Voting

[Guest Terry Wilson]

If one places a secret ballot vote prior to the election of an officer (allowed per our Bylaws), but then comes to the election meeting and asks to withdraw the previous secret written ballot in order to vote in person at the election meeting, is this allowed? There is nothing in our Bylaws that addresses that point.

[Josh Martin]

If one places a secret ballot vote prior to the election of an officer (allowed per our Bylaws), but then comes to the election meeting and asks to withdraw the previous secret written ballot in order to vote in person at the election meeting, is this allowed? There is nothing in our Bylaws that addresses that point.

RONR strongly advises against mixing absentee votes with votes at a meeting and has no guidelines for what to do if the organization disregards this advice. Your organization will need to determine how to proceed.

[Gary Novosielski]

If one places a secret ballot vote prior to the election of an officer (allowed per our Bylaws), but then comes to the election meeting and asks to withdraw the previous secret written ballot in order to vote in person at the election meeting, is this allowed? There is nothing in our Bylaws that addresses that point.

Well, if placing it is allowed and withdrawing it is not, I guess you have your answer.

The problem with "withdrawing" a secret vote is that, by definition, you cannot prove how you voted. So it's not possible for anyone to know with certainty how to reverse your vote. The same problem occurs with any ballot vote, whether or not it's mixed with live votes. There is no way to tell which vote is yours, so how do you propose to withdraw it?

[Weldon Merritt]

The problem with "withdrawing" a secret vote is that, by definition, you cannot prove how you voted. So it's not possible for anyone to know with certainty how to reverse your vote. The same problem occurs with any ballot vote, whether or not it's mixed with live votes. There is no way to tell which vote is yours, so how do you propose to withdraw it?

Since the OP is referring to an absentee vote cast in advance of the meeting, it may be that the organization uses a double-envelope system (as they should). If so, and the outer envelopes have not yet been opened, it would be possible to locate the voter's envelope and return it to him. Whether the roganization's rules allow this is another question.

[Gary Novosielski]

Since the OP is referring to an absentee vote cast in advance of the meeting, it may be that the organization uses a double-envelope system (as they should). If so, and the outer envelopes have not yet been opened, it would be possible to locate the voter's envelope and return it to him. Whether the roganization's rules allow this is another question.

Yes, I'd agree that if the ballot is (still) identifiable to the original voter, and the bylaws are silent, then the default rule, allowing a voter to change her vote before the result is announced, would apply.