The affairs of the Society shall be managed by a State governing body known as the ALTHING which shall contain an Executive Committee. The Society shall be organized geographically as Local Chapters.
Powers. The Althing shall be the legislative, executive and judicial body of this Society. It shall have the powers to determine all appeals, and its decision shall be final and binding on all members of this Society. It shall have the power to provide ways and means for the support of the Society and the exercise of all powers necessary to effectuate its and the Society’s purposes. It shall have the power to amend the Bylaws of this Society subject to ratification by the membership. It shall have the power to prescribe rules and regulations for the management of Local Chapters. Its power shall not be restricted or limited to those things herein enumerated but it shall have the power to do and perform all things necessary to carry out the objectives and purposes of the Society and to secure its welfare and proper management.
Officers. The Althing shall consist of the following officers and Local Chapter Representatives:
Elected Positions – (Voting):
• President • Vice President • Secretary • Treasurer • Financial Secretary • Chapter Representatives
Appointed Positions – (Non-voting):
• Legal Advisor • Managing Editor-“Nyheter” • Leikarring Coordinator • Immediate Past President
Officers Duties. The duties of the officers and Local Chapter Representatives are:
President: To preside at all meetings of the Society and the Althing; to be the Chief Executive Officer of the Society and as such to have general supervision of the organization and enforce proper obedience to the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Society, and the rules, regulations, and ceremonies, and to see that its officers perform their respective duties; to appoint all standing or special committees unless otherwise provided; to be an ex-officio member of all appointed committees except the nominating and auditing committees; to announce the results of all elections and balloting; to decide all parliamentary questions that may arise, but which decisions may be appealed to the Society; to attend to the bonding of officers and to sign all contracts issued on behalf of the Society. The President shall have no vote except when officers are elected or in case of a tie vote.
Vice President: To preside at all meetings in the absence of the President; to carry out the duties of the President and to fill his position in the event the President is unable to carry out the duties of the office of the President; to assist the President at the meetings; to promote membership and new chapters of the Society and to be Chairman of the Special Projects Committee.
Secretary: To keep an accurate and impartial record of all meetings of the Society and the Althing; to prepare correspondence as directed by the Althing and the Society; to read all official communications to the Society; to attest to all reports and documents relating to the Society’s activities; to serve as custodian of the Society’s official documents, stationery, and paraphernalia; to contact the members of the Althing concerning special meetings; to have minutes of previous meetings ready and sent to all officers and chapter representatives one month before the next meeting
Treasurer: To receive each deposit receipt and date, amount, category, and source of funds for all deposits made by the Financial Secretary; to properly classify and report to the Althing the amounts received in the accounts approved by the Althing; to disburse funds from the Society’s account(s) only upon authorization of the Althing; to make all payments by check; to insure Chapters remit promptly to the Society; prepare the financial reports of the Society, and sign same together
with the President and to submit the books of record for examination and an annual audit by the Audit Committee appointed by the President.
Financial Secretary: To receive all monies due and payable to the Society from its Chapters and other sources; to deposit said monies in the name of the Society in a bank designated by the Althing; to transmit promptly a copy of the deposit receipt and date, amount, category, source of
funds to the Althing Treasurer; to indicate the amount, type and nature of the deposit by Chapter or source to be made to the various accounts of the Society, such as Nyheter, Medlemsbok, Special Projects, Folklife Festival, Scholarship Fund, etc.; to provide a list of eligible voters to the Election Committee no later than October 15
th each year; to inform the Althing of all withdrawals, suspensions, reinstatements and deaths, and in each case, give the name and address of each person by Chapter; to prepare the membership reports of the Society as to voting and non-voting members and such other reports as may be requested by the Althing; to render the records of the Financial Secretary to the Audit Committee and assist the Committee where necessary.
Chapter Representatives: The President of each Chapter, or his designee, and a representative of the Local Chapter shall represent the Local Chapter and its members at the Althing meetings; shall participate in Althing deliberations of state-wide issues, activities and plans; and provide additional information, guidance and direction in furthering the principles and aims of the Society through their work on the Althing.
Appointed Positions (non-voting)
The Althing shall appoint the following non-voting officer(s):
Legal Advisor: To advise the Althing on legal ramifications of the Althing’s and Society’s activities.
Managing Editor “Nyheter”: To procure, assemble and edit all information, pictures, memorabilia, and other data from the chapters or other sources that is deemed pertinent to the Society’s functions and activities; and cause to have printed and published this material in the Society’s official publication, the “Nyheter”, on a quarterly basis. The editor shall be responsible only to the Althing. Mailing and distribution of the “Nyheter” which should be timely, shall be the responsibility of the Publisher, his or her designated representative.
Leikarring Coordinator: The Leikarring Coordinator shall:
1. Represent the Leikarring at Althing meetings; present quarterly reports of state-wide folk dancing activities and petition the Althing for support on behalf of the Leikarring, and
2. Serve as the contact person for individuals or groups who are interested in the Leikarring; provide information about the Society and Leikarringen activities and refer prospective members to the nearest chapter, and
3. Complete applications and paperwork for any festival which might involve Chapter folkdance groups and coordinate housing, transportation and program planning for the event, and
4. Provide support and encouragement to Chapter folkdance groups, arrange workshops for learning new dances and assist in the acquisition of music and instructions for dances.
