International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance

A Non-Governmental Organization in Formal Consultative Relations with UNESCO

Voting on Changing the Name of the Council

Voting Procedure. A vote on changing the name of the Council will take place during the 46th Ordinary Meeting of the General Assembly of Members, which will be held at the 47th World Conference in Legon, Ghana, on Saturday, 15 July 2023 at 14:30.

Voting will be available to all current ICTM members in good standing, irrespective of whether you have registered for the conference or not. Your membership must be up-to-date, and you must attend the General Assembly, either on site or online. 

Everyone will be expected to vote using Zoom’s poll feature, as was done at the previous General Assembly in 2021. Whether you are in the auditorium in Legon or overseas, you will be invited to open the Zoom link on your mobile phone, tablet, or computer, and vote electronically. If you are at the conference and don’t have such a device, there will be paper ballots available.

The Executive Board has proposed that the name of the Council be changed to International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance

When you vote on this proposal, the ballot will contain two components. Please select one response to each of the two questions below:

1. Do you agree to replace “Traditional” with “Traditions of” in the name of the Council? 

 Yes, change to “Traditions of”

 No, keep “Traditional”

 Abstain

2. Do you agree to add “and Dance” to the name of the Council?

 Yes, add “and Dance”

 No, do not add “and Dance”

 Abstain

Each component has three possible answers. You must choose one answer under each question in order to be able to submit your vote. If you choose Abstain, it means you do not want to express an opinion on the question.

In accordance with Statute 12c, a two-thirds majority is required for each of the two proposed components to be approved by the General Assembly. If a two-thirds majority is not reached for a particular component, that part of the name will not be changed.

Since the present Statutes did not foresee the possibility of hybrid General Assemblies or voting electronically at them, in accordance with Statute 7.2o, the Executive Board has decided to make the voting as simple, fair, and logical as possible.

Hence, the two-thirds majority necessary to approve each component of the vote will be calculated as two-thirds of the total number of yes plus no votes cast for each component.  Abstentions will not be included in the count, but will be separately noted. 

So, if you want to vote for or against these changes to the name, you must vote yes or no. An abstain vote will have no effect on the outcome. 

Once the Zoom vote is over, the results from any paper ballots will be added, and the ICTM President, as Chair of the General Assembly, will announce the results.

The Executive Board and the Secretariat feel that this method of voting will best uphold ICTM’s ideals for transparency and equality, by giving all eligible voters the opportunity to vote in a straightforward way. Please do take advantage of this opportunity to vote on this important matter. Of course, information on voting will be communicated to members through a variety of methods in advance of the vote on July 15th. 

Ratification. But do keep in mind that even if a two-thirds majority of those voting at the General Assembly do vote for a change of name, that change does not take place immediately. Rather, the results must then be submitted in an electronic ballot to the membership as a whole for ratification. This ballot will take place within 6 months of the General Assembly meeting. For ratification, a simple majority, not a two-thirds majority, is required.  If the change is ratified, it becomes effective immediately (Statutes 12c-f).

Please vote!