pdf SCAR XXX WP06: Revised Election Procedure

SCAR XXX WP06: Revised Election Procedure

Suggested New SCAR Electoral Procedure

The SCAR Election Procedure in its old form has become unnecessarily time- consuming for a meeting that has been reduced to last only 3 days. This topic was formally raised as an item of business at the first meeting of the new Executive Committee in Hobart (19 July 2006), following the first 3-day long Meeting of Delegates, and it was suggested (action EC-01) that a new, shorter election procedure was required. The matter was raised again in the meeting between the SCAR President and SCAR Secretariat on14 September 2006, at SPRI. The minutes of that meeting call for changes in electoral procedure to make it more efficient: “Regarding Action EC-3 (to consider reducing length of Delegates meetings), it would appear not worth pursuing at present given that we have already reduced the meetings from 5 days to 3. Rather it would be best to invest some effort into optimising the time spent (which is linked to Action EC-1 – devise a new, shorter, election procedure)”. ).

Having consulted ICSU to check its election procedures, and after some internal discussions, the SCAR Secretariat recommends adopting a slightly different scheme. The new scheme would require a single ballot (to save time), and voting by simple majority with the current President having a casting vote. The proposed scheme as described below is based on further revisions suggested by the SCAR Executive Committee at its meeting in July 2007. The old version of the Election Procedures, from the Rules of Procedure approved by the Delegates in 2004, is enclosed in Annex 1, and the Election Procedure proposed to the Delegates in 2006 in the revised Rules of Procedure for SCAR as a Company Limited by Guarantee (currently under review pending approval) is enclosed in Annex 2.