (1/3) Directors shall be
elected for a one-year term. Thereafter, except where an election is held to fill the unexpired
portion of a term, newly elected Directors shall be elected for three-year (3) terms.
A committee chair who is elected as a Director may continue as Director for up to one year after
the end of the term as committee chair.
(from the Science Atlantic by-laws, section 22)
Removal of Officers or Directors
The Board may remove any Officer or Director for cause by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of all
Directors then in office, at any meeting of the Board, provided that a statement of the reason(s)
has been provided to the Officer or Director proposed for removal at least thirty (30) days before
any final action is taken by the Board. The Officer or Director shall be advised of the time when,
and the place where, the Board is to take action on the removal. The Officer or Director will be
given an opportunity to be heard prior to the vote, and the matter will be considered by the
Board. If the Officer or Director in question is a Board Director, they will not be permitted to vote
on the issue of their dismissal.
Officers and Directors may also be removed for failing to adhere to any one of Science Atlantic’s
policies (see Breach of Policy), or for failing to participate adequately in an Officer or Director
position (see Attendance and Participation).