A Section of the American Anthropological Association
ARTICLE I. Name
The Association shall be known as the Association for Political and Legal Anthropology (APLA), a Section of the American Anthropological Association, hereafter referred to as APLA or the Association.
ARTICLE II. Purposes
The purpose of APLA shall be to advance the study of political and legal processes and to encourage communication of the results of such study to the academic community.
ARTICLE III. Powers
1. APLA shall be autonomous in all matters within its field except those reserved by the Bylaws of the American Anthropological Association, or those inimical to the American Anthropological Association’s interests, or those prohibited by law.
2. APLA shall have an elected President, a President-elect, Treasurer, Secretary, and six elected members of the Board of Directors as set forth by these Bylaws. All of the above shall be elected by the membership. These elected officers shall constitute a Board of Directors, and each will have one vote.
3. The President in consultation with the existing Board of Directors shall appoint a Program Coordinator, Editor(s) of the APLA Journal, a Communications Liaison, a Section Editor to the Anthropology Newsletter, and a Student Representative as members of the Board of Directors, each holding one vote.
4. The Board of Directors is empowered to establish membership dues.
5. The Association shall determine voting requirements on all Society matters.
6. The Association may engage in publishing and program activities, appoint editors, committees and other agents, and set publication and program policies appropriate to its purposes.
7. APLA shall adopt and maintain Bylaws or Rules of Procedure consistent with the American Anthropological Association Bylaws. APLA shall give the American Anthropological Association’s Secretary a copy of its current Bylaws, Rules of Procedure, current organizational structure, and current officers.
ARTICLE IV. Membership
1. Membership in APLA shall be open to any member in good standing of the American Anthropological Association who supports the above purposes and pays APLA membership dues.
2. A Member in good standing shall be eligible to hold elective or appointed office, participate in the scholarly program, receive publications and have one vote in nominating and electing officers. A Member has one vote in other transactions and business of the Association.
3. For just cause, a Member may be deprived of membership by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors of the Association, subject to appeal to the Members at the Annual meeting.
ARTICLE V. Officers
1. The elected officers shall be a President, a President-elect, Treasurer, Secretary, and six members of the Board of Directors.
2. The President shall be the presiding officer of the Association. The President of APLA is its first representative when the Association is entitled to representation elsewhere, for instance, on the Board of Directors of the American Anthropological Association or on the AAA Executive Committee.
3. The President-elect shall assume the duties of the President in the event of absence, death, resignation or the incapacity of the President, and shall succeed to the office of President at the expiration of the term as President-elect.
4. The Treasurer shall have charge of the financial records of the Association and shall submit a draft budget for the approval of the Board of Directors of the Association in a timely manner in relation to the budget planning process of the AAA.
5. The Secretary shall take minutes Board of Directors meetings and annual business meetings, and shall serve as membership coordinator of the Association, with responsibility for membership outreach activities, recruitment, and retention.
6. The President in consultation with the Board of Directors will appoint a Program Coordinator(s), Editor(s) of the APLA Journal, a Communications Liaison, a Section Editor(s) to the Anthropology Newsletter, and a Student Representative. These officers shall be voting members of the Board.
7. Their term of office shall commence at the conclusion of the AAA Annual Meeting.
8. The President in consultation with the Board of Directors shall make all non-elective appointments and may make interim appointments to fill vacancies in any elective office until the next regularly scheduled election.
ARTICLE VI. Board of Directors
1. There shall be a Board of Directors consisting of the President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Program Coordinator, Journal Editor(s), Section Editor(s) to the Anthropology Newsletter, Student Representative, a Communications Liaison, and six board members at large. The Board of Directors also includes any additional representatives elected by the Association to the Board of Directors of the American Anthropological Association or its Executive Committee, and this person will hold one vote.
2. Subject to directives and limitations imposed by the Members of the Association, this Board of Directors shall have the authority to execute on behalf of the Association all powers and functions defined in these Bylaws.
