Bylaws Update (2026)

Proposed 2026 Bylaws: Member Vote

SAME Savannah Post · Ballot open November 9 through December 1, 2026

On October 19, 2026, the Board of Directors of the SAME Savannah Post approved a revision of the Post's Bylaws and recommends it to the membership for adoption. This page has everything you need to read before you vote.

Key dates

Who can vote?

• Individual members of the Savannah Post in good standing as of December 1, 2026, of every membership type, including student members and members in their renewal grace period.
• Organization representatives: the people a company, public agency, or nonprofit or academic institution has named as its representatives to the Post. The current Bylaws, which govern this vote, give them full voting rights (Article III.4).
• One vote per person, even if you are both an individual member and an organization representative.
• The Post's email list includes friends of the Post who are not members. Receiving this email or page does not by itself make you eligible.
• Not sure of your status? Check your SAME membership at same.org, or ask the contact at the bottom of this page.

Read before you vote

What the revision changes

The current Bylaws were adopted in October 2023. The revision brings them in line with how the Post operates today and with the SAME Post Operations Manual. The principal changes:

• Board seats. Names the sixteen Appointed Director seats. The number of seats is unchanged. The Immediate Past President gains a Board vote.
• Voting membership. Organization memberships become non-voting. Every individual member keeps a full vote.
• Board meetings and votes. A quorum becomes a majority of the voting Board members, and never fewer than six. Remote participation and electronic Board votes are written into the Bylaws with clear rules.
• Post funds. Any check or other payment over $2,500 requires authorization by two people designated by the Board. Today the rule is two signatures on checks over $5,000. Spending within an approved budget line needs no further approval; anything outside the budget needs prior Board approval.
• Annual audit. The Audit Committee is approved by the Board, includes no one who can sign or approve Post payments, completes its audit by March 31, presents it to the Board and the membership for adoption, and sends its findings to SAME National. These requirements come from the Operations Manual and become Post Bylaws.
• Committees. Three standing Operations Committees: Finance and Budget, Audit, and Nominating. Annual Program Review Planning becomes a standing committee open to any member in good standing.
• Member votes. Elections and other member votes may be held by electronic ballot, open for at least ten business days.
• Future Bylaws changes. An amendment needs the Board's approval and recommendation, then two-thirds of the members voting. Today the text says a majority vote of the members.

This list is a summary. The Summary of Changes covers every change, and the full text is what you are voting on.

How to vote

Vote here Open November 9 through December 1, 2026

• Enter your name and the email address registered with SAME, then choose Approve or Do Not Approve. It takes about two minutes.
• Each vote is checked against the Post membership and organization rosters after the ballot closes. A vote that cannot be matched to an eligible voter is not counted.
• Submit once. Your first submission is your vote and cannot be changed afterward, so check your choice before you submit.
• The revision is adopted if two-thirds of the ballots cast approve it, provided that ballots are received from at least 10 percent of the members eligible to vote. The ballot states that number. A member who does not vote is not counted either way.
• An optional comment box goes to the Board for the next revision of the Bylaws. Comments do not change the text on this ballot.
• Your name and email are used only to confirm eligibility and are not published or shared.

Questions are welcome at any time before or during the ballot. Contact Scott DeGaro, President, SAME Savannah Post, at [email protected].