By GEORGE EYNON
Chair, House of Delegates

Electronic Balloting Change To Constitution Approved

The recommended change to the AAPG's Constitution and Bylaws to allow for member balloting by electronic or other suitable means, approved by the House of Delegates in Salt Lake City and put to a vote by the full membership this summer, passed by a 94 percent majority of votes cast: 4,405 to 282.

This change should make it easier to conduct member voting in the future as we employ more modern technologies than the Pony Express or its equivalents.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that just 26 percent of ballots were returned -- only 4,687 of 18,016 mailed out.

Granted, that is similar to AAPG's track record for member voting, but it is not really an acceptable level in my mind. I think we should be able to get that number up in the future.

Certainly the electronic balloting provision itself will help, since many members outside North America likely did not receive the ballots in time to get them back by the deadline.

Regardless of that anomaly, we ought to be able to get greater participation of the members. It will be interesting to track the level of response over the next few years as we take advantage of this change in our Constitution and Bylaws.