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New DI override process approved

By Michelle Brutlag Hosick
NCAA.org

The Division I membership will conduct its override vote this year via an online process instead of at the NCAA Convention. 

The Division I Administration Cabinet approved the new process, which will be conducted through the Legislative Services Database for the Internet (LSDBi). The cabinet members received a demonstration during the group’s Sept. 29 teleconference. 

The new process is modeled after the Convention voting process and will allow for a discussion period similar to the one that occurred before the vote on the Convention floor. Affiliate members, such as coaches associations, will have the opportunity to participate in that part of the process, as they did when the vote was conducted in person.

The discussion period will allow for questions and dialogue. 

“The online environment is modeled after what was available on the Convention floor during the business session,” said Lynn Holzman, director of academic and membership affairs. “A proposal is available for discussion and then there is a period of time during which votes are cast.”

The override vote process will begin after the Thanksgiving break and conclude before the winter holidays. The cabinet approved a 10-day period for discussion and an additional business week for institutions to cast their votes. Institutions will be able to change their votes during the period when the polls are open, but the most recent vote cast as of the close of the voting period will be final. The time of the last vote will be recorded, along with the name and position of the person who cast it on behalf of the institution or conference. 

As with the previous override process, only active institutions and conferences will be allowed to vote.

The cabinet gave the staff the ability to make minor adjustments to the system before the voting, if necessary.

The override voting process will be conducted through LSDBi to protect the integrity and privacy of the process and to allow the staff to efficiently maintain all aspects of the process, including vote counts and proposal discussion. The designation-of-delegate form will no longer be required, but presidents and chancellors are expected to designate the person who will cast the official vote for their campus. 

The Legislative Council will also review the system and process at its meeting Oct. 17-18.