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Chapter I: The Council

1. Composition (Constitution, Article IV, section 2)

1.1. 23 elected officers: the President, President-Elect, 3 Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, 16 elected Council members.

1.2. Appointed officers: Executive Director, Managing Editor of the APSR, Managing Editor of Perspectives on Politics, and the Chair of the Program Committee.

1.3. For purposes of defining the composition of the Council, the Managing Editor of the APSR is defined to include the Managing Editor of Perspectives on Politics.

1.4 "The Council may fill any interim vacancy in its elective membership until the end of the next Annual Meeting." (Constitution, V, 3)

1.5 In cases in which the role of managing editor or chair of the Program Committee is represented by co-editors or co-chairs, each role shall have one vote.  The President shall designate at the time of appointment which co-chair or co-editor shall serve on the Council. 

2. Beginning and End of Officers' Terms

2.1. "The terms of elective officers, except members of the Council and the Treasurer, shall extend for one year measured from the end of the program of the Annual Meeting, except that an officer's term shall in no event expire until his or her successor assumes office. The terms of members of the Council shall extend for two years, similarly calculated, and one-half shall expire each year. The term of the Treasurer shall also extend for two years, similarly calculated." (Constitution, V, 1).

2.2. The President
(a) The President's term shall begin and he or she shall assume office at the end of the program of the Annual Meeting in the calendar year following his or her election as President-Elect, or immediately upon notification by the Executive Director of his or her succession to the Presidency under one of the conditions in 2.2(b).
(b) "In case of death, resignation, or inability of the President to perform the duties of his or her office, the President-Elect shall immediately succeed him or her and shall be President for the remainder of the term unless that is less than four months, in which case he or she shall serve out the unexpired term and one additional year" (Constitution, V, 3).

2.3. The President-Elect
(a) The President-Elect's term shall begin and he or she shall assume office when the Election Committee has certified his or her election to the Executive Director.
(b) The President-Elect's term shall end when he or she becomes President as specified in Chapter I, Section 2.2.

2.4. The Vice Presidents, Secretary, and Treasurer
(a) The terms of the three Vice-Presidents, the Secretary, and the Treasurer shall begin and they shall assume office when the Election Committee has certified their election to the Executive Director.
(b) The terms of the three Vice-Presidents, the Secretary, and the Treasurer shall end when the Election Committee has certified the election of their successors to the Executive Director.

2.5. Members of the Council
(a) The terms of new members of the Council shall begin and they shall assume office when the Election Committee certifies their election and the terms for which they have been elected to the Executive Director.
(b) The terms of outgoing Council members shall end when the Election Committee certifies the election of their successors to the Executive Director.

3. Powers (Constitution, VII, 2-3)

3.1. Subject to limitations specified in the Constitution (VII, 1) "The Council shall be the governing body of the Association with general charge and supervision of its business and interests in accordance with this Constitution."

3.2. Receives reports of all officers and committees.

3.3. Adopts and periodically reviews the budget.

3.4. Appropriates Association funds.

3.5. Gives recommendations upon all questions (except the election of officers) to the Annual Business Meeting.

3.6. Receives an annual audit of Association accounts.

3.7. Gives directions to officers and committees.

3.8. Adopts rules for the regulation of the Association's business.

3.9. In the event of an emergency which prevents the holding of the Annual Business Meeting, may exercise all the powers of the Association including the election of officers.

3.10. Creates other committees for stated periods and stipulated assignments.

3.11. Proposes amendments to the Constitution.

3.12. Prescribes rules for the conduct of contested elections (V, 1).

3.13. Sets the dues for the various categories of Association membership.

3.14. Prescribes conditions for the conduct of referenda on policy questions receiving one-third or more votes at the Annual Business Meeting.

3.15. Fixes the terms and advises and consents to the appointment of the Executive Director, Managing Editor of the APSR, and chairpersons and members of all other Council and Association committees, except such ad hoc advisory committees as may be established under Chapter IV, section 1.2(h).

3.16. Fills interim vacancies in elective offices until the end of the next Annual Meeting (V, 2).

4. Meetings

4.1. "The Council shall meet once a year before the Annual Business Meeting, and oftener at its discretion or on call of the President" (VII, 2). The Council shall normally meet two times a year: (1) during the spring, and (2) immediately prior to the Annual Business Meeting.

4.2. Committee and Council meetings, if held elsewhere than at the Association's offices in Washington, D.C., where facilities, records, and staff exist, shall be held at reasonable, convenient locations which will minimize the travel expenses of members (Council action, September 7-8, 1970).

