NSS WikiNSS RULES FOR MAIL VOTES (This section last revised September 2002)
1. Any four (4) voting members of the Board of Directors may place a written motion before the Board of Directors for a mail vote, pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Bylaws of the Society and this document. The author and other proponents should endeavor to make the motion consistent with any relevant Bylaws and other documents (e.g., by stating exactly what words will be deleted or added, and using appropriate terminology and numbering).
2. The proponents shall communicate the motion (together with any arguments in its favor) to the Secretary and the Senior Vice President of the Society (and, if the motion is to amend NSS Bylaws or Rules, to the Bylaws Committee, if one is then constituted) for review and comments. These recipients shall have up to fourteen (14) days from receipt by the Secretary in which to make suggestions to the proponents. If after any review period at least four (4) proponents desire to modify their motion (other than to correct for typographical errors, and terminology and numbering consistency with the Bylaws or other documents), they shall communicate the revised motion to the same recipients for a further review period of up to fourteen (14) days.
3. If, within twenty-eight (28) days after any review period, at least four (4) proponents so request in writing, the Secretary shall promptly communicate the text of the motion, together with any arguments and comments submitted by the reviewers, to the Executive Committee for review and comment. The proponents and members of the Executive Committee may invite other Directors to submit written comments about the motion. Any written comments shall be delivered to the Secretary before the date the motion is to be sent to the Board of Directors for vote.
4. No earlier than fifteen (15) days or later than twenty-eight (28) days after communicating the motion to the Executive Committee, the Secretary shall mail the motion (specifying air mail for recipients outside the country from which mailed) for a vote of the Board in accordance with these Rules. If at any time prior to the mailing proponents withdraw their support, so fewer than four (4) proponents remain in support, the motion shall be deemed withdrawn. The motion shall be accompanied by a ballot, a reply envelope and any comments received prior to the mailing, The mailing deadline may be extended for up to twenty-eight (28) days if a majority of the proponents agrees to such extension.
5. In any mail vote on Board motions or in an election of Board Officers, votes cast by voting members of the Board of Directors, in order to be valid, must be delivered to the Secretary within twenty-one (21) days from the date of the mailing of the ballots to the Board. The Secretary should include such date along with the ballot materials. Voting may be effected by return of a signed ballot by mail, delivery service or, if the Secretary has the means to receive them, by fax or email, and any other method that the Secretary is willing to accept. The Secretary shall promptly tabulate the votes and shall send the results, including a count of the votes and how each Director voted, to each member of the Board of Directors (including ex officio members) and to the principal office of the Society. Communications to or by the Secretary pursuant to these Mail Vote Rules may be made by or to the Secretary’s delegate.
6. A motion shall be considered passed or defeated as soon as sufficient votes to constitute passage or defeat are received. If, any time after mailing but prior to the passage or defeat of a motion, proponents by written notice to the Secretary withdraw their support, so fewer than four (4) proponents remain in support, the vote shall be immediately terminated and the motion deemed withdrawn. A vote may not be changed after receipt by the Secretary. Until the vote is concluded the Secretary shall not disclose how a particular Director voted. Fourteen (14) days after sending out the mail vote, the Secretary shall advise the Board of Directors by email as expeditiously as possible which Directors have voted on each issue. The Secretary may, but shall not be required to, make such information available to Directors, on a non-discriminatory basis, at such other times and in such manner as shall be acceptable to the Secretary. 7. The requirements for passing a motion by mail vote of the Board of Directors are not affected by prior votes on the same motion or subject, either at a Board of Directors meeting or by mail. 8. As soon as reasonable, but not more than thirty (30) days after the Board of Directors election has been completed, candidates for the Officers election (and candidates for the Boards of Governors and Advisors) shall be nominated by the Executive Committee. Within ten (10) days of completion of these nominations, the Secretary or the Secretary’s delegate shall mail a list of these nominees, along with a request for additional nominations, to the Board of Directors. Any voting member of the Board of Directors may make additional nominations by submitting the name, address, and phone number of the nominee, along with a statement that the Board member has contacted the nominee and obtained his or her agreement to serve in the office he or she is being nominated for. Such additional nominations must be communicated by mail or other means to the Secretary or the Secretary’s delegate within three weeks (21 days) of the postmark date of the request for additional nominations. No later than ten (10) days after the additional nominations, if any, have been obtained, the Secretary or the Secretary’s delegate shall mail to the Board of Directors appropriate ballots (along with reply envelopes) for the election of officers. 