3. The Board of Directors shall meet at least once annually, at the time of the annual AAA meeting. Additional meetings may be held on the call of the President or by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VII. Dues
1. The Board of Directors of APLA shall set the annual dues of members and may establish rates for special categories and occasions.
2. Any member in arrears in the payments of dues shall lose all membership privileges, until dues are paid up.
ARTICLE VIII. Annual Report
At the time of each annual meeting, the Board of Directors shall report its activities to the Members and to the Board of Directors of the American Anthropological Association. The report shall include the reports of the Treasurer, editors of publications, committees, and other agents representing the Association.
ARTICLE IX. Meetings
1. The Association shall hold an annual Business Meeting at the time of the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association.
2. The Program Coordinator(s) is/are in charge of organizing APLA’s academic contributions to the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association.
3. Special meetings may be called by the Board of Directors of the Association or upon written request of five (5) per cent of the Members.
ARTICLE X. Quorum
1. Five (5) per cent of the Members in good standing shall constitute a quorum at the annual Business Meeting.
2. A majority of the members of the Board of Directors of the Association shall constitute a quorum for transacting business.
3. The business of the Association shall be transacted by majority vote unless otherwise provided in these Bylaws.
ARTICLE XI. Nominations and Elections
1. Candidates for any elective office may be nominated by the Board of Directors of the Association, by a Nominations Committee, or by Members. All candidates shall be Members in good standing of the Society.
2. A Nominations Committee of three (3) Members shall be appointed annually by the Board of Directors.
3. The Nominations Committee shall nominate at least two (2) persons for President-elect, two (2) persons for Secretary, two (2) persons for Treasurer, and six (6) persons as candidates to the Board of Directors. Two members at large shall be nominated each year for three year terms. The terms of the President and President-Elect shall be two concurrent years. The terms of the Secretary and Treasurer shall be three concurrent years. These nominations shall be made known to Members through the AAA’s nomination and ballot process. .
4. Five (5) percent of the Members in good standing may nominate an additional candidate for any elected office, provided the nomination is received in writing by the Secretary prior to the AAA deadline for nominations.
5. The Secretary shall inform the prospective nominee of the probable extent of the burden of office. A nomination becomes effective only upon filing with the AAA through the Secretary a statement of willingness and ability to devote such time to the affairs of the Society as necessary to the effective execution of office, pursuant to the AAA nomination procedure.
ARTICLE XII. Balloting
1. A Member in good standing shall be entitled to cast one ballot in any election or referendum.
2. Balloting for officers and members of the board shall be conducted according to procedures set by the AAA on behalf of the sections. The Board of Directors shall have the authority to examine the eligibility of any voter.
ARTICLE XIII. Referenda
1. A referendum may be conducted by mail ballot at any time upon initiation of the Board of Directors of the Association, or upon receipt by the Secretary of a petition signed by five (5) percent of the Members in good standing. A majority of votes received shall constitute a favorable vote.
ARTICLE XIV. Finances
1. The fiscal year of the Association shall be that of the American Anthropological Association.
2. The Association shall submit an annual operating budget to the American Anthropological Association’s Board of Directors, which when approved, shall govern the APLA’s activities.
3. The income from annual dues and from investments and other sources shall constitute a working fund, available for publications, operating, and current expenses consistent with the purpose of the Society.
4. Financial obligations shall be undertaken by the Board of Directors of the Association or any other officer on behalf of the Association only in accordance with AAA budgeting and accounting practices.
5. The Association may establish special funds to be administered by the American Anthropological Association for purposes which the APLA membership may designate.
ARTICLE XV. Amendment
1. These Bylaws may be amended by the Members through mail ballot, provided that a proposed amendment is approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast.
2. Amendments may be proposed by the Board of Directors of the Association or by five (5) percent of the Members in good standing. The Board of Directors shall have the proposed amendment circulated to the Members and it shall allow thirty (30) days for the return of ballots.
3. The amendments and provisions of these Bylaws shall be effective immediately upon adoption and shall supersede and nullify all previous amendments and provisions.
Association for Political and Legal Anthropology 