Date: 11/15/2007
To: AAUP Council
Cc: Election Committee, Rachel Levinson, Martin Snyder
From: Mary Heen, Chair, Election Committee
The Election Committee has received several inquiries regarding standards of eligibility for election to the Election Appeals Committee.
The AAUP Election Bylaws provide that the “members of the Appeals Committee will be elected annually by Council at its November meeting.” In addition, with regard to eligibility, the bylaws provide as follows:
No one shall be eligible to serve on the Appeals Committee who is a candidate for or incumbent seeking reelection to the council or any AAUP national office governed by these bylaws or a member of the Election Committee in the immediately forthcoming election. No member of the Appeals Committee may endorse a candidate for AAUP office.
Under the Election Bylaws, the Election Committee “shall decide any questions which may arise under the AAUP’s election bylaws.”
Because of the particularly sensitive nature of the Election Appeals Committee, the Election Committee has concluded that a high standard of eligibility is appropriate in order to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest. The Election Committee, therefore, has issued the following interpretation of the Association Election Bylaws:
- Council members who have simply signed a candidate's nominating petition have not ipso facto endorsed the candidate and are eligible to serve on the Election Appeals Committee;
- Council members who have circulated a candidate's nominating petition reasonably may be perceived as having endorsed that candidate and thus are ineligible for election to the Election Appeals Committee.
- Council members who have endorsed a candidate are ineligible for election to the Election Appeals Committee.
- Council members serving on the Election Appeals Committee (that is, once elected) may neither circulate a candidate's nominating petition nor endorse a candidate.