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Voting process - INFORMS' constitutional amendments

  • 1.  Voting process - INFORMS' constitutional amendments

    Posted 11-03-2022 16:34
    Edited by David Hunt 11-03-2022 17:20

    This week you should have received two emails about proposed amendments to the INFORMS Constitution. You can read all about the amendments here: https://www.informs.org/About-INFORMS/Governance/Constitutional-Amendment


    Any questions about the proposed amendments are welcome in this forum. But my message today is to bring your attention to the process of voting.


    Our constitution requires that at least 20% of INFORMS members vote for the vote to count. It also requires that those votes arrive by mail. Yes – snail mail. We realize this is a bit burdensome (and one of the proposed amendments addresses this issue), but it's critically important that you take the time to participate in the vote and help us reach 20%. Here's what to do:

    1. Look for the email from INFORMS Secretary Mark Lewis, sent by INFORMS Election Coordinator <mailto:noreply@directvote.net> on November 3, 2022 with a subject line "Important – INFORMS Changes to the Constitution".
    2. Click on the link in the email to open and print the PDF ballot
    3. Write your member number on the ballot. Your member number will be in the email or can be found by logging into your account at https://myaccount.informs.org/s/login/
    4. Mark your selection by filling in the box next to your choice
    5. Enclose the ballot in a sealed envelope and write your name on the envelope (it must have your name on the envelope, or it won't count!)
    6. Mail it to Survey & Ballot Systems, 7653 Anagram Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 USA (not to the INFORMS office)


    You'll have the collective gratitude of the entire INFORMS Board and staff if you do this TODAY – don't wait! In early December, our voting vendor will mail paper ballots to members who have not voted yet. Envelopes must be received by February 28, 2023. Please vote now and save the time and money it will take to mail ballots out to you.


    Thank you, and feel free to reply with any questions about the voting process or the amendments!



    ------------------------------
    David Hunt
    Vice President
    Oliver Wyman
    Princeton NJ
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Voting process - INFORMS' constitutional amendments

    Posted 11-04-2022 13:06
    Hello, thank you for the information. I just want to confirm that student members are eligible to vote? Thank you!

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    Harsh Anand
    Graduate Student
    University of Virginia
    Charlottesville VA
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  • 3.  RE: Voting process - INFORMS' constitutional amendments

    Posted 11-05-2022 09:48
    The answer is YES. All member types have an equal vote, including students. Thank you for checking!

    ------------------------------
    Laura Albert
    INFORMS President-Elect
    Professor and David H. Gustafson Chair
    University of Wisconsin-Madison
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Voting process - INFORMS' constitutional amendments

    Posted 11-06-2022 06:19
    Thanks for the information. I wanted to confirm that - Is there really not a way to vote online? Thanks! 


    ------------------------------
    Mihir Mehta
    Penn State University
    State College PA
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  • 5.  RE: Voting process - INFORMS' constitutional amendments

    Posted 11-06-2022 20:29
    Hi Mihir,

     Thanks for asking the question -- I am sure it is on a lot of peoples' minds.

    Unfortunately, you can't vote online. You must vote by mailing your paper ballot because that's what our constitution currently requires. But it's also one of the things that the proposed amendments would change.  We ask you to please take the time to mail back the paper ballot, even though we know it is somewhat inconvenient. It's a chance to truly make a difference and we're very grateful for every vote!

    Many thanks for helping us make a difference for the future!

    ------------------------------
    Radhika Kulkarni
    Vice President, Advanced Analytics R&D (retd.)
    SAS Institute Inc. (retired)
    Durham NC
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Voting process - INFORMS' constitutional amendments

    Posted 11-08-2022 15:12
    Thank you for posting all of this information here as a reference.
    I can't find the email you mentioned though, so I may have accidentally deleted it.  What should I do to still be able to vote even if I lost the email?

    ------------------------------
    Erin Garcia
    Lecturer
    Auburn University
    Auburn AL
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  • 7.  RE: Voting process - INFORMS' constitutional amendments

    Posted 11-09-2022 11:45

    That's okay, and thank you for asking. Even if you can't find the email, no worries at all. You can download the ballot from the web page: https://www.informs.org/About-INFORMS/Governance/Constitutional-Amendment. Your member number can be found by logging into your account: https://myaccount.informs.org/s/.  Please ensure that your name is on the sealed envelope and mail your ballot to our voting vendor, Survey & Ballot Systems, 7653 Anagram Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 USA. They have a complete list of eligible voters. If you have any other questions or concerns, please reach out to me. We thank you for voting!



    ------------------------------
    Grace Trent
    Executive Assistant & Board Services Administrator
    INFORMS
    Catonsville MD
    ------------------------------



  • 8.  RE: Voting process - INFORMS' constitutional amendments

    Posted 11-15-2022 18:43

    Happy to say I sent my ballot back as soon as I got the email - didn't want to forget! #ADHDBrain I even used one of my fancy new Women Cryptologists of WWII stamps. 

    The web page with info: https://www.informs.org/About-INFORMS/Governance/Constitutional-Amendment 

    Lisa



    ------------------------------
    Lisa Yeo
    Assistant Professor
    University of California, Merced
    Merced CA
    lyeo2@ucmerced.edu
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Voting process - INFORMS' constitutional amendments

    Posted 11-16-2022 08:42
    I am just commenting to encourage my fellow members to vote.  Yes, mailing ballots is inconvenient, but if the amendment is accepted, hopefully we will never have to do it again!

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    Dayana Cope
    GM, Decision Science
    Delta Airlines
    Decatur GA
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  • 10.  RE: Voting process - INFORMS' constitutional amendments

    Posted 11-16-2022 12:02
    To encourage everyone to vote, I also put my ballot in the mail today and made sure to write my name on the envelope.

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    Banafsheh Behzad
    Associate Professor
    College of Business
    California State University, Long Beach
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  • 11.  RE: Voting process - INFORMS' constitutional amendments

    Posted 11-16-2022 14:06
    I just put my constitutional amendment ballot in the mail. Have you?

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    Neil Desnoyers
    ndesnoye@sju.edu
    Adjunct Professor
    Saint Joseph's University
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