\documentclass[oneside]{procmanr}
\usepackage{latexsym}

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\def\TTN{{\sl \TeX{} and TUG NEWS\/}}

\long\def\ccbb#1{\comment{bb: 18Jul93}{#1}}
\long\def\ccbd#1{\comment{bb: 31May95}{#1}}
\long\def\ccbe#1{\comment{bb: 14Jan96}{#1}}
\long\def\ccbf#1{\comment{bb: 15Jul97}{#1}}

\DRAFT
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\title{TUG Election Procedures}
\mantopic{TUG Election Procedures}

\begin{document}
\maketitle

\tableofcontents

\newpage

\section{Background and history}

Prior to 1991, elections were held during the business meeting of the
TUG annual meeting.  According to the Bylaws in effect at the
beginning of 1991, elected positions comprised four officers:
President and Secretary (to be elected in one year of a two-year
cycle), Vice~President and Treasurer (to be elected in the alternate
year).  Members of the Board of Directors were appointed by the Board,
not elected.

Discussion began in September 1990 concerning the possibility of
having all Directors elected by the full membership, and conducting
elections by mail to ensure equal rights for all members.  At the
March~1991 Board meeting, several changes to the Bylaws were approved,
among them
\begin{enumerate}
\item reduction of the size of the Board to 15 elected Directors, plus
  the President, plus the non-elected (international) Special Directors;
\item a requirement that the Vice~President, Secretary and Treasurer
  be current Directors, and a provision that they be appointed by the
  Board rather than elected by the membership;
\item provision for election of these 15 Directors and the President
  by written mail ballot.
\end{enumerate}
An Election Procedures Committee was appointed to develop procedures
for TUG elections and to devise a plan for implementing the first
by-mail election in 1991.  The first draft of the procedures in this
document was the result of that Committee's work.

After the first election and board meeting, some flaws in the procedures
and weak points in the underlying philosophy became obvious.  An ad hoc
committee was assigned to propose revisions based on current experience.
Two principal changes were made.  The first was to provide for a full
Elections Committee rather than one with responsibility only for
Election Procedures.  The second change was to the schedule, moving
the start of the term of office from January~1 to the beginning of the
annual meeting of the \BoD, permitting the first meeting of the incoming
Board to occur at the annual meeting.  Interim procedures, to span the
two years needed to complete the terms of incumbent officials, were
provided.

Although approval of the procedures failed to be placed on the Board
agenda for several years, the procedures were followed and further
modified to deal with previously unforeseen contingencies that did
occur during election cycles through 1995.

The procedures that governed the 1995 election were adopted by the Board
at the 1995 meeting (Motion 95-7).  At that same Board meeting, the
proposal was set forth to change from an annual to a biennial election
schedule, in part to decrease the expense, and to change the length of
the Board term to four years, with the term of the President remaining
at two years.  After discussion, it was decided to remain with the annual
schedule for the 1996 election, and include a referendum on that ballot
to adopt the change or not.  In the event, not enough candidates came
forward in 1996, and no referendum was held.  At the 1996 meeting, and
by e-mail following the meeting, the intention to institute a biennial
schedule was affirmed, and the 1997 election was announced on that basis.

The present draft of the procedures is expected to become operational
on July 31, 1997, upon adoption by the Board.

%%%%
\newpage

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\section{Introduction}

These election procedures are empowered by Article~VII, Section~5,
of the \TUG{} Bylaws.  Changes to these procedures require approval by
the TUG \BoD{} in order to take effect.

\subsection{Scope}

These procedures shall govern all aspects of elections for those TUG
offices for which a written mail ballot is mandated by the Bylaws,
and for any other purpose (such as referenda) for which a mail ballot
is required.  Aspects covered include scheduling, announcements,
nomination requirements, ballot preparation,
qualifications for voting, tallying of ballots, certification and
announcement of results, and fallback procedures in the event of an
insufficient number of candidates.

These procedures must conform to the TUG Bylaws; in case of conflict
between these procedures and the Bylaws, the Bylaws govern.