9. In a vote of the membership of the Society by mail, for all questions requiring a membership vote, each ballot, whether published in the Society’s magazine or mailed to each member, shall be returned either to the principal office of the Society or to a duly accredited accounting firm selected by the Chairman of the Executive Committee or by the Executive Committee. Ballots of the membership shall be counted by the accounting firm or by such other means as may be determined by the Chairman of the Executive Committee or by the Executive Committee. The accounting firm (or the Secretary, if an accounting firm is not used) shall send the results of the membership vote to all members of the Board of Directors (including ex-officio members) and to the principal office of the Society. Votes cast in the Board of Directors election should be counted as soon as possible but not later than August 31 of the year of the election. 10. All membership votes shall be held in conjunction with the Board of Directors election unless determined otherwise by the Chairman of the Executive Committee, the Executive Committee, or the Board of Directors. 11. Any description of the reasons why eligible members of the Society should or should not vote in favor of a proposed Bylaw amendment (or amendment to the Articles of Incorporation, or plan for merger, consolidation, or voluntary dissolution) which is sent to the membership either by publication in the Society’s primary magazine or by direct mail, must be composed by a procedure approved by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. 12. The Executive Committee may establish procedures by which it may take action in lieu of a meeting (as provided in Article VI Section 3 of the Bylaws). To the extent that such procedures are not established by the Executive Committee, the Secretary shall determine the procedures used. 13. The Secretary may determine all aspects of mail vote procedures which are not covered by this document, the Society’s Bylaws, or other documents referred to by title in the Society’s Bylaws.
NSS NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEES RULES (This section last revised August 2000)
1. Any voting member of the Board of Directors is eligible to serve as a voting member of the Nominations Committee or the Elections Committee, but not both. However, no member of the Nominations Committee or the Elections Committee may be nominated for or run for election to the Board of Directors in the relevant election year. 2. The Secretary or the Secretary’s delegate shall request volunteers for the Nominations and Elections Committees by February 1st of the year prior to the Board of Directors election. In order to serve as a voting member of a Nominations Committee or Elections Committee for a given election, a Board member must volunteer by delivering a communication of his/her desire to serve to the Secretary or the Secretary’s delegate by February 21st of the year prior to the Board of Directors election. No one may volunteer for both Committees. 3. The Nominations and Elections Committees may consist of up to seven voting members. If more than this number volunteer, there shall be an election to select among the volunteers during the month of March in the year prior to the election. In this election, only those voting members of the Board of Directors who are not eligible for re-election may vote to determine who shall serve as voting members on these Committees. Each such Director may vote for a maximum of seven persons for each Committee (but may not vote more than once for a given person). Those volunteers who receive the most votes shall be elected to serve as the voting members of the respective Committee. If there is a relevant tie vote, the winner shall be chosen by random lot. 4. The Chairpersons of the Nominations and Elections Committees shall be selected in the following manner: If there is an election to determine the membership of either the nominations committee or the Elections Committee, there shall also be a vote for the Chairperson of each committee. Eligibility to vote in this election shall be the same as in paragraph 3. If there is a relevant tie vote, the winner shall be chosen by random lot. If there is no election to determine the membership of either committee, then each committee shall choose its own chairperson. 