Finishing up the bylaw amendments

The meeting started with an updated credentials report

326 Delegate

485 Proxy

203 Athletes

1014 potential votes

We tried to get started with Exhibit G (to include in the bylaws the election requirements and procedure for members of the Nominating Committee that are currently included in the Standing Rules), but it was noted that with the increase in the number of delegate votes that the athlete votes need to increase by 3.

We were all fine with that, but Joe Armstrong stood up to say that we don’t split athlete votes and it should be increased to 250 votes.

Pause the meeting and let Dorothy, Tom James and the rules people chat. They came back with the athletes are entitled to 3 more votes.

Back to Exhibit G. Ed Mann spoke in opposition and spoke truth that this is a process and not a bylaw and should go back to committee. Passed to refer back to committee.

On to Exhibit H which requires the holding of an actual balloted election at Governing Council for any officer or director position where a candidate is seeking a fifth or greater term and in all contested elections of officers; and to provide specific election rules relating to the two-thirds vote requirement for candidates seeking a fifth or greater term. The shared rationale was candidates for a fifth or greater term would be balloted and a procedure prescribed for the conduct of elections in contested races. This addresses some housekeeping issues with elections and the dissatisfaction expressed by a great many members over the use of acclimation to fill the need for a two-thirds vote for the fifth or greater term.

You knew it was going to be a “lively” discussion, but then it got bogged down in ‘strike this’ and ‘amend this’ and ‘change this to conform to that,’ and my ADD kicked in and I decided to get some breakfast. Part of the confusion was that we changed the President’s term to two-years and this is about one-year terms.

So we voted to amend the amendment – that passed. And then it was asked to amend the amended amendment. That got voted down.

We finally got back to voting and it was voted down since it just made no sense.

Now on to the isolated items!