I. Name of Organization 

The name of this organization is the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association. 

II. Status of the Organization 

This organization has the status of a Section within the American Accounting Association   ("AAA"), a nonprofit association incorporated under the laws of the state of Illinois. These by‑laws explain the status of the Auditing Section with relation to the AAA. Any conflict between these by‑laws and any rules or regulations of the American Accounting Association shall be resolved in favor of the parent organization. 

III. Purpose of the Organization 

The purpose of the Auditing Section of the AAA (“Section”) is to foster excellence in the teaching, research, and practice of auditing and other assurance services. The Section's strategic framework is expressed in a Mission Statement, which is periodically updated and published.   

IV. Membership 

1.         Any AAA member or associate member in good standing who supports the Mission Statement of this Section can be enrolled as a regular member or as an associate member, respectively, upon payment of annual dues to the Administrative Secretary of the AAA, or other representative of the Section so authorized.

2.         All members are eligible to vote, hold offices, participate in all activities of the Section, and be entitled to all its other privileges. Associate members are eligible to participate in all activities of the Section and are entitled to all its other privileges except those of voting and holding office.

3.         The Section's Executive Committee proposes the amount and type of annual dues and the payment schedule subject to approval by the membership present at the Section's annual business meeting. Associate members' dues are set by the AAA’s Executive Committee. 

V. Officers and Duties 

1.         The duties and terms of office are consistent with those the AAA specifies for officers of Sections. These are as follow: 

A.        President: The President serves a one-year term. The duties of the President are:

1. to direct the affairs of the Section and carry out its programs with the advice of the Executive Committee;

2. to preside at all Section meetings and Executive Committee meetings;

B.         Vice President-Academic: The Vice President-Academic is elected for a one-year term and, upon completion of this term as Vice President, automatically becomes President. The duties of the Vice President-Academic are:

1. to direct the affairs of the Section and/or preside at Section meetings in the event the President is unable to serve;

2. to appoint the Historian;

3. to perform whatever other duties the President might assign;

C.        Vice President-Practice: The  Vice President-Practice is elected for a two year term and is not eligible for immediate reelection. The duties of the Vice President-Practice are:

1. to direct the affairs of the Section and/or preside at Section meeting in the event that the President and the Vice President-Academic are unable to serve;

2. to perform whatever other duties the President might assign;

D.        Secretary: The Secretary is elected for a two year term and is not eligible for immediate reelection. The duties of the Secretary are:

1. to supervise the keeping of records of Section meetings, policies, and procedures;

2. to provide information and guidance for the Section's Newsletter;

3. to work in liaison with AAA personnel regarding all facets of Sections membership;

E.         Treasurer: The Treasurer is elected for a two year term and is not eligible for immediate re election. The duties of the Treasurer are:

1. to work with AAA personnel relative to collection and disbursement of Section funds;

2. to provide financial information for the Section's Newsletter;

3. to report to the membership at the Sections' annual business meeting on the financial affairs of the Section.

F.         Past President: The Past President serves for one year immediately following his or her term as President. The duties of the Past President are:

1. to serve as a full member of the Executive Committee;

2. to consult and advise with the other officers;

G.        Historian: The Historian serves a two-year term as an officer and is designated as anex-officio, non-voting member of the Executive Committee.  The duties of the Historian are:

1. to maintain an up-to-date history of Section activities;

2. to maintain and update the Section's Operating Manual;

3. to provide historical perspective at Executive Committee and Section business meetings and aid in providing continuity to the Section.   

H.        AAA Council Representative: The Council Representative is elected to serve a minimum of three years and is eligible for one additional three-year term. The AAA Council Representative is designated as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Auditing Section’s Executive Committee. The dutes of the Council Representative are:

1. to represent the Auditing Section on the AAA Council

2. to perform Council duties as described in the AAA bylaws; and

3. to report in a timely manner all relevant Council meeting information to the Auditing Section Executive Committee.   

I.        Editor of Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory: The Editor is responsible for the administration, publication, and content of Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory subject to cost constraints imposed by the Executive Committee. The term of the Editor is three years. The Editor cannot serve successive terms.

During the second year of the Editor's term, the Executive Committee selects an Editor Elect for the following year. The Editor Elect, during the term as Editor Elect, performs only those functions assigned by the Editor.

In the event that an Editor decides not to complete the three year term, he or she should inform the President at the earliest possible time in order to allow the Executive Committee to designate an Editor Elect to serve for the remainder of the Editor's term.

2.         Each officer begins serving his or her term at the time of the Auditing Section Luncheon at the Annual Meeting of the American Accounting Association.

3.         The President, Past President, the Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Council Representative, and Historian constitute the Executive Committee. They are responsible for directing the affairs of the Section and formulating the plans, policies, rules, and procedures they consider necessary to achieve the Section's Mission Statement. The President and three other voting officers constitute a quorum.

4.         The Nominating Committee of the Section is formed no later than October 15, as described below. The Nominating Committee is comprised of the two most recent Past Presidents of the Section as of October 15 that are willing and able to serve and three Section members who are elected by the Section membership. An elected member can not simultaneously serve as a member of the Executive Committee during the term on the Nominating Committee. The most immediate Past President serves as a committee member, while the more senior Past President serves as the Chair of the Nominating Committee.

5.         A call for nominations for the Nominating Committee will be announced no later than May 30; the nominating period will close on July 15. The call shall be made by mail, e-mail, facsimile and/or other electronic dissemination method. Nominations for the Nominating Committee will be made to the Past President of the Section who will announce the nominees for the Nominating Committee at least three weeks prior to the end of the voting period. The voting period will begin no earlier than August 15, and shall be closed no later than September 30. The candidates’ names for the Nominating Committee will appear on the ballot in alphabetical order. The election shall take place by mail, e-mail, facsimile or electronic vote of the members. The Executive Committee shall decide for each election which of these methods will be used. The three candidates receiving the most votes will become members of the Nominating Committee, along with the two Past Presidents, as described above. The results of the election of the members of the Nominating Committee are to be certified by the Secretary and announced to the membership no later than October 15. The announcement shall be made by mail, e-mail, facsimile and/or other electronic dissemination method, along with a call for individuals to nominate officer candidates to the Nominating Committee Chair. The Nominating Committee will accept nominations for officer candidates through November 15.

6.         The Nominating Committee’s duties shall include soliciting candidates from the membership for open offices and preparing a slate of at least one candidate for each of the open offices. All names included on the slate must be of members in good standing of the Section. The slate of candidates cannot include the names of any members of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee will present its slate to the Executive Committee no later than 30 days prior to the Section’s Annual Business Meeting. The Nominating Committee shall announce the slate for open offices of Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, and Council Representative at the Section’s Annual Business Meeting. The membership will be also notified of the slate by mail, e-mail, facsimile and/or other electronic dissemination method within 15 days following the Section’s Annual Business Meeting. Additional candidates for any of the open positions may be nominated by a signed petition of not less than one hundred (100) members in good standing of the Section and a signed statement by the nominee of willingness to serve if elected that is submitted to the Auditing Section President no later than 30 days following the Section’s Annual Business Meeting. For those open offices where the slate includes only one candidate name, an affirming vote of the membership will be held. For those open offices where the slate includes more than one candidate name, an election will be held, with candidate names listed in alphabetical order on the ballot. The affirming vote, and election, if necessary, shall take place by mail, e-mail, facsimile or electronic vote of the members. The Executive Committee shall decide for each election which of these methods will be used. The voting period will begin no earlier than March 1 and end no later than April 15. The voting period will last for at least three weeks.

7.         The officers are authorized to initiate and carry out projects in keeping with the Section's Mission Statement. The President or the Treasurer may authorize disbursements. Disbursements larger than $500 must be approved by both the Treasurer and the President.

8.         The Executive Committee may appoint committees and task forces and may make similar assignments appropriate to achieve the Section's Mission Statement.

9.         The Section may decide to co sponsor audit symposia by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. Decisions regarding the publication of symposia papers are delegated to the Editor(s) of Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory.

VI. Meetings

1.         The annual business meeting and any other meetings of the Section are held at such time and place as determined by the Section’s Executive Committee. Notice of the time and place is given to members, by mail or other means before such meetings, unless other means of satisfactory notice can be applied. A quorum at duly-called meetings consists of the members present.

2.         The program for the annual business meeting of the Section is the President's  responsibility.

3.         For purposes of conducting all general and special meetings of the Section, Robert's Rules of Order (Newly Revised) apply in cases where the by‑laws do not specify a procedure.

VII. Fiscal Year of the Section

The Section's fiscal year is the fiscal year of AAA.

VIII. Amendments

Amendments to these by‑laws may be submitted at any time by any member or group of members to the President and by the President to the membership at the next annual business meeting or, at the discretion of the Executive Committee,  in a referendum by mail, email, facsimile or electronic vote. Notice of by‑law amendments to be presented for membership vote is given at least three weeks before the annual business meeting or at least three weeks before the reply deadline for referendum by mail, email, facsimile or electronic vote . Amendments are adopted by two-thirds favorable vote of the Section membership in attendance at the annual business meeting or by two-thirds favorable vote of those voting in a referendum by mail, email, fax or electronic vote.