The 2025 General Body (GB) passed a motion directing the 2026 Executive Committee (EC) to conduct an election from the General Body to form an Independent Constitution Review Committee. The purpose of the committee is to review the GAMA Constitution and Bylaws, and recommend updates, if necessary, to strengthen governance and ensure effective functioning of the organization.

The Committee will:

• Review the existing Constitution and Bylaws
• Identify gaps or inconsistencies
• Assess alignment with Georgia nonprofit law and governance best practices
• Recommend updates for General Body consideration

The committee does not have the authority to amend the Constitution. All changes must be approved by the General Body through the constitutional process.

The General Body motion directed the EC to conduct the election, but did not specify the operational framework for nominations, eligibility, or voting.

Under Section 5.2 of the Constitution, the Executive Committee is empowered to act on behalf of the organization in the absence of specific directives from the General Body. Based on this authority, the EC developed a framework to operationalize the GB mandate, including defining:

• Purpose and scope of the committee
• Eligibility criteria
• Nomination process
• Voting process

To ensure balanced participation and familiarity with GAMA’s functioning, members interested in serving on the Committee must meet the following criteria:

• Be a GAMA member in good standing with a minimum of two years of membership
• Demonstrate a willingness to collaborate respectfully and maintain confidentiality
• Be able to commit time and effort for six months (April – September 2026)
• Have no active disciplinary actions within GAMA
• Not be a 2026 Executive Committee member or Board of Trustees member, or the spouse of such a member
• Not currently serving in any official leadership or governance role in another Malayalee association in Georgia

The ICRC is intended to function as an independent committee responsible for reviewing the organization’s constitution and governance framework. In many nonprofit governance models, independence and the avoidance of perceived conflicts of interest are considered important principles for oversight and review committees.

In alignment with these governance considerations, the Executive Committee established the eligibility criteria and process guidelines for the selection of ICRC to support good governance, maintain independence in the review process, and promote fair representation across the membership. These principles were intended to create a transparent and balanced framework under which the committee can effectively carry out its responsibilities.

Based on GAMA’s historical membership counts of 500–600, a minimum of 350 eligible members ensures that a broad and representative portion of the community participates in the Constitution Review Subcommittee election.

This Committee is tasked with reviewing and recommending changes to the Constitution and Bylaws—documents that shape the future of GAMA. Ensuring strong and diverse participation helps reflect the perspectives of our wider membership and strengthens the legitimacy of the process.

A member in good standing refers to a member who:

• Has an active membership
• Has paid all applicable membership dues
• Is not currently under any unresolved disciplinary matter within GAMA

This definition relates strictly to internal association matters.

The two-year membership requirement ensures that nominees have had reasonable exposure to GAMA’s activities, events, and governance processes before participating in a constitutional review.

While loyalty cannot be measured solely by duration, two years provides meaningful familiarity with the organization’s functioning. The review process itself will be document-based and collaborative, focusing on evaluating the Constitution and Bylaws.

No. While prior Executive Committee experience may provide useful context, it is not a requirement.

The Constitution review process is designed to be structured, consultative, and document-driven, and members may also contribute valuable professional expertise in areas such as governance, law, nonprofit management, or organizational structure.

The committee will consist of seven (7) members, all elected from the General Body. An odd number ensures balanced decision-making.

We are targeting to open voting on Wednesday, March 18, barring any technical updates. Voting will remain open until Monday, March 23.

Nomination Withdrawal: Any nominee who wishes to withdraw their nomination must do so by Tuesday, March 17. Once voting begins, nominations will be considered final.

Each eligible membership will have one vote and may select up to three nominees from the list of candidates. They can choose a minimum of one and a maximum of three nominees.

The limited voting system allows each eligible membership to select up to three candidates while filling seven positions. This approach helps promote broader representation by giving members the opportunity to support multiple candidates.

Yes. The list of nominees and their biographies are updated on the website prior to voting.

Yes. A nominee may withdraw their nomination until one day prior to the commencement of voting. Once voting begins, nominations will be considered final and cannot be withdrawn.

If withdrawals result in only seven valid nominees remaining, voting will not be required since all available positions would already be filled.

If fewer than seven nominations are received, the initiative may need to be postponed or revisited, depending on the level of participation.

Email Verification: A communication has been sent to all members requesting them to verify the primary email associated with their 2026 membership in the new membership portal at members.gamaatl.org.

If there are any discrepancies, please contact secretary@gamaatl.org or it@gamaatl.org.

This step is important to ensure that secure voting links are delivered correctly and that every eligible member can participate in the voting process. The organization will not be able to conduct additional verification to determine whether separate memberships belong to the same household.

To streamline the voting process and enhance engagement, we are using Election Buddy, a high integrity, cloud-based voting platform which provides a secure online platform for conducting elections and surveys. You can read more at electionbuddy.com.

For more details, you can review the Voter FAQs or the Voting Process Overview.

When the election officially opens, the primary email holder will receive an invitation via email from your election administrator. This notice will contain a secure unique voting link exclusively to you.

Voting takes just a few minutes and follows these simple steps:

• Access Your Ballot: Click the unique link provided in your email and preserve the same for your future records.
• Make Your Selections: Read through the candidate profiles and select your preferred options.
• Review Your Ballot: The system will ask you to double-check your choices on a review screen.
• Submit: Click the submit button to cast your ballot. You will immediately receive a confirmation code verifying that your vote was securely recorded.

Yes. Election Buddy utilizes 256-bit bank-grade encryption and strict “Secret Ballot” protocols. Your identity is completely decoupled from your voting choices. No one can see how you voted.

No. To maintain the highest level of election integrity, all votes are final once submitted. Please review your choices carefully before clicking the final submit button.

You can vote from any internet-connected device, including your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. You do not need to download any special apps to participate.

In case of a tie (e.g., candidates 7, 8, & 9 receiving the same score), we will conduct a re-election for that specific position.

The EC has received requests from nominees seeking access to the GAMA membership list for election communication purposes. Under Georgia nonprofit guidelines, members have the right to inspect the membership roster for legitimate organizational purposes. At the same time, the EC has a responsibility to protect the privacy of member contact information.

To balance transparency with member privacy, the following approach will be followed:

• Membership Roster: Nominees may be provided with membership names only at this stage.
• Contact Information: Member contact details such as email addresses and phone numbers cannot be shared without explicit member consent.
• Member Consent Process: We are currently working to obtain member consent through the GAMA Member Portal. Once consent is received, the permitted contact information will be shared equally with all nominees.
• Equal Access: Any information provided to one nominee will be made available to all nominees to ensure fairness and neutrality.

Nominees who wish to receive the membership roster must review, sign, and return the GAMA Candidate Data Use Agreement shared with them.

Nominees are welcome to introduce themselves and share their perspectives with members using GAMA communication channels such as Open Forum, Instagram, and Facebook. Nominees may also collaborate with GAMA to publish introduction posts or videos to help members learn more about the candidates.