CONSTITUTION

CAUCUS FOR A NEW POLITICAL SCIENCE

 

PREAMBLE

The Caucus for a New Political Science was formed to make the study of politics relevant to the struggle for a better world.  As an educational organization, it offers a forum to diverse positions within the framework of this struggle. At the same time, it recognizes that political study and criticism, if it is to be effective, must ultimately transcend the barriers of professionalism and become a function of the community as a whole. Accordingly, the Caucus will seek access to general, as well as specialized audiences, and it will strive to regulate its affairs in a manner consistent with its commitment to maximizing well-informed political participation.

I. MEMBERSHIP

A.                A.  Anyone who agrees with the aims of the Caucus is eligible for membership:

1.  Membership becomes effective upon receipt of annual dues.  Membership shall be for one year beginning September 1. Dues paid after July 1 shall count for the following academic year. Members of the APSA Organized Section (New Political Science) will become Caucus members automatically and without payment of additional dues.

2.  Membership dues shall be structured progressively in accordance with an individual’s ability to pay. 

3.  The rates for membership dues shall be determined by Resolution of the Caucus.

B.  The Caucus may authorize non-membership subscriptions to its publications to individuals, groups, or organizations, by a majority vote of the Coordinating Council.

II. ORGANIZATION

 

The policy-making bodies of the Caucus are as follows, listed in descending order of individual respon­sibility, and in ascending order of collective power: Coordinating Council (CC), Assembly, and General Membership.

 

III.  OFFICERS

 

The officers of the Caucus, and their functions, shall be as follows:

A.  Chairperson.  The duties of the Chairperson shall be:

 

1.  to act as the official representative of the Caucus in its relations with all other 

     organizations, associations, and the general public, including the authority to sign 

     binding contracts and memoranda of agreement, subject to to review and approval by

     the Coordinating Council, except in matters dealing with official publications, which

    are subject to review and approval by the Publications Executive Committee,

2. to preside over all meetings of the Coordinating Council, Publications Executive  

    Committee, and general membership meetings,

3.  to oversee and review the work of special committees, task forces, and publications,

4.  to report to the general membership at the annual meeting.

 

 

B.  Program Coordinator.  The Program Coordinator serves as coordinator of all Caucus programs and conferences.

 

C.  Secretary/Treasurer.  The duties of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be:

 

1.  to take and keep the minutes of all Coordinating Council meetings, and to distribute

     said minutes to its members no less than two weeks before the next Coordinating Council meeting,

2.      to take and keep the minutes of all Publications Executive Committee meetings, and

      to distribute said minutes to its members no less than two weeks before the next 

      Publications Executive Committee meeting,

2.            to take and keep the minutes of all Book Series Executive Committee meetings, and

2.                  to distribute said minutes to its members no less than two weeks before the next Book 

      Series Executive Committee meeting,

34.   to take and keep the minutes of all general membership meetings, and to distribute

      said minutes within ninety days of no less than two weeks before the next general membership meeting. next general membership meeting.

4.5.   to keep a separate record of all Caucus Resolutions,

5. 6.   to keep a current n up-to-date list of members as provided by the APSA Membership Director,

6. 7.   to keep a list of the members and to to keep a the final records of all appointed Task

      Forces and Special Committees,

78.   to keep a record of the beginning and end dates of the terms of office for all officers,

editors, associate editors, task force and special committee members, and the Publications Executive Committee,

8.      to maintain an official and up-to-date schedule of all required nominations, elections,

      and meetings pending in the next twelve months,

10. to keep the financial records of the Caucus,

11. to manage all Caucus accounts, including monies received from membership dues  and all monies       

      received from the publication of the official journal and official book series,

            12. to publish a financial report to the membership at least once each year.

 

D. Treasurer. The duties of the Treasurer shall be:

 

1.  to keep an up-to-date list of members as provided by the APSA Membership Director,

2.  to keep the financial records of the Caucus,

3.  to manage all Caucus accounts, including monies received from membership dues  and all monies       

      received from the publication of the official journal and official book series,

            4 . to publish a financial report to the membership at least once each year.

 

E. Caucus Representatives to the CC. The duties of the Caucus Representatives to the CC shall be:

 

            1. to represent the interests of the Assembly and the General Membership to the CC.

          2. to assist the Chair with all matters relating to the CC and to the Caucus.

F. D.  Election of Officers.

 

1.  The Chairperson, and the Secretary, the-Treasurer, and two Caucus Representatives to the CC shall be elected at the annual general membership meeting to two-year

tTerms, on alternate years not to serve more than two consecutive terms, at the annual general membership meeting under the following procedures:

 

a.  The Coordinating Council shall propose a list of one or more nominees for each position, which shall be distributed to the membership at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting of the general membership.  Additional nominations may be submitted to the Secretary by mail, email, or made from the floor of the annual meeting.

