Appointment of election committee

[Guest Janice]

Because of nominations from the floor, our organization will have its first contested election by ballot for an officer position.

 

The bylaws do not state how the election committee is appointed.  Does the chair/President appoint the committee?  Is the membership involved and how?   What part does the Parliamentarian provide and is she a part of the committee or just and advisor?

 

 

[jstackpo]

I'm not sure what you mean by "The Election Committee".  If you mean the folks who will collect and count the votes, they are called  "Tellers" and are appointed by the chair at the meeting when needed. p. 414.

 

Strictly speaking, near as I can tell, the group of tellers are not a "committee", just a bunch of folks who know how to count and do addition who are called into temporary service.

[Guest Janice]

I understand that the President selects the tellers. However, there is a lot of work to be done. I am looking at pages 492-497 Do these rules apply or can the President use a temporary informal group assigned to do the work such as preparing forms, registration etc.? Would the parliamentarian be just an advisor if needed?

[Edgar Guest]

 . . .  there is a lot of work to be done. I am looking at pages 492-497 Do these rules apply or can the President use a temporary informal group assigned to do the work such as preparing forms, registration etc.? Would the parliamentarian be just an advisor if needed?

 

The ballot can be as simple as a blank piece of paper. If something more formal is desired I would think it would be the secretary's responsibility. Since all members (and only members) can vote I'm not sure why any additional "registration" would be necessary. The presiding officer conducts the election (even if she is a candidate).

 

And, yes, the parliamentarian's role is as an advisor to the presiding officer.

[Josh Martin]

The bylaws do not state how the election committee is appointed. Does the chair/President appoint the committee? Is the membership involved and how? What part does the Parliamentarian provide and is she a part of the committee or just and advisor?

I still don't really know what you mean by an "election committee." As previously noted, the chair has the authority to appoint a tellers committee, but the committee you are referring to seems to have more expansive duties (although what exactly those duties are is still unclear). Therefore, it seems to me that, unless the organization's rules provide otherwise, it is up to the membership to determine how the committee shall be appointed. It could authorize the chair to appoint this committee, if it wishes.

If the Parliamentarian is to play any part in this committee, it should be only as an advisor.

I understand that the President selects the tellers. However, there is a lot of work to be done. I am looking at pages 492-497 Do these rules apply or can the President use a temporary informal group assigned to do the work such as preparing forms, registration etc.?

Since this committee's duties seem to exceed that of a tellers' committee, yes, I would say the rules on pgs. 492-497 regarding appointment of committees apply, unless your organization has its own rules on this subject.