Guest Theresa Posted March 21, 2015 at 03:08 PM Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 at 03:08 PM I am the presiding officer of a club preparing for executive officer elections. The by-laws of the club called for a nominating committee which has agreed on a list of nominees. It is also expected that there will be more than one nomination from the floor. The by-laws call for a ballot vote for elections having more than one candidate and that proxy and absentee voting will be allowed but provide no additional guidelines. The by-laws allow the Executive Board to appoint standing committees but do not mention special, ad hoc or election committees. This is the first election where officer’s positions have been contested. I believe it is in the best interests of the club to have appointed an election committee to identify the issues and basically run the election. It’s been suggested that only the members can appoint the executive committee but given the number of factions involved and the state of feelings involved agreement on details may be problematic. If raised by proper motion can the members establish an election committee and provide that the election committee shall, consistent with the constitution, the bylaws and the standing rules, have the power to establish rules and procedures for conducting the election; including forming a tellers committee and selecting members, counting votes and certifying results. The chairman of the Election Committee shall preside during that portion of the meeting(s) dealing with the election. Can the delegate to the executive board the authority to determine the number of members of the committee and appoint the members and the chairman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted March 21, 2015 at 03:36 PM Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 at 03:36 PM I am the presiding officer of a club preparing for executive officer elections. The by-laws of the club called for a nominating committee which has agreed on a list of nominees. It is also expected that there will be more than one nomination from the floor. The by-laws call for a ballot vote for elections having more than one candidate and that proxy and absentee voting will be allowed but provide no additional guidelines. The by-laws allow the Executive Board to appoint standing committees but do not mention special, ad hoc or election committees. This is the first election where officer’s positions have been contested. I believe it is in the best interests of the club to have appointed an election committee to identify the issues and basically run the election. It’s been suggested that only the members can appoint the executive committee but given the number of factions involved and the state of feelings involved agreement on details may be problematic. If raised by proper motion can the members establish an election committee and provide that the election committee shall, consistent with the constitution, the bylaws and the standing rules, have the power to establish rules and procedures for conducting the election; including forming a tellers committee and selecting members, counting votes and certifying results. The chairman of the Election Committee shall preside during that portion of the meeting(s) dealing with the election. Can the delegate to the executive board the authority to determine the number of members of the committee and appoint the members and the chairman. Yes, the members could establish an election committee with the duties and authority that you have noted. Because of the nature of some of the duties and authority assigned to the committee, this will require the same vote as for adopting a special rule of order - a 2/3 vote with previous notice or a vote of a majority of the entire membership. The membership may provide in the motion that the Executive Board is authorized to determine the number of members of the committee and appoint the members, including the chairman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted March 21, 2015 at 03:40 PM Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 at 03:40 PM I believe it is in the best interests of the club to have appointed an election committee to identify the issues and basically run the election. Identify the issues? Why? How? In any case, see also this recent topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest theresa Posted March 21, 2015 at 03:59 PM Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 at 03:59 PM Thank you Josh, We have scheduled monthly meetings with one on Monday. This is the first time we will know that we have a contested ballot election. The election is at the April monthly meeting. Is there a way to give previous notice so we can discuss this on Monday? it is obviously too late to give notice at the previous meeting. If the notice requirement can be satisfied, can the Chairman bring the motion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted March 21, 2015 at 04:08 PM Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 at 04:08 PM We have scheduled monthly meetings with one on Monday. This is the first time we will know that we have a contested ballot election. The election is at the April monthly meeting. Is there a way to give previous notice so we can discuss this on Monday? it is obviously too late to give notice at the previous meeting. If the notice requirement can be satisfied, can the Chairman bring the motion? Previous notice may also be given by having the Secretary include the notice in the