CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE SOUTHERN POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION
as amended November 3, 1994; January 7, 2011; January 10, 2014; January 16, 2015; January 5, 2018; January 10, 2020.
Sec. 1. NAME
The organization shall be known as The Southern Political Science Association. The Southern Political Science Association is organized as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the state of Georgia.
Sec. 2. PURPOSE
(a) The purpose of the Association shall be to publish a professional journal, to improve teaching, to promote interest and research in theoretical and practical political problems, to encourage communication and to develop standards of competence and respect between persons engaged in the professional study and practice of government and politics.
(b) The Association as such is nonpartisan. It will not support political parties or candidates. It can, under certain circumstances, commit the organization on questions of public policy where the interests of the Association and its members are directly involved. The procedures for determining whether the Association will take a public position on a given issue are laid out in the separate document, ‘SPSA Procedures for Policy Statements’.
Sec. 3. ANNUAL MEETING
There shall be an annual meeting of the Association. The President shall preside at the business meeting thereof. Unless otherwise agreed upon by the Council, the Annual Business Meeting shall be on the Friday during the Annual Conference of the Association
Sec. 4. OFFICERS, COUNCILORS AND TERMS
All Officers and Councilors shall be members of the Association.
The officers shall be a President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Immediate Past Vice-President, Vice-President and Program Chair, Vice-President-Elect, Executive Director, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, and the Editor(s) of THE JOURNAL OF POLITICS. The Treasurer shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Council for a term of three years.
In addition to the officers, there shall be nine Councilors.
(a) The Recording Secretary and one-third of the Councilors shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Association for a term of three years. The Vice-President Elect shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Association and shall serve for one year or until his or her successor has been qualified.
(b) In the event that the President is unable to complete his or her term of office, the President-Elect shall succeed to the office. In the event that any other officer or councilor of the Executive Council is unable to complete his or her term of office, the President shall appoint a successor, subject to the approval of the Executive Council by a majority vote.
(c) The Treasurer shall serve as Treasurer of the Association and shall serve as the alternate signatory on financial instruments owned by the Association.
Sec. 5. ELECTION OF VICE-PRESIDENT-ELECT AND PROGRAM CHAIR, RECORDING SECRETARY AND COUNCILORS, AND PROGRESSION OF OFFICERS
Prior to each annual meeting of the Association, the Chair of the Nominating Committee shall solicit nominations for officers. The Nominating Committee shall make nominations of candidates at each annual meeting to fill vacancies in the elective membership of the Executive Council. The Nominating Committee shall be guided in its nominations by the response of the members. Nominations may also be made by petition of 50 members delivered to the President at least 60 days prior to the date of voting as set in this section.. If more than one person is nominated for an office and no nominee receives an absolute majority of votes cast on the first ballot, there shall be a second ballot on the two nominees who receive the highest number of votes for either office on the first ballot. The individual who receives an absolute majority will be the winner. The progression of officers shall be: Vice-President-Elect, Vice-President and Program Chair, Immediate Past Vice-President, President-Elect, President, Immediate Past-President, each office lasting for one year.
Sec. 6. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Executive Council
The Executive Council shall consist of all the above referenced officers, the Editor(s) in Chief of the Journal of Politics, and the nine other Councilors. The Editor(s) in Chief of the Journal of Politics shall serve ex officio in a non-voting capacity.
Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest
All Council members agree to adhere to the code of conduct which includes the conflict of interest statement. All council members must annually sign the conflict of interest statement a Council Member who fails to sign the conflict of interest statement by the date required is considered to have resigned and the position becomes immediately vacant.
Removal
Any Officer or Council member may be removed on a vote of 2/3 of the Council; removal of a Council Member creates a vacancy which must be filled by the procedure described in section 4 of this Constitution.
Sec. 7. DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
(a) Meet on the Thursday and Saturday of the Annual Meeting and such other meetings at a time and place agreed upon by the Council
(b) Vote to fill all vacancies in any office, including its own membership, until the next annual meeting of the Association as appointed by the President of the Association per Section 4(b)
(c) Review and approve the annual report of the Treasurer.
(d) Propose amendments to the Constitution.
(e) Evaluate the performance of the Executive Director or appoint a committee to evaluate the Executive Director.
(f) Appoint the editors of the Journal of Politics.
(g) Approve and vote on motions or resolutions for the business of the Association not inconsistent with this Constitution. All such approved motions shall be binding on the Council, membership and conference attendees.
(h) Make decisions and recommendations in respect to any other business of the Association which may arise.
Sec. 8. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
(a) The Executive Director shall be appointed by the Executive Council for a term not to exceed three years.
(b) The Executive Director
1. serves as the chief executive officer of the Association and transacts its business;
2. has charge of the offices, employees, and agents of the Association;
3. formulates plans and policies for the accomplishment of the Association’s purposes and, upon the approval of the Council, is responsible for administration of the Association’s affairs;
4. In consultation with and approval of the Treasurer and Finance Committee, has custody of the Association’s funds, discharges its obligations, and maintains its accounts;
5. makes an annual report to the Council;
6. consults with the President as questions of policy arise; and
7. assists and advises all Committees in their work.
8. In addition, the Executive Director shall perform such duties as the President or the Executive Council may from time to time direct that is not inconsistent with the Constitution.
(c) The Executive Director shall serve as a non-voting member of the Executive Council.
Sec. 9. COMMITTEES
The President shall appoint the standing committees and other special committees as determined by the Council. The Vice-President-Elect shall appoint the Program Committee for the annual meeting and shall act as its Chair.
Sec. 10. ANNUAL DUES AND MEMBERSHIP
Membership
Membership categories for purposes of assessing dues shall consist of regular, student, and retired memberships. The Executive Council may establish additional categories of memberships. The amount of dues for membership shall be fixed by a majority of the Executive Council. Payment of dues shall entitle a member to a subscription to THE JOURNAL OF POLITICS and all other privileges of membership. Membership period commences upon payment of membership dues for the period purchased.
Revocation of Membership
The Council may revoke an individual’s membership in the Association by a 2/3rds vote of all Council members after hearing from the member whose membership is in question. The membership of a person serving as a member of the Council or an officer of the Association may not be revoked until the end of that person’s term of office except as provided in section 6.
Sec. 11. INSTITUTIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS
Institutional subscription rates shall be fixed by the press under contract to publish THE JOURNAL OF POLITICS, in consultation with the Executive Council.
Sec. 1. PUBLICATION
The Association shall publish a journal which shall be called THE JOURNAL OF POLITICS.
Sec. 2. EDITORIAL ORGANIZATION
Sole responsibility for the format and content of THE JOURNAL OF POLITICS shall be vested in the Editor(s) who shall serve a term of four years which may be extended by two to four years at the mutual agreement of the SPSA Executive Council and the Editor(s). The President shall appoint a committee to nominate the Editor(s) who will be appointed by the Executive Council. The Editorial Board shall consist of persons named by the Editor(s). Members of the Editorial Board shall discharge such functions as the Editor(s) may vest in them. The Editor(s) shall be Ex Officio member(s) of the Editorial Board, and the Editor(s) shall serve as its Chair(s). The Editor(s) at his or her (their) discretion may create other editorial positions and make appointments to fill them.
Amendments may be proposed by an absolute majority of the members of the Executive Council or by petitions signed by not less than 50 members presented to the Executive Council no less than thirty (30) days in advance of the annual meeting. Amendments to the Constitution shall become effective immediately after approval by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting thereon at the annual business meeting, or by two-thirds of the membership voting by electronic ballot.
Upon the dissolution of this organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government for a public purpose.
