Bylaws of the Association of Chinese Criminology and Criminal Justice
in the United States (ACCCJ)
(Revised on January, 2013)
Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be the Association of Chinese Criminology and Criminal Justice in the United States (ACCCJ).
Article II. Purpose and Mission
Section 1. ACCCJ is a non-profit, non-political organization for scholarly and professional activities.
Section 2. The purpose of ACCCJ is to promote Chinese criminology and criminal justice research, teaching, and learning among academic communities in the United States, China, Taiwan, and the rest of the world.
Section 3: It is the mission of the ACCCJ (1) to establish and strengthen academic connections and exchanges among scholars, researchers, students and professionals from the United States and the rest of the world who are conducting research in Chinese criminology and criminal justice, (2) to promote the fully-fledged development of research and studies in criminology and criminal justice in Chinese societies and (3) to mentor young scholars who are interested in comparative criminology and criminal justice involving Chinese societies.
Section 4: The ACCCJ shall organize and facilitate activities to serve the above mentioned purpose and mission of the Association, including but not limited to: holding annual meetings,
sponsoring panels in professional conferences such as the American Society of Criminology, collaborating with other academic organizations on research and teaching, promoting original
and high quality scholarship, maintaining listserv, publishing newsletters, and other professional activities.
Section 5: The ACCCJ is registered as such in the State of Texas, United States. The ACCCJ shall observe the laws and regulations of the United States applicable to its operation.
Article III. Organizational Structure
Section 1: The organizational structure of the ACCCJ includes its members, a Board of Directors, and a Board of Advisors.
Section 2: The Board of Directors must be current members of the Association. The Board is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Association. The Board of Directors has the
power to appoint ad hoc committees to undertake specific tasks.
Section 3: The Board of Advisors shall advise on the functioning of the ACCCJ, help open new channels for academic exchanges, and provide other forms of professional assistance that shall advance the development of the ACCCJ.
Article IV. Membership Eligibility and Member’s Responsibilities
Section 1: The ACCCJ membership is open to any applicant who is eligible for one of the following three categories:
(1) Individual full membership: Scholars, researchers, and professionals who are interested in conducting research, teaching, and/or learning of Chinese criminology and criminal justice are eligible for ACCCJ regular membership. Members shall pay annual dues, have the right to exercise their privileges (e.g., to vote on issues related to ACCCJ, to nominate and/or be
nominated to serve key positions of the governing body of the Association, to bring up petitions and motions to the Board of Directors), and enjoy benefits of the association (e.g., access to the listserv and electronic version of newsletters including publishing relevant information in the newsletter).
(2) Individual student membership: Any individual who is a matriculated student in a university is eligible for ACCCJ student membership. Student members shall pay annual dues at a
discounted rate, have the right to exercise their privileges (e.g., to vote on issues related to ACCCJ, to nominate and/or be nominated to serve in key positions of the governing body of the
Association with the exception of three officer positions as enumerated below, to bring up petitions and motions to the Board of Directors), and enjoy benefits of the association (e.g.,
access to the listserv and electronic version of newsletters including publishing relevant information in the newsletter).
(3) Institutional member: Any institution with a focus on, or an interest in, Chinese criminology and criminal justice can petition to the Board of Directors to become an institutional member of ACCCJ. Institutional members are not voting members. The annual dues for membership categories shall be determined by the Board of Directors.
Section 2: A general member meeting shall be convened at least once a year with the meeting time/date/location announced in advance and best suited for the maximum participation of all members. The meeting shall be chaired by the President of the ACCCJ, and all officers should prepare annual reports and have them delivered at the general member meeting. Motions may be solicited/proposed before the meeting via electronic communication. Meeting minutes will be recorded and disseminated to members in a timely fashion.
Section 3: All members are obliged to observe these bylaws and other regulations which may, from time to time, be enacted by the ACCCJ. No member of the ACCCJ shall be allowed to
express opinions on behalf of the Association without such prior authorization by the Board of Directors. A motion to remove a member’s membership may be made at the behest of at least ten members and approved by at least a 2/3 vote of members. Due process shall be observed during the proceedings. A petition to restore one’s membership shall be done through a formal motion to the Board of Directors and is subject to further review and approval by the Board of Directors.
Article V. Board of Directors
Section 1: The Board of Directors shall consist of seven members, including three officers of the ACCCJ. The three officers shall include President (who also serves as Chair of the Board of Directors), President-Elect, and Treasurer. There are four other, non-officer, directors. Besides performing their specific duties, directors shall advise the President in his/her management of the organization. The Board of Directors shall have the right to interpret the bylaws of the ACCCJ (subject to amendments by a vote of members).
