Election Committee Guidelines for Newsletters

Posted in Local Editor Resources on January 21, 2003

The following was recently posted to the editors’ e-list, to serve as a guideline for editors deciding how to present the American Mensa elections to to their local readers. Click ‘Read More’ below for the complete list.

Guidance for Local Editors about the American Mensa Election


1. The American Mensa Election Committee has no authority to legislate what
local group newsletters publish (or do not publish) regarding national
elections. We can make recommendations, and do so hereby with our answers to
some questions that have been posed to us. We trust our local editors to be
fair and impartial in whatever efforts they make to call attention to the
national and international elections.


2. A Local Secretary can discuss a particular candidate (pro or con) in his
or her column. We hope he or she is acquainted with the candidate so can
speak from personal knowledge. We recommend that discussions of candidates
be positive, i.e. why the writer recommends a vote for the candidate.
Negative comments can start down the slippery slope to claims of libel. We
also hope that if an endorsement of one candidate appears in the newsletter,
that the opposing candidates receive equal space.


3. An Editor may endorse a candidate in his or her column. Please note all
the comments in No. 2 above.


4. A newsletter, either in a separate story or within a column, including
the LocSec¹s column, can promote, or mention, that a local member is a
candidate. We believe the editor can allow as much space for the local
candidate as he or she is willing to allow for the opposing candidates.


Appropriate things to say about the candidate are descriptions of his or her
contributions to the local group, the region, nationally or internationally.
Because of the limitations on word counts in materials in the Bulletin, a
local editor may want to present more information about candidates than can
be printed in the Bulletin.


5. A local newsletter may print a resume of a candidate. Again, if the
editor wants to print the resume of one candidate, he or she should be
willing to print the resumes of all candidates for that office if these are
received in time. An editor is within his or her rights to set space
limitations on election material.


6. This is a good place to point out to editors that the election rules
state: ³Candidate statements may not contain ad hominem attacks or material
misstatements of fact.² Further, this rule gives the election committee
authority to reject the candidate¹s entire statement for publication in the
Bulletin if the committee finds such materials in the statement.


7. A newsletter may print a letter from the candidate, as long as the editor
is willing to print letters of equivalent length from other candidates for
the same office.


8. A letter to the editor that endorses a candidate can be printed as long
as the editor is willing to print letters of endorsement for opposing
candidates if they are received. The editor may choose to limit letters such
as this to those coming from the local group membership, and to limit the
word count of such letters.


9. We have no jurisdiction over web sites. However, those who put up web
sites for themselves or on behalf of candidates should be aware of libel
law.


10. We believe that the same guidelines that apply to the newsletter should
apply to the web site.


11. E-Mail may be used for personal endorsements. The senders should be
aware of libel law.


12. We believe it would be poor judgment for national or regional officers
to promote other candidates in their columns. We hope these officers will
use their columns to encourage members to become informed about the
candidates, perhaps list ways they can become informed, and then to vote.


13. All materials published in local group newsletters or on websites
should contain no false claims or libel.


14. Finally, each local group should have a publications policy that serves
as guidance for the editor. That publications policy is the expression of
the ExCom about what should and should not be in the newsletter. The LocSec
and editor should adhere to the publications policy if it contains anything
in regard to national elections.