BY-LAWS

Updated on October 14, 2011.

A. ELECTIONS TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Candidacies

A1 The list of candidates proposed by the Executive Committee (statute 10.2) shall be established at the meeting of the Executive Committee held two years before the ISECS Ordinary General Assembly. It shall be circulated to the entire membership electronically and through the Constituent Societies within six months of its establishment, together with a call for possible nominations by petition.

A2 Nominations by petition, presented according to constitutional specifications (50 signatures for the offices of President and First Vice-President; 25 signatures for all other posts), must reach the ISECS secretariat within six months following circulation of the list proposed by the Executive Committee, and at least one month preceding the latter's annual meeting.

A3 The Executive Committee shall register all acceptable nominations at least one year prior to the Ordinary General Assembly and add them to its own list. It may choose to add to the list further nominations, if approved by a two-thirds majority. During the same session the Executive Committee shall set up a three-member Election Commission charged with ruling on disputes concerning the election. Its members may neither be candidates nor sit on the Board of Elections.

A4 The ISECS secretariat shall provide Constituent Societies with all election-related documents, in both official languages, before the end of the calendar year preceding the Ordinary General Assembly. The ballot paper and candidate information will also be placed on the ISECS website.

A5 The Executive Committees of the Constituent Societies shall make these documents available to their members at least four months before the Ordinary General Assembly.

A6 The Executive Committees of the Constituent Societies shall be responsible for informing their members about the electronic ballot and for directing them to the ISECS website.

Voting procedures

A7 Voting shall be by postal or electronic ballot only. There shall be no on-site voting during the International Congress and no voting by proxy.

A8 All ballots, whether paper or electronic, must be received by a closing date approved by the Executive Committee; this date shall be at least thirty days before the opening of the International Congress.

A9 The voting register, established by the ISECS secretariat with the assistance of the Constituent Societies, will include only those members who are in good standing with their national societies as at 31 December of the calendar year before the year in which the election takes place.

A10 Postal votes must be placed in an unmarked sealed envelope inside the outer mailing envelope. The member's full name, legibly written, and the name of the Constituent Society to which he or she belongs must appear on the outer mailing envelope. (Members of more than one society should designate one society of their choice for this purpose.)

A11 All outer envelopes will be checked against the voting register as the first stage of the count. Any envelope that does not carry a member's name, or that carries the name of someone not on the voting register, or that carries a surname only and the register lists more than one member with that surname, will be counted as void and the inner envelope will not be opened.

A12 In the event of a member inadvertently voting both by post and electronically, the electronic vote will be retained and the postal vote discounted. A check for double voting will be made before the postal votes are opened.

A13 Ballot papers with identifying signs will be counted as void. If more votes are cast in any section of the voting paper than there are positions to be filled (e.g. if two votes are cast when only one position is to be filled), or if votes are cast for non-candidates, the section of the voting paper containing such votes will be counted as void. However, the remaining sections of the voting paper will remain valid.

A14 The ISECS Executive Committee will appoint an election officer who will be responsible for the proper conduct of the elections and the announcement of the results.

A15 The votes will be counted before the opening of the International Congress by a committee of two or three people nominated for that purpose.

A16 Election results will be announced to the Ordinary General Assembly by the outgoing President, and will be posted at the Congress office immediately afterwards.

B. CONSTITUENT SOCIETIES

Definitions

B1 National societies are defined as those aiming to provide a forum for scholars of all disciplines from a particular country.

B2 Multinational societies are defined as those aiming to provide a forum for scholars of all disciplines from two or more countries located in one region of the world.

Representation on the Executive Committee

B3 If a delegate of a Constituent Society is unable to attend a meeting of the Executive Committee, he or she will be replaced by another duly accredited person of the Constituent Society's choosing.

C. FINANCIAL MATTERS

The ISECS subscription

C1 The basic ISECS subscription will be £1.30 sterling for individual members and £5.00 for institutional members. Subscriptions are payable each year in arrears for the previous calendar year.

C2 The basic ISECS subscription may be modified at each Ordinary General Assembly based on a proposal from the Executive Committee.

C3 Subscription payments should indicate the numbers of individual and institutional members being paid for. Constituent Societies will supply annually to the Secretariat the names and addresses of all new and non-renewing members.

The International directory

C4 The international directory will be maintained electronically, using a system that allows Constituent Societies to make printed directories of their own members if they wish to do so. Its maintenance and management will be the responsibility of the Communications secretary, who will be nominated by the Executive Committee.

Investment

C5 The funds of ISECS will be lodged permanently in one country, and its financial transactions will be audited by a professional accountant of that country appointed from time to time by the Executive Committee.

C6 Reserve funds will be invested on six-month deposit with an officially recognised institution of that country, at the highest rate of interest available.

Expenditure

C7 ISECS income will be expended only under the following budget headings, upon the written authority of the Treasurer-General or President.
i. Services of the Technical Secretariat (administrative, financial, legal)
ii. Electronic services (including the electronic ballot)
iii. The annual ISECS seminar (young scholars seminar)
iv. Meetings of the Executive Committee (direct costs; travel costs for members and delegates from countries with weak currencies)
v. Organisation and promotion of the four-yearly International Congress
vi. Publications (paper or electronic)
vii. Colloquia sponsored by ISECS (with a minimum of 3 societies participating)
viii. Contingencies

Financial reports

C8 With information provided by the Secretariat for items (i) to (iii), the Treasurer-General of ISECS will prepare the following documents at 31 July of each year, and they will be circulated to members of the Executive Committee with the agenda for the following meeting:
i. Accounts for the previous financial year;
ii. Subscription report as at 31 July of the current year;
iii. Budget for the following financial year, with known commitments for the two years after that.

C9 Cumulative four-year versions of the accounts will be presented at the Ordinary General Assembly of ISECS, together with a balance sheet as at the end of the previous financial year.

C10 After each Ordinary General Assembly, the incoming Treasurer-General will prepare a draft four-year version of the budget for submission to the Executive Committee by 31 July following his or her election.

The Treasurer

C11 To ensure continuity of control, the Treasurer-General of ISECS will hold office from 1 January of the year following his or her election, for a period of four years.

Non-convertible currencies

C12 Constituent societies that are unable to pay the ISECS levy by reason of exchange control regulations or similar force majeure will pay an agreed equivalent in their local currency into a bank account in the name of ISECS or into a fund under public control. A formal annual statement of account, showing credits, debits and the balance, will be submitted to the Treasurer-General by 28 February every year. The balance will be made available to the Treasurer-General or to a nominee appointed by the Standing Committee, on one month's written notice.

Unpaid subscriptions

C13 The delegates of constituent societies that have not paid the ISECS subscription for two or more years will be unable to vote at meetings of the Executive Committee.

D. CORPORATE MEMBERS

Membership and subscriptions

D1 Corporate bodies may become members of ISECS by virtue of membership of a Constituent Society.

D2 Constituent Societies pay subscriptions as established in C1.

E. ASSOCIATED SOCIETIES

E1 Societies may be either admitted as constituent members of ISECS or they may be associated to ISECS.

E2 Associated societies may include societies wishing to be admitted as constituent members but of which the constitution does not meet the criteria of ISECS, societies suspended as constituent societies for failing to observe the constitution or bye-laws of ISECS and all groups which may wish to associate themselves with the activities of ISECS without becoming full constituent members. Such societies shall be admitted as associated societies by decision of the Executive Committee.