ESA Bylaws Amendment Vote Delayed, Special Election Slated for September

August 13, 2021

To ESA members: 

I am writing today to let you know about an important change to the ESA 2021 elections: The proposed ESA Bylaws amendment that was on the current ballot has been removed and will be re-issued for a member vote via a special election in September.  

Please note: This change does not affect any part of the election other than the Bylaws initiative. All votes for candidates for office are unaffected, and the closing date for the current election period for candidates for office remains August 18.

The proposed Bylaws amendment, which would create a new seat for an early-career professional (ECP) on the ESA Governing Board, was initially requested by the ECP Committee. In March 2021 the Board approved the motion and announced the proposed Bylaws amendment in April.

However, upon receiving a request from a member, the board reviewed the announcement and found that it did not sufficiently detail the expected impact of the amendment, as required by ESA’s Bylaws regarding proposed changes. Whereas, above all, the board seeks to have an election result that is above question, after consulting with the full board, I made the decision to rerun the Bylaws amendment vote. The vote is managed by a vendor who will discard the initial results on the proposed amendment, which have not been disclosed to or reviewed by ESA staff.

I regret the need for this change of course, and I hope you will review the proposed Bylaws amendment and vote in the upcoming special election. (If you already voted on the Bylaws amendment in the current election, you will need to re-submit your vote in the special election.)

Please view the revised announcement of the proposed ESA Bylaws amendment to add an ECP representative to the Governing Board. And watch your email inbox for instructions, approximately 30 days from now, to vote on this important matter for the future of your professional society.

Sincerely,

Michelle S. Smith, BCE
2021 ESA President