\subsection{Definitions}

The following definitions apply:
\begin{description}
\item[Ballot form]
  This form contains, for each office to be voted on
  in the current election, a list of candidates, ordered by lot, with
  a box by each candidate's name to be marked with an ``X'' by the voter.
  The form may also contain a list of referenda, with two boxes
  for each referendum listed, one labeled ``Accept'' and the other
  ``Reject'', to be marked with the voter's preference.
  Ballot forms are to be returned by voters in the return envelopes
  provided.  Marks on these forms will be tallied by the teller to
  determine the outcome of the election.  The ballot form as mailed will
  not carry any means of identifying a particular voter.

\item[Ballot materials]
  The ballot materials consist of a ballot form, an information brochure
  and a return envelope,.

\item[Candidate]
  A candidate for TUG office is a current member of TUG who meets
  the qualifications for the office sought and has been nominated
  for that office in accordance with these procedures.

\item[Committee]
  An Elections Committee, appointed by the TUG \BoD, is responsible for
  overseeing the conduct of elections, for maintaining
  these procedures, and for other tasks as specified herein.  No person
  may be a member of this Committee whose name is on the ballot in the
  current election.

\item[Committee chair]
  The chair of the Elections Committee may delegate responsibilities
  to any other member of the committee, including that of acting chair,
  as appropriate to assure that a task is carried out on schedule.  Any
  duty ascribed to the chair may be carried out by such an appointee.

\item[Current member]
  A current member of TUG is a named individual
  whose dues are fully paid for the year in which the election is held.
  Institutional members must have named specific individuals in order
  for those individuals to be eligible to participate in elections or
  referenda.  A name such as `Library' on the roster of an institutional
  member does not qualify as a current member.
  Current membership is a minimum requirement for eligibility to be
  nominated for office or to receive a ballot.

\item[Fallback procedure]
  In the extraordinary event that no candidate for President comes forward
  to be placed on the ballot, voting for Directors will proceed as planned,
  but the period for announcing candidacy for President will be continued
  through the beginning of the annual meeting.  Candidates for President
  will then make their statements in person to the membership at the business
  meeting, after which the voting will take place.

\item[Information brochure]
  The information brochure is a brochure or information sheet
  mailed to members as part of the ballot materials.  It is intended to
  provide sufficient information about each candidate and/or referendum
  to permit voters to make an educated choice.  For each candidate it
  identifies the office sought and contains a passport-style photograph,
  a biography and a personal statement provided by the candidate.
  Specific requirements concerning the biography and statement appear
  elsewhere in these procedures.
  For each referendum, the brochure contains the full statement of the
  question to be voted on along with the statement of support submitted with
  the question and a statement giving the position of the board, if different.

\item[Nomination petition]
  A completed nomination petition is the method
  by which a candidate may be nominated for office.
  A nomination petition form will be made available for every election.

\item[Office]
  TUG elective offices are those of President and Director.  Other
  offices (Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) are appointed
  by the Board of Directors.  (Bylaws, Article~VII, Section~4.)

\item[Return envelope]
  An envelope addressed to the teller will be
  provided as part of the ballot materials.  On the back of this
  envelope will be affixed a label identifying the member to whom the
  ballot was sent.

\item[Teller]
  The teller for an election is the disinterested person
  or organization that certifies and counts the ballots, tallies the
  votes, and delivers the results to the proper authority for notifying
  the candidates and announcing the results to the membership.

\item[TUG journal of record]
  \TTN, if it is in existence at the time when announcements are to be
  made, otherwise \TUB.

\end{description}

%%%%
\newpage

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\section{Frequency and timing}
\label{sec:timing}

An election will be held every odd-numbered year.  

The President's term will be no more than two years.  (Bylaws,
Article~VII, Section~4.)

The number of Directors will be no more than fifteen (15). (Bylaws,
Article~IV, Section~2.)  However, the actual number may be less, as long
as it does not fall below 50\% of the specified number.  (Bylaws,
Article~IV, Section~7.)  The actual number is to be agreed by the
Board before each election.

All Directors will be elected for four-year terms.
(Bylaws, Article~IV, Section~6.)
Approximately half the agreed number of Directors will be elected at each
election, or the number that will bring the total to the agreed level.

All terms of office begin at the opening of the annual Board meeting
following the election, and run until the opening of the annual Board
meeting of the last year of the term.  Elections must be
scheduled so that the results will be known and the newly-elected
officers and Directors can be notified before their terms begin to
permit arrangements to be made for attending the meeting; see
Schedule, \ref{ap:sched}.

