Proposing changes in the association to enhance its effectiveness the back by casting your vote. As you know, the association
is going “green,” and your vote is only a few clicks away!
Working with the professional staff of the ASA to ensure the
Please let your fingers do the talking.
association has sound financial management
Xiao-Li Meng, another nominee for ASA president, noted that
Maintaining the physical plant for the association to meet the if there is any profession, as a whole, that is most well trained to
association’s needs understand the importance of voting, it must be statistics. Indeed,
professional statisticians have written about the rationality of vot-
Identifying and appointing individuals to ASA committees
ing. For example, Andrew Gelman recently wrote this about the
(This will amount to around 150 appointments from the
national election:
president-elect.)
First, the bad news. With 100 million voters, [the] chance
Representing the ASA and the discipline of statistics, oversee- that your vote will be decisive—even if the national
ing the conduct of the association, and initiating its policies election is predicted to be reasonably close—is, at best,
or direction one in a million in a battleground state such as Ohio and
much less than one in 10 million in a less closely fought
These are a few responsibilities you might want to reflect upon
state, such as New York. … So, voting doesn’t seem like
as you mark your ballot. The officers of the association will need
such a good investment.
help from members. The greater the participation in the election,
But, here’s the good news. If your vote is decisive,
the better it is for the ASA.
it will make a difference for 300 million people. If you
Presidents often appoint task forces and ad hoc committees
think your preferred candidate could bring the equivalent
to consider activities that relate to the functioning of the ASA.
of a $50 improvement in the quality of life to the average
Sometimes, these are related to current ASA committees, and,
American—not an implausible hope, given the size of
sometimes, they relate to potential activities. In the past few years,
the federal budget and the impact of decisions in foreign
task forces have addressed issues on science policy, strategic plan-
policy, health, the courts, and other areas—you’re now
ning, the nominations process, engagement with other organiza-
buying a $1.5 billion lottery ticket. With this payoff, a
tions, defense and security, and communications and professional
one in 10 million chance of being decisive isn’t bad odds.
development. During 2007 and 2008, an ad hoc committee was
formed to advise the president-elect on committee appointments.
Gelman’s arguments are based on both theoretical and empiri-
This ad hoc committee may be changed to a continuing commit-
cal evidence provided in the article, “Voting as a Rational Choice:
tee. Also, an ad hoc committee was created in 2007 to propose an
Why and How People Vote To Improve the Well-Being of Others,”
approach for individual accreditation of statisticians.
that he coauthored with an economist and a political scientist. The
Sastry Pantula, a nominee for ASA president, said the following:
article appeared in Rationality and Society in 2007.
Meng summed up Gelman’s analysis as follows:
Like the U.S. presidential elections, the ASA presidential
elections have two candidates who are very eager to work
The central conclusion of this analysis is that when
hard for our association, and we also have an excellent
we consider voting as a way of expressing our social
slate of candidates for a number of other important
preferences for the well-being of others, then it is rational
offices. There are a number of opportunities ahead of
to vote for what we think will be good for the country, or
us (see the list above and the candidates’ statements).
the ASA in our current case.
It is important for all our members, especially students
I personally found this argument persuasive. Any time
and isolated members in various sectors, to be engaged
I didn’t vote, I was indeed in a more narrow-minded
with our association, and I urge you to show your
framework: “Well, what’s the chance that my vote would
enthusiasm through your participation in our elections.
matter?” And “I just have so many other things to do …”
I have always encouraged all of our students to be active
Yet, the expected return of these “many other things,” though
members of [the] ASA, and I believe strongly that the
often more immediately measurable, cannot possibly match
earlier they get engaged with our association, the longer
the expected return from the social preferences expressed
the benefits for them in the future, regardless of whether
through my voting. For the ASA, although many fewer
they enter academia, government, or industrial sectors
people would be affected compared to the national election,
after graduation. Mentoring they receive from our senior
there is a compensating fact, that is, the chance that a single
members, networking at JSM, and the information they
vote makes a difference is much higher. For example, in the
gain through our quality journals and Amstat News have
past dozen years or so, about one-third of ASA elections had
been very rewarding to them. Your engagement in ASA
vote differences (for ASA president) of less than 80 votes,
activities and participation in the voting process set good
with one difference being only six votes!
examples for our newer members, who I anticipate will
So, please do cast your vote. Its expected social impact on your
be our future life members. Does the less than 20%
fellow members can be much more than you realize.
participation rate in elections mentioned above indicate
only one sector of our membership participates each
year? I hope members from all sectors and backgrounds
participate in this election. Give the volunteers a pat on
MARCH 2008 AMSTAT NEWS 3
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