ACS Guidelines onCampaigning and Communication
Process &Activities
•To ensure fairness, the campaign period for ACS National elections shall be limited in time and begin on the same date for all candidates. Therefore, no candidates for President-Elect and the ACS Board of Directors may begin campaigning earlier than one month after the ACS Spring National Meeting. No petitions will be certified earlier than the date falling one month after the ACS Spring National Meeting. If petitions are received prior to that date, every effort will be made to certify them on that date. Petition candidates whose petitions were received and certified after this date may begin campaigning once their petition has been certified. Nominees, and those seeking to become candidates through the petition process, may not actively campaign.
•Candidates forPresident-Elect and theACSBoardofDirectors shall providetheACS ExecutiveDirectorthefollowingforpostingon theACSwebsite: photo, ACS-style biography, candidatestatement, contact information and, ifdesired, theURLto the candidate’s personal website. TheACSlogo is prohibited on a candidate’s personal website. Petition candidates mayprovidethesameinformation within two weeks of filingvalid petition papers with the ACSExecutiveDirector.Inaddition to thewebsite, ACSwill communicatethe candidates’ position statements and biographical information to theSocietymembership byincluding thesematerials in CEN, and in theballot materials to members.
•Candidateposition statements should address theirqualifications and/orpast or futureACS Position Statements, policies, oractions.
•Candidates shall receiveequal consideration in Societypublications. Paid advertisements at commercial rates are exempt from this space restriction. Candidates areencouraged to share information viatheACSNetwork in accordancewith currentguidelines.
•Membership lists foraselect group ofACSmembers are available from theExecutive Directorfreeof chargetothe candidate. Candidates must abidebytheACSusage restrictions associatedwith the releaseofmembership lists. Themailingof campaign materials otherthan thosesent bytheSociety, includingmass emails, should beusedjudiciously,as manymembers considerthis typeof activitybothersome and intrusive.
Campaigning
Incumbents
TheCommitteeon Nominations and Elections (NE)has determined that it is permissible fora candidatewho holds ACSofficeto engagein certain activities, and forthereto bereferences to the individual’s involvement in these activities in ACSpublications, if:
•The activitydirectlyrelates to the customaryofficial duties ofthat particularincumbent and theirinvolvement in the activityis an appropriateexerciseofthoseduties;
•Theirinvolvement in the activityis not discretionary, i.e.,asubstitute could not effectively taketheirplacein theactivity;
•Theirinvolvement in the function is timelyand could not reasonablybescheduled beforeor afterthecampaign period; and
•Theywill neithermakenor exhibit anyreferenceto their candidacyorcampaign views duringtheactivity.
It is requested that acandidatewho is an incumbent submit to NE for approval anypaperor column forpublication in CEN (orother editorial publication related to ACSgovernance)priorto submission ofthepaperor column forpublication. It is anticipated that no paperorcolumn will be approved forpublicationwithin two months oftheballot mailingdatethrough theend ofthe election period. Submission ofthepaperor column to NE should bethrough theACSOfficeof theSecretary. TheChairofNEwill respond to the candidatewithin oneweek byphoneor email.
Non-Incumbents
N&E has established thefollowing guidelines for determiningifan activitybyanon-incumbent nomineeor candidate couldpresent anelection violation.
Thegeneral question asked is: Will participation in the activityprovidethenomineeor candidate with an unfair advantagein the election?
Specificquestions to assess whethertheparticipation should be allowed include:
•Audience:Is thereoverlap with the electorate forthat particularrace?Ifso,to what degree?
•Timing: How closeis activityto thevotein that race’s election, eitherto select candidates or the fall general election?
•Natureofparticipation:Absent invitation to all candidates, no candidatecan participateina campaign event put on byan official ACSentity,but what will theparticipation involve? For example, is it aspeech about their careerpathorpolicyissues thatcould easilybea proxyforcampaigning?
•Publicity: Will the event generatepublicityforthenominee/candidate?Can that publicitybe limited/controlled?
•Is thenominee/candidate’s personal involvement important to the activity’ssuccess orcan anotherindividual besubstituted without weakeningtheactivity?
•Officesought: Activities involvingprospectivePresident-Elects receiveaslightlyhigher degreeofscrutinythanBoard races,given theprestigeofthepresident position.
Finances
•No Societyfunds, including Local Section orDivision funds, orin-kind contributions (officespace, supplies, etc.)maybeused to supportoropposethe election ofa candidate except to coverthe routinetravel expenses required forthe fulfillment oftheirgovernance responsibilities at thespringACSnational meeting, if applicable.
•All expenses incurred inthe creation, production and distribution ofawebsite and materials orliteratureto beused forpromotion bythecandidateshall bebornepersonallybythecandidate, however, theuseofpersonal funds forcampaigns should beprudentlylimited. Solicitation of campaignfunds bya candidateorhis/hersupporters is stronglydiscouraged.
ACSMeeting Activities
•Candidates maynot make campaign statements at anyACS Regional meeting, Councilor Caucus, Division orLocal Section meeting, orrelated meeting without theother candidates forthat officebeinginvited to bepresent and accorded equal timeto speak.
•Meetingplanners (specificallyRegional meetingplanners)should befamiliarwith and follow NEguidelines that restrict ACSentities from publishingphotos ofor comments from candidates in theiragendabooks orothermaterials. In addition, thereshould beno referenceto anysuch person as being acandidatefornational office.
•Regional meetings should bediscouraged from hostingcandidate forums. However, ifa regional meetingdoes includeacandidate forum; it should onlybeheld ifall candidates agreeto bepresent (emergencycancellations should not necessarilycancelthe forum).
•Local Sections and Divisions requesting candidates’Position Statements shall makesuch requests to theSecretaryoftheSocietytoensurethat all candidatesareconcurrentlyinformed oftherequest.
Endorsements
Members oftheBoard ofDirectors, theACSExecutiveDirector, Secretary,Treasurer, Elected Officers oftheSociety,Members N&E, and all others having asimilarstatus in theSocietyshall not endorse, support oroppose candidates, norcampaign on behalfofcandidatesforPresident-Electand theACSBoard ofDirectors.
Actions Resulting fromViolation(s)
Anyviolation(s)can bereported to theACS Committeeon Nominations and Elections for review and discussion, and significant infractions that areverified byNE will bereported to theACS electorate and/orsubmitted to theCouncil PolicyCommittee forinvestigation.
Revised June 2014