 

b.  If there is more than one candidate for a position, the election will be made by the annual meeting providing that the winning candidate receives at least 2/3 of the votes cast, if there are two candidates. If there are more than two candidates, and the winning candidate has at least 2/3 of the votes cast, he or she shall be elected.  If no one has at least 2/3 of the votes, there shall be a run off ballot between the top two candidates. If the winning candidate in any two person balloting does not have at least 2/3 of the votes cast, the election will be decided by mail ballot, including electronic mail ballot, of the entire membership.  Each candidate shall be given an opportunity to make a statement to the membership in writing prior to the election.

 

c.  In the event that elections do not take place at the annual general membership meeting, Mail balloting and electronic mail balloting shall be available.open for at least 30 days and shall be carried out by an Election Board chaired by the out-outgoing or immediate past Chair and composed of the incumbent Caucus officers and the can­didates or their representatives. The Coordinating Council may provide that the election be conducted, or reviewed, by an outside impartial agent who will act under the direction of the Election Board.

 

2.  The Program Coordinator shall be elected for a one year term at the annual meeting of

the general membership one year prior to their year of service. He/she shall be elected and by the same procedure used to elect the Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer, and Caucus Representatives.

 

3.  Should a vacancy occur in any office, or in any other position on the Coordinating

Council, the position shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term by a majority vote of the Coordinating Council.  The Chairperson may make an interim appointment until the Coordinating Council is able to conduct an election to fill the position. If the position of Chairperson becomes vacant, the Program Coordinator will ex-officio become the interim Chairperson until the Coordinating Council is able to conduct an election to fill the position.

 

4. An incumbent officer or Coordinating Council member may be removed by either of the

following procedures:

 

a.       a two-thirds vote of the Coordinating Council, following submission of a recall petition signed by ten percent (10%) of the general membership.

 

b.      a majority vote of the annual general membership meeting, following submission of a recall petition signed by ten percent (10%) of the general membership.

 

V.    COORDINATING COUNCIL

 

A.  The Coordinating Council shall be composed of:

 

1.                  the Chairperson,

2.                  the Secretary-Treasurer,

3.                  the incumbent Program Coordinator,

4.                  the in-coming Program Coordinator,

5.                  two Caucus Representatives to the CC and

65.       the Chairs of all appointed Task Forces.

 

B.  The Coordinating Council shall, within guidelines established by Caucus Resolutions, and subject to review by Caucus Resolution, carry out regular and routine Caucus business, while discussing major issues with the general membership.

 

C.  Members of the Coordinating Council shall serve for two years, beginning with their election, and may be re-elected or reappointed for no more than two consecutive terms.  However, if a new person has not been chosen to fill the vacancy, the incumbent member of the Coordinating Council mem­ber shall remain in the office until it is filled by the regular election or appointive process.

 

V.  THE ASSEMBLY

 

A.  The Assembly shall include all members of the Coordinating Council and all members of the Caucus in good standing who choose to participate in the Caucus’s electronic discussion list or in meetings of the general membership.

 

B.  The Assembly constitutes the active membership of the Caucus.  It speaks for the general membership in situations where the latter cannot be directly consulted by the officers.

 

C.  The decisions of the Assembly shall be made at the general membership meeting or by email ballot.  Proposals Proposals may be submitted to the Assembly by a majority vote of the Coordinating Council, or by petition of 10 percent members of the Assembly in good standing.  Email ballots shall be administered by the Secretary.

 

VI.   GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

 

A.  Annual Meeting. The Caucus shall hold an annual general membership meeting in conjunction with the national meeting of the American Political Science Association, unless some other time is determined by Caucus Resolution:

 

1.      Any member of the Caucus in good standing may speak and vote at general membership meetings.

 

2.      The time and place of general membership meetings shall be determined by majority vote of the Coordinating Council, unless otherwise determined by Caucus Resolution.  If finances permit, notice of general membership meetings shall be given to all members at least 45 days in advance; if finances do not permit notification of all members, 45 days notice must be given to all Assembly members and every effort made to notify as many additional members as possible.  Publication of the time and date of the annual general membership meeting in the preliminary program of the American Political Science Association annual meeting shall be deemed sufficient notification of the general membership.

 

B.  Caucus Resolutions. Caucus Resolutions shall deal with major issues of the Caucus.

           

            1.  A Caucus Resolution may be initiated by: