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.  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, 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 serve 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,

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

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

      Series Executive Committee meeting,

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

      said minutes no less than two weeks before the next general membership meeting.

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

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

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

      Forces and Special Committees,

8.   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,

9.      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.  Election of Officers.

 

1.  The Chairperson and the Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected to two-year

terms on alternate years 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, 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.  Mail balloting and electronic mail balloting shall be 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 and by the same procedure used to elect the Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer.

 

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.

 

IV.  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, and

5.  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  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 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 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 by email ballot.  Proposals may be submitted to the Assembly by a majority vote of the Coordinating Council, or by petition of 10 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 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:

 

a.  a majority vote of the Coordinating Council,

 

b.  a vote by ten percent (10%) of those attending the annual general membership meeting,

 

c.  a written petition signed by ten percent (10%) of Caucus general membership. 

 

d.      If the proposal indicates the method for considering the Resolution, that form must be used, unless any of the initiating groups request different methods having higher priority, as defined in Article VI.B.2, where the method having highest priority shall be used in approving or rejecting the Resolution.

 

2.  A Caucus Resolution may be passed by any of the following methods, which are listed in ascending order of priority in case of a conflict in Resolutions:

 

a.       by a majority vote of the Coordinating Council and approval by a majority of the annual general membership meeting,

 

            b.   by the Assembly in cooperation with the Coordinating Council as follows: 

 

(i) The Coordinating Council notifies the Assembly of an impending Resolution and requests suggestions from Assembly members.

 

(ii) The Coordinating Council considers suggestions from the Assembly and prepares a ballot asking for majority approval by the Assembly of the Coordinating Council Resolution or asks the Assembly to vote its preference among alternative Resolutions.  Any alternative supported by petition from ten (10) Assembly members or ten percent (10%) of the Assembly, whichever is less, must be placed on the ballot.

 

c.  By majority vote of the general membership conducted by mail or email ballot.

 

C.  Candidate Slates in Other Associations.  If the Caucus decides to run or sponsor a slate of candidates in any association, the candidate or slate of candidates shall be chosen by the method in Article VI.B. for adopting Resolutions.

 

 

 

 

VII.  PUBLICATIONS

 

A.  Journal.  The Caucus for a New Political Science may sponsor an official scholarly journal for the purpose of making the study of politics relevant to the struggle for a better world.

 

B.  Book Series.  The Caucus for a New Political Science may sponsor an official book series.

 

C. Publications Executive Committee.  The Publications Executive Committee shall be responsible for the general policy and oversight of the official journal and book series, within guidelines established by Caucus Resolutions, and subject to review by Caucus Resolution.  The members of the Publications Executive Committee shall be:

 

1.      Chairperson, ex-officio, who shall chair the Publications Executive Committee and preside at its meetings,

2.      Secretary, ex-officio,

3.      Treasurer, ex-officio,

4.      two members of the Caucus at-large to be elected at each general membership meeting,

5.      the Journal Editor, ex-officio,

6.      the Journal Book Review Editor, ex-officio,

7.      the Book Series Editor, ex officio,

8.      the Associate Editors of the official journal and book series, ex-officio, and

9.      two members of the journal’s Editorial Board to be elected by the Publications Executive Committee.

 

D.  Journal Editor.  The journal shall be managed on a day-to-day basis by an Editor, who shall serve for a three-year term, provided that no individual may serve more than two three-year terms.  The Editor shall be selected in the following manner:

 

1.  Nominations for Journal Editor shall be made to the Chairperson no later than March 1st of the year that the current Editor’s term expires.  Any member of the Caucus may nominate an individual, including self-nominations, to the Chairperson.  If no nominations are received for Editor, the Chairperson may actively solicit nominations after between March 1 and April 30.

 

2. The Chairperson shall contact all nominees to determine whether they accept the nomination and, if so, to obtain a statement of their qualifications for the position. The statement of qualifications for individuals nominated to become the Editor shall include, at a minimum, a curriculum vita, copies of publications, letters of support from Caucus members, letters of support from individual’s familiar with the individual’s ability to perform the duties of the Editor, representative samples of scholarly publications, and a statement of the nominee’s philosophy or intent as Editor, , and a letter from the individual’s chair, dean, provost, or other academic administrator stating the level of institutional support that will be provided to the Editor.

 

3.      The Chairperson shall forward all nominations and statements of qualifications to all

members of the Publications Executive Committee no later than May 30 after the close of nominations.

 

4.      The Chair shall also inform members of the journal’s Editorial Board, no later than June 1 prior to the expiration of the Editor’s term, of nominees’ names for purposes of soliciting their written opinions about the nominees, which shall also be distributed to all members of the Publications Executive Committee.

5.      The Publications Executive Committee shall select an individual to be Editor of the journal by majority vote based on its assessment of the following criteria:

 

            (i)    a commitment to progressive politics and the Caucus,

            (ii)   strength of support from members of the Caucus,

            (iii)  ability to perform the duties of the Editor, and

            (iv)  the commitment of a nominee’s institution to provide support to the Editor.

