Hoa Elections of California How Can There Be Nominations From the Floor if Write-ins Are Not Allowed

Chapter 12 - Nominations and Elections

In every organisation, the process of nominating and electing officers and board members is very important, and the bylaws should conspicuously state the procedure. If the process is non stated in the bylaws, a member of the assembly tin make a motion explaining the procedure to follow. The assembly then decides past a majority vote whether to follow the proposed procedure.

This affiliate explains the nominating and election process from start to stop. It discusses the various ways organizations nominate a candidate and take votes. The chapter besides describes the duties of the tellers' committee - those members appointed to count the vote. As well, the chapter takes you step by step through the teller's canvass and written report.

NOMINATIONS

An organization tin nominate candidates in several ways:

• By a nominating commission

• From the floor

• Past ballot

• By post

• By petition

Well-nigh often, a nominating committee presents nominations, and the assembly has the opportunity to present additional nominations from the floor. The nominating process should non be dislocated with the ballot to office. Robert's Rules of Society states that a person does not accept to exist nominated to be elected to office. If the vote is taken past ballot, there is always the opportunity to write in a name. In this case, a person can win every bit a write-in candidate without always being nominated.

Nominations by Committee

Many organizations take a nominating committee. The bylaws should specify the composition of this commission and how information technology is selected. The nominating committee is the 1 committee a president should not be a member of or help to select. If at all possible, the board or the membership should elect the nominating commission.

Duties of a nominating committee

The duty of a nominating committee is to find the best candidate for each function. The bylaws should not tie the easily of the committee to find more than one person to fill each slot; the committee should discover the best candidate for each office. Persons serving on the committee tin can be nominated for office.

The secretary should give the committee a copy of the membership listing, the bylaws, a description of the duties of each role, and the eligibility requirements. The committee must carefully review the eligibility requirements for each office and see that the nominees meet these requirements. If anyone is elected, and it is discovered after the election that the person is not eligible, the election of that officer is null and void. The commission and then has to find a new nominee, and the members accept to vote over again.

The committee should run into, advisedly review the membership list, and select the people who they remember will do the best job in each function. A fellow member of the committee should then be designated to call each nominee to see if he or she is willing to serve if elected. If someone is not willing to serve, the commission needs to run across again and discover some other candidate.

If no candidate is institute, the committee can leave that slot open for nominations from the floor. Or, they can tell members publicly that they do not accept a nominee for a certain part; this allows members to volunteer. No one should be nominated without his or her consent because, if elected, the person may pass up to serve and members will have to concur another ballot.

Report of the nominating committee

The report of the nominating committee is usually given under "special orders." When called on to requite the report, the chairman of the nominating committee states the nominations for each office.

Chairman of Nominating Commission: Madam President, the nominating committee submits the following nominations: for president, Judy Smith; for vice president, Dave Jones; for secretarial assistant, Ricky Shores; and for treasurer, Sarah Thomas. [hands the nominations written on a canvas of paper to the president and sits down]

Sometimes there is a split in the nominating committee over who to nominate. If a minority of the committee wishes to nominate someone else, the members in the minority can brand the nomination when nominations are taken from the floor.

As soon every bit the committee reports, information technology is discharged from its duties. Sometimes the committee is revived to make nominations to make full vacancies. After the committee reports, the chair states:

President: The nominating commission nominates Judy Smith for president, Dave Jones for vice president, Ricky Shores for secretarial assistant, and Sarah Thomas for treasurer. Nominations are now open from the floor. Are there any farther nominations for president?

Nominations from the Floor

Every bit shortly as the president opens nominations from the floor, any member can bring forth a nomination. However, the rules for a member nominating a candidate are the same every bit for the nominating committee. A fellow member should know beforehand if the person he or she wishes to nominate is both eligible and willing to serve.

When the nomination is from the flooring:

• A member does non have to get recognition, and oftentimes in modest assemblies, a member can call out a name while still seated.

• A person can nominate himself or herself.

• A nomination does non need a 2d.

• A member tin be nominated for more than one part.

• A fellow member tin't nominate more than one person for an office until everyone has had the opportunity to make nominations.

• Nominees practice not have to leave the room during the nominations, when the vote is taken, or when the vote is counted.

• The presiding officer can proceed presiding, even if he or she is one of the nominees for the office.

• A member can rising and decline the nomination during the nominating process.