5. Meetings of the Nominations or the Elections Committees may be called by the Committee Chairman or by a majority of the Committee. A majority vote is required for the Nominations Committee or the Elections Committee to act. 6. The Nominations Committee shall select its nominees by February 3 of the year of the election. Acceptance of nomination by an individual is required for the nomination to be complete, and such acceptance must be obtained by the deadline date. Nominations cannot be made after the deadline date. The Nominations Committee is urged to nominate one candidate for each position available. 7. The ballot for the Board of Directors election shall normally be contained in a special election mailing to all members of the Society, to be postmarked in May of the year of the election. However, the Elections Committee may choose, by majority vote no later than February 10, to issue the ballot in (or with) the May issue of the Society’s primary magazine. 8. The Elections Committee shall, subject to the restrictions stated below, be responsible for all statements concerning the election which appear in the special election mailing or in (or with) the May issue of the Society’s primary publication. These statements shall include: a ballot, directions concerning how to vote, rules concerning who is eligible to vote, an explanation of what it means to be nominated by petition and by the Nominations Committee, a description of how the Nominations Committee was selected, who its members and chairperson were, and a statement of when and how the results will be announced. The Elections Committee shall also have responsibility over candidate statements as detailed in the Society document “Campaign Rules”. 9. The ballot itself (1) shall include instructions regarding the maximum number of candidates to vote for and the deadline for returning the ballot, (2) shall list candidates alphabetically, (3) shall not allow block voting for more than one candidate simultaneously, (4) shall have a “p” next to those candidates who were nominated by petition, an “n” next to those candidates who were nominated by the Nominations Committee, a “pn” next to those candidates who were nominated by both procedures, and an indication of the meaning of these letter designations. 10. The candidate statements accompanying the ballot shall be listed alphabetically. A sentence stating how each candidate was nominated shall be placed at the beginning of each candidate statement. This sentence shall not count as part of the word count of the candidate statement, and shall be worded as follows: “This candidate was nominated by petition” or “This candidate was nominated by the Nominations Committee of the Board of Directors” or “This candidate was nominated by petition and by the Nominations Committee of the Board of Directors”. 11. No other material accompanying the ballot shall give any preferential treatment (such as typestyles or other indicators) to any candidate on the basis of how a candidate was nominated, or on any other basis. 12. The Nominations or Elections Committees may delegate all or part of their authority.
NSS CAMPAIGN RULES (This section last revised June 2000)
1. Petitions for nomination for At-Large or Regional seats on the Board of Directors are subject to the following rules: A. Nominees must be members of the Society (pursuant to Article V Section 2 of the Bylaws). B. Nominees for Regional Board seats must be residents of the Region in question (pursuant to Article V Section 2 of the Bylaws). C. Petitions for At-Large Board seats must have original signatures of at least forty (40) members of the Society with at least five (5) signatories from each of any three Regions of the Society (pursuant to Article XI Section 1 of the Bylaws). D. Petitions for Regional Board seats must have original signatures of at least five (5) members of the Society who reside in that Region (pursuant to Article XI Section 2 of the Bylaws). E. Petitions must be delivered to the Secretary of the Society by January 15 of the year of the election (pursuant to Article XI Sections 1 and 2 of the Bylaws). Petitions delivered to Society headquarters shall be considered delivered to the Secretary. F. Signers of petitions must include their printed names and addresses so their membership can be verified. Membership numbers are requested but not required. Only one candidate’s name may appear on a given petition, but members may sign separate petitions for more than one candidate. G. Petitions must include, or be accompanied by, the name, address, and phone number of the nominee. H. Petitions must include, or be accompanied by, a written statement from the nominee stating that he or she wishes to run for the Board, or is willing to accept the nomination, or other words to that effect. Persons may not be nominated without their consent. I. Candidates are strongly urged to submit all petitions and accompanying material at one time in the same package. J. No particular form for the petitions is required, as long as they are unambiguously identified as nominating petitions and the above information is included. K. Candidates are requested to notify NSS Headquarters by January 1 of the year of the election of their intention to run, so that the Nominations Committee can consider them for nomination. 