Article X—Candidates and Voting

1. (a) Candidates. Names of eligible members running for office, accompanied by each member's signed statement acknowledging his/her candidacy, and which are sent to the Secretary-Treasurer by April 1, shall be printed on the absentee ballots. Names of convention sites shall be placed on the ballot provided a member from the site sign and submit the request as noted above.

(b). At least thirty days before the opening session of the convention, the Secretary-Treasurer shall furnish every member with (1) an official ballot printed with the names of all eligible candidates received, plus blanks for write-in candidates, for the purpose of voting for every elective officer, for the places of the next two conventions, and upon amendments to the constitution or the question of adopting a new constitution, and (2) an envelope addressed to the Custodian of Ballots. In the upper left-hand corner of this envelope shall be printed N.A.P.A. Absentee Ballot from...., to..... To vote in absentia a member must fill out the ballot, sign it in his own handwriting, and mail it so that it shall be received by the Custodian not later than 9:00 a.m. of the opening day of the convention.

(c) A member who fails to receive an official absentee ballot may use any blank filled out and signed in the same manner.

(d) By a two-thirds vote of the convention any absentee ballot received later than 9:00 a.m. of the opening day may be counted.

(e) Any member who has voted in absentia may withdraw his ballot by making the request at any session prior to the commencement of voting, and any member present at a session prior to the voting and eligible to vote but unable to attend the election may by majority consent file an absentee ballot.

2. At the first session of the convention the presiding officer shall deliver to the Chairman of the Absentee Ballot Committee the absentee ballots received by him from the Custodian of Ballots.

3. The Vice President shall be ex officio Chairman of the Absentee Ballot Committee. The Secretary-Treasurer and the Recorder shall be ex officio members of the Committee. The presiding officer shall appoint four other members.

4. Before the opening session of the second day the Absentee Ballot Committee shall meet privately and count the ballots. The Committee shall present to the first session on the second day a signed report recording (a) a complete list of members from whom absentee ballots have been received, (b) a list of those whose ballots have been rejected, with a statement of the reason for each rejection, (c) the total number of votes counted, and (d) the total number of blanks for each office or question on the ballot. The Committee shall not count the vote of any member who has failed to meet the requirements of Article VI as to activity or payment of dues. It shall refer to the convention any absentee ballot that is in any respect irregular or questionable; such ballot may be counted only if the convention so directs by a two-thirds majority.

5. Upon acceptance by the convention of the report of the Absentee Ballot Committee the presiding officer shall declare nominations for President in order. In the election the votes cast in convention shall be added to the absentee vote. Blank votes shall be recorded but not considered in determining the majority necessary for choice. A majority vote shall be necessary for election of an officer or of a convention seat; a two-thirds majority shall be necessary for adoption of a constitutional amendment or of a new constitution.

6. If no candidate for office or for convention seat receives a majority on the first ballot, voting shall continue in the following manner until choice has been made. On the second ballot absentee ballots for all except the three highest candidates in the total vote on the first ballot shall be discarded. On the third ballot absentee votes for all except the two highest candidates on the second ballot shall be discarded. If no candidate receives a majority on the third ballot all absentee votes shall be discarded and the convention shall proceed to elect by majority vote.

7. Any violation of this Article sufficient to change the result of an election shall cause the absolute nullity of such election. On the proof of such violation either of the two immediately subsequent conventions shall order the names of the illegally elected officers stricken from the roster and the corresponding officers of the preceding year substituted as holding over de jure. Such action shall not, however, affect the validity of any constitutional act of the de facto officers.