Fraternity-Testvériség, 2000 (78. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2000-10-01 / 4. szám
upon the actual number of legal votes cast. Abstentions, blank ballots, unreturned ballots, illegal ballots and/or illegible ballots shall not be deemed to be legal votes, and shall not be taken into consideration in determining the total number of votes cast, nor the number constituting a majority (or, where applicable, a two-thirds count) of the votes cast. 12. Nothing contained within the By-Laws shall prohibit or preclude the Board of Directors and /or the Executive Committee from meeting via means of telephone and/or video conference and taking voice votes at such meetings, and/or voting via mail and/or facsimile transmission without meeting, or use of such telecommunication technology in connection therewith as may now exist or shall be developed in the future. The decision to use any such alternate mode of meeting and/or voting shall be made on a case-by-case basis as deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee, with the concurrence of the Board of Directors. Standards and procedures for the use of such alternate modes of meeting and/or voting shall be promulgated from time to time by the Board of Directors in conformity with the provisions of these By-Laws and the laws of the United States of America and of the various States in which the Federation is authorized to conduct business. Nothing contained in this provision shall be deemed to controvert the requirement of in- person regular meetings of the Board of Directors pursuant to Section 31 herein. THE CONVENTION Time - Place - Aim - Membership 13. The Federation shall hold a Convention every four (4) years in September. The time and place shall be designated by the Board of Directors. The Convention shall receive reports of the preceding four (4) years, shall decide upon actions for the future, and shall encourage and foster ffaternalism. In order to postpone a Convention, the consent of sixty-five percent (65%) of the members of the Convention is required. 14. The membership of the Convention is constituted of the regular members of the Board of Directors and the elected delegates of the branches. The elected delegates shall constitute no less than two- thirds of the voting members of the Convention. Each member of the Convention is entitled to one vote. 15. The Board of Directors shall determine and designate the number of guests and other persons to attend the Convention. Election of Delegates 16. Each branch having a minimum voting insurance membership of 225 shall send one delegate to the Convention. Branches having more than 225 members shall send one additional delegate for each multiple of 225 members. Branches having less than 225 members will be grouped in units of not less than 225 and not more than 300 members, and may jointly send one delegate. a) The grouping of these units shall be arranged by the President-CEO of the Federation, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee and in consultation with the Board of Directors. Priority in grouping shall be given to geographical location. The groupings shall be published in the Fratemity-Testveriseg during the first quarter of the Convention year. b) Following the announcement of the meeting date of the Convention by the President-CEO, as directed by the Board of Directors, in the official publication, delegates and alternate delegates shall be elected by each branch at a special meeting to be held during the months of April or May. Election of delegates and alternate delegates shall be by plurality vote on separate ballots. The names of those elected shall be certified to the President-CEO of the Federation by the branch president and secretary, and an official observer designated by the Executive Committee within two (2) weeks after the election. Each certification shall be accompanied by a copy of the minutes of the said meeting, the names and certificate numbers of the members present at the meetings, and their signatures. In case of a tie vote in a delegate election of a grouping of branches, the Board of Directors shall decide by lot. c) Alternate delegates elected shall fill vacancies of elected delegates in the order of the number of votes received. d) Branches formed within one (1) year prior to the Convention shall not be entitled to representation, unless otherwise determined by the Board of Directors. e) In case of life family plans, only the certificate holder who is the basic insured member shall have the right to vote at delegate election meetings, branch meetings, or to hold office in the said branch. Qualifications of Delegates 17. The insured membership eligible to vote in the delegate elections shall be determined by the Executive Committee as of December 31 of the year prior to the Convention. A list of said eligible voting members shall be mailed to the Branch Manager and Branch President by February 15 of the Convention year. Any candidate for delegate or alternate delegate to the Convention must be an insurance member of the duly established grouping to which his branch is assigned. Qualifications for delegate and/or alternate delegate are as follows: a) The candidate shall have attained the age of eighteen (18) years and have been an insurance member of the branch for at least one full calendar year prior to his election as a delegate or alternate delegate. All membership obligations must be current. b) The candidate cannot be an employee of the Federation or an Advisor appointed by the Board of Directors. Election Irregularities 18. Complaints of any alleged irregularity in the method of convening any meeting for the election of delegates and alternate delegates or in the mode of election of said delegates or alternate delegates must be received, in writing, by the President-CEO by July 15th of the convention year. Upon receipt of a complaint, the President-CEO shall forthwith request full detailed and notarized written reports from the officers of the branch and the person or persons filing the complaints. Said reports shall be forwarded to the President-CEO by certified mail within two (2) weeks from the date of receipt of the request for same. Upon receipt of the said reports, the President-CEO shall convene the Executive Committee to consider the complaint. The Executive Committee shall report said matter to the Board of Directors along with its recommendation. The Board shall either approve or reject the recommendation, and within ten (10) days shall notify the branch of its decision and/or directive for corrective action. Should said branch refuse or neglect to take such corrective action, the Board of Directors shall have the authority to declare the election null and void. The action of the Board shall be reported to the Convention and may be appealed to the Convention. All expenses incurred in attending the Convention by complainant(s) and/or witnesses shall be the sole responsibility of the complainant(s) or the person calling the witnesses and shall not be paid by the Federation. The Credentials Committee of the Convention shall meet just prior to the commencement of the Convention to consider all material and legally competent testimony presented to it and render a decision. This decision may be appealed to the Plenary Session of the Convention, whose decision shall be final. Convention Chairman - Convention Secretaries - Expenses - Reports 19. Plenary Sessions of the Convention shall be chaired by the Chairman of the Board of Directors. 20. The Convention Secretary shall be appointed from among the members of the Federation by the Executive Committee. The minutes of the previous day shall be read at the beginning of each morning session, and these minutes shall be approved by the Convention and attested as correct by three (3) members appointed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors at the end of the previous day’s session. The minutes of the last day of the Convention shall be read and approved by a committee of five (5) members, including the Executive Committee. By-Laws 2000 Edition Page 2