• After each nomination, the president repeats the proper name to the assembly. For example, the president says:

President: Denise Harmon, for president. Are there further nominations for president?

A motion to close nominations is unremarkably not necessary unless it is apparent that members are nominating people simply to accolade them, and that the nominees have no intention of serving.

Usually the president closes nominations when no further nominations come up forward from the assembly.

If at any time during the nominating process a member realizes that he or she will be unable to serve if elected, the fellow member should stand and asking that his or her name be removed from nomination. Removing your name during the nomination process is better than waiting until later on y'all are elected.

Nominations by Election

Instead of taking nominations from the floor, an organisation may take nominations past ballot. In this process, each member is given a nominating election and writes the proper noun(due south) of one or more than candidates on it. The tellers' committee counts the ballots and writes a list of the nominees to give to the president to announce. A vote is then taken for ballot. The nominating election should never go the electing election.

Nominations by Mail

When members are widely scattered, taking nominations by mail may be helpful. The secretary is responsible for mailing a nominating ballot to each member, with instructions on how to fill up it out. After the members mail back the nominations, the secretarial assistant composes the ballot from which the members vote.

Nominations by Petition

Sometimes an arrangement's bylaws provide for nominations past petition. In this case, a nominee must be nominated past a signed petition of members before the nomination is put on the ballot. The nominating petition may be enclosed with a newsletter or mailed to the members.

Other Nominating Procedures

If the bylaws do non state how to carry nominations, any fellow member can make a motility proposing a nominating process. This motion is an incidental primary motion. It needs a 2d and is not debatable just is amendable. It requires a majority vote to adopt. The best do, still, is for the bylaws to state the process.

Nominations and the Minutes

The secretarial assistant places all nominations in the minutes. If the organization uses a nominating committee and then takes nominations from the floor, the secretary records the nominating committee's report first and and so lists nominations for each part in the order they are presented as given by the members from the floor.

MOTIONS RELATING TO NOMINATIONS

When nominations are taken from the flooring, usually the president closes the nominations by unanimous consent. However, there may be times when members nominate people only to award them or to delay the ballot. In this case, it is appropriate for a member to make a motility to close the nominations. Later the nominations are closed, a member tin can make a motility to reopen them. The following sections talk over these ii motions.

Shut the Nominations

• Purpose: To shut the nominations and take the vote immediately.

• Is not in order when some other fellow member has the flooring.

• Needs a second.

• Amendable.

• Non debatable.

• Requires a two-thirds vote.

• Tin can't exist reconsidered.

• Outcome: Nominations are closed and voting begins.

This motion requires a two-thirds vote because it takes away the members' correct to nominate. A ii-thirds vote too protects the assembly from an abuse of power from a temporary majority who would like to stop the nominating process. A member must make the motion to close the nominations when no 1 has the floor. A rise vote is always taken on this motion.

Member: Madam President, I move to close the nominations.

Member 2: 2d.

President: It is moved and seconded to close the nominations. All those in favor, please rise. Exist seated. Those opposed please rising. Exist seated.

If the affirmative has the vote, the president states:

President: At that place is a 2-thirds vote in the affirmative. The motion is carried and nominations are now closed. We will now take the vote for . . . [state the office].

If the negative has it, the president states:

President: In that location is less than a two-thirds vote in the affirmative. The motion is lost and nominations are all the same open. Are there farther nominations?

The president continues with the nominations until members are ready to vote. Later on progress in the coming together, members tin can make the motion to close nominations once again.

Reopen the Nominations

• Purpose: Reopen the nominations and so others can be considered for part.

• Needs a second.

• Amendable.

• Non debatable.

• Requires a majority vote.

• A negative vote can be reconsidered.

• Result: Members can propose more nominees.

The time at which nominations are to exist airtight or reopened tin can exist stated in the motion or added by amendment.

Because members' rights are not infringed upon by reopening the nominations, this motion requires but a majority vote, and a voice vote is taken. To reopen the nominations, a member can make the motion when no one has the floor. The member states:

Member: Madam President, I motion to reopen the nominations.

Member 2: I 2d information technology.

President: It is moved and seconded to reopen the nominations. All those in favor say "Aye." Those opposed say "No."

The president then announces the vote. If the ayes have it, the president says:

President: The ayes have it and the motion is carried. We will reopen the floor for nominations. Are there further nominations?

If the noes have information technology, the president says:

President: The noes have it and the motion is lost. Nominations are closed and we volition take the vote.

UNDEMOCRATIC PRACTICES IN THE NOMINATION AND ELECTION Process

Members should be alert to some undemocratic political practices in organizations. One example occurs if a person is elected and so resigns, the office is considered vacant, and the president or board fills it by appointment instead of having another election. Doing this may allow an unpopular or hand-picked candidate to get the office fifty-fifty though he or she was not elected.

In writing the nomination, election, and vacancy conditions in the bylaws, the arrangement should make sure that if a vacancy is created early in the term of part, the vacancy is filled by ballot instead of past engagement, whenever possible. However, in some national organizations that run across yearly or biennially (every ii years), this is difficult.

Another problematic practise to scout out for is nominating someone for office who is not eligible. When nominations are taken from the flooring or when a nominating ballot is used, a proficient practice is to provide the members with an eligibility listing so that they are not nominating people who will not exist able to serve. When the secretary mails the members a notice about the nomination and ballot meeting, the letter can include a request that members who do not wish to exist considered for function notify the secretarial assistant in writing. When the secretary prepares the eligibility listing for the meeting, merely those members who are willing to serve are on the list.

ELECTIONS

After the nominating process is finished, the members must vote on the proposed candidates. If the bylaws practise not country how the vote is to be taken, a member can make an incidental movement regarding how to take the vote.

If the bylaws state that the vote must exist taken by ballot, even if in that location is simply one candidate for each part, members must nevertheless vote by ballot. A election vote allows members to write in a candidate's name. Request one person (for example, the secretary) to bandage the electing ballot for the unabridged associates is out of order. Such a motion takes away members' rights to write in a candidate.

Members tin can take the vote for ballot past

• Voice

• Ballot

• Ringlet call

• Cumulative voting

Election by Vocalization Vote

When there is but one candidate for role, election by voice vote is a adept method to use if the bylaws exercise not stipulate how the ballot should take place. However, any time an election occurs past voice vote, members forfeit their right to write in a candidate.

When more than one person has been nominated and the election is by voice vote, the chair takes the vote on the candidates in the order in which they were nominated. Members must call back to vote yep for the candidate that they want and vote no for the other candidates. The kickoff candidate to receive a majority vote wins.

The presiding officer takes the vote this way:

President: All those in favor of Fellow member G for president, say "Yeah." Those opposed say "No."

The president then announces the vote:

President: The ayes have it, and Member G is elected president.

If Member G loses, the chair announces the upshot this way:

President: The noes have information technology, and Fellow member G is not elected. All those in favor of Member X for president say "Aye." Those opposed say "No."

The president then announces the results of this vote. The procedure continues until someone receives a majority vote. When electing officers, if at that place is a tie vote or no one receives a bulk vote, members keep voting until someone is elected.

When more than than one candidate is nominated, the problem with a vox vote is that those nominated first are more likely to get elected. If there is a motion to brand an election past voice vote unanimous, that vote must be by ballot. If at that place is one "no" vote, the ballot is non unanimous.

Ballot past Ballot Vote

Organizations tin take a ballot vote 2 ways:

• A slate of all the officers can appear on one ballot.
• Individual ballots tin be provided for each office afterward nominations for that office are closed.

Slated ballots

Large organizations, such as conventions, commonly prepare a printed election listing the names of all the candidates, with room for further nominations or write-ins from the membership.

Members get to the polls once. When no candidate receives a majority vote for a particular office or for several offices, members must go along to vote on those offices until someone is elected. With this kind of ballot, having the election early in the meeting is best. In the event that another vote is needed, members tin vote again earlier the convention or meeting adjourns.

Individual ballots

In the second manner of taking a ballot vote, the tellers' commission gives members a bare slice of paper after nominations have been closed for an office. The members write the name of the person they wish to come across elected for that function on the bare slice of newspaper. The tellers and then collect the ballots and count them, and the chair of the tellers' committee reads the report. The president declares who is elected and proceeds to take nominations for the side by side role. After nominations are closed, the tellers again give members blank ballots to write the candidate of their choice. They collect the ballots and count them, and the chairman reads the study. This goes on until the members elect someone to each part.

Individual balloting works well in small organizations where members can intermission briefly to count the ballots without taking a recess or proceeding with other business.

