Article 1. NAME

    The name of this organization is the Section on Survey Research Methods of the American Statistical Association (hereafter called the Association).

Article II. SCOPE

    The interests of the Section on Survey Research Methods include all those that employ survey methodology as a focus or as a prime tool of investigation. Some areas of special interest are:

1. Design and execution of sample surveys.
2. Analysis and presentation of survey data.
3. Statistical inference from survey data.
4. Publication of developments and findings in survey research.
5. Standards of design, estimation, and reporting of surveys.
6. Promotion of uniform survey terminology.
7. Consequences of survey research procedures and findings on public policy, including relations between public and private agencies in the design, conduct, and presentation of findings of surveys.
8. Ethics relating to the conduct of survey research and to respondents and potential respondents.

    The primary function of the Section on Survey Research Methods is the encouragement of research and advancement of knowledge in survey research methodology, endeavoring:

1. To stimulate the preparation of articles and reports dealing with survey methodology under Association auspices.
2. To disseminate work on survey research methodology to a wider audience within the Association, in the scientific community, and among the public by fostering liaison with persons and organizations publishing papers and monographs on topics of interest in survey methodology.
3. To sponsor topic-oriented workshops, short courses, and conferences of interest to survey researchers.
4. To develop and publicize standards for the design, conduct, and reporting of surveys, and for the assessment and evaluation of survey practices.
5. To review outlets for publication on survey research methodology and to facilitate separate publications, when and where appropriate.

    Membership in the Section shall be open to all full members of the Association who indicate an interest in the activities of the Section by payment of Section dues.

    The Section's membership year will coincide with that of the member's membership year in the Association.

Article IV. DUES

    Section dues will be determined by the Executive Committee of the Section.

Article V. MEETINGS

    The annual business meeting, open to all members and other interested parties, shall be held in connection with the annual meeting of the Association and shall be announced in advance in the printed program of the annual meeting.

Article VI. OFFICERS AND TERMS OF OFFICE

    The officers of the Section shall be elected by the membership and consist of the Chair, the Chair-Elect, the Past Chair, the Program Chair, the Program Chair-Elect, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Publications Officers, and one or more Representatives to the Council of Sections.

    The term of office for the Chair, Chair-Elect, Past Chair, Program Chair, and Program Chair-Elect shall be one year.

    The term of office for the Secretary, Treasurer, and Publications Officer shall be two years.

    The term of office for Representatives to the Council of Sections shall be as specified in the Charter of the Council of Sections.

    The Chair-Elect, Chair, and Program Chair-Elect shall automatically succeed the Chair, Past Chair, and Program Chair, respectively, at the annual change of offices, which shall occur on January 1. No member shall be eligible for immediate re-election to the same office except a Secretary, a Treasurer, or Publications Officer.

    A Past Chair shall not be eligible for immediate re-election to the office of Chair-Elect, and a Program Chair shall not be eligible for immediate re-election to the office of Program Chair-Elect. A Representative to the Council of Sections whose first term was not a full term or whose term was shortened due to election to the Governing Board of the Council of Sections shall be eligible for immediate re-election.

Article VII. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

    The Executive Committee of the Section shall consist of its officers. The Executive Committee shall manage the affairs of the Section. The Section Chair, with the advice and approval of the Executive Committee, may designate committees to carry out the functions of the Section.

Article VIII. VACANCY IN OFFICE

    In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chair, the Chair-Elect shall become Chair for the balance of the vacated term in addition to the term for which the Chair-Elect was elected. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Program Chair, the Program Chair-Elect shall succeed for a similar term. If the office of Past Chair becomes vacant, it shall remain vacant until filled by the current Chair at the beginning of the following year. In the case of a vacancy in any one of the other elective offices, the Section Nominations Committee shall make a nomination(s). Appointments shall be by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. The person so chosen shall serve for the remainder of the vacated term.

Article IX. NOMINATION AND ELECTION

    On or before the Association deadline each year, the Section's Committee on Nominations shall submit, to the Secretary of the Association and the Section Chair, at least two nominations for each vacancy to be filled. All nominees are to be included in the Association's annual mail ballot for the election of Association and Section officers. All balloting procedures for Section officers shall conform to those used in balloting for Association officers.

Article X. COMMITTEE ON NOMINATIONS

    Each year, the following year's Chair-Elect shall serve as chair of the Committee on Nominations and shall appoint two other members of the Section to serve on the committee. No member of the committee, other than the Chair, shall be a member of the Executive Committee. The Committee on Nominations shall make the nominations for offices of the Section that will become vacant at the end of the following year.

    In addition to the nominees of the committee, any Section member nominated by petition of 25 or more members of the Section shall also appear on the annual ballot. Such a petition must be presented by one of the petitioners to the Secretary of the Association and the Section Chair within 45 days after the mailing date of the publication announcing the names of the candidates submitted by the Committee on Nominations.

Article XI. AMENDMENTS

Amendments to this charter may be proposed by the Executive Committee of the Section or by a petition signed by at least 25 members of the Section and submitted to the Executive Committee. The proposed amendment shall be submitted to the members of the Section for mail vote at the time of the annual election of officers. If approved by a majority of the members of the Section voting, the Amendment is subject to approval of the Associations Council of Sections. If approved by the Council, the amendment shall be effective immediately.