And the Nominees Are . . . ?

Stephanie Shaw

You have undoubtedly already noticed a significant change in the nominating procedure of the Organization of American Historians. This issue of the Newsletter contains the biographical data of the candidates, and this year's election ballot is located on the back of this sheet. Obviously, this process saves the OAH the cost of an additional mailing, but the goal is to achieve much more. It is the hope of the organization that this new process will bring more attention to the election and result in more ballots being returned. Through this short article, the OAH Nominating Board seeks to direct your attention to a specific part of the process--the submission of nominees.

Every year, the Nominating Board asks you to submit the names of members whom you believe would be good candidates for the OAH's elected positions. The office always receives a good number of nominations, but we need even more input from you if our work is to remain successful. Your nominations are the starting point for the annual meeting at which the slate is created.

Each meeting begins with a review of the list of names of all the individuals who have been nominated. Every nominee receives serious consideration. First, we verify active membership. Next, we list all eligible nominees, noting the number of nominations each has received. Then the Nominating Board assembles a nominee's record with the organization--conference participation, service on committees, etc.,--and a full discussion of each candidate ensues in which the qualifications of all nominees are weighed. Because it is the desire of the Organization that the final slate of candidates reflects the diverse membership, the process does not stop here.

Nominating Board members are very much aware of the many ways that different types of members can and have historically participated in the OAH. Secondary school teachers, for example, generally do not participate in the conference sessions as frequently as college and university teachers. This factor does not disqualify, or reduce the viability of, such a nominee. Indeed, one goal and result of increasing the size of the OAH Nominating Board in 1999, was to create the possibility for more constituencies to be represented in the process of choosing the Organization's candidates for office. And in the absence of sufficient nominations from the membership, Nominating Board members, who themselves represent these different constituencies, suggest additional candidates.

And so another important part of the work of the Nominating Board involves balancing the election slate. If potential nominees do not reflect the racial/ethnic, geographic, gender, and professional diversity of the membership, the board works to fill those gaps. Anyone nominated by a board member goes through the same process as those nominated by the general membership. It is the aim of the Nominating Board that any member has access to elected positions, and the opportunity to contribute to the important work of the organization. While it is not possible for every slate to include every group, the board strives to make certain that over a reasonable amount of time, all groups are included. We work hard to represent a diverse membership.

The Nominating Board recognizes the importance of its work. It cannot always be done quickly. The board meets for approximately twelve hours during the annual meeting. Recent changes in the constitution--lengthening the terms of committee members--helps to create more continuity between years. The detailed file from the main office guarantees that we have complete records for every member. But, again, the process begins with your nominations. This year's ballot includes a space for you to nominate individuals for election in 2002. Please take this opportunity to present names of any members you believe would be good candidates. The OAH office will forward those names, and the number of nominations they receive, to the Nominating Board. We will use your nominees to begin our work again.