Members exercise not proceed to the next office until they elect someone for the unelected part. For case, if no one receives a majority vote for the office of president, the members keep voting until they elect someone. They keep to vote on the role of vice president simply after they have elected a president.

In cases where members are voting on several directors at ane fourth dimension, those receiving a majority are elected to function. If any positions are non elected on the first ballot, the members keep voting on the residuum of the candidates until the positions are filled. If more candidates receive a majority vote than there are positions bachelor, those candidates receiving the highest votes are considered elected. For instance, the Soccer Club has an executive board of five people. Seven people are nominated, and the members are instructed to vote for v candidates on the aforementioned election. There are 20 people nowadays and voting. It takes 11 votes to elect. The following candidates received this number of votes:

Candidate Smith, 14 votes

Candidate Jones, 15 votes

Candidate Baker, nineteen votes

Candidate Torry, 16 votes

Candidate Dark-green, xiii votes

Candidate Frank, 12 votes

Candidate Bates, 11 votes

Although all candidates received a majority, only 5 can be elected to the board. In this case, the five candidates who received the most votes are the winners:

If three candidates had received the aforementioned vote - for instance, if Smith, Light-green, and Frank had each received 13 votes - the membership would take to agree another election. Even though Candidate Bates received the lowest vote, his name would remain on the ballot. No ane is removed from the ballot unless the bylaws state that the member with the fewest votes should be removed, because that person may end up being the compromise candidate.

The tellers' commission (members who are appointed to count the vote during a coming together) counts and records the ballots. For information on this attribute of the voting procedure, see "Counting and Recording the Ballots by Tellers' Committee," later in this affiliate.

Election by Roll Call Vote

If members have the vote past ringlet call, the organization can follow the same methods used for a ballot vote - either voting for all candidates at one time or voting for ane at a time. The presiding officeholder should explain the procedure. Each member states who he or she is voting for as the secretary calls the roll. The secretary records the vote and repeats it to brand sure that it is accurate.

Election by Cumulative Voting

When an organization has elections for positions in which more one candidate is elected (for example, the Soccer Club), the bylaws may provide for cumulative voting. (Note that cumulative voting cannot have identify unless it is stated in the bylaws.) Cumulative voting is the ability to cast all your votes for one candidate or to weight your vote in some way. In the earlier example of electing the 5 board members, the membership voted for five dissimilar candidates. In cumulative voting, a member can give two votes to Mr. Smith and 3 votes to Mrs. Baker. This allows a minority grouping to gather and elect 1 of their candidates. Notwithstanding, this practice is non in accord with the parliamentary principle of one person, 1 vote.

Ballot past Other Types of Voting

If an arrangement'southward membership is spread over a large altitude, the bylaws can provide for a vote by mail service ballot. In this case, it is wise for the bylaws to allow candidates to be elected past a plurality vote considering, if no 1 receives a bulk vote, the vote is hard to retake.

In a plurality vote, the winning candidate must receive the most votes simply not necessarily a majority of those bandage. For example, permit's say an organization has 500 members, and 3 candidates run for president. Of the 500 ballots sent to the members, 375 ballots are returned in the mail. Electing by majority vote takes 188.

Candidate A receives 180.

Candidate B receives 125.

Candidate C receives 70.

No one receives a bulk vote, but Candidate A received a plurality (the nigh votes) and is therefore elected president.

MOTIONS Apropos ELECTIONS

When taking the vote past election, the president usually declares that the polls are closed after asking the members if everyone who wants to vote has voted. This means that no one else can vote and the tellers tin can count the votes. A member can too make a motion to close the polls, which requires a 2d and a ii-thirds vote to adopt, or the motion tin can exist adopted by unanimous consent. The president should non admit a member's motion to close the polls if people are still voting.

If members come up into the assembly and want to vote subsequently the polls are closed, a member must make the move to open the polls. This motion takes a majority vote to prefer. Members can reopen the polls until the tellers give their written report and the presiding officer announces the results. Keep the ballots that come in during the reopening of the polls in a separate pile until the other ballots are counted. After the separate ballots are counted, add them to the tellers' report.

COUNTING AND RECORDING THE BALLOTS BY TELLERS' COMMITTEE

A tellers' committee is a small group of members appointed to count the vote during a meeting involving a ballot vote or a rising counted vote. Depending on the size of the group, the committee is usually comprised of two to three people.