Both outgoing and incoming officials are to be encouraged to
participate in the Board meeting associated with the annual TUG
meeting, in order to effect a smooth transition.
However, under normal circumstances, only the incoming and continuing
officials may vote at that meeting.

In the event that there is no candidate for President to place on the
ballot, the fallback procedure will apply:  All Directors, outgoing,
continuing and incoming, will meet to prepare for the business meeting;
the ``old'' Board will vote on matters that cannot be deferred until
the new President, elected at the business meeting, can assume office.

An outline schedule appears in \ref{ap:sched}.

\subsection{Announcement of election}

The first announcement of the annual election is to be published in an
issue of the TUG journal of record that will reach most members no later
than the end of October.  The announcement will consist of two parts:
\begin{enumerate}
\item an informative article, signed by the chair or another member of
  the Elections Committee, stating
  \begin{enumerate}
  \item what offices are open for election,
  \item eligibility requirements for candidates,
  \item the election schedule,
  \item instructions for filling in and returning nomination petitions,
  \item additional items that are required from candidates, namely a
    photograph, a biography, and a personal statement,
  \item encouragement to participate in the election, as either a
    candidate or a voter;
  \end{enumerate}
\item a copy of the nomination petition form.
\end{enumerate}

The announcement should also be sent to the major \TeX-related electronic
discussion lists and posted at the TUG Web site.

The deadline for receipt of nomination forms in the TUG office should
be included in the TUG calendar published in the TUG journal of record
and on the TUG Web site.

A sample article and nomination petition form appear in \ref{ap:nomform}.
 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\section{Nomination}

Nominations are governed by the Bylaws: Article~IV, Section~6 pertains
to Directors; Article~VII, Section~3 pertains to the President.

Only one method of nomination is recognized: nomination by petition.

\subsection{Eligibility}

A potential candidate must be a current TUG member.  This implies that
the member's dues have been paid for the year in which the election is
being held, by the deadline for submission of nominations.

There is no restriction on the class of membership.  Thus a candidate
may be an individual member, an individual named by an institutional
member, or a student member.

\subsection{Nomination by petition}

A petition for nomination must be signed by the candidate and by
two~(2) other TUG members.  The completed nomination form must be
received at the TUG office by the published deadline,
which should be at least 30 days prior to the election.

\subsection{Nomination petition forms}

A nomination petition form will be prepared under the direction of the
Elections Committee for each election; this task may be delegated to
the TUG office.  The form will be published in the TUG journal of record;
additional copies of the form shall be available from the TUG office
and in electronic form from the TUG Web site, CTAN and other
appropriate archives.

The nomination petition form will contain at least the following
information:
\begin{enumerate}
\item year of the election, starting date of the term of office, and
  ending date or length of term;
\item a space in which to indicate the office being sought, or
  identification of the office if only one is open for this election;
\item a space for the candidate's name;
\item statement that the candidate accepts the nomination and space
  for the candidate's signature affirming this statement;
\item spaces for the appropriate number of signatures required for
  support of candidacy, and a statement that all signers must be
  current TUG members;
\item summary instructions for filling out and submitting the form,
  including deadline for receipt of the form and
  supplementary ballot information at the TUG office.
\end{enumerate}

\subsection{Acknowledgement and verification of nomination materials}

Upon receipt of nomination materials, the TUG office will immediately
complete and return to the nominee the Nomination Acknowledgement Form
(see \ref{ap:formletter}).  Within one working day, the office will
forward a copy of this form plus the biography/personal statement to
the chair or other designated Committee member by e-mail or fax.

Eligibility, i.e., current membership, is to be checked in the database
by the TUG office staff.  Other required items are to be verified by
the Committee.

In cases where a supporting name on the form matches a name in the database
but the dues for that individual are not up-to-date, the second form letter
in \ref{ap:formletter}, requesting immediate renewal of membership, must
be sent to that individual within one working day by the TUG office.

In cases where a name that appears on the form is not exactly matched
by a current member's name in the database, a copy of the form and
membership information for names that most closely resemble the
questioned name on the form are to be forwarded to (a designated
member of) the Committee for a ruling and suitable action.

