Objective: Voting in professional associations is critical for selecting leaders who will implement a desirable vision for an association. Members of the Medical Library Association (MLA) were surveyed to assess their attitudes and perceptions of the voting process to elect the MLA national offices of president and members of the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee. Survey data were also used to test the hypothesis that committed MLA members are more likely to always vote. Methods: SurveyMonkey was used to deliver a 46-question survey to 2,671 email addresses of MLA members who were eligible to vote. Survey data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Results: A total of 676 responses were received, resulting in a 25% response rate. Respondents indicated that the most desired qualities in candidates included experience in professional positions, contributions to MLA, and a vision for the association, whereas candidates' personal characteristics were rarely considered. Respondents expressed doubts about the use of a single slate, had positive views of campaigning but were doubtful about its impact, and were generally accepting of the current voting process. Committed MLA members were significantly more likely to always vote in MLA national elections. Conclusions: The survey results provide insight into understanding the concerns and motivations of MLA voters and add to the limited literature on professional association voting.

中文翻译：

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医学图书馆协会 (MLA) 选民：对 MLA 全国选举中的态度、看法和投票实践的调查。

目标：在专业协会中投票对于选择能够实现协会理想愿景的领导者至关重要。对医学图书馆协会 (MLA) 的成员进行了调查，以评估他们对选举 MLA 国家主席办公室以及董事会和提名委员会成员的投票过程的态度和看法。调查数据也被用来检验忠诚的 MLA 成员更有可能总是投票的假设。方法：SurveyMonkey 用于向有资格投票的 MLA 成员的 2,671 个电子邮件地址发送 46 个问题的调查。使用定量和定性方法分析调查数据。结果：共收到 676 份回复，回复率为 25%。受访者表示，候选人最期望的品质包括专业职位的经验、对 MLA 的贡献以及对协会的愿景，而很少考虑候选人的个人特征。受访者对单一名单的使用表示怀疑，对竞选持积极态度，但对其影响持怀疑态度，并且普遍接受当前的投票过程。忠诚的 MLA 成员更有可能总是在 MLA 全国选举中投票。结论：调查结果提供了深入了解 MLA 选民的担忧和动机的见解，并增加了有关专业协会投票的有限文献。很少考虑个人特征。受访者对单一名单的使用表示怀疑，对竞选持积极态度，但对其影响持怀疑态度，并且普遍接受当前的投票过程。忠诚的 MLA 成员更有可能总是在 MLA 全国选举中投票。结论：调查结果提供了深入了解 MLA 选民的担忧和动机的见解，并增加了有关专业协会投票的有限文献。很少考虑个人特征。受访者对单一名单的使用表示怀疑，对竞选持积极态度，但对其影响持怀疑态度，并且普遍接受当前的投票过程。忠诚的 MLA 成员更有可能总是在 MLA 全国选举中投票。结论：调查结果提供了深入了解 MLA 选民的担忧和动机的见解，并增加了有关专业协会投票的有限文献。