In many small organizations, the presiding officeholder appoints several members to count ballots or to count a rising vote when the time comes. In a case such as this, where an organization does non have a tellers' committee, a secretarial assistant who is well versed in counting the ballots can be very helpful. The secretary can assist those appointed to act as tellers during the counting of the ballots.

Tellers who are appointed at a meeting to count a ballot vote should be appointed because of their accuracy and dependability, non considering they have something to gain from the result of a vote. They should accept the confidence of the associates. If the issue is a controversial 1, the tellers should include members on each side of the result and a neutral person to count the ballots. If a tellers' committee is needed to count ballots for an election of officers, the committee should be appointed before the meeting and trained in the correct procedure for counting the ballots.

In larger organizations or at national conventions, a tellers' commission, which is usually large and headed by a chairman, is appointed for the entire convention or the unabridged year. The chairman is in charge of the ballots and ballot boxes and is responsible for grooming the tellers on the proper style to count the ballots and on the various methods of counting a rising vote. The tellers' commission is nowadays during the entire session to count any doubted vocalism vote, when requested to do then past the presiding officer or the membership.

Teller'due south Sheet and Study

For each election vote taken, the tellers should accept a canvass of newspaper that helps them tally the ballots. A teller's sheet may look like this:

TELLER'Southward SHEET AND REPORT

Office________________________________________________

Number of votes cast_____________________________________

Number of votes to elect__________________________________

Number of illegal votes___________________________________

Candidates:

ane.___________________________________________________

ii.___________________________________________________

iii.___________________________________________________

4.___________________________________________________

5.___________________________________________________

Signed Tellers' Commission:

1.___________________________________________________

ii.___________________________________________________

3.___________________________________________________

iv.___________________________________________________

Counting the Ballots

Post-obit are the procedures that the tellers' committee should follow to count ballots:

1. When three tellers are appointed to count the ballots, Teller One should open each ballot and decide whether it is a legitimate election. All bare ballots are put aside because they are not counted in the total number of votes cast. Illegal ballots, those that take writing on them but are not readable or that contain the name of a person who is not eligible for ballot, or ii ballots with names on them folded together, are put in another pile.

2. Teller One counts the legal ballots and writes the total on the teller's sheet on the line "Number of votes cast." If in that location are illegal ballots, these are counted and the number put on the line "Number of illegal votes." The number of illegal and legal ballots is then totaled. This number is used to institute the number for the majority vote. The majority vote number is written on the line "Number of votes to elect."

3. Teller One reads aloud the names on each election. The other 2 tellers each keep a divide teller'due south sheet, recording each candidate's name on the teller'southward sheet the first time it is read, and placing a tally marking side by side to a candidate's name each fourth dimension Teller One reads that name aloud. So that at that place is no doubt who should receive the vote, Teller Two repeats each name as it is read by Teller One. When a candidate receives five votes, Teller Two calls out "tally." If Teller Three's report doesn't agree with Teller Two's, then the count stops at this point to meet where the mistake was fabricated in recording the vote.

4. When all the ballots take been read aloud, the tellers' committee totals the votes for each candidate and writes the number of votes received by each name. The tellers' committee then writes the word "elected" past those receiving a bulk vote. If no i receives a majority vote, the phrase "no ballot" is written on the teller's written report or is written near whatever office for which no candidate has received a majority vote.

5. Each member of the tellers' committee signs the teller'due south written report, and the chairman of the committee (Teller One) reads the report to the assembly and gives it to the presiding officeholder.

   In the election of candidates for the Soccer Club board, there were no blank ballots, so the tellers write on their sheets "twenty" for the number of ballots cast. There were no illegal ballots, and then they write "0" on that line. On the line that gives the number to elect, they write "11."

Filling Out the Teller'south Written report

TELLER'S Canvas AND REPORT

Office: Executive Board

Number of votes cast: 20

Number of votes to elect: 11

Number of illegal votes: 0

The tellers' commission then fills in each name equally the member opening the ballots chosen it.

For example, Teller One reads off the names on the beginning election:

Teller I: Smith, Jones, Bakery, Torry, Light-green.

Teller Ii repeats the names. Then Tellers Two and Three write those names in the blanks under "Candidates" and make a tally marking after each proper name.

