[NABS-L] Registration, Membership Dues, and Principles of Engagement for the 2021 NABS Business Meeting

Wed Jun 9 01:56:21 UTC 2021

Hello NABS Family,

We want to remind all potential and current members that registration for the 2021 NABS Business Meeting, happening on July 7, 2021,  is now live. This year, we have a few items pertaining to membership dues and our election process that we want to share as well, so if you haven’t already, please review the information below.

Registering for the 2021 NABS Annual Business Meeting

We invite all students, life-time learners, and allies to register for our NABS Business meeting using  <https://forms.gle/D9jKCUTPt6HfPKUK8> this form:

https://forms.gle/D9jKCUTPt6HfPKUK8

Completing registration will help ensure we have your most up to date information. Not to mention, it will be what qualifies you for amazing door prizes throughout the evening. 

Please note that anyone can register to attend our event up until the start of the convention on July 6, 2021. However, if you intend to vote in this year’s election process, you must be registered by June 21, 2021.

2020-2021 Membership Dues

We additionally want to notify all current and potential members of an important note for this year’s membership dues collecting process. The National Federation of the Blind is transitioning from a fiscal calendar year to a regular calendar year (beginning in January and ending in December.) For this reason, we are making a one-time exception to our dues collecting process in advance of the January 2022 deadline in accordance with guidance put forth by the NFB's National Board of Directors . 

Your membership is ensured through the end of 2021, and assuming you register for our business meeting, you are  eligible to vote in this year's election process in the following cases:

•            Your dues were paid last year on or before December 31, 2020

•            You’ve paid your dues since January 1, 2021 

•            You will pay your $5 dues before June 21, 2021

Please note that this change will require all members to renew their membership status starting in January 2022. If you are unsure of your membership status, contact NABS secretary, Mausam Mehta by email  at mausam.mehta.nfb at gmail.com <mailto:mausam.mehta.nfb at gmail.com>  or by phone at (540) 466-6033. If you have questions regarding your dues payment, please contact NABS Treasurer Elizabeth Rouse by email at elizabethrouse.nfb at gmail.com <mailto:elizabethrouse.nfb at gmail.com>  or by phone at (563) 210-1854.

2021 NABS Elections

Given that this meeting will be taking place on Zoom, we want to do our best effort of providing clarity and advanced notice for how our election process will be managed in 2021. Attached, pasted below, and soon on our website, you can find our 2021 Principles of Engagement reviewed and voted on by the NABS Board on May 31, 2021. This language is not meant to change our constitution in any way, but rather share how we plan to accommodate the virtual setting in carrying out our work. These principles will be read during the meeting before moving into official business. 

We know that online elections and conventions can be a bit tricky to navigate, so we invite you to send any/all questions about the above outlined process to NABS 1st Vice President Kenia Flores at kflores at keniaflores.com <mailto:kflores at keniaflores.com> .

We cannot wait to celebrate another year of accomplishments with you this July!

Yours,

Trisha Kulkarni

President | National Association of Blind Students

A Proud Division of the National Federation of the Blind

www.nabslink.org <http://www.nabslink.org> 

National Association of Blind Students (NABS)

Principles of Engagement

The principles and procedures below were adopted by the NABS Board on May 31, 2021 and are intended to provide clarity and advance notice on how the NABS Business Meeting will be managed this year. This document will be distributed to our membership and housed on our website in June. Additionally, it will be read at the business meeting prior to any official business taking place.

*	All individuals who are dues-paying members as of June 21, 2021 and who opted into the voter enrollment system prior to our business meeting will constitute the pool of convention voters.
*	All voting will be done via text or call, and the results will be viewed by a representative who has been appointed by the President of the National Federation of the Blind.
*	Any matter must receive greater than fifty percent support of the votes cast by the active members present and voting in order to be affirmed.
*	Present and voting will mean the subset of active members who actually cast a vote on a given question. Thus, voters who are indifferent to a matter cannot block its consideration by choosing not to cast a vote.
*	All votes will be allocated two minutes for vote time.
*	If voting indicates 75 percent support for or against a question prior to the two-minute period elapsing, the chair may elect to move to the next order of business.
*	An opportunity to practice voting using the system will be offered on a question that has no impact on the policy of the organization.

Motions and Nominations from the Floor

*	A member can make or second a motion by using the raise hand feature on Zoom. The chair will then give the member the opportunity to unmute and verbally state their motion or second.
*	The membership will be given the opportunity to electronically submit votes in instances where a matter needs to be affirmed or opposed, such as accepting the Treasurer’s Annual Report.
*	Members may unmute themselves to make a nomination. The individual who is nominated must be present to accept or decline the nomination.
*	After reading the slated name for a given position, the Chair will continue prompting for any other nominations from the floor until three consecutive calls are made with no response. At this point, nominations will be considered closed. In the case that the slated name for a given position is unopposed, the Chair will then ask for a motion to elect the nominee by acclamation. Otherwise, each nominee will get sixty seconds to address the membership before voting commences.

Miscellaneous

*	All dues-paying members will have the ability to vote using Swift, the voter enrollment system. 
*	In the event NABS encounters technical difficulties with the Swift platform, all nominations will be collected live. Then, members will be sent a Google form via email with a restricted time frame to cast their votes using a ranked-choice voting process. In order to obtain a majority, members will rank their choices out of the candidates listed. Results will be concluded with the assistance of a representative appointed by the President of the National Federation of the Blind and will be announced no later than the close of convention.

NABS is committed to fostering an inclusive environment for everyone. In the event a member is unable to participate fully in this outlined election process and requires an accommodation to make a motion, nominate and individual, or vote, this individual can contact NABS First Vice President, Kenia Flores at kflores at keniaflores.com <mailto:kflores at keniaflores.com>  to discuss alternative means of engagement. Additionally, designated Zoom moderators will be overseeing the Zoom chat and participant list throughout the meeting and elections to facilitate alternative participation.

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