6.      If the incumbent Editor prefers to be considered for a second term, the Editor shall notify the Chairperson no later than March 1 of the year that the incumbent Editor’s term expires. The Editor’s request shall be considered, based upon the individual’s performance as Editor. 

7.      In exceptional or emergency cases, and only by a two-thirds vote (2/3) vote of the Publications Executive Committee, an incumbent Editor whose second term has expired may be asked to continue in that position on a year-by-year basis.

8.      The Publications Executive Committee shall select an Editor at its regular scheduled annual business meeting.  If any member of the Publications Executive Committee requests a secret ballot, then the selection will proceed by means of secret ballot.  If an emergency prevents any member of the Publications Executive Committee from attending the annual business meeting, they will be allowed to cast a proxy ballot for Journal Editor by contacting the Chairperson.

 

9.  The duties of the Journal Editor shall be:

 

a.        to receive and solicit manuscripts of high academic quality for publication in the journal,

b.      to insure that manuscript submissions and publications reflect the mission of the Caucus and the diversity of views held by members of the Caucus,

c.       to maintain a list of manuscript reviewers and to insure that submitted manuscripts are anonymously reviewed by individuals with appropriate expertise,

d.      to manage the publication of the journal and insure its publication on a regular and timely basis,

e.       to provide the journal’s publisher with an edited clean copy of each issue in a timely manner, and to work cooperatively with the publisher on all matters necessary to insures its publication.

f.       to submit a written annual report to the Publications Executive Committee at its annual business meeting.

 

E.  Book Series Editor.  The official book series shall be managed on a day-to-day basis by an Editor, who shall serve for a three-year term, provided that no individual may serve more than two three-year terms.  The Editor shall be selected in the following manner:

 

1.  Nominations for Book Series Editor shall be made to the Chairperson no later than

March 1st of the year that the current Editor’s term expires.  Any member of the Caucus may nominate an individual, including self-nominations, to the Chairperson.  If no nominations are received for Editor, the Chairperson may actively solicit nominations after between March 1 and April 30.

 

2. The Chairperson shall contact all nominees to determine whether they accept the

nomination and, if so, to obtain a statement of their qualifications for the position. The statement of qualifications for individuals nominated to become the Editor shall include, at a minimum, a curriculum vita, copies of publications, letters of support from Caucus members, letters of support from individual’s familiar with the individual’s ability to perform the duties of the Editor, a representative sample of scholarly publications, a statement of the nominee’s philosophy or intent as Editor, and a letter from the individual’s chair, dean, provost, or other academic administrator stating the level of institutional support that will be provided to the Editor.

 

3.      The Chairperson shall forward all nominations and statements of qualifications to all members of the Publications Executive Committee no later than May 15 after the close of nominations.

4.      The Publications Executive Committee shall select an individual to be Book Series Editor by majority vote based on its assessment of the following criteria:

            a.  a commitment to progressive politics and the Caucus,

            b.  strength of support from members of the Caucus,

            c.  ability to perform the duties of the Editor, and

            d.  the commitment of a nominee’s institution to provide support to the Editor.

 

6.  If the incumbent Editor prefers to be considered for a second term, the Editor shall

     notify the Chairperson no later than May 30 of the year that the incumbent Editor’s term      

                 expires. The Editor’s request shall be considered, based upon the individual’s  

                 performance as Editor. 

 

7.      In exceptional or emergency cases, and only by a two-thirds vote (2/3) vote of the Publications Executive Committee, an incumbent Book Series Editor whose second term has expired may be asked to continue in that position on a year-by-year basis.

 

8.      The Publications Executive Committee shall select an Editor at its regularly scheduled annual business meeting.  If any member of the Publications Executive Committee requests a secret ballot, then the selection will proceed by means of secret ballot.  If an emergency prevents any member of the Publications Executive Committee from attending the annual business meeting, they will be allowed to cast a proxy ballot for the Book Series Editor by contacting the Chairperson.

 

9.  The duties of the Book Series Editor shall be:

 

a.   to receive and solicit book manuscripts and proposals for book manuscripts of high  

      academic quality for publication in the official book series,

b.      to insure that book manuscript submissions and publications reflect the mission of the Caucus and the diversity of views held by members of the Caucus,

c.       to maintain a list of manuscript reviewers and to insure that submitted manuscripts are anonymously reviewed by individuals with appropriate expertise,

d.      to manage the publication of the book series and insure the publication of new books on a regular and timely basis,

e.       to provide the book series’ publisher with edited clean copies of each book manuscript in a timely manner, and to work cooperatively with the publisher on all matters necessary to insure the success of the book series,

f.       to submit a written annual report to the Publications Executive Committee at its annual business meeting.

 

F.  Editorial Board.  The official journal shall have an Editorial Board, which shall advise the Journal Editor:

 

            1.  The Journal Editor shall nominate individuals for membership on the Editorial Board