If the candidate information is not received by the announced deadline,
the TUG office staff is to notify the Committee, who are responsible
for informing the nominee that the nomination must be considered void.
Copies of all correspondence, from both the TUG office and the Committee,
concerning attempts to obtain information, are to be placed on file in
the TUG office.  The Elections Committee, in such a case, will provide
the Executive Committee with a short report.

\subsection{Shortfall of Nominations}

In the event of there being the same number or fewer nominations as
vacancies, all candidates nominated shall be declared elected without
a formal ballot, and announcement to that effect shall be made in
accordance with section~\ref{sbs:acting}.

In the event of there being fewer candidates for the Board than
vacancies, additional Directors may be appointed by the President
in accordance with the Bylaws (Article IV, Section~8).

In the event of there being no candidate for President, the election
for the Board will proceed.  Election of the President will revert
to the fallback procedure.

\subsection{Fallback procedure}

When there is no candidate for President by the ballot deadline, the
position will be omitted from the ballot, and the period for announcing
candidacy will remain open until the first day of the annual meeting.
Any candidate for President under this procedure \emph{must} attend
the annual meeting.  An announcement of the extended period will be
made as soon as the situation is known; such an announcement will be
included with the ballot, and posted to all the same venues as the
original announcement of the election.

Late candidates for President must deliver their nomination form to
(a designated member of) the Elections Committee for validation prior
to the start of the annual meeting; this requirement is waived if a
candidate for the Board decides to become a candidate for President.

Candidates for President through this procedure will present their
statements in person to the membership at the annual business meeting,
after which voting will take place by paper ballot.  If there is only
one candidate, the office will be awarded by acclamation.


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\section{Preparation and mailing of ballot materials}

Ballot materials are to be prepared by the TUG office staff, with
assistance, if necessary, from the Committee.  The final copy of the
ballot materials is to be checked by (a member of) the Committee
before printing.

\subsection{Ballot form}

The ballot form may consist of one or two parts, as necessary:
\begin{enumerate}
\item election of officials;
\item referenda.
\end{enumerate}
The ballot form should contain only the following:
\begin{enumerate}
\item title(s) of the office(s) for which the election is being held,
  each title followed by the names of the candidates for that office;
\item title and short descriptive statement for each referendum item;
\item summary instructions for completing and returning the ballot;
\item deadline for latest postmark that may appear on a completed
  ballot envelope in order for the ballot to be counted;
\item the address to which the marked ballot form is to be sent.
\end{enumerate}
If the back of the ballot form is not needed for this information,
it should remain blank.

Names of the candidates for an office are to be ordered randomly, with
the order chosen by lot.  An open square, in which the voter can make
an ``X'' to indicate a choice, is to precede each name listed.  An
instruction for marking a vote with an ``X'' must be at the top of
the ballot form.

For each office, the maximum number of candidates to be voted for
should be indicated clearly.

Referenda, if more than one, are to be arranged in an order
determined by the Committee.

For each referendum, the title is to be preceded by two open squares,
the first marked ``Accept'', the second, ``Reject'', in which the
voter's choice is to be indicated.

\subsection{Information brochure}

The information brochure is to be prepared for printing by the TUG
office staff, with assistance, if necessary, from the Committee.

The information brochure is to contain information on returning the
ballot, including the return address and the dates by which the return
envelope must be (a)~postmarked, and (b)~received by the teller.

The information brochure will contain, for each candidate, a photograph,
a biography, and the candidate's statement.

The photograph of the candidate should be passport size, showing the
candidate's head and shoulders.  For ease of manipulation, actual
photographs are preferred.

The length of the combined biography and statement must not exceed
400 words.  This must be stated very clearly in requests to candidates
for the information.  The Committee will assist the nominee in
achieving the required length.

Candidates are to be listed alphabetically, with a separate list for
each office on the ballot.

Candidate information is to be formatted in a uniform manner.  Editing
should be done only to insert tags required for proper \TeX{} processing
or to correct spelling.  If there are any questions, the Committee
shall be the final arbiter.

The information brochure shall also contain descriptive information for
each referendum on the ballot.  The text of this information is to be
certified by the Committee; it may be proposed by the sponsor, or it may
be drafted by a TUG member familiar with the intent of the referendum.
If the Board wishes to take a position on a referendum question,
text may be provided by the Secretary or by another Director assigned
by the President.

