Petition candidates will now find the process to have their name added to a YALSA election ballot a little easier, thanks to action taken recently by the YALSA Board. What’s the change? Instead of obtaining signatures by means of a paper ballot, the petition will be electronic beginning with the 2015 election process. The second change is one that needs to be approved by the membership via a vote to change the bylaws. In the bylaws the number of signatures required for a petition candidate is currently 25; however, the board is asking the membership to vote to change that to 1% of the personal membership. A percentage, rather than a number that is unchanged from year to year, ensures that regardless of membership size, the number of required signatures remains proportionate to the membership. It will also eliminate the need for future adjustments to the bylaws as YALSA’s membership size changes. The number 25 was chosen many years when YALSA had only about 2,000 members. Since then, YALSA’s membership has grown to over 5,100. So, what’s 1% of the personal members? Right now that’s 48 people. Be sure to look for this proposal on next year’s ballot, and, if you’re interested in running on the 2015 slate, visit http://www.ala.org/yalsa/workingwithyalsa/election to learn more.