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Roll Call Vote Election


Guest Theresa Henle

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If a roll call vote is used during elections when there are 2 nominations, does each board member announce which candidate they choose during the roll call vote which would require them to vote only once.  We typically had only one nomination in the past and conducted a voice vote.

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4 minutes ago, Guest Theresa Henle said:

If a roll call vote is used during elections when there are 2 nominations, does each board member announce which candidate they choose during the roll call vote which would require them to vote only once.  We typically had only one nomination in the past and conducted a voice vote.

That's correct, or they may abstain.  

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1 hour ago, George Mervosh said:

That's correct, or they may abstain. 

Or give another name as a "write in," unless your rules specifically preclude it.

57 minutes ago, Joshua Katz said:

I'm curious - what is the alternative where they vote more than once?

The only thing I can think of is if they treated each candidate as a yes or no vote, and then waited to see which candidate received the greater majority (or voted again if neither one achieved a majority). That is clearly not a proper way to conduct an election in accordance with RONR. 

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30 minutes ago, Greg Goodwiller said:

The only thing I can think of is if they treated each candidate as a yes or no vote, and then waited to see which candidate received the greater majority (or voted again if neither one achieved a majority). That is clearly not a proper way to conduct an election in accordance with RONR. 

Oh yes it is, for a viva voce election, p. 442 - or almost anyway - the use of a roll-call does cloud the issue a bit.   RONR  speaks to that combination but p. 443 isn't clear whether the responses by the voters are names or Yes/No votes.

I wonder if Guest T Henle's organization bylaws require ballot votes.  If so the (public) roll-call system is improper no matter how the voters respond.

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11 minutes ago, jstackpo said:

Oh yes it is, for a viva voce election, p. 442 - or almost anyway - the use of a roll-call does cloud the issue a bit.   RONR  speaks to that combination but p. 443 isn't clear whether the responses by the voters are names or Yes/No votes.

 

This is just election by blank-filling, is it not?  (But how do you sequence the candidates?  By pre-election polling?)

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2 hours ago, jstackpo said:

Oh yes it is, for a viva voce election, p. 442 - or almost anyway - the use of a roll-call does cloud the issue a bit.   RONR  speaks to that combination but p. 443 isn't clear whether the responses by the voters are names or Yes/No votes.

I wonder if Guest T Henle's organization bylaws require ballot votes.  If so the (public) roll-call system is improper no matter how the voters respond.

Our bylaws do not require ballot votes.  It only indicates that president be elected.  In the past, we have only had one nomination so have used viva voice election.  We may have more nominations this time.

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30 minutes ago, Guest Theresa Henle said:

Our bylaws do not specify a ballot vote. In the past we have only had one nomination and used a viva voce election.  We may have more nominations this year though.

Your association is free, then, to require a secret ballot vote (majority vote to require it) or simply have the chair announce that the single candidate is elected by acclamation - p. 443.  Your option

 

 

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14 hours ago, Guest Theresa Henle said:

Our bylaws do not specify a ballot vote. In the past we have only had one nomination and used a viva voce election.  We may have more nominations this year though.

A viva voce election would not be appropriate with only one candidate and - obviously - no requirement for a ballot vote. What would you do if the nays were in the majority? Since there is an obligation to elect someone, RONR says that with only one candidate and no requirement for a ballot vote, the chair should just declare the single candidate elected by acclamation (p. 443, ll. 7-12).

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So my question is, why is the assumption that if there are two candidates, you move to a "roll call" vote? Most associations that have rules about elections go in the other direction - and "protect" the secrecy of elections by requiring a ballot vote in such cases - lest those who won or lost then either favor or hold a grudge against those who voted a certain way. Unless your rules require a roll call vote, it would be far more usual to go to a ballot.

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