\subsection{Return envelope}

The address of the teller will be printed on the front of the return
envelope.  Postage will not be provided (i.e., this will not be a
business reply envelope), but a message such as ``Place postage here''
should be printed where the stamp should be affixed to avoid confusion.

A label with the member's name and address will be affixed to
the envelope to permit the teller to match the returned ballot
with a list of eligible voters.

\subsection{Mailing}

Ballot materials are to be mailed first class, in a separate mailing.

The outside envelope should carry the notation ``Ballot enclosed''.


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\section{Counting the ballots}

The TUG office will make arrangements for a disinterested person or
organization to serve as teller for the election.  (The TUG accountant
may be authorized to serve in this capacity.)  Ballots will be returned
directly to the teller, and will not be handled by anyone associated
with TUG until the results of the election have been certified by the
teller.

The teller is expected to develop appropriate procedures for tallying
votes.  However, the following instructions are to be incorporated into
those procedures.
\begin{enumerate}
\item The member's name and address must appear on the return envelope.
  If the envelope is not the one supplied with the ballot materials,
  the name and address must be checked for validity against the TUG
  database, and additionally against the other returns to ensure that
  there is no duplication.
\item Ballots received after a cutoff date specified by the Committee
  are to be set aside and tallied, but the votes not counted.
\item The Committee may specify a cutoff date for receipt of ballots
  that allows a reasonable time for postal delivery, but does not
  unduly delay the completion of the vote count or announcement of
  election results.  Ballots received after such a cutoff date,
  regardless of postmark date, are to be set aside and tallied, but
  the votes not counted.
\item In case of multiple ballots from the same member, the one with
  the latest postmark is to be counted.
  \ccbf{A procedure should be defined for supplying replacement ballots.}
\item Any ballot on which more votes are cast than the maximum permitted
  for any office are to be eliminated from the tally for that office.
\item For President, the winner shall be the candidate for that office
  who receives the most votes.
\item For Directors, the winners shall be the appropriate number of
  candidates for that office who receive the greatest number of votes,
  in descending order.
\item For referenda, the position (``Accept'' or ``Reject'') receiving
  the greatest number of votes wins.
\item In the event of a tie, the winner shall be chosen by lot, by the
  teller.
\end{enumerate}

The teller will inform the TUG office of the results as soon as the
tally is complete, and the office will immediately forward the results
to the Elections Committee.

In addition to the formal tally of votes, the teller is to be requested
to compile demographic data, in particular, a tally of the geographic
areas from which ballots were returned.


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\section{Acting on the results}
\label{sbs:acting}

The Elections Committee will prepare a notice and forward it to the
successful candidates informing them of their election.

The Committee will prepare letters from the current President to the
unsuccessful candidates, thanking them for participating in the
election and inviting them to remain active members.  These letters
will be forwarded to the President for signature and mailing.

After the candidates have been notified, a message announcing the
election results will be sent by
(a member of) the Elections Committee to the \verb|tug-board|
electronic mailing list, with a request to Board members to keep the
information confidential until the official announcement has been
made by a representative of the Elections Committee.

The chair of the Elections Committee
will prepare an announcement with the election results
for the next issue of the TUG journal of record and forward it to the
editor(s) for publication.

The chair of the Elections Committee will prepare an announcement
suitable for electronic dissemination and send it to the principal
\TeX-related mailing lists that are not associated with specific user
associations other than TUG, in particular \verb|TeXhax|,
\verb|Info-TeX| and \verb|TeX-Euro|.

The chair of the Elections Committee will direct to be updated the
\verb|tug-board| electronic mailing list to include the newly elected
officials.  If a
new President has been elected, the \verb|tug-exec| list should
also be updated.  A member of the Executive Committee should send a
notice to \verb|tug-board| announcing the update, and welcoming the
newcomers to the list.  It should state that the newcomers are welcome
to participate in discussions but that they may not vote until their
new terms begin, and give that date.


