Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research

The Midwest Chapter of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Founded 1938.

Bylaws Adopted October 19, 1976; Amended November 18, 2000; November 19, 2011; November 17, 2012; November 21, 2015; August 10, 2018

ARTICLE I: Offices

Section 1. Principal Office. The principal office of the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research (hereinafter called MAPOR) shall be at the office of the President.

Section 2. Other Offices.  MAPOR may have offices at such other place or places as from time to time the Executive Council may determine or the business of MAPOR may require. The current offices and officeholders are listed on the MAPOR website.

ARTICLE II: Members

Section 1. Charter Members. All persons who at the date of recognition as a regional chapter of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (hereinafter called AAPOR) were members of MAPOR shall constitute the charter members of MAPOR. Charter members do not constitute a class of membership as addressed in Article II, Section 3.

Section 2. Membership Qualifications.  Any person professionally engaged or interested in research or study in the field of public opinion and social behavior, who has read and subscribes to the Code of Professional Ethics and Practices of AAPOR, shall be accepted as a member of MAPOR.

Section 3. Classes of Membership.  MAPOR shall have three classes of members: regular members, student members, and honorary lifetime members. MAPOR members who have been selected to be a MAPOR fellow will become honorary lifetime members. Honorary lifetime memberships will include all membership rights and benefits.

Section 4. Duration and Termination of Membership. A member shall continue as such until death or until termination of membership as hereinafter provided. Any member can voluntarily withdraw from MAPOR by giving written notice of withdrawal to the President or Secretary-Treasurer of MAPOR or by not paying his or her annual membership dues.

ARTICLE III: Meetings of Members

Section 1. Annual Meeting.  The annual meeting of the members for the transaction of business shall be held in the fall of each year to coincide with the MAPOR conference.

Section 2. Special Meetings.  A special meeting of the members for any purpose, unless otherwise prescribed by statute, may be called at any time by the President or by order of the Executive Council and  shall be called by the President or Secretary-Treasurer  upon the request in writing of ten (10) members entitled  to vote thereat.

Section 3. Place of Meetings.  Each meeting of the members of MAPOR shall be held at such place as fixed by the Executive Council and specified in the notice or waiver of notice of said meeting.

Section 4. Notice of Meetings, Proxies. Notice of each meeting of members, whether annual or special, shall be given to each member entitled to vote thereat, stating the purposes thereof and every matter to be voted thereon together with a proxy enabling each such member to vote either for or against every such matter, not less than twenty (20) nor more than forty (40) days before the day on which the meeting is to be held. Members shall be notified electronically or by printed notice, at the electronic or mail address last known to the Secretary-Treasurer of MAPOR. Except where expressly required by law, no publication of any notice of a meeting of the members shall be required. Notice of any meeting of members shall not be required to be given to any member who shall attend such meeting in person or by proxy. Notice of any adjourned meeting of the members shall not be required to be given except where expressly required by law.

Section 5. Quorum. A quorum for the transaction of MAPOR business shall consist of as many members who are in attendance in person or by signed proxy at any meeting duly announced by notices detailing the issues to be voted upon and sent in accordance with section 4 above, except that mail or electronic balloting will be required for the election of officers.

Section 6. Voting. At each meeting of the members every MAPOR member shall be entitled to vote in person or by proxy on all MAPOR issues. 

ARTICLE IV: Executive Council

Section 1. General Powers. The property, affairs and business of MAPOR shall be managed by the Executive Council.

Section 2. Number, Election, Qualifications and Term of Office. The Executive Council shall be composed of the President, Vice-President, Past President, Secretary-Treasurer, Associate Secretary- Treasurer (when applicable), Conference Chair, and Associate Conference Chair. All of the above positions are elected offices. The Council will from time to time have At Large Council Members as determined by the Council and appointed by the President as deemed appropriate. All members of the Executive Council must be current non-student members of AAPOR and MAPOR. 

In the event that nominations of two eligible and willing candidates are not submitted by members and in the event the Executive Council cannot recruit two candidates for an office, the Council may submit the name of just one candidate.