Section 2: Directors are all volunteers and shall receive no financial compensation for their services. All directors shall be elected through a single majority vote. Nominations for the
directors can be done by any member of the ACCCJ, including self-nomination. Elected directors shall serve for a term of two years. The Board shall set the deadlines for call for
nomination, nomination, ballot and election. Sufficient time must be allowed for all members to be timely notified of an election. All directors are subject to impeachment. An impeachment motion shall be supported by at least ten members and at least 2/3 votes from all eligible voting members are required to remove a Director. Due process shall be observed during these proceedings. In the event that a director resigns or is impeached and removed, the President shall call for an election to fill the vacancy within 60 days.
Section 3: President of the ACCCJ shall be nominated and elected by a simple majority vote from eligible voting members. The President is responsible for the general wellbeing of the
ACCCJ and supervises the routine operations of the Association.
Section 4: A President-Elect shall be nominated and elected by a simple majority vote. He/she shall automatically become the next President of the Association at the end of the current
President’s term, or in the event that the current President resigns or is impeached and removed during his/her tenure. In the event that the President-Elect resigns or is impeached and removed, the President shall call for an election to fill the vacancy within 60 days.
Section 5: A Treasurer shall be nominated and elected by a simple majority vote. The Treasurer shall help the President in his/her handling of the good financial functioning of the Association. The Treasurer shall prepare annual financial reports of the Association and deliver the reports at the annual Board meeting, or at any other times as required (e.g., by motions approved by the majority members. In the event that the Treasurer resigns or is impeached and removed, the President shall call for an election to fill the vacancy within 60 days.
Section 6: A Board of Directors’ meeting shall be convened at least once a year with the meeting time/date/location announced in advance and best suited for the maximum participation of all Board of Directors and other members. Motions may be solicited/proposed before the meeting via electronic communication. Meeting minutes will be recorded and disseminated to members in a timely fashion.
Section 7: All members of the Board of Directors shall work diligently and in a democratic manner to serve the best interests of the Association and its members. Should a disagreement
occur among directors, the Board of Directors shall hold a timely vote among all directors in a reasonable and acceptable manner, and directors shall abide by the decision of the majority.
Article VI. Board of Advisors
Section 1: The Board of Advisors shall be composed of internationally recognized scholars and policy makers who have an interest and expertise in Chinese criminology and criminal justice. Members of the Board of Directors shall not serve, during their tenure, as members of the Board of Advisors.
Section 3: Nominations for membership of the Board of Advisors shall be made in writing by at least ten members, and be ratified by the Board of Directors (with votes of at least five of the seven Board Director). Upon approval of the Board of Directors, the President of the ACCCJ shall extend the Association’s invitation and render the appointment upon acceptance by the nominee. An advisor can be removed with a motion supported by at least ten members, and a vote of at least five board members that approves the motion.
Article VII. Rules of Order
The current edition of Roberts Rules of Order shall govern all the meetings of the Association.
Article VIII. Approval and Amendment to the Bylaws
Section 1: These bylaws shall take immediate effect after they are approved by 2/3 votes of members present at the inaugural ACCCJ meeting held in San Francisco in November, 2010.
Upon approval of these bylaws, the ACCCJ will be established.
Section 2: The authority to interpret the bylaws shall be reserved to the Board of Directors.
Section 3: The Bylaws may be amended with a motion supported by at least ten members and approved by at least a 2/3 vote from all eligible voting members.
Election Rules
A. Election Committee
a) ‘Election committee’ shall comprise a Chair (current Board member), a student representative and a non-director/ individual member.
b) No member of the Election Committee should be a candidate for any position being contested in an election. The Election Committee cannot be seen to show support to any candidate.
Members of the Election Committee are entitled to vote.
B. The role of the Election Committee is to conduct, in its entirety, the election for the Board.
This role includes:
a) preparing the e-notice inviting nominations;
b) ensuring the e-nomination notice is published;
c) receiving e-nominations & confirming with nominated candidates to ensure their willingness to be nominated and to serve if elected;
d) accepting nominations and declaring formal acceptance when nominations close;
e) preparing ballots for the ACCCJ General Meeting (AGM) and distributing at AGM
f) receiving ‘votes’ by email from those members unable to attend AGM (any such e-votes to be sent directly to Chair of Election of Committee)
g) counting ballots at AGM; and
h) announcing the formal election results to the AGM.
C. Election Time-table
a) the call for nomination shall be at least 30 days before the AGM; close of nominations shall be 15 days after the call for nominations;
b) all fully paid members are entitled to vote; any membership ‘due’ payments can be made prior to close of nominations;
c) announcement of nominations shall be made at least 10 days before the AGM.
d) an e-ballot will be issued to those unable to attend the AGM (and who request it) at least 10 days before the AGM. The ballot must be returned by e-mail to Chair of the Election Committee at least 24 hours before the AGM.2
D. Notice of Election
The election notice will be emailed to all current members; the notice should:
a) state that an election is to be held and identify and provide contact details of Chair of the Election Committee (who is authorized to receive election correspondence including e-ballots);
b) set the time and date for the close of the roll of eligible members;
c) invite nominations for the positions to be contested;
d) fix the time and date for the close of nominations; and
e) advise the day(s) and time(s) for voting, including when ballots will be issued and when and where they are to be returned.
