Voting on the 2016 ratification ballot concluded at midnight (EDT) on 1 June. Members ratified the 2016 Delegate Assembly’s approval of six constitutional amendments to article 10, which deals with the composition and election of the assembly. Support for the amendments ranged from 89% to 95% of the members who voted in that section of the ballot. The amendments have been incorporated into the text of the constitution on the MLA Web site.
Resolution 2016-1, which called on the MLA to “support faculty members and students who challenge Islamophobic rhetoric and the increased militarism, xenophobia, and racism associated with the upsurge in Islamophobia,” was not ratified by the membership and therefore does not represent a position taken by the MLA. Resolutions forwarded to the membership must be ratified by a majority vote in which the number of those voting for ratification equals at least 10% of the association’s membership. This year 2,149 votes were required for ratification. There were 1,279 votes in favor of ratification and 410 votes against ratification. The resolution fell short of ratification by 870 votes. [Note: The MLA Statement on Islamophobia, approved by the Executive Council in December 2015, addresses the same subject as the resolution.]