Non-appointed members of the Executive Council shall be elected in the following manner: At least 75 days before the annual meeting of members, the Executive Council shall poll the members for suggested nominations to the Executive Council. The Executive Council shall prepare and submit to the members entitled to vote not more than seventy (70) nor less than sixty (60) days before the annual meeting of the members, the names of at least two candidates, together with short biographies thereof, for each office to be filled by election, whose nominations shall have been previously approved by the Executive Council. In the event that nominations of two eligible and willing candidates are not submitted by members and in the event the Executive Council cannot recruit two candidates for an office, the Council may submit the name of just one candidate. No person can, in any given election, be slated as a candidate for more than one office. The Executive Council must, prior to the preparation of its nominations, poll the members for suggested nominations.  Members of the Executive Council are eligible for nomination as candidates for any office. Upon receipt of the names of the candidates prepared by the Executive Council, any group of at least twenty-five (25) members entitled to vote at any annual or special meeting of the members may nominate another candidate or candidates for office by so notifying in writing the President within twenty (20) days after the delivery, mailing or e-mailing of such names. Thereafter, the Executive Council shall submit the list of candidates, as it may be so amended, to the members and officers shall be elected by a plurality of votes in a mail or electronic ballot received not less than ten (10) days before the annual meeting.  In the event of a tie vote between two or more candidates, the Executive Council shall vote to break the tie. In the event the Executive Council vote results in another tie the Vice-President, President, and Past President shall vote to break the tie. No persons can be made candidates without their prior approval. An incumbent Executive Council member who shall be elected or appointed pursuant to the provisions of section 4 of this article, to another position on the Executive Council shall, upon election thereto, resign his/her former position thereon, which position shall be filled in the manner provided in section 4 of this article. Each officer shall take office fifty (50) days after election, or on the day following the termination of the annual conference during which elections are held, whichever first occurs, and shall hold office until the expiration of the term of office, as hereinafter provided, and until the successor shall have been duly elected and qualified, or until death, or until removal or resignation in the manner hereinafter provided, whichever first occurs.

The term of office of each Executive Council member shall be as follows:

(a) The Vice-President shall have a term of office of one year at the end of which he or she shall become President. The President shall have a term of office of one year at the end of which he or she shall become Past President. The Past President shall have a term of office of one year.

(b) The Associate Conference Chair shall have a term of office of one year, at the end of which he or she shall become Conference Chair. The Conference Chair shall have a term of office of one year.

(c) The Associate Secretary-Treasurer shall have a term of office of one year, at the end of which he or she shall become Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer shall have a term of office of two years. The term of the Associate Secretary-Treasurer shall begin when the Secretary-Treasurer begins the second year of his or her term.

Section 3. Resignation.  Any Executive Council member of MAPOR may resign as an officer or chair at any time by giving written notice to the President or the Secretary-Treasurer of MAPOR. Such resignation shall take effect at the time specified therein and, unless otherwise specified therein, acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.

Section 4. Removal.  Any Executive Council member may be removed, either with or without  cause, by the vote, at any annual or special meeting of the members, of at least two-thirds (2/3rds) of the members present in person or by proxy entitled  to vote thereat, after such removal was first proposed by the Executive Council.  If at least fifty (50) members entitled to vote at any annual or special meeting of the members propose to the Executive Council the removal of any member of the Executive Council, his or her removal shall be proposed to the members at the next annual or special meeting for which notice has not yet been sent.

Section 5. Vacancies. Any vacancy in the Executive Council caused by death, resignation, disqualification, removal, an increase in the number of Executive Council members, or any other cause, except a vacancy in the office of Past President, if not filled by the members pursuant to section 2 of this article, shall be filled by a vote of a majority of the remaining Executive Council members and each Executive Council member so chosen or chosen by the members pursuant to section 2 of this article shall also succeed to the office or chair to which elected and shall hold office until the expiration of the predecessor’s term; provided, however, that if the office of President shall become vacant, the Vice- President shall become President and hold such office until fifty (50) days after the annual meeting of members next following the expiration of the predecessor’s term of office or until the day following the termination of the annual conference at which the new president is elected.

Section 6. Place of Meetings, etc. Except as otherwise provided by law, the Executive Council may hold its meetings, have one or more offices, and keep the books and records of MAPOR at such place or places as the Executive Council may from time to time determine.

Section 7. First Meeting.  After each annual election of Executive Council members on the day they take office pursuant to section 2 of this article, the Executive Council shall meet for the purpose of organization and the transaction of other business. Notice of such meeting need not be given.  Such meeting may be held at any other time or place which shall be specified in a notice given as hereinafter provided for special meetings of the Executive Council or in a consent and waiver of notice thereof signed by all the Executive Council members.

