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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIX. No. 1011 



are elected by vote of the members present at 

 the annual meeting. There is nothing in the 

 constitution about their nomination. 



In the American Dermatological Association 

 officers are nominated on the first day of the 

 annual meeting and elected on the second. 



In the American Institute of Architects 

 officers are elected by ballot of the del^ates 

 at the annual convention. 



In the American Medical Association nomi- 

 nations are from the floor. Majority of votes 

 cast is necessary for election. 



In the American Entomological Society 

 officers are nominated at the meeting before 

 the annual meeting. The nominations are 

 not restricted in any way and there is no 

 nominating committee. 



In the Actuarial Society of America officers 

 are elected at the annual meeting without any 

 nominations being made. Previous to the 

 meeting, however, there is a straw ballot for 

 members of the council, every fellow voting 

 for two candidates for each vacancy. The 

 result of this straw ballot is announced before 

 the election, but it does not bind anybody. 



In the American Ornithologists' Union an 

 informal ballot is taken at the annual meet- 

 ing and its result is announced before the first 

 formal ballot is taken. 



In the American Institute of Homeopathy 

 any ten members at annual meeting can nomi- 

 nate. If no one gets a majority at first elec- 

 tion there is a second vote confined to two 

 highest candidates. It has been ruled that 

 members nominated for an office can not with- 

 draw their names. 



In the American Association of Public Ac- 

 countants officers are elected by delegates and 

 fellows at large at the annual convention. 

 Secretary is elected annually by trustees. 



In the American Philosophical Society held 

 at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowl- 

 edge officers are elected on the first Friday of 

 January and the polls are open between the 

 hours of two and five in the afternoon. Nomi- 

 nations must be made at the stated meeting 

 next previous to the day of election; but if 

 there should occur a failure of qualified can- 

 didates so nominated others not so nominated 

 may be elected. 



Group I. — In aU the following associations 

 the business of nominating and electing offi- 

 cers is conducted largely through the mails. 



In the Geological Society of America the 

 council prepares the regular ticket, and this is 

 mailed to the members at least nine months 

 before the annual meeting. Any five members 

 may forward other nominations to the secre- 

 tary. Such nominations are printed together 

 with the names of the nominators as special 

 tickets. The regular and special tickets are 

 then mailed to the fellows at least twenty-five 

 days in advance of the annual meeting. Bal- 

 loting is then done by the use of two envelopes, 

 of which one, the inner envelope, bears a 

 legend indicating that it is a ballot ; the outer 

 envelope bears the voter's name, and before it 

 is opened the secretary looks up the records to 

 see whether the man is entitled to vote or not. 



In the American Mathematical Society the 

 council nominates at the October meeting 

 through a committee usually composed of ex- 

 presidents and ex-vice-presidents. Nomina- 

 tions are printed on a ballot with blank spaces 

 for other names, and mailed to members, who 

 may vote by mail or in person at the Decem- 

 ber meeting. 



In the American Nature Study Society the 

 council nominates one or more candidates for 

 each office and members vote by mail or in 

 person. 



In the American Public Health Association 

 the council nominates officers and submits 

 ticket to the whole association for their vote. 

 Council represents different states and federal 

 departments. 



In the American Society of Mechanical 

 Engineers the president appoints a nominating 

 committee, and any group of twenty or more 

 members entitled to vote may constitute them- 

 selves a special nominating committee. Names 

 of nominees and their nominators are mailed 

 to members on an official ballot, together with 

 an inner and an outer envelope, as with the 

 geologists. A simple plurality of votes elects. 

 Method is said to be perfectly satisfactory. 



In the American Institute of Electrical 

 Engineers the method pursued up to 1911 was 

 as follows. Nominating blanks were mailed 

 to the entire membership. After the forms 