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\section{Summary of responsibilities}

\subsection{Elections Committee}

The Committee is responsible for
\begin{enumerate}
\item developing and maintaining these election procedures;
\item creating the schedule for the election; this may depend on the
  dates of the annual meeting;
\item preparing an announcement of the election for
  the TUG journal of record;
\item preparing the nomination petition form for publication in
  the TUG journal of record to accompany the first announcement;

\item assisting the TUG office in validating eligibility of candidates
  and supporting signers in cases where names on nomination petition
  forms do not agree with member names in the database;
\item assisting the TUG office in obtaining satisfactory ballot
  statements from candidates;
\item checking the ballot materials before printing and mailing;
\item notifying the Executive Committee, the incumbent Board,
  and the successful candidates of the election results;
\item preparing letters for the President to send to the
  unsuccessful candidates, and delivering these letters to the President
  for signatures and mailing;
\item adding the addresses of the new officials to the appropriate
  mailing lists;
\item preparing an announcement of the election results for
  the TUG journal of record and delivering it to the editor(s);
\item preparing and distributing an announcement of the election
  results via the principal \TeX-related electronic discussion lists;
\item preparing and submitting a final report to the Board.
\end{enumerate}

\subsection{TUG office}

The TUG office is responsible for
\begin{enumerate}
\item supplying additional petition forms to prospective candidates
  on request;
\item receiving and acknowledging nomination petition forms, and
  validating eligibility of candidates and supporting signers, with
  assistance from the Committee in case of problems;
\item obtaining photographs and statements from the candidates, and
  preparing copy for the ballot, information brochure and return
  envelope; if problems arise, assistance is to be requested from the
  Committee;
\item arranging for the teller;
\item mailing the ballots;
\item maintaining complete files of announcements, correspondence,
  and other documents related to the election; such documents may be
  kept in paper and/or electronic form, as appropriate.
\end{enumerate}

\subsection{Incumbent officers and Board}

The President is responsible for
\begin{enumerate}
\item signing letters prepared by the Elections Committee to the unsuccessful
  candidates and mailing them.
\end{enumerate}

\noindent
(A representative of) the Executive Committee is responsible for
\begin{enumerate}
\item sending a message to the \verb|tug-board| list after the new
  names have been added, welcoming the newcomers and stating their
  privileges and responsibilities.
\end{enumerate}

\noindent
The \BoD{} as a whole is responsible for
\begin{enumerate}
\item appointing the Elections Committee;
\item approving the election procedures document and subsequent updates.
\end{enumerate}


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\newpage

%Appendices
\appendix

%\setcounter{section}{0}

\section{Schedule}
\label{ap:sched}

Most dates are given relative to the deadline for receipt of nomination
forms, designated below as ``N''.

The location at which items must be received by the various deadlines
is assumed to be the TUG office unless specified otherwise.

\begingroup
\vspace{\baselineskip}
\renewcommand{\arraystretch}{1.25}

\begin{tabular}{ll}
first announcement reaches members       & no later than October 1\\
deadline for receipt of nomination forms & January 5 $=$ N\\
\parbox[t]{2in}{deadline for receipt of\\
  \strut\qquad candidate information}    & $\rm N+1$ week\\
\strut{}ballot camera copy to printer    & $\rm N+2$ weeks\\
ballots mailed to members                & $\rm N+4$--5 weeks\\
(delivery and voting period)             & 5 weeks, minimum\\
postmark deadline                        & $\rm N+10$ weeks\\
\parbox[t]{2in}{deadline for receipt by teller\\
  \strut\qquad of marked ballots}        & $\rm N+12$ weeks\\
\strut(vote counting period)             & 2 weeks, minimum\\
notification of candidates               & \parbox[t]{1.75in}%
					   {no later than %May 1
					     6 weeks\\
					     \strut\qquad prior to annual
					     meeting}\\
annual business meeting                  & between June 15 and August 30\\
announcement of election results         & \parbox[4]{2in}%
					   {first available issue of\\
					    TUG journal of record,\\
                                            \TeX-related electronic\\
                                            discussion lists}\\
\end{tabular}
\endgroup       % end scope of increased \arraystretch


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\newpage

\section{Sample announcement and petition form}
\label{ap:nomform}

\begin{center}
\<Year> \bf \TUG{} Election
\end{center}

\vspace{.5pc}

\noindent
The terms of the \acro{TUG} President and of \<number> members of the Board
of Directors expire as of the \<year> Annual Board Meeting, which will
take place in conjunction with the \<number> Annual \acro{TUG} meeting to
be held in \<date> in \<location>.  The directors
whose terms expire in \<year> are \<names>.
The election to choose the new President and Board members will be
held in Spring of \<year>.  Nominations for these openings are now
being invited.