2. Nominees for the Board of Directors election may choose to submit a candidate statement to the Secretary which shall accompany the ballot which will be mailed to all eligible voters. Such candidate statements shall be subject to the following conditions: A. Candidate statements must be received no later than February 17 of the year of the election. B. The statement by the candidate may include his or her qualifications, previous service to the Society and other pro-space organizations, endorsements, the qualifications of the endorsers, views on Society issues, and what the nominee intends to do if elected. C. Candidate statements may claim only those endorsements which are unambiguously for the position of Director and which unambiguously grant permission to use the endorser’s name as an endorser in the candidate’s statement. Any such endorsements must be submitted in writing (but may not be obtained on a nominating petition). Candidates are strongly urged to submit their statement and all endorsements at one time in the same package. Endorsements may be used only for the election for which they are originally given. D. Statements may not include negative remarks about any Society member. E. Candidate statements shall have a maximum length of four hundred (400) words. F. Nominees are encouraged, but not required, to submit an additional copy of their statement either on disk or by e-mail. Appropriate formats should be obtained from the Secretary or Elections Committee chair. G. The Elections Committee may edit candidate statements for the following reasons only: to correct errors of fact, to correct inconsistencies with the election rules of the Society, to correct statements which may incur legal liability to the Society, or to make minor editorial modifications such as correcting spelling or grammar errors. The Elections Committee shall take particular care to prevent any statement from including negative remarks about any Society member. A reasonable effort shall be made to discuss any changes with the candidate in question and obtain his or her approval of these changes. If agreement cannot be reached, the views of the Elections Committee shall be followed. H. No other campaign statements by or on the behalf of a nominee may be included in a special election mailing or published in any issue of any publication of the Society whether paid for (i.e., an advertisement) or not, except as discussed in rule #4 below. I. Any candidate may withdraw from nomination up until the printing deadline for candidate statements. 3. Notification responsibilities: A. Notification of when petitions for nomination to the Board of Directors are due, notification of how members may obtain copies of the Campaign Rules, and an invitation to members to suggest nominees to the Nominations Committee, shall be provided to the members either by publication in the Society’s primary magazine or by inclusion with a separate mailing to the members. B. A copy of the Campaign Rules shall be sent to any member who submits a request to Society headquarters along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope. C. Nominees are responsible for ascertaining deadline dates, current rules and requirements, and if materials have been received. Nominees may include a self-addressed, stamped postcard or envelope with their submissions to determine that they have been received. D. Failure of the Society to meet any of these notification responsibilities shall not invalidate an election. 4. The Society membership list (including but not limited to phone tree lists, other lists distributed to Chapters, and mailing lists of multi-Chapter publications) may not be used in campaigns (including campaign-related telephone calls) except as follows: A. Campaign material may appear in regular Chapter or multi-Chapter publications. However, such publications may not be distributed outside normal distribution channels or in numbers larger than normal circulation. B. Lists of the addresses of the Chapters may be used for Society election campaigns. C. Lists of dues-paying Chapter members may be used in Society election campaigns provided the Chapter in question approves of such use. Dues-paying members of a Chapter are defined to be those who have paid annual dues of at least five dollars. D. Chapters are strongly urged to avoid personal attacks on any member of the Society in publications and mailings under their control. 5. Employees of the Society may not donate money, goods in kind, or volunteer labor to, or make endorsements regarding, any Society campaign. Paid campaign workers may not be used in any Society campaign. 6. Significant violations of the Society election rules shall be considered to be cause for the revocation of membership (as provided for in Article III Section 6 of the Bylaws) or the expulsion of a Chapter (as provided for in Section 14 of the NSS Chapter Rules). 7. Once the Elections Committee has been selected for a particular Board of Directors election, any person or Chapter affected by these rules may request that the Committee or its appropriate delegate(s) provide advice as to whether particular actions are, or are not, in accordance with the Society’s Bylaws and this document. 