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Election Irregularities...Repeat Voting Procedure?


Guest cc7asan

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Hello,

In an organization I'm in, the following irregularities occurred while voting on an elected position in a small meeting.

1. A candidate, like others, had left the room while discussion was taking place. When he returned, he was notified of the result of the discussion. The candidate, apparently under the impression that the result was final and that voting did not yet take place, asked why the result was as such, as he was not preferred. Despite the chair of the meeting announcing that voting is to take place, and after a short discussion, he made a short pitch on how he qualifies for that position while people were filling their ballot.

2. While voting was taking place, a member raised an objection that what happened is irregular and gave the candidate an unfair advantage over others. The objection was not taken into account and voting proceeded normally.

3. After the result came out, the candidate who made the pitch won. The member who had raised the objection notified the organization by email that what happened is highly irregular and unfair, after which a few members admitted to have felt pressured inside the meeting into voting for the candidate in question due to his presence and actions.

In this case, and in case the organization's bylaws do not specify how you can challenge elections results, what is to be done according to ROR? Is voting repeated or other measures taken, or are members considered responsible for their choices (including the chair who did not take the objection into account)? 

I personally view the elections to be illegitimate due to the pitch that happened during voting, but I am wary that other members may have not liked the outcome of the election and are using this fact to repeat the voting and change the outcome, and thus setting a bad precedent. Any input is appreciated.

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6 minutes ago, Guest cc7asan said:

Hello,

In an organization I'm in, the following irregularities occurred while voting on an elected position in a small meeting.

1. A candidate, like others, had left the room while discussion was taking place. When he returned, he was notified of the result of the discussion. The candidate, apparently under the impression that the result was final and that voting did not yet take place, asked why the result was as such, as he was not preferred. Despite the chair of the meeting announcing that voting is to take place, and after a short discussion, he made a short pitch on how he qualifies for that position while people were filling their ballot.

2. While voting was taking place, a member raised an objection that what happened is irregular and gave the candidate an unfair advantage over others. The objection was not taken into account and voting proceeded normally.

3. After the result came out, the candidate who made the pitch won. The member who had raised the objection notified the organization by email that what happened is highly irregular and unfair, after which a few members admitted to have felt pressured inside the meeting into voting for the candidate in question due to his presence and actions.

In this case, and in case the organization's bylaws do not specify how you can challenge elections results, what is to be done according to ROR? Is voting repeated or other measures taken, or are members considered responsible for their choices (including the chair who did not take the objection into account)? 

I personally view the elections to be illegitimate due to the pitch that happened during voting, but I am wary that other members may have not liked the outcome of the election and are using this fact to repeat the voting and change the outcome, and thus setting a bad precedent. Any input is appreciated.

As best I can determine, none of the events you describe would be sufficient to nullify the election as far as the rules in RONR are concerned.

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For greater clarity, RONR does not require that nominees leave the room at any point in the proceedings on an election. While they may do so voluntarily, a member of the assembly has a right to be present and they cannot be forced to leave. Likewise, they are welcome to participate in debate on the nominations.

In order to contest an election after the fact, it must be over a violation of great significance (explained somewhere around p. 253, if memory serves). Certainly, unless something that happened here was in direct violation of your bylaws, there was no breach of that severity. So it is too late to contest in any case.

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