4.3 Meetings of the Council shall be open to attendance by members of the Association.  Members attending Council meetings are entitled to observe, but not participate in the Council's discussion.

5. Quorum

"Nine members shall constitute a quorum" (VII, 2).

6. Presiding Officer

6.1. "The President shall preside at business meetings of the . . . Council" (VII, 4).

6.2. In the President's absence, a temporary presiding officer shall be chosen by the Council.

7. Voting

7.1. "A majority vote of the members in attendance shall control (the Council's) decisions" (VII, 2).

7.2. At the direction of the presiding officer, votes shall be taken by voice vote, by show of hands, or by roll call; except that a roll call must be taken if requested by any Council member.  

7.3 Votes may be conducted between meetings by electronic means such as email or posting on a secure website.  Conduct of such a vote will allow for at least one day for electronic discussion before a vote is taken and will be reported in minutes of the next meeting.

8. Agenda

8.1. The agenda for each Council meeting shall be established by the Administrative Committee and shall be delivered at least 14 days in advance to the Council members together with any supporting materials necessary to inform the members of the business to be discussed. In order to prepare for the first meeting of the new Council, the Administrative Committee shall be consulted in the preparation of an agenda prior to the approval of that Administrative Committee by the Council.

8.2. The agenda shall be designed to focus discussion on major policy issues, with business of lesser importance delegated to the Administrative Committee.

8.3. The Administrative Committee shall report to the Council all decisions it has made since the previous Council meeting, and its decisions shall be regarded as official Association action unless specifically disapproved by the Council.

9. Minutes

9.1. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all Council meetings, including the wording of each motion, the names of the members making each motion, a brief summary of the arguments made and the members making them on each motion, and a record of the action on each motion, including each member's vote on each roll call.

9.2. The Secretary shall, through the National Office, deliver a copy of each Council meeting's minutes to all Council members at least 14 days prior to the next meeting.

9.3. Approval of the most recent meeting's minutes shall be the first order of business at each Council meeting.

9.4. The approved minutes of each Council meeting shall be published in an official journal of the Association.

10. Enactment of Annual Budget

The Council shall enact an annual budget and propose annual dues in such a manner as to (a) state fully all sources of income, including income for restricted purposes; (b) state the approximate costs of each of the Association's major programs; and (c) preserve a balance between projected income and expenditure, including an appropriate amount for contingencies.

11. Appropriation of Funds

11.1. The allocation of funds in the annual budget shall constitute the Council's appropriation of funds.

11.2. The Executive Director shall be responsible for disbursing funds within the terms set by the Council.

11.3. The Administrative Committee is authorized to make internal adjustments in the annual budget and special appropriations from the contingency fund authorized in the annual budget. It shall report on such adjustments and appropriations to the next Council meeting. The Executive Director shall be responsible for disbursing funds within the terms set by the Administrative Committee.

11.4. For the forthcoming fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) Committee budget authorizations are established by the Council at its spring meeting. Committees are invited by letter from the Executive Director in a timely manner to submit budget proposals. Committees are informed prior to the beginning of the fiscal year of their budget authorization and receive reports on expenditures on request. Disbursements above budgeted levels by Committees will not be made unless approved by the Administrative Committee or the Council.

12. Reimbursement of Expenses Incurred in Association Business

12.1. Reimbursement of the travel and living expenses incurred in the conduct of official Association business shall be only for actual out-of-pocket expenses.

12.2. Out-of-pocket expenses shall, except by special authorization by the Council or Administrative Committee, include:
(a) Tourist or economy air fare (where available), train fare, or mileage and related costs for travel in private automobiles.
(b) Hotel room charges.
(c) Restaurant charges.
(d) Taxi fares.
(e) Tips.

13. Consideration of Proposed New Programs

13.1. Any proposal to the Council for a new Association program shall, except as the Council provides otherwise, include:
(a) A brief statement of the policy issues involved.
(b) A proposed budget presenting the estimated costs of the proposed program.
(c) Suggested sources of funds to support the program.

13.2. The person or persons proposing the new program shall consult the Executive Director prior to the Council meeting at which the program is considered.

13.3. Proposals for new programs shall, unless the Council decides otherwise, be referred to an appropriate Association committee for review and consideration.

14. Other Procedural Rules

Except as ordered otherwise by the Association's Constitution and By-Laws, the Council's procedures shall be governed by the rules set forth in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised  (Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing).