The Medical Library Association (MLA) voter: a survey of attitudes, perceptions, and voting practices in MLA national elections

James Shedlock,Elizabeth Perkin Mcquillen

doi:10.5195/jmla.2020.480

Abstract

Objective:Voting in professional associations is critical for selecting leaders who will implement a desirable vision for an association. Members of the Medical Library Association (MLA) were surveyed to assess their attitudes and perceptions of the voting process to elect the MLA national offices of president and members of the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee. Survey data were also used to test the hypothesis that committed MLA members are more likely to always vote.Methods:SurveyMonkey was used to deliver a 46-question survey to 2,671 email addresses of MLA members who were eligible to vote. Survey data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approaches.Results:A total of 676 responses were received, resulting in a 25% response rate. Respondents indicated that the most desired qualities in candidates included experience in professional positions, contributions to MLA, and a vision for the association, whereas candidates' personal characteristics were rarely considered. Respondents expressed doubts about the use of a single slate, had positive views of campaigning but were doubtful about its impact, and were generally accepting of the current voting process. Committed MLA members were significantly more likely to always vote in MLA national elections.Conclusions:The survey results provide insight into understanding the concerns and motivations of MLA voters and add to the limited literature on professional association voting.

Highlights

Voting, the formal expression of a choice between two or more issues or people [1], can take place in almost any group activity or social situation
The survey was disseminated to all eligible Medical Library Association (MLA) voters in January 2017 using 2,671 email addresses obtained from MLA headquarters staff
Except for attending the MLA annual meeting every other year, were significantly associated with the likelihood of always voting (Table 3), indicating that they played meaningful roles in the frequency with which a member voted in MLA national elections

Summary

Introduction

The formal expression of a choice between two or more issues or people [1], can take place in almost any group activity or social situation. By voting in civic elections, individuals exercise their democratic role to elect representative leaders who manage the affairs of the government. Members of professional associations vote to elect leaders who will carry out a vision for the association and, thereby, shape the future of their profession. It is important to understand how the membership of professional associations views their associations’ voting processes. In the United States, civic voting participation tends to hover around 50% for presidential elections, which is lower than that in other nations [2]. Voting in professional associations tends to be low, estimated at around 32% of membership rolls [3]. Medical Library Association (MLA) election return rates have ranged from 30%–40% of its membership over the last decade [4,5,6,7,8] (supplemental Appendix A)

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Results

Conclusion