Section 8. Regular Meetings. Regular meetings of the Executive Council may be held at such places and at such times as the Executive Council shall determine and shall be held at least once a year. If any day fixed for a regular meeting shall be a legal holiday at the place where the meeting is to be held, then the meeting which would otherwise be held on that day shall be held at such place at the same hour and on the next succeeding business day not a legal holiday.  Notice of regular meetings need not be given.

Section 9. Special Meetings Notice. Special meetings of the Executive Council shall be held whenever called by the President, Vice-President, or Secretary-Treasurer.  Notice of each such meeting shall be conveyed electronically or by printed notice to each Executive Council member, at the electronic or mail address last known to the Secretary-Treasurer, at least three calendar days before the day on which the meeting is to be held. Each such notice shall state the time and place of the meeting but need not state the purposes thereof, except as otherwise herein expressly provided. Any meeting of the Executive Council shall be a legal one without any notice thereof having been given, if all of the Executive Council members then in office shall be present thereat.

Section 10. Quorum and Manner of Acting. Except as otherwise provided by statute, one half (1/2) of the total number of Executive Council members (but not less than two) shall be required to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting, and the act of a majority of the Executive Council members present at any meeting at which a quorum shall be present shall be the act of the Executive Council.  In the absence of a quorum, a majority of the Executive Council members present may adjourn any meeting from time to time until a quorum can be had. Notice of any adjourned meeting need not be given.  Roberts Rules of Order shall prevail at meetings of the Executive Council and members.

Section 11. Remuneration.  Executive Council members as such or as officers or committee or Conference Chair, shall not receive any salary for their services, but by resolution of the Executive Council a fixed sum and expenses of attendance, if any, may be allowed for attendance at each regular and special meeting of the Executive Council.  Nothing herein contained shall be construed so as to preclude any Executive Council member from serving MAPOR in any other capacity and receiving remuneration therefore.

Section 12. Action by Consent. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Executive Council, or of any committee thereof, may be taken without a meeting, if prior to such action a written consent thereto is signed by all members of the Executive Council or of such committee as the case may be, and such written consent is filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Executive Council or committee.

Section 13. Committees.  The Executive Council may establish such committees of the Executive Council having such duties and powers as it may deem appropriate. A majority of all the members of any such committee may fix its rules of procedure, determine its action and fix the time and place of its meetings and specify what notice thereof, if any, shall be given, unless the Executive Council shall otherwise provide. The Executive Council may change the members of any such committee with or without cause at any time.

ARTICLE V: Officers

Section 1. Number. The officers of MAPOR shall be a president, a vice-president,  a past president, a secretary-treasurer,  an associate secretary-treasurer (when applicable),  a conference chair, an associate conference chair, and such other officers  and agents as may be appointed by the Executive Council pursuant to section 2 of this article.

Section 2. Other Officers.  MAPOR may have such other officers and agents as may be deemed necessary by the Executive Council. Such other officers and agents shall be appointed in such manner, have such duties, and hold their office for such terms as may be determined by the Executive Council.

Section 3. The President. The President shall be responsible for fulfilling the purposes of MAPOR, serving as chair of the Executive Council and as the official representative of MAPOR in its relations with other organizations and the public.

Section 4. The Vice-President.  In the event of the absence or disability of the President, the Vice- President shall perform all duties of the President, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of, and be subject to all the restrictions upon, the President. Except where by law the signature of the President is required, the Vice-President shall possess the same power as the President to sign all certificates, contracts, obligations, and other instructions of MAPOR.

Section 5. The Secretary-Treasurer.  The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep the minutes of all proceedings of the meetings of the members and of the Executive Council in one or more books to be kept for that purpose. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining a list or database of the MAPOR membership and communicating with the membership.  The Secretary-Treasurer  shall keep and disburse the moneys of MAPOR, as directed by the Executive Council,  shall keep correct books of account, shall render to the President and to the Executive Council at the regular  meetings  thereof, or whenever requested by them, reports of financial transactions  and of the financial  condition of MAPOR, and shall prepare an annual report of MAPOR finances,  activities,  and membership  to be submitted  to AAPOR in compliance  with chapter status.

Section 6. The Associate Secretary-Treasurer.  The Associate Secretary-Treasurer shall assist the Secretary-Treasurer in his or her duties for one year and then assume the responsibilities of the Secretary Treasurer.

