Committee Presents Annual State-of-the-Election Report

APA's Elections Committee reports on the campaign experience, including violations of campaign guidelines, after each APA election. This practice is in accordance with a recommendation approved by the Board of Trustees in 2001.

The Elections Committee encountered only minor violations of campaign guidelines in the 2006 APA election. The committee extends its thanks to all candidates for their participation in the election and their cooperation with the committee.

The committee reported numerous instances in which candidates/supporters sent campaign e-mails that did not include “APA Campaigning” in the subject line.

In addition, there was one violation in e-mail campaigning—the inclusion of a tag line in the signature block of an e-mail that read“ Supporting [a candidate] for [office].” The content of the e-mail concerned a topic not related to the APA election, but the tag line made the e-mail one used for campaign purposes. The Elections Committee asked the supporter to use “APA Campaigning” in the subject line or to remove the tag line.

The Elections Committee recommended a change in the election guidelines that the subject line must start with the words “APA Campaigning.” The Board approved the following change: “E-mail used for campaign purposes must comply with the intent of the guidelines with regard to content and must start with the words `APA Campaigning' in the subject line.”

The committee also recommended a change to allow candidates to set up list serves with their supporters (members who have agreed to support their campaigns). The Board approved this addition to the guidelines:“ Candidates may create their own list serves to facilitate communication with and among their supporters.”

Members, however, still may not use APA list serves created for conducting business of an APA component, district branch, or Area Council/state association or list serves using APA technology (except the Member-to-Member list serve) for campaigning.

APA's campaign guidelines can be accessed on APA's Web site in the Members' Corner area at<www.psych.org/members/download.cfm?file=196> by searching on “Appendix F-2.” ▪