elections

[Guest member1375_2012]

My organization is having elections for a new executive board in the next week. It has come to the members (non board) attention that the current board has already predetermined the next board. A majority of the members are not in agreement with this new board and have created a board of their own. The nominations have put 3 members eligible for each position but the ballot only has one name. Is there anything in Robert's Rules that allows us to present our "ballot" and demand it go our way since we are the majority?

[J. J.]

You can use blank pieces of paper and have voters write the names of the members on them (p. 283, ff.).

[Guest Edgar]

A majority of the members are not in agreement with this new board and have created a board of their own.

Just remember that you're not voting for "a board", you're voting for board members. And you can vote for some or all or none of the candidates. In other words, there are no "slates".

Also keep in mind that, at a meeting of the general membership, the board, as a board, won't be present (though of course individual board members may be present but they will be there only as general members, not as board members).

h2ytay

[Trina]

My organization is having elections for a new executive board in the next week. It has come to the members (non board) attention that the current board has already predetermined the next board. A majority of the members are not in agreement with this new board and have created a board of their own. The nominations have put 3 members eligible for each position but the ballot only has one name. Is there anything in Robert's Rules that allows us to present our "ballot" and demand it go our way since we are the majority?

Do you mean that ballots have been pre-printed, and that those ballots do not contain the names of all candidates who were actually nominated?

If the voting is to take place at a meeting, then it should be simple enough for someone to make a motion that blank pieces of paper be handed out as ballots (as J.J. suggested), or even to substitute a different (more complete) pre-printed ballot, if you conveniently have a stack of those at hand. Also, if the process of the members 'creating a board of their own' actually took place outside of a meeting, then you could use a motion to re-open nominations (majority vote to adopt the motion) in order to get those new nominations properly before the assembly.

If your election is conducted by mail, and the one-name-per-position ballots have been sent out, it's more of a mess. However, unless the bylaws specifically prohibit write-in votes, write-ins are permitted, and would give an avenue for the membership to elect different candidates.

And, regarding your last sentence, if you are in the majority, of course it should go your way.