The Bylaws provide that ``Any member may be nominated for election
to the office of \acro{TUG} President/to the Board by submitting a
nomination petition in accordance with the \acro{TUG} Election Procedures.
Election \dots\ shall be by written mail ballot of the entire
membership, carried out in accordance with those same Procedures.''

The name of any member may be placed in nomination for election to one of
these offices by submission of a petition, signed by two other current
\<year> members, to the \acro{TUG} office at least two weeks (14 days)
prior to the mailing of ballots. (A candidate's membership dues for \<year>
will be expected to be paid by the nomination deadline.)  A nomination
form follows this announcement; forms may also be obtained from the
\acro{TUG} office, and electronically from the \texttt{usergrps/tug} area
of \acro{CTAN} or via the \acro{TUG} Web pages \texttt{www.tug.org}.

Along with a nomination form, each candidate is asked to supply a
passport-size photograph, a short biography, and a statement of intent
to be included with the ballot; the biography and statement of intent
together may not exceed 400 words.
  
The deadline for receipt at the \acro{TUG} office of nomination forms
and ballot information is \<date>.
%\textbf{March 4, 1997}.

Ballots will be mailed to all members about 30 days after the close of
nominations.  Marked ballots must be postmarked no more than five (6)
weeks following the mailing; the exact dates will be noted on the ballots.

Ballots will be counted by a disinterested party not part of the \acro{TUG}
organization.  The results of the election should be available by
\<general date, e.g.\ ``the end of May''>, and will be announced in a
future issue of \TUB{} as well as through various \TeX-related electronic
lists.

\begin{flushright}
\<name of Committee member>\\
for the Elections Committee
\end{flushright}

\newpage

\begingroup

\newcommand{\SigRule}{\rule{4.5cm}{.5pt}}
\newcommand{\DateRule}{\rule{2.3cm}{.5pt}}

\parskip=.5pc

\begin{center}
%{\bsl \<year> \TUG{} Election --- Nomination Form}
\textbf{\<year> \TUG{} Election --- Nomination Form}
\end{center}

\noindent Only TUG members whose dues have been paid for \<year> are
eligible to participate.  The signatures of two (2) members
are required in addition to that of the nominee.
%  By signing this
% form, the nominee certifies willingness to accept the nomination.
{\bf Type or print} names clearly, exactly as they appear on a TUG
mailing label; new members should enter the name which they used on
their membership application form.  Names that do not exactly match
the TUG records will not be accepted as valid.
 
\vspace{.5pc}
 
\noindent The undersigned TUG members propose the nomination of:
 
\begin{flushleft}
\begin{tabular}{@{}ccc@{}}
\SigRule              & \SigRule        & \DateRule   \\
{\bf Name of nominee} & (signature)     & (date)      \\
\end{tabular}
\end{flushleft}
 
\noindent for the position of (check one):\\[2pt]
$\Box$ \textbf{TUG President}\\[2pt]
$\Box$ \textbf{Member of the TUG Board of Directors}\\[2pt]
for a term beginning with the \<year> Annual Meeting, \<date>.

\newcommand{\LeaveSpace}{\noalign{\vskip1pc}}
\begin{flushleft}
\begin{tabular}{@{}ccc@{}}
\multicolumn{3}{c}{\large \bf Members supporting this nomination} \\
\LeaveSpace
\bf Nominated by & \bf Signature  & \bf Date        \\
(please print)   &                &                 \\
\LeaveSpace
\SigRule    & \SigRule  & \DateRule   \\
\LeaveSpace
\SigRule    & \SigRule  & \DateRule   \\
%\LeaveSpace
%\SigRule    & \SigRule  & \DateRule   \\
%\LeaveSpace
%\SigRule    & \SigRule  & \DateRule   \\
%\LeaveSpace
%\SigRule    & \SigRule  & \DateRule   \\
\end{tabular}
\end{flushleft}
 
\vspace{.5pc}
 
\noindent Return this petition to the TUG office (FAXed submissions will
be accepted).
Petitions and all supplementary material (photograph, biography and
personal statement for inclusion on the ballot) must be received in the
TUG office no later than \<nomination deadline>.
It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that this date is met.
Under no circumstances will incomplete applications be accepted.

