Absentee voting with rounds of elimination ballots?

[stonewall63]

Our congregational constitution allows the Voters Assembly members to do the following:

"It shall be the privilege of absent members with valid excuses to send their ballots in writing to the President of the congregation whenever an officer of the congregation is to be elected, or a significant issue on the agenda is to be considered."

Under normal circumstances with a single issue to vote on, this would not be very complicated to administrate. But we have an upcoming special meeting to select a new pastor. This is done by taking the slate of X amount of candidates and taking a vote. The one with the lowest number of votes (and those with no votes) are/is eliminated in each round of voting. This continues until one wins with a 2/3 majority of the vote (once down to two candidates).

If we had our voter who will be out of town submit his choice, that submission would only be good while his guy is in the running. After that, his ballot would not count towards anyone. So trying to work this out a few guys had the idea of calling him where he's at and letting him vote by telephone in each round.

There is nothing in our constitution or bylaws on this, and we want to be accommodating, but how can it work? Wouldn't a person have to be appointed to confidentially cast the ballot for the absent member?

Any assistance would be helpful.

Brad

[J. J.]

Our congregational constitution allows the Voters Assembly members to do the following:

"It shall be the privilege of absent members with valid excuses to send their ballots in writing to the President of the congregation whenever an officer of the congregation is to be elected, or a significant issue on the agenda is to be considered."

Under normal circumstances with a single issue to vote on, this would not be very complicated to administrate. But we have an upcoming special meeting to select a new pastor. This is done by taking the slate of X amount of candidates and taking a vote. The one with the lowest number of votes (and those with no votes) are/is eliminated in each round of voting. This continues until one wins with a 2/3 majority of the vote (once down to two candidates).

If we had our voter who will be out of town submit his choice, that submission would only be good while his guy is in the running.

You can assume that an election is effectively an assumed motion "That ________ be chosen pastor (p. 430)." While it might be possible for someone to cast a vote on that motion once that blank is filled by mail, it is not technically possible (well, to date, no one has figured out how) to adopt that motion while the blank is still there in a mail vote.

After that, his ballot would not count towards anyone. So trying to work this out a few guys had the idea of calling him where he's at and letting him vote by telephone in each round.

I'll call the absent member "Guy."

If this is a secret ballot, it would be possible "To suspend the rule requiring the absentee ballot of Guy on the choice of a pastor, to be cast in writing and permit his vote to be cast by telephone," if:

A. The Guy consents to waiving the secrey of his ballot.

B. 2/3 agree to suspend the rule, and Guy could not vote for that motion, because he neither is there nor submitted a written ballot on the issue. (The bylaws permit absentee voting, so that supersedes the Fundamental Principle of Parliamentary Law that you must be present to vote.)

There is nothing in our constitution or bylaws on this, and we want to be accommodating, but how can it work? Wouldn't a person have to be appointed to confidentially cast the ballot for the absent member?

That would violate another FPPL.

Any assistance would be helpful.

Brad

Yes, amend you bylaws to eliminate this requirement.

J. J.

[Tim Wynn]

You can assume that an election is effectively an assumed motion "That ________ be chosen pastor (p. 430)." While it might be possible for someone to cast a vote on that motion once that blank is filled by mail, it is not technically possible (well, to date, no one has figured out how) to adopt that motion while the blank is still there in a mail vote.

That's the exact purpose of preferential voting, to allow a single round of balloting to elect a candidate, even if the voting requirement is not reached initially.

[J. J.]

Tha'st the exact purpose of preferential voting, to allow a single round of balloting to elect a candidate, even if the voting requirement is not reached initially.

Well, they don't actually permit preferential voting, unfortunately.

[stonewall63]

Thank you, gentlemen. This has been most helpful. I have passed the info along to the congregation's officers.

The reason for the rounds of voting to where your candidates get whittled down from, let's say, 5 to 4, then 3, 2, 1 is just the way this particular denomination has always chosen their pastors. The final vote must be a 2/3 majority. I don't know why. WAY before my time.

Thanks, again.

Brad