8. The above rules 4 through 7 shall also apply to campaigns in favor of or opposed to a proposed Bylaw amendment (or amendment to the Articles of Incorporation, or plan for merger, consolidation, or voluntary dissolution) which is sent to the membership for vote. 9. In accordance with Article XI Section 5 of the Bylaws, the Elections Committee by majority vote may recommend disqualification of a candidate for the Board of Directors because of violations of campaign rules. 10. Each of the eight Regional Board members of the Board of Directors shall represent one of the eight Regions of the Society. These Regions are defined by the following list: (1) Asia/Pacific: Asia (including all of Turkey, Israel, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, but not Russia), Australia, Antarctica, Southern California (California zip code areas 93499 and below), Hawaii, and islands in the Pacific, Indian, and Antarctic Oceans. (2) Northwest North America: Northern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and islands in the Arctic Ocean. (3) Southwest United States/Latin America: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Mexico, Central America, South America, and islands in the Caribbean Sea. (4) Central North America: Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Montana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. (5) Southern United States: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky. (6) Midwest United States: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan. (7) Mid-Atlantic North America: Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. (8) Afro-Europe/Atlantic: New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Europe (including all of Russia and Ukraine), Africa, and islands in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Atlantic Ocean excluding the Caribbean Sea.
NSS CHAPTER RULES (This section last revised October 2005)
Section 1. A Chapter is an incorporated or unincorporated association of persons who have joined together to further the interests and purposes of the National Space Society (NSS) and which has been issued a valid Chapter Certificate. A Chapter Certificate is a certificate issued by the Chapters Coordinator which states (1) that the organization named in the certificate is a chapter of the NSS and (2) that the certificate is valid for fifteen months from the date of its issuance unless the certificate is revoked or surrendered before fifteen months have elapsed. Issuance of a Chapter Certificate does not confer tax-exempt status on a U.S. chapter. In order to receive tax exemption, the chapter must comply with IRS regulations either by becoming a subordinate under the NSS Group Exemption or filing the appropriate documents directly with the IRS.
Section 2. Three or more members of the NSS, who are not institutional members, may submit to the Chapters Coordinator, for the purpose of organizing a chapter of the NSS, three copies of an application on forms provided by the Chapters Coordinator. The application must be accompanied by three copies of the chapter’s bylaws, articles of incorporation, etc. which establish reasonably democratic procedures of governance, and purposes consistent with the purposes of the NSS.
Section 3. An existing organization may apply to become a chapter of the NSS, if it fulfills the requirements contained in these rules.
Section 4. If the Chapters Coordinator determines that the documents comply with the requirements set forth and accepts the application of a new or existing organization, the Chapters Coordinator shall stamp all three copies “Filed” and “[date]”, file one copy in the Chapters File, send one copy to the principal office of the NSS, and return one copy to the chapter’s organizers. The Chapters Coordinator shall issue a Chapter Certificate to the Organization.
Section 5. National Space Society chapters must use a name which includes in it the term “National Space Society” or “[chapter name], a chapter of the National Space Society”. Chapters will be encouraged to adopt names in the format of: Geographical Name + Space Society + a chapter of the National Space Society. Non-US chapters would use the chapter name format, omitting or including “a chapter of the National Space Society” as they prefer. Examples of reasonable names might be “Denver Space Society, a chapter of the National Space Society”, or “National Space Society, Denver Chapter”. Geographic descriptions are preferred, but should not refer to an area greater than that from which members may reasonably be expected to travel for regular meetings (e.g., not Midwest Space Society, or Great Britain Space Society, or Eurasia Space Society). The existence of a chapter in an area in no way excludes the formation of new chapters in the same area. Chapters are encouraged to help form new chapters.
Section 6. A chapter may not act as a representative of the NSS in any capacity without permission of the Society. All letterheads, newsletters, telephone answering machines, statements to individuals, groups, and so forth shall clearly identify the source as a chapter, as opposed to the Society itself.