E. Nominations
Only eligible members can be nominated for any position. Self-nomination is permitted. Candidacy is allowed for only one position during the same election. If an eligible member is
nominated for two or more positions, she/he has to inform the Election Committee about her/his preference for candidacy. A member of the Board of Directors who wishes to be a candidate of the election before her/her term is completed must resign from the Board. The vacancy resulted from the resignation will be filled by the same election.
A nomination form should include the following information:
a) the full name and contact details (e-mail) of the candidate;
b) the position or positions for which the candidate is standing;
c) except in the case of self-nomination, the candidate’s written consent to a nomination shall be sought by the Election Committee (Chair).
d) a candidate who has been nominated and who has accepted such nomination in an election should be permitted to withdraw that nomination, by email, addressed to the Chair of the
Election Committee before the close of nominations.
F. Uncontested Elections
If, when nominations close, the number of persons who have been duly nominated as candidates for a particular position does not exceed the number to be elected to a position, each of those 3 persons is elected (subject to approval by a single majority vote at AGM). Any positions remaining unfilled should be filled according to further emergency election rules per ACCCJ bylaws.
G. Contested Elections
If, by the close of nominations, the number of persons who have been nominated as candidates for a position or positions exceeds the number of persons to be elected, then a ballot must be held for the position(s). The candidate(s) with the most votes wins the contest (subject to approval by a single majority vote at AGM).
H. Delivery of roll of eligible voters to the Chair of the Election Committee.
As soon as practicable after the close of nominations, the Chair of the Election Committee shall receive a roll of eligible voting members certified by the Board member with responsibility for membership issues.
I. Order of Candidates on the Ballot
The ballot shall:
a) show the position(s) being contested;
b) list the names of the candidates contesting each position (in alphabetical order by the candidates’ last names)
c) in the case of e-ballot, provide instructions on how to return the ballot to the Chair of the Election Committee and the date for the close of the ballot.
J. Voting
Attendance voting at AGM
Election will take place at the AGM. A member wishing to vote should have his/her name marked off the roll. A member shall cast the vote anonymously. The Chair of the Election
Committee (in attendance) should initial the ballot before handing it to the member who should 4 place the completed ballot in an authorized container. If a member makes a mistake when voting, a replacement ballot can be given in exchange for the spoilt one. Eligible members, unable to attend the AGM, may cast an absentee ballot by seeking an e-ballot from the Chair of the Election Committee and returning at least 24 hours before the AGM. Attendance voting shall follow the following procedures: (a) each nominated candidate shall be given the opportunity to address the meeting to present his/her qualifications for the contested position; (b) each nominated candidate shall be given the opportunity to respond to any questions
from the audience; (c) the Chair of the Election Committee shall confirm, through ‘a show of hands’ at the AGM, the nomination of each candidate – such confirmation requiring approval by at least a single majority vote of the combination of members present and absentee voters. All absentee voters shall be presumed to have confirmed a nomination, unless a specific objection to a candidate’s nomination has been made in writing. The confirmation process shall be taken as ‘approval by a single majority vote’ (as per ACCCJ byelaws); (d) in case of contested elections, a ballot shall be cast based on these Election Rules, and the candidate(s) with the most votes wins the contest.
K. Counting
At the close of the ballot (and any duly received e- ballots), the Election Committee will remove the ballots from the container, examine each ballot for formality, and conduct the count. If two or more candidates have an equal number of votes and one has to be excluded or one has to be elected, “a draw from a hat” by the Chair of the Election Committee shall be conducted.
A scrutineer may be appointed by a candidate to observe the count on his/her behalf. A scrutineer is not entitled to assist members of the Election Committee in counting ballots. A candidate may not act as a scrutineer.
L. Result of Election
Once the results of the election have been determined, the Chair of the Election Committee will advise the President of the results and the Chair will then formally make an announcement to the AGM, including :
a) (in the case of a email) the number of ballots rejected and the reason for the rejection;
b) the number of votes received by each candidate who are elected;
c) the total number of votes casted in the election;
d) the results of election shall be kept as official record of ACCCJ;
e) all elected candidates are subject to the approval of a single majority vote per ACCCJ bylaws. For election purposes, a single majority vote shall be interpreted as “a single majority vote of all members who (i) are present and cast their vote at the AGM, and (ii) all absentee ballots”.
END
First adopted on November, 2011
Revised on January, 2013