Actions

Ontolog Forum

IAOA Executive Council Election, 2015

This page comprises core information about the IAOA Executive Council Election 2015 and will be updated to reflect developments as the election process proceeded. Six (6) positions are open for election.

Quick Reference:

N.B. The following Executive Council officers are continuing in office as their terms of office are not yet completed:

Events and Time-table

  • Announcement (by the IAOA President) of Assembly and Election Process: Tuesday, September 15, 2015.
  • Candidature Phase -- Nomination and Discussion opens: Tuesday, September 15, 2015
  • Nomination closes: Wednesday, September 30, 2015
  • Candidates list published: Thursday, October 01, 2015
  • Campaigning by candidates: starts from Thursday, October 01, 2015 upon completion of the nomination-verification-acceptance of a candidate
  • Campaigning and Discussion closes: Tuesday, October 20, 2015
  • IAOA Assembly -- i.e., the 2015 IAOA ordinary assembly eBallot -- called to order (by the IAOA President): Wednesday, October 21, 2015
  • Ballot opens: 00:01, October 21, 2015 (Wednesday, CEST)
  • Ballot closes: 23:59, October 27, 2015 (Tuesday, AoE = UTC-12)
  • Announcement of election results: before or on Monday, November 09, 2015
  • New Executive Council takes office: January 1, 2016

Terms of Reference

Please refer to the IAOA Statute (especially Clause 19 regarding the Executive Council), and the IAOA ByLaws (especially Article VII in regard to the Election of Councillors.)

Process Details

Nomination: September 15 - September 30, 2015

  • Starting from September 15, 2015 you can nominate and second any individual (excluding yourself) as a candidate for membership in the next IAOA Executive Council (EC).
  • While any person who is a current member of IAOA may nominate or second a nomination (excluding self), only an individual who is verified as an IAOA member in good standing since 2014 may be a proper candidate to go on the ballot. Note that this is in accordance with the rules encoded in the Bylaws (Article VII, Section 3) at http://iaoa.org/resources/IAOA-ByLaws-V1_2.pdf.
  • To make a nomination, send an email to the [iaoa-member] mailing list <iaoa-member@ovgu.de> (if you are already an IAOA member) AND cc the Election Committee mailing list <iaoa-election@ovgu.de> providing:
    • (A) your name/affiliation/email-address,
    • (B) the nominee's name/affiliation/email-address, and
    • (C) a citation stating why your nominee would make a good candidate for the IAOA EC.
  • To second the nomination, send an email to the [iaoa-member] mailing list <iaoa-member@ovgu.de> AND cc the Election Committee mailing list <iaoa-election@ovgu.de> providing the name of the nominee you are seconding.
  • The individual making a nomination (and those who second the nomination) should be responsible for communicating with the nominee, see to it that the nominee meets the membership requirement, and get the nominee to send his/her acceptance (on the nomination, seconding, and candidacy) to the Election Committee in writing (via email to <iaoa-election@ovgu.de>).
  • The nomination period closes at 23:59, September 30, 2015 (AoE = UTC-12). The list of candidates is published in completion on October 01, 2015.
  • According to Article VII, Section 4, nominated candidates are deemed to have been elected if the number of candidates is not larger than the number of vacant positions - in that case no ballot is required.

Campaigning and discussion: October 01 - October 20, 2015

  • Once a nominee has been verified to be a member in good standing for at least one year, and has accepted the nomination, and the nomination has been seconded, he/she should send to the [iaoa-member] mailing list <iaoa-member@ovgu.de> AND cc the Election Committee mailing list <iaoa-election@ovgu.de>:
    • a brief "position statement" (between 200~250 words) describing his/her view on the Association, goals as Executive Committee (EC) members, activities they want to pursue if elected, ... etc.
    • this statement will accompany the candidate's listing when the list of all candidates on the ballot are published prior to voting
  • after that, the candidate can start his/her campaign activities on the [iaoa-member] mailing list <iaoa-member@ovgu.de>.
  • Candidates are encouraged to make position statements and plans they have if elected to the EC.
  • Other IAOA Members are invited to ask questions, seek clarifications on the candidates' plans etc.
  • Other items to be voted on by the Assembly might also be introduced and discussed during this period.
  • The mailing list is not moderated and IAOA members are encouraged to interact freely.
  • Campaigning and discussion will close on 23:59 October 20 (CEST).

Official start of the 2015 IAOA Assembly: October 21, 2015

  • The President shall call the Assembly to order (virtually, in an email message) and points out the list of candidates that may be elected to the next IAOA Executive Council membership, along with any other items that will be on the (electronic) ballot.
  • All members are expected and asked to respond to this message by going to the voting page to confirm their presence at this virtual assembly (as we will need to satisfy the quorum requirement, as stipulated in the IAOA Statute: see Q&A: Quorum below.)
  • Any error or discrepancy found on the list of candidates (and other ballot items) should be reflected to the IAOA President and the Election Committee on the same day for rectification.