Candidates:

The adjacent ballot is opened. This ballot has two names that were non on the offset ballot. On this ballot, Teller One reads the following names:

Teller One: Frank, Bates, Smith, Bakery, Torry.

Teller Two repeats the names. Then Tellers Two and Three add the two new names, Frank and Bates, to the bottom of the list, and make a tally mark by each candidate. The teller's canvas now looks like this:

Candidates:

This process goes on until all the ballots are cast and recorded past the two other tellers. As shortly equally 1 candidate receives v votes, Teller Two calls out "tally." Teller 3 then checks to run across if his or her sheet matches Teller 2's. If it doesn't, the committee should immediately stop and recount the ballots to run across where they made the mistake.

When the count is finished, the report should look similar this, with the give-and-take "elected" written past those who received a majority vote.

TELLER'S Sheet AND REPORT

Giving the Tellers' Committee Written report

The chairman of the tellers' commission rises, addresses the chair, is recognized, and reads the teller'south report. The chairman reads the entire report including the number of votes cast, number to elect, whatever illegal votes, and all names and the vote totals for each candidate who received votes (even those who are not elected). The members accept the right to know who received what number of votes. The study does not include the number of eligible voters (only the officer responsible for the membership roll is able to give this number if needed).

The teller reading the report does non signal who has been elected. Instead, afterwards the tellers' committee written report, the presiding officeholder announces those people elected.

Tellers' Commission Chairman: The Tellers' Committee Study for Election of Board Members:

Number of votes cast were 20.

Number to elect is 11.

Mr. Smith received 14 votes. (elected)

Mrs. Jones received fifteen votes. (elected)

Mrs. Baker received nineteen votes. (elected)

Mr. Torry received 16 votes. (elected)

Mr. Dark-green received 13 votes. (elected)

Mrs. Frank received 12 votes.

Mr. Bates received xi votes.

Joyce Bell

Chairman

Note: The words in parentheses are written on the report but not read aloud. The committee chairman and so gives the report to the presiding officer and sits down.

The presiding officer repeats the report and announces the election of each candidate:

President: The Tellers' Committee Study reads:

Number of votes bandage were 20.

Number to elect is eleven.

Mr. Smith received xiv votes. (elected)

Mrs. Jones received 15 votes. (elected)

Mrs. Bakery received 19 votes. (elected)

Mr. Torry received 16 votes. (elected)

Mr. Green received 13 votes. (elected)

Mrs. Frank received 12 votes.

Mr. Bates received xi votes.

Notation: The words in parentheses are written on the report just not read aloud.

President: The members have elected Mr. Smith, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Baker, Mr. Torry, and Mr. Dark-green to the executive lath. Do these members have the position? [All members nod yes; no one rises to reject election.]

The presiding officer states when the election is effective, according to the bylaws:

President: Thank you. Yous will have office at the close of our annual coming together. [as stated in the Soccer Guild's bylaws]

Those elected accept office immediately unless the bylaws state differently. In this organization, the newly elected lath members take their places at the close of the annual meeting.

If an organisation normally has an installation of officers only fails to concord information technology, those elected even so take office unless the bylaws provide that those elected have office when installed. An installation is only a ceremony and is not the activity that enables those elected to take role. Also, because an installation is considered a ceremony, a quorum is not needed to behave the installation.

The complete teller's study is so entered into the minutes. If a recount isn't necessary or requested, the ballots can be destroyed or filed with the secretary for a certain number of days and and so destroyed.

OTHER POINTS Near ELECTIONS

Here are some other things to consider during the election procedure:

• A quorum needs to be present throughout the election meeting. If members get out during the meeting so that a quorum is not present, those offices not withal elected must be put off until an adjourned meeting or until the side by side meeting.

• Tellers should bandage their ballots at the same time that the associates votes.

• If a member is elected and not present and has not previously said that if elected he or she will serve, someone should phone call the member to see if he or she will accept the office. If non, the members can vote over again during that meeting for another candidate.

• If an elected candidate declines the office after he or she is elected and later on the meeting has adjourned, some other election needs to take identify, if at all possible. If the bylaws specifically accost this state of affairs, members should follow the bylaws.

• If it is discovered subsequently an election that the person elected does not see the eligibility requirements, and even if the person has begun to serve, the election is void. The arrangement must have some other election.