Immediate Past President: Shall assist, advise and counsel the current President in matters relating to activities of the Society.
Representation. Each Chapter shall have two representatives on the Althing. One representative shall be the Chapter President. Each Chapter shall determine the procedure for selecting its second Representative. A Chapter President may appoint an Alternative Representative
if the President or the Representative is unable to attend a meeting of the Althing. Each representative shall have one vote at Althing meetings.
Nomination-Election-Installation-Vacancies-Voting. On or before July 15th of each calendar year the President shall appoint an Election Committee to secure nominations for each elective Althing position and to supervise the election.
(a) Nominating Procedure. The Election Committee shall obtain at least one nominee for each elective Althing position to be placed on the ballot. Local Chapters shall submit any nominations they may have to the Election Committee no later than September 15th of each year.
(b) Election. The Financial Secretary of the Althing shall certify the membership list of eligible voting members to the Election Committee by October 15th of each year. An eligible voter is one who has made a membership donation in the current year or for the year next following. Ballots shall be mailed on or about October 27th of each year. Ballots shall be counted on or about November 15th or each year. Runoff ballots shall be counted on or about December 14th of each year.
The election of Althing officers shall be by mail ballot to each voting member of the Society. The Election Committee shall mail, receive and count the ballots. The ballot shall be secret.
If the election ballot contains two (2) names, the person receiving the majority of the votes cast shall be elected to office. If there is no majority for any nominee, a ballot containing the names of the nominees receiving the greater number of votes in each office shall be prepared and mailed to each voting member of the Society for voting and return to the Election Committee. In a runoff election, the nominee receiving the majority of votes cast shall be elected. In all elections, the names of the nominees shall be listed in alphabetical order. In the event of a tie the President shall determine the winner by the toss of a coin.
The Election Committee shall meet, canvass the votes, and certify the result of the election(s) to the Althing Secretary and the President before the last day of the calendar year.
(c) Installation. The new Althing shall be installed in January of the year following the election. The outgoing Althing shall serve until the new Althing has been installed. The installation shall take place during a joint session where the outgoing officers and Representatives present written annual reports on the status of the Society and turn over their offices. The time and place of this meeting shall be decided by the outgoing Althing.
(d) Vacancies. If a vacancy occurs before the completion of the term of office, the following procedures shall apply:
President – Vice President succeeds to office.
Vice President/Other Officers – Althing appoints person for position(s), excluding Chapter Representatives. Vacancies among Chapter Representatives shall be filled by appointments by the Chapter.
(e) Voting. Each individual membership shall be entitled to one ballot and one vote; a family membership shall be entitled to two (2) ballots and two (2) votes, and a youth membership shall have no voting rights.
Term of Office. All elected officers of the Althing shall be elected or appointed for a term of one (1) year. No elected officer other than the Secretary shall hold the same office for more than two (2) successive terms. The Legal Advisor, Managing Editor of the Nyheter, Leikarring Coordinator and the Immediate Past President shall serve at the pleasure of the Althing.
Althing Responsibilities. The Althing shall be responsible for providing the following services for its Chapters and members:
(a) Issue charters for Local Chapters
(b) Issue biennially a Medlemsbok (handbook for membership)
(c) Issue quarterly a newsletter – Nyheter
(d) Issue Membership Cards
(e) Issue Membership Application Forms
(f) Issue Standard format for letter stationery
(g) Determine annual statewide membership donations based upon the “annual average per capita cost” of producing the above services plus operating expenses
(h) Submit annual reports on the financial and membership status
(i) Plan and hold at least semi-annual meetings of the Althing
(j) Plan a convention at five (5) year intervals
(k) Provide plaques, certificates, medallions, membership pins on a reimbursable basis
(l) Carry out the mission and function of the Society as provided elsewhere in the Bylaws.
Althing Meetings. The Althing shall meet in regular session, at least semiannually at a time and place to be determined by the Althing. Special meetings may be called by the President or three
(3) members of the Althing with at least two weeks notice to its members. A majority of the Althing shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Every act or decision done or made by a majority of the Althing present at a duly held meeting at which a quorum is present shall be regarded as an act of the Althing.
Removal of an Officer for Cause. An officer of the Althing or a Chapter may be removed from office for cause by recommendation to the Althing and presentation of a statement of facts in the particular situation.
The President shall appoint an impartial committee to investigate the particulars of the case. In case the officer to be removed is the President, the Vice President shall appoint an impartial committee to investigate the particulars of the case.
The officer shall be notified in writing in advance of the proposed action and any decision of the Committee may be appealed to the Althing.
The Althing shall conduct a hearing regarding the particular case and render a decision. The officer shall be permitted to be present at the Althing hearing and shall be advised in writing of the decision by the Althing. The decision of the Althing on such appeal shall be final