Write in candidates or reopening nominations?

[Guest Jane]

Our PTO by-laws read, "In March the PTO President will call for nominations for upcoming open positions on the Executive Board.  Nominations will continue to be accepted until three weeks prior to the final PTO General Membership meeting of the school year." The nominations are then forwarded to a nominating committee.  The committee's responsibilities, according to the by-laws, are to contact the nominees, verify their qualifications and solicit a statement from each nominee to be put on a publication that is distributed to the current Executive Board and general members.  The Vice President, who is a member of the nominating committee then prepares a ballot for the election.  Votes are cast by secret ballot.  The General Membership meeting and election are now one week away and many members of the organization are dissatisfied with the nominees on the ballot.  Are they allowed to write in any eligible member on the ballot or can a member move to reopen nominations at the General Membership meeting prior to the election? There is no mention of either in the by-laws.

[George Mervosh]

Our PTO by-laws read, "In March the PTO President will call for nominations for upcoming open positions on the Executive Board.  Nominations will continue to be accepted until three weeks prior to the final PTO General Membership meeting of the school year." The nominations are then forwarded to a nominating committee.  The committee's responsibilities, according to the by-laws, are to contact the nominees, verify their qualifications and solicit a statement from each nominee to be put on a publication that is distributed to the current Executive Board and general members.  The Vice President, who is a member of the nominating committee then prepares a ballot for the election.  Votes are cast by secret ballot.  The General Membership meeting and election are now one week away and many members of the organization are dissatisfied with the nominees on the ballot.  Are they allowed to write in any eligible member on the ballot or can a member move to reopen nominations at the General Membership meeting prior to the election? There is no mention of either in the by-laws.

 

The members can do both.

[Rev Ed]

Nominations would first be open at the meeting until a formal motion to close nominations is made.  Normally you would make a nomination when the time for the election comes up on the Agenda.  So that's when you would make a nomination. 

 

However, unless the By-laws state otherwise write-in votes are okay.

[Gary Novosielski]

Yes, they can do either or both.

 

Nominations are in order at the election meeting, and if the chair does not call for them automatically, or rules that nominations were closed, any member can move that they be reopened.  A motion to (Re)Open Nominations requires only a majority vote.  Closing them, on the other hand requires a 2/3 vote, and is not in order at all while any member is seeking to make a nomination.

 

And write-ins are always allowed on the ballot.  A place should be provided for writing in, but even if none is, write-ins are still valid.