National Elections

Electing Your National Leaders

There are numerous ways for Fellows to learn about the candidates for National office. The National Officer Candidates Forum, which is open to all ACOG members, will be held virtually after ACOG’s Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting. All candidates are required to present their qualifications, make a prepared statement, and answer questions developed by the committee. You can also view the list of candidates, the candidates’ photographs, and short CV summary on the ACOG website.

ACOG encourages all Fellows to participate in the national officer elections process. Attend your ACOG Interim Advisory Council Meeting and discuss the candidates with your District officers and Committee on Nominations representatives. We encourage you to send comments to Committee on Nominations members about the candidates. Your comments will be taken into consideration and are always welcome.

All ACOG Fellows are eligible for national office, except for the Fellow-at-Large and the Young Physician-at-Large positions which have certain eligibility criteria. ACOG contacts Fellows each December outlining the National offices to be filled and how to become a candidate. Considerations for elected office include leadership ability, availability, communication skills, prior experience, respect of ACOG members, and achievements in the profession.

Brief Outline of Nominations and Election Process

December 1–February 1 (Application Period and Council Meeting Discussions)

Notification letter from Chair of the elected national offices is posted on the ACOG website and provided through electronic means to all Fellows. Each district advisory council encourages submission of appropriate candidates for national office from within its district. Candidates are announced on the ACOG website.

Nominations Material must include:

• A letter stating the office(s) of interest
• A one-page CV in a specified format
• A complete CV
• A signed “Candidate Agreement”
• A head shot photo

Each district advisory council should discuss the candidates at their interim advisory council meetings held at the beginning of the calendar year (January-March).

May/June (Virtual Candidates Forum)

The National Officer Candidates Forum is open to all Fellows of the College and is held virtually after the Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting and after the preliminary meeting of the Committee. 

Representatives and first and second alternates of the Committee on Nominations are required to attend a committee meeting prior to the candidates forum to discuss questions that the committee will ask candidates to discuss.

An announcement of the virtual National Officer Candidates Forum, which includes each candidate’s recorded statement and interview, will appear on the ACOG website.

Late June (Committee Meeting)

The Committee meets yearly in late June on a Saturday to discuss and determine the slate of officers for the following year. This meeting usually is held in Washington, DC.

July

Board of Directors receives and accepts final slate.

March (At least 30 days prior to the Annual Business Meeting, per ACOG Bylaws)

All ACOG Fellows who are eligible to vote (Fellows, Senior Fellows and Life Fellows) will be notified about the election via email. Email includes instructions on how to access the Votenet website and how to view the ballot of the slate to vote on. Individuals who have not voted will receive reminder emails at least every two weeks after the voting period begins.

April/May

Slate voted on at the Annual Business Meeting.