82-101.01.

Nebraska State Historical Society; board of trustees; membership; terms; nominating committee; election; expenses.

(1) The initial board of trustees shall be comprised of the members of the society's board of directors at the time the society became an agency. As their terms expire under the society's bylaws at the time the society became an agency, their successors shall be selected. Those outgoing board members who were elected shall be replaced by trustees elected by the society's membership as provided in this section. Those outgoing board members who were gubernatorial appointments shall be replaced by trustees appointed by the Governor. The trustees who are elected shall be elected for three-year terms from the same congressional district as the trustees whose terms have expired. The trustees selected by the Governor shall be appointed for three-year terms from the same congressional district as the trustees whose terms have expired.

(2) A nominating committee comprised of society members, one from each of the congressional districts, shall be appointed each year by the president of the board of trustees with the approval of the board of trustees. Such appointments shall be made at least one hundred twenty days prior to the date of the annual meeting of the members. The nominating committee shall file, in writing, its slate of nominees for trustee with the Director of the Nebraska State Historical Society not later than ninety days prior to the date of the annual meeting. Thereafter, additional nominations may be made for trustee by written petition filed by not less than twenty-five active members of the society, which petition shall be filed with the Director of the Nebraska State Historical Society not later than sixty days prior to the annual meeting. Candidates nominated by the nominating committee shall file a similar petition. Not later than thirty days prior to the date of the annual meeting, the Director of the Nebraska State Historical Society shall deliver a ballot listing the names of the nominees to the active members of the society eligible to vote, to be marked by the members and returned to the Director of the Nebraska State Historical Society. The ballot shall be mailed or sent electronically. All returned ballots, whether sent electronically or by mail, must be received by the Director of the Nebraska State Historical Society at least ten days prior to the date of the annual meeting in order to be counted. The board of trustees shall adopt a system of ballot certification insuring a secret ballot and that the person submitting the ballot is a society member entitled to vote. The returned ballots shall be counted by the Director of the Nebraska State Historical Society, and the names of the successful candidates shall be announced at the annual meeting. The ballots and other records of the election shall be retained for one year following the election and shall be available for inspection. All members of the nominating committee, all members signing a nominating petition, and all members who are entitled to cast a ballot must be active members of the society who are in good standing. A member shall be considered in good standing when the member has fulfilled all requirements for membership. All general and other specified classes of members shall be eligible to vote for election or to be chosen as an officer or trustee or to serve as a member of the nominating committee. Only nominees named on the ballot shall be eligible for election. The candidate for a particular trustee post receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected even though such votes do not constitute a majority of the votes cast for such post. When two trustees are elected from a congressional district for a certain term, those declared elected shall be the two receiving the highest number of votes cast for such term, even though one or both fail to receive a majority of the votes cast for such term.

(3) The term of each trustee shall begin on January 1 of the year following the year of his or her election or appointment and shall end on December 31 of the final year of the term to which the member was elected or appointed.

(4) No trustee shall be eligible to serve for more than two full consecutive three-year terms but may be eligible for election or appointment to the board of trustees after having not served for at least a period of three years.

(5) In the event a vacancy occurs on the board of trustees, the board of trustees shall fill the position of an elected trustee for the remainder of the unexpired term and the Governor shall fill the position of an appointed trustee for the remainder of the unexpired term.

(6) In the event the boundaries of the congressional districts are altered or increase or decrease in number, the trustees shall continue to serve the term for which they were elected or appointed. Thereafter, the board of trustees shall be adjusted so as to be in accordance with the boundaries and number of congressional districts.

(7) Members of the board of trustees shall serve without pay. The trustees shall receive remuneration for travel and expenses incurred while engaged in the business of the society.