COP EC Toolkit: Nominations and Elections

NOMINATIONS AND ELIGIBILITY

To participate in the COP election process as a candidate, nominator, or voter, an individual must be an AST member in good standing, and a member of the applicable COP, by December 31st of the previous year. This rule ensures that participants have at least a general knowledge of how a COP works, and allows the member time to consider what would be important for leadership of the COP.

All eligible COP members are eligible for nomination, with the following exceptions:

• No individual may serve in more than one COP EC position at a time.
• No individual may be nominated for a position they have previously filled, with the exception of someone who has served less than half of a term to fill a vacancy.
• No individual may run for more than one COP EC position at a time.
• No individual currently holding COP EC position may run for an alternative COP EC position within a second COP.
• No current AST Board member may be nominated for a COP EC position which will overlap with their board term.

After the nomination period closes, nominees will be asked to accept the nominations.

• If nominated for more than one COP EC position, whether within one COP or on more than one COP EC, nominees will be asked to choose one position to run for.
• All nominees who accept their nomination will be included on the COP EC ballot.

A call for nominations is held to solicit interest in the open COP EC positions publicly, approximately four months prior to the annual meeting. Nominations will remain open for a minimum of two weeks.

VOTING

COP voting is typically done through an online ballot which is emailed directly to eligible members of the COP. If you are a member of more than one COP, you will be able to vote for each COP individually. Voting will be open for a minimum of two weeks for all Eligible COP members to participate. During the COP EC election process, if a tie occurs for the winner of an open position, the election shall be re-opened for that position only. Positions with clear winners shall not be re-voted.

• The election shall be re-opened between the tied individuals only, with the other candidates removed from the process.
• The election shall be re-opened to the eligible COP membership for one week to resolve the tie.
• If the tie is repeated in the second round of voting, the AST President-elect, in consultation with the highest-ranking COP officer(s) not currently being elected, will appoint one of the candidates tied for the position to the COP Executive Committee.

POST-ELECTION RESPONSIBILITIES

Winners of the COP elections must complete Conflict of Interest forms and the AST Code of Conduct Acknowledgement within ten days of receiving the request for completion, and must subsequently be evaluated by the AST Conflict of Interest Committee prior to assuming office (See AST's Conflict of Interest Policy for further information).

New COP EC members assume their responsibilities at the AST business meeting, known as the "Town Hall." This meeting takes place at the annual American Transplant Congress.

If an individual wins the Co-Chair position while already serving as COP EC Member-at-Large, they must give up the Member-at-Large position. The COP EC would then fill the position according to the Vacated Position information below.

If an individual wins a Board position while serving as a COP EC member of any type, they must relinquish their COP EC position, with the exception of the Past Chair position. Past Chairs may retain their positions but give up the ability to vote on COP matters. COP EC positions vacated in this manner must be filled according to the Vacated Position information below.

FILLING VACATED POSITIONS

If a COP EC position is vacated prior to the end of the elected term for any reason, the COP EC would appoint someone to fill the vacated position for the remainder of the term or consider elimination of the position, if the COP EC is large enough. Serving less than half of a vacated COP EC term does not preclude an individual from running for a full COP EC term in the future.

* Chair Positions: The Chair position is part of a three-stage position, typically with a six-year term (two years each as Co-Chair, Chair, and Past Chair). The Trainee and Young Faculty COP operates with a three-year rotation for the Co-Chair, Chair, and Past Chair to keep their COP EC connected to the needs of their membership.

** Early Career Member-at-Large: This position was formally called the "Executive Committee (EC) Trainee" position. It was updated in October 2018 to better reflect the needs of AST's various communities, and to allow for the inclusion of early career professionals (as determined by each COP's EC). It is not a mandatory position for the COP to fill, and its need is determined by each COP EC.

The timeline for the COP Executive Committee (EC) elections is linked each year to the date of the American Transplant Congress (ATC). Newly elected COP EC members begin their terms, and outgoing members role off of he EC, at ATC, making the meeting an appropriate anchor point for the COP EC election process. Below is an approximate timeline of the entire process, and a description of what will occur during each step.