In August, Lynne Moritz, secretary of APsaA, announced on the association's e-mail list that all the proposed changes to the APsaA's current by-laws had been passed by the necessary two-thirds vote of certified members. The new by-laws extend voting privileges to both non-certified and affiliate members.

Parcel I, which extends voting and office privileges to all active members, passed by an overwhelming majority (546 to 86). Parcel I also spelled out other governance changes addressing the balance of power and responsibility between Board and Council. Parcel II, however, which extended voting privileges to affiliate members, passed with only four votes to spare: 431 to 201, suggesting that at least among certified members, this is still a sharply disputed issue.

The revised by-laws will now require a simple majority for measures other than revisions to the by-laws, which will still require a two-thirds majority for passage. The revised by-laws take effect following the completion of the current election.

Voting privileges for affiliate members has been a goal of the Affiliate Council from its inception. A more comprehensive history of the long and contentious campaign for voting privileges will appear in the next issue of TAP.