The CPNO Board has proposed two amendments to the bylaws, to be voted on at General Meeting on July 20, 2026. The full text of each proposed change is shown below. Members may review the current (Before) and proposed (After) language side by side. For comments, suggestions, or questions, please email president@candlerpark.org.
Amendment 1: Officer Election Process
Articles affected: Article IV, Sections 4, 5, and 6. In summary, this amendment changes the officer nomination and election timeline, extending voting to our usual electronic ballot as a Substantive Motion open for vote for a day after the meeting (Article VI §9(b)), and moves all floor nominations to the October Regular Meeting.
Article IV, Section 4 — Nominations
| Current Text (Before) | Proposed Text (After) |
|---|---|
| The Nominating Committee shall nominate candidates for each Office at the Regular Meeting in October. Members may nominate other candidates from the floor at the Annual Meeting. | The Nominating Committee shall nominate candidates for each Office at the Regular Meeting in October, during which time Members may nominate additional candidates from the floor. No Member may be nominated for more than one Office. The floor nomination period for each Office shall remain open until the close of the Regular Meeting in October, after which no additional nominations will be accepted. Following the close of the Regular Meeting in October, the Secretary shall compile the full slate of nominees for all Offices. The full slate shall be included in the notice of the Annual Meeting in November as required by Article VI. |
Article IV, Section 5 — Elections
| Current Text (Before) | Proposed Text (After) |
|---|---|
| Members shall elect Officers by ballot at the Annual Meeting in the order in which they are listed in Section 1 of this article. Balloting for each Office shall immediately follow the close of nominations from the floor for that Office, and the Chair shall announce the results of the election for that Office before calling for nominations from the floor for the next Office.In all Officer Elections, the candidate receiving the most votes for each Office shall be elected. In the event of a tie vote for any Office, the winner shall be determined by a game of chance. In the event there is only one candidate for a given Office and there are no nominations from the floor, then and only then, the requirement for election by ballot for that Officer may be suspended. This may be done by a motion to elect by acclamation, properly seconded, and voted on by a show of hands. | For the purposes of Article VI, notice pertaining to the election of Officers shall constitute a Substantive Motion as defined in Subsection 9(b) and shall be subject to the previous notice requirements. The full slate of nominees, as compiled by the Secretary following the Regular Meeting in October, shall constitute the text of said motion for purposes of Subsection 5(b), and its inclusion in the notice of the Annual Meeting shall satisfy the previous notice requirement.At the Annual Meeting in November, the President shall present the slate of nominees to the Members for each Office, open the floor for discussion on the candidates, and close debate upon completion of discussion. As provided in Subsection 9(b), voting shall proceed by means of electronic ballot distributed to all Members of record as contemplated in Section 6. As provided in Subsection 9(b), the “Voting Period” shall remain open for one calendar day following the Annual Meeting.
In all Officer elections, the candidate for each Office receiving the most votes shall be elected. In the event of a tie vote for any Office, the winning candidate shall be determined by a game of chance administered at the Regular Meeting in December. In the event there is only one candidate for a given Office, that candidate shall appear on the ballot and shall be deemed to have been elected upon receiving at least one vote. |
Article IV, Section 6 — Term of Office (first sentence only)
| Current Text (Before — first sentence) | Proposed Text (After — first sentence) |
|---|---|
| If an Officer is elected at the Annual Meeting, the term of Office shall begin on the first day of the year following the election.(Remainder of Section 6 unchanged.) | For all Officers elected under this Section 6, the term of office shall begin on the first day of the year following the election. Vacancies in office shall thereafter be filled in the manner set out in Article IV, Section 11.(Remainder of Section 6 unchanged.) |
Amendment 2: Microphone & Floor Access Procedures
Article affected: Article IX, Section 2. This wordy but simple update replaces the current gaining-the-floor provision with separate requirements for in-person and virtual participants, mandating microphone use in-person and muting protocols for virtual attendees at hybrid meetings. The scope is extended from just “Members” to all “Members and other participants,” since we frequently have non-members in attendance.
Article IX, Section 2 — Gaining the Floor
| Current Text (Before) | Proposed Text (After) |
|---|---|
| A Member seeking the floor shall raise his or her hand, wait to be recognized by the Presiding Officer, and then rise in place before speaking. Members who are unable to stand may remain seated. | A Member or other participant (hereafter, “participant”) seeking the floor shall raise his or her hand (either actually if in-person or virtually if online), wait to be recognized by the Presiding Officer, and then, upon recognition, proceed in a manner consistent with the following:(a) In-Person Participants. A participant attending in person shall proceed to the microphone before speaking. A participant who is unable to stand or approach the microphone due to a physical or other limitation shall remain seated or standing nearby, and the Presiding Officer or a designee shall ensure that a microphone is brought to that participant before he or she begins speaking.
(b) Virtual Participants. A participant attending virtually shall use the hand-raise or equivalent function of the meeting platform to seek recognition and shall remain muted until recognized by the Presiding Officer. Upon recognition, the virtual participant shall unmute before speaking and, upon the conclusion of his or her remarks, shall return to muted status. (c) General. No participant shall take or speak from the floor before being recognized by the Presiding Officer. If a meeting participant demonstrates an unwillingness or inability to comply with the requirements of this Section, the Presiding Officer may find that person to be in violation of Section 1 of this Article. |
Quick Note on Bylaws Amendment Adoption
Both these amendments are subject to Article XIV’s adoption requirements: Board recommendation, approval by two-thirds of votes cast or a majority of Members of record (whichever is less), and written notice including the full text of the amendment. Both are subject to Article VI §5(a)(4) previous-notice requirements as bylaws amendments.