\begin{quote}
\TeX\ Users Group \hfill {\bf FAX: } +1 209 561-4584\\
{\bf Nominations for \<year> Election}\\
\POBox 1239\\
Three Rivers, CA 93271-1239\\
U.S.A.
\end{quote}

\endgroup
\newpage

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\section{Form letters}
\label{ap:formletter}

\subsection{Nomination acknowledgement}

\begingroup
\newcommand{\checkboxonly}{\mbox{\tt[\kern1em]}}
\newcommand{\checkbox}[1]{\mbox{#1\enspace\checkboxonly}}
\newcommand{\ynboxes}{\quad\checkbox{yes}\quad\checkbox{no}}

\setlength{\parindent}{0pt}
\setlength{\parskip}{\baselineskip}

\begingroup
%\setlength{\textwidth}{3.5in}
\hsize=3.75in
\setlength{\parfillskip}{0pt}

Date acknowledged:\enspace\hrulefill\null

Name of nominee:\enspace\hrulefill\null

\noindent\quad Eligibility:\hfill\<year> member:\ynboxes

\noindent\quad If no, reason:\enspace\hrulefill\null

Items received:\\
\null\quad Signatures:\hfil\checkbox{1}\qquad accepted:\ynboxes\linebreak[4]
\null\quad\phantom{Signatures:}%
     \hfil\checkbox{2}\qquad accepted:\ynboxes\linebreak[4]
\null\quad Photo:\hfill\ynboxes\linebreak[4]
\null\quad Biography/personal statement:\hfil\ynboxes

\endgroup
%  substitute for usual \<...> metacode, to be used in tabbing environment
\def\[#1]{$\langle${\it#1\/}$\rangle$}

\vspace{-10pt}
\begin{tabbing}
\checkboxonly\enspace\=Missing items\\
\> Missing items must be received in the TUG office by \[date].\\
\\
\checkboxonly\enspace Nominee's dues are unpaid.\\
\> Your dues payment must be received in the TUG office by \[date].\\
\\
\checkboxonly\enspace Signature of \makebox[1.75in]{\hrulefill} cannot be
   accepted because:\\
\> \checkboxonly\enspace Name does not match database records;\\
\> \checkboxonly\enspace \[year] dues not paid.\\
\> You may wish to submit another signature by \[date].\\
\\
\checkboxonly\enspace Length of biography/personal statement exceeds
   400 words;\\
\> 40 lines of 72 characters length can be used for a quick estimate.
\end{tabbing}
\vspace{-10pt}

{\bf Materials received after indicated date or which do not comply
with the rules will not be used}.

\endgroup

\subsection{Request for membership renewal}

\begingroup
\setlength{\parindent}{0pt}
\setlength{\parskip}{.5\baselineskip}

Date:

Dear \makebox[1.5in]{\hrulefill}

The \TeX{} Users Group Office has received a nomination for \<name>
which includes your signature supporting the nomination.

Our records show that your \<year> membership has not been paid.
You must be a \<year> member in order for your signature to be valid
on a nomination form.
Failure to comply with this rule may jeopardize the nomination.

The nominee has been informed that your signature does not qualify
for support of the nomination.

Please remit your dues payment for \<year> by \<date>.

\endgroup
\newpage

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\section{Chronology and change history}
\label{ap:chronology}

This is a record of approval dates and changes to these procedures.
\begin{description}
\item[July 14, 1991] Board approval of preliminary outline
    on which this first draft is based
\item[July, 1992] Board approval requested for procedures governing
    a full Elections Committee and incorporating schedule changes
    moving the starting date of terms from January to July; deferred.
\item[July 1993] Board approval requested.  Changes include dividing
    the Board into three ``classes'' of five members each, with each
    class term being three years in a steady state.  Board did not
    consider the request.
\item[July 1994] Question inadvertently omitted from Board agenda; deferred.
\item[July 1995] Board approval requested.  Provisional approval given
    to carry out 1996 election according to draft as modified by hand
    at the meeting.
\item[January 1996] Manuscript amendments from July 1995 meeting
    incorporated into draft, with annotations; draft read for a sanity
    check and discrepancies removed.
\item[July 1996] Board approval to be requested; deferred.
\item[May 1997] Additions and modifications made to incorporate fallback
    procedures in the event of no candidate for President.
\item[July 1997] Board approval to be requested.
\end{description}

\end{document}