Ballot: October 21 - October 27, 2015

  • IAOA members can vote online from 00:01, October 21 (Wednesday, CEST) till 23:59, October 27, 2015 (Tuesday, AoE = UTC-12).
  • The web address and access details will be distributed before the opening of the ballot.
  • Each member can cast one vote on each topic.
  • A vote for the IAOA EC means the selection of up to 3 members from the list of candidates.
  • A vote for an item means the selection of one among the provided options for that item.
  • All votes are anonymous.
  • A member may cast his/her electronic vote by going to IAOA member's area: http://iaoa.org/members/members.php and then to the member's utilities area at http://iaoa.org/members/utilities/utilities.html
    • You will need your membership password to get into the voting site
    • If you have lost your password, you can reset it by clicking at https://secure.iaoa.org/users/edit-user-pw_reset.php
    • If there is additional trouble with your authentication or membership, write < info [at] iaoa.org > for help.
    • Should you have any doubt or problem relating to this election, don't hesitate to contact Michael Gruninger of the IAOA Election Committee at < gruninger [at] mie.utoronto.ca >

Voting outcome

  • Immediately after voting is closed at 23:59 October 27 (AoE), raw results of the votes shall be available by going to IAOA member's area: http://iaoa.org/members/members.php and then to the member's utilities area.
    • Note that these are only "raw" votes ... the official election and ballot outcome will need to be confirmed based on quorum and other requirements, and will need to be announced later.
  • The 6 members that receive more votes among the candidates for the EC are elected and will join the new IAOA EC.
  • In case of a tie, the length of continuous membership by candidates in the Association will be taken into account, with longer membership ranking higher. If there is still a tie, then age will be used to break the tie, with younger candidates taking priority.
  • The members that are elected will join the new IAOA Executive Committee and will take office on January 1, 2016.
  • Unless we run into complications (such as quorum requirement issues, etc.) where a second call for votes may be necessary (and in which case the schedule may be slightly delayed), the outcome of the voting will be officially announced to the [iaoa-member] mailing list by November 09, 2015.
  • Any and all reports of concern (including especially, complaint and/or objection) to the officially announced voting results should be brought to the attention of the Election Committee in writing (via email to <iaoa-election@ovgu.de>) within 48 hours of the official announcement. Each item of concern received will be individually and openly handled. Past this window, no further report of this nature on the matter will be considered.

Q & A and Clarifications

  • ... (to be added as they arise!)
  • Question: Since only IAOA members may vote, when (before what date) must I join IAOA to be able to vote in this Election?
    • Answer: ... correct, only IAOA members may vote in this Election. Only IAOA members in good standing by Wednesday, September 30, 2015 will have access to the electronic ballot.
  • Question: What is quorum for the Assembly where this EC Election is held? Please also clarify when and how should members 'confirm their presence' in the Assembly so as to be properly recognized in the quorum count.
    • Answer: According to the IAOA Statute (clause 18) the Assembly is validly constituted by the presence of half plus one of the Membership. Your presence will be counted if you are a member of IAOA and you cast your electronic vote (including abstensions!) directly between October 21 and 27, 2015.
  • Question: What is the term of office for the newly elected IAOA Executive Council (EC)?
    • Answer: it will be 2 years, as recorded in Article 19 of the Statute.
  • Question: What should I do if I have questions (not covered here) or run into problems with the Election or voting process?
    • Answer: just send a message to the Election Committee (via email to <iaoa-election@ovgu.de>), stating clearly who you are, and what is the issue (please also provide some context where applicable) ... we will try to respond to you promptly.

Election Committee


List of Nominations (chronological by nomination)

  • Sep 24, 2015: current EC members who are ready to continue
    • nominees:
      • Oliver Kutz, University of Bolzano, Italy
      • Frank Loebe, University of Leipzig, Germany
      • Fabian Neuhaus, University of Magdeburg, Germany
    • nominator: Michael Gruninger (message)
    • seconders: Roberta Ferrario, Leo Obrst (message)
  • Sep 30, 2015:
    • nominee: Zena Wood, University of Greenwich, UK
    • nominee: Amanda Vizedom, Criticollab, LLC
    • nominee: Ken Baclawski, Northeastern University, USA

List of Candidates

  • Ken Baclawski, Northeastern University, USA
  • Oliver Kutz, University of Bolzano, Italy
  • Frank Loebe, University of Leipzig, Germany
  • Fabian Neuhaus, University of Magdeburg, Germany
  • Amanda Vizedom, Criticollab, LLC
  • Zena Wood, University of Greenwich, UK

As a reminder, the newly elected EC members will be joining the rest of the EC team, whose terms of office are not yet completed since they were elected last year.

Candidates and their Position Statements

( to be updated until complete )

Election Results

Election and other voting results will be circulated on the IAOA mailing lists - IAOA members can refer to the announcement posted to the [iaoa-member] mailing list.

Thanks in advance to all who engage in voting! Please consider marking the ballot period in your calendar.


This page is jointly maintained by the Election Committee <iaoa-election@ovgu.de> - Joao Paulo Almeida, Valter Cavecchia, Michael Gruninger, Nicola Guarino, and Laure Vieu - and the Secretary of the Association - Frank Loebe.

Please do not edit or modify this page yourself; send any editing request to the Election Committee list or to any of the individuals named above.