From the Elections Committee:
Dear WGPO Members
We are holding this election to ask for your vote on an important issue affecting our organization, changing the WGPO bylaws to allow its incorporation as a nonprofit organization. Your vote matters. WGPO is a player run organization and player input is critically important to its continued success.
If you registered or voted in any of the previous three year’s elections, you have already been emailed a ballot (it may arrive in your spam folder, so please check there if needed). If you did not receive an electronic ballot and would like to vote, please email your request to elections@wordgameplayers.org and you will receive your ballot by email.
Electronic voting ends on (11:59pm Central time). You may also print out and return a paper ballot, but it must be received by . Contact elections@wordgameplayers.org for more details about paper ballots.
Revisions to the existing bylaws of the WGPO (including replacement) require an affirmative vote of the membership. The Executive Committee and Board of Player Representatives of the WGPO request and recommend a “Yes” vote to replace the current bylaws with the new proposed bylaws in order to be consistent with the Articles of Incorporation and to allow application for tax-exempt status with the IRS. The proposed bylaws must be approved in their entirety, without modification. If the new bylaws are rejected, WGPO will not be able to function practically or legally going forward.
Executive Summary of the Changes
The new bylaws will completely replace our current bylaws due to extensive changes needed to qualify as a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation. A Board of Directors will replace the Executive Committee and Board of Player Representatives. Current EC and BPR members remain until a new election is held, possibly on a single day in December. We will need to follow state and federal laws pertaining to nonprofits, some of which seem awkward but we have an attorney to help us when needed. We will continue to operate in a transparent and responsible way as a players’ organization.
More explanation of the changes can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ujnuHgqWtxQxBlbHhlWCXtGwxfzVh8L2/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=103956436027912322080&rtpof=true&sd=true
The new bylaws can be reviewed in their entirety at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-30ajlEk2efsFD65mKxCnxsG8qRRvaUm/view
The current bylaws are posted on the WGPO website at: http://wordgameplayers.org/about/wgpo-bylaws-2/