Section 7. Chapters may not establish arrangements with other organizations which are aimed in a substantial sense at obtaining the benefits of NSS chapter status for the other organization rather than for the chapter. For example, the establishment of two organizations with the same Board of Directors, one a chapter of NSS and the other not, where the NSS chapter is used to exploit the NSS non-profit status, the NSS name, the NSS membership incentives, etc., while the resources thus obtained are used to a significant extent to build up the non-NSS organization, is not allowed. Chapters which are concerned that they may be in violation of this rule should consult the Chapters Coordinator, who will decide such issues on a case-by-case basis. The foregoing is not intended to prevent chapters from organizing as student body organizations.
Section 8. A chapter shall have at least three principal officers and shall not allow any person to hold a principal chapter office (for example, chapter president, secretary or treasurer) unless such person is a member of the NSS. A chapter is allowed to require any other or all of its members to become members of the NSS.
Section 9. Each chapter shall file an Annual Report with the Society within forty-five (45) days after the end of NSS’ fiscal year. The report shall be made on forms provided by the Chapters Coordinator. A chapter shall also, on request of the Chapters Coordinator, provide a current copy of its membership list, with names and addresses. The Chapters Coordinator shall issue a Chapter Certificate to each chapter which files a satisfactory Annual Report.
Section 10. In order to maintain good communications within the Society, each chapter shall provide the Chapters Coordinator and the principal office of the NSS with subscriptions to the chapters’ newsletter(s).
Section 11. A chapter may at any time elect to surrender its Chapter Certificate to the Chapters Coordinator, thereby ceasing to be a chapter of the NSS and relinquishing the privilege of using the NSS name and symbol.
Section 12. The Chapters Coordinator shall be in charge of all of the Society’s non-legislative Spaceweek activities above the chapter level, because Spaceweek activities are, in general, chapter oriented. The Chapters Coordinator may appoint and/or remove one or more Spaceweek Coordinators and/or other volunteers to help carry out Spaceweek activities.
Section 13. There shall be a program of incentives for chapters to recruit new members of the NSS. A one-time incentive payment will be made for each new member of the NSS recruited by a chapter using membership forms that identify the recruiting chapter. The incentive payments will be paid to chapters within three months of receipt of full NSS dues payments. The initial recruitment incentive will be set at half the amount of the dues payments. The NSS Board of Directors may, by an act of the Board, adjust the level of the recruitment incentive as required to maintain the financial integrity of the Society. (“New member” is defined as any person who has never been a member of the NSS, or whose membership has lapsed for more than nine months.)
Section 14. The Chapters Coordinator may terminate the status of a group as a chapter in the NSS if he/she feels that this would be in the best interests of the Society. Such action may be appealed to the Executive Committee. A decision of the Executive Committee concerning such an action may be further appealed to the Board of Directors. Appeal includes the right to submit documents to the Committee or Board members, to review copies of all documents submitted to the Committee or Board members which relate to the decision in question, and to make a presentation to the Committee or Board if the matter is to be considered at a Committee or Board meeting held in person or via communications equipment. A majority of a quorum is sufficient to sustain the Chapters Coordinator’s action at the Executive Committee level. An appeal to the Board of Directors shall require a majority vote of a quorum of the Board (or a majority vote of the Board, if by mail vote) to sustain the action of the Chapter Coordinator as upheld by the Executive Committee.
Section 15. The Chapters Coordinator may elect to suspend some or all services and privileges to a chapter which is in material or substantial noncompliance with these rules. At such time as the Chapters Coordinator determines that the chapter has remedied its noncompliance, its rights to chapter services and privileges shall be reinstated.
Section 16. The Chapters Coordinator may interpret rules 1-15 of this document and is empowered to grant exceptions in order to further the interests and purposes of the Society.
Section 17. Decisions rendered by action or inaction of the Chapters Coordinator may be amended by the Executive Committee.
Section 18. This document may be amended only by a majority vote of the NSS Board of Directors.