Communication of Views
Sec. 11. (a) The Corporation, the Board, a committee appointed pursuant to Article IX, Section 1, and the Corporation's staff shall not take any position publicly or with a member or person associated with or employed by a member with respect to any candidate in a contested election or nomination held pursuant to these By-Laws or the NASD Regulation By-Laws. A Governor or a member of any committee (other than the Nominating Committee (or, in the case of Article XXII, the relevant body with the authority to nominate as specified therein)) may communicate his or her views with respect to any candidate if such Governor or committee member acts solely in his or her individual capacity and disclaims any intention to communicate in any official capacity on behalf of the Corporation, the Board, or any committee (other than the Nominating Committee (or, in the case of Article XXII, the relevant body with the authority to nominate as specified therein)). Except as provided herein, any candidate and his or her representatives may communicate support for the candidate to a member or person associated with or employed by a member.
(b) In a contested election, the Nominating Committee (or, in the case of Article XXII, the relevant body with the authority to nominate as specified therein) may support its nominees under this Article by sending to members eligible to vote up to two mailings of materials in support of its nominees in lieu of mailings sent by its candidates under Article VII, Section 12. In addition to such mailings, in the event of mailings and or other communications to members by or on behalf of a candidate by petition in a contested election, the Nominating Committee (or, in the case of Article XXII, the relevant body with the authority to nominate as specified therein) may respond in-kind, but shall not take a position unresponsive, to the contesting candidate's communications.
Amended by SR-NASD-2007-023 eff. July 30, 2007. Amended by SR-NASD-2001-06 eff. May. 8, 2001. Adopted by SR-NASD-97-71 eff. Nov. 14, 1997. |