Section 7. The Conference Chair. The Conference Chair shall be responsible for arranging the annual conference in form and content, seeking approval of the Executive Council.

Section 8. The Associate Conference Chair. The Associate Conference Chair shall assist in conference coordination for one year and assume the responsibilities of the Conference Chair.

ARTICLE VI: The Code

Members of MAPOR must adopt the AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics and Practices as a condition of membership.  A copy of the current code is available on the AAPOR website.

ARTICLE VII: Finances

Section 1. Checks, Contracts, etc. All checks, drafts, or bills of exchange or other orders for the payment of money issued in the name of MAPOR shall be signed on behalf of MAPOR by either the President, the Vice-President, Conference Chair, Associate Conference Chair, the Secretary-Treasurer, or the Associate Secretary-Treasurer.  Except as specifically authorized  by the Executive Council, no officer,  agent, or employee shall have any power or authority to bind MAPOR by any contract or engagement  or to pledge its credit or to render it liable  for any pecuniary  purpose.

Section 2. Loans. No loan or advance shall be contracted on behalf of MAPOR, and no negotiable paper shall be issued in its name, unless authorized by the Executive Council. Loans and advances so authorized by the Executive Council may be effected at any time for MAPOR from any bank, trust company, or other institution, or from any firm, corporation, or individual.  All bonds, notes and other obligations or evidences of indebtedness of MAPOR issued for such loans and advances shall be made, executed and delivered by two persons, one of whom shall be the President or Vice-President and the other of whom shall be the Secretary-Treasurer.  When so authorized by the Executive Council, any and all stocks, securities and other personal property held or owned by MAPOR may be pledged, hypothecated and transferred as security for the payment of any and all loans, advances, indebtedness and liabilities of MAPOR and of the interest thereon, and to that end may be endorsed, assigned and delivered by the President or Vice-President.  The private property of the members of MAPOR shall not be subject to the payment of MAPOR debts to any extent whatsoever.

Section 3. Deposits. All funds of MAPOR not otherwise employed shall be deposited from time to time to the credit of MAPOR in such banks, trust companies or other depositaries as the Executive Council may select. The Executive Council may make such special rules and regulations with respect to such bank accounts, not inconsistent with the provisions of these bylaws, as it may deem expedient. For the purpose of deposit and for the purpose of collection for the account of MAPOR, checks, drafts, and other orders for the payment of money which are payable to the order of MAPOR shall be endorsed, assigned, and delivered  by either the President, the Vice-President,  or the Secretary-Treasurer.

ARTICLE VIII: Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of MAPOR shall be the period from the close of the last annual meeting held each calendar year to the close of the next meeting, unless otherwise determined by the Executive Council.

ARTICLE IX: Membership Year

The membership year of MAPOR shall span that period of time from the close of the annual conference held each calendar year until the end of the following calendar year, unless otherwise determined by the Executive Council.

Eligibility for a particular membership year shall be determined by how and when membership dues are paid. Dues paid directly to MAPOR any given year up until noon the last day of the annual conference allows for membership up until the end of the following calendar year. MAPOR dues paid through AAPOR in the months of January through September of a calendar year allows for membership in MAPOR throughout the calendar year. MAPOR dues paid through AAPOR from October through December in a given year allows for membership from the time the dues are paid through the rest of the following calendar year.

ARTICLE X: Amendments

These bylaws shall be subject to alteration, amendment or repeal, and new bylaws not inconsistent with any provision of the AAPOR Certificate of Incorporation may be made. Except as provided in these bylaws of MAPOR, no amendment,  change, alteration or repeal of any provision of the bylaws of MAPOR, or any amendment  thereof, shall be made and effected unless it shall have been approved by the vote, at any annual or special meeting of the members, of two-thirds of the members present in person or by proxy entitled  to vote thereat as provided in the bylaws of MAPOR, after having first been proposed by (1) the Executive Council,  or (2) ten percent (10) of the members entitled  to vote at any annual or special meeting of the members as provided in the bylaws of MAPOR, and submitted  to the Executive Council not less than fifty (50) days prior to the date of the meeting of the members at which a vote upon such amendment,  change, alteration,  or repeal of such provision is requested to be taken. Any proposed changes to these bylaws shall be provided to MAPOR members for review not less than twenty (20) nor more than forty (40) days prior to the meeting where the vote will occur.

— Officially adopted by the members of MAPOR at the first business meeting, held Friday, November 19, 1976.

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