How ASBMB elections work — and what’s changing this year

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is dedicated to empowering molecular life scientists. That work is led by member volunteers, many of whom are nominated and elected by you, the ASBMB members. Ahead of an upcoming open call for nominations, I’m writing to you as the ASBMB Nominating Committee chair with some reminders on the process and to describe some recent improvements we’ve made.

ASBMB’s strategic plan calls for a governance model that fosters inclusivity, strategic decision making and implementation, communication and foresight. Council is undertaking a reflective and deliberate process to integrate best practices for associations. We are communicating opportunities for service more broadly to welcome participation from across our diverse community; are clarifying and documenting governance roles, responsibilities and expectations; and have expanded the perspectives on the ASBMB Nominating Committee. We are also communicating about directions and decisions through regular post-Council meeting reports and through new venues for members to talk to leaders like annual meeting fireside chats and a new annual virtual member meeting.

New election timeline: Maximizing participation and onboarding time

As announced in the February Council meeting roundup, ASBMB is adjusting the timeline for the annual elections. Until now, elections occurred in late spring ahead of a July 1 term start date for all elected positions. To allow for more time for newly elected individuals to be oriented to their new positions, ASBMB will open the annual call for nominations in the fall and hold elections in January of each year. Newly elected individuals will still take office on July 1 but will have the opportunity to attend the spring meetings of their respective groups (Council or committees) as guests to familiarize themselves with the work. A January election maximizes the number of ASBMB members eligible to vote (annual ASBMB membership covers each calendar year and expires Jan. 31 of the next).

How does the election work?

ASBMB elections are held annually in accordance with the ASBMB bylaws. Positions selected by election are President, Treasurer, Secretary, and select positions on the Council, Publications Committee and Nominating Committees. Not all positions are open every year. Here is the path from nominations to new elected members:

1. ASBMB announces, typically via email to eligible members, a call for nominations, noting which positions are open. Self-nominations are permitted.
2. Members submit nominations for open positions online with a weblink that is posted to ASBMB.org and sent via email. We, the Nominating Committee, rely on members to submit nominations, and we build the ballot based on those submissions. Members can learn about each position’s required qualifications here under ‘call for nominations for elected positions.’
3. The nominations are reviewed by the ASBMB Nominating Committee, which selects nominees based on established qualifications and broad diversity considerations for the ballot. ASBMB’s bylaws note how many candidates should appear on the ballot. It is typically two for every one open position, except for Treasurer, which requires one candidate on the ballot.
4. ASBMB contacts all applicants and notifies them if they have been selected to appear on the ballot or not. Each year, ASBMB’s Nominating Committee has a challenging job; it receives many more qualified nominations than there are positions on the ballot.
5. ASBMB sends the ballot to voting-eligible members (regular, industry, early-career and emeritus members) of ASBMB and asks them to vote. The individuals with the most votes win, and the election is securely administered by a third-party vendor.
6. Results are announced to members, and new members start their terms July 1.
7. Concurrent with the election results, the president makes any bylaw-required appointments to the Council, Nominating Committee, and Publications Committee with approval by Council.

What about the rest of ASBMB’s committee and Council positions?

Many of ASBMB’s volunteer positions on committees are not elected; rather, they are appointed by the President. This process occurs in the spring with an open call to members for applications. After the submission deadline, ASBMB’s committees review the candidates and build a list of recommended applicants. The ASBMB President and Executive Committee ultimately review and approve these recommendations. More information will be available for the 2026 call for committee applications in early 2026.

Questions? Contact ASBMB staff at governance@asbmb.org.