• A member can't make the move to adjourn while the assembly is occupied with taking a vote, verifying a vote, or announcing a vote, except when the vote is by ballot. In a election vote, after the tellers have nerveless all the ballots, a member can make the motion to curb. If the motion is adopted, the assembly tin can adjourn before the vote is announced if it has another meeting scheduled. The tellers' committee tin however count the ballots. When the next meeting begins, the offset order of business organization is to hear the report of the tellers' commission and for the presiding officer to announce the vote that was taken at the previous meeting.

• If counting ballots takes some time, information technology is best for the associates to have a recess instead of adjourn.

• In counting the votes, the tellers' committee must not confuse a majority vote with the highest number of votes. The person who gets the most votes may not have a majority of the votes. In this case, the members must vote again until one candidate receives a majority vote.

• If at that place is a question virtually the way a election is marked, the tellers should take it to the presiding officer. He or she should present it to the associates to decide what to do with the vote - whether to count it and toward what name to credit the vote.

• When presenting the nominations or taking the vote for a listing of offices, the president should follow the order of offices that appears in the bylaws.

• If a person has been nominated to more than one function and is elected to 2 offices, he or she can cull which office he or she wants. The assembly so votes again on the other office.

  If a fellow member is not present to choose which office he or she wants to serve, the members vote on which office they want him or her to serve. Members then vote on a candidate to fill the remaining office.

• If members adjourn before an election is complete, they should fix the time for an adjourned coming together to finish the election. If they don't set up a time for an adjourned coming together, they can call a special meeting (if the bylaws let this). Or, members tin can also finish the election at the next regular meeting if the meeting falls inside a quarterly time period.

• If members are voting for offices that take staggered terms or that last more than than a year, the secretarial assistant should include in the minutes when the term expires. The minutes may say, for instance, "Kenneth Baker was elected to the board for three years. His term expires April, 2004."

• If electronic machines are used for voting, they should be programmed so that each segment of the election is treated equally if it were a split up election. Tellers present during the voting should be carefully instructed in their duties and should be able to explain to other members how to use the machine. If members haven't used the machine before, it may be wise to prove them how to utilize information technology the mean solar day before the election.

Election IRREGULARITIES

During an ballot, particularly when tellers are not trained or when candidates are running in opposition, members may go aware of mistakes or illegal procedures in collecting or counting the ballots. If a fellow member notices a mistake in process, he or she should immediately brand the chair and assembly aware of his concerns.

The best thing an organization can practise is prefer rules that tell how to proceed if a member challenges an election or if a person is illegally elected to office and has begun to serve. Rules may include how long the arrangement saves ballots and how long members can wait to challenge an election. These rules supervene upon the adopted parliamentary authority. It is important to remember that once someone is elected, the election tin can't be rescinded unless in that location is some provision for information technology in the bylaws. It is possible that because of a error in counting the ballots, or some other procedural error, someone can exist declared elected to function when he or she did not receive the majority votes. Organizations tin create and write election rules to correct this mistake.

A common fault in elections is having too many ballots bandage for the number of members present. If this occurs and it does not touch on the effect of the vote, the ballot is still valid. Oft the extra ballot comes from someone who has entered the assembly but has not signed in to the meeting.

Because fraud does happen in the ballot procedure, members need to be alert and watchful of the election process. Some practices to watch out for include:

• Ballot boxes beingness stuffed or written ballots beingness changed.

• Mail or absentee ballots not arriving on time or mysteriously disappearing when the time comes to count them.

• Voting machines having wedges inserted to prevent the lever from going downwards all the mode.

• Polls closing or opening at times dissimilar than the times posted.

The nearly important thing associations or governments can exercise is appoint conscientious and honest people to serve on the tellers' commission and to picket the polls.

TAKING A RECOUNT

If members question the validity of an ballot or the procedure in taking the vote, a member should brand a motion to recount the votes within a reasonably brief time after the president announces the election outcome. The motion to take a vote for a item part recounted needs a second, is non debatable, and takes a majority vote to prefer.

Later on the person elected to office assumes the position, it is also late to nullify an illegal election. For this reason, members should listen carefully to the report of the tellers' committee. If something doesn't quite add up, a member should question it during the meeting. If officers assume their duties immediately after the meeting is adjourned, information technology is then too belatedly to question the election.

Westside Toastmasters is located in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California

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Source: https://www.kidlink.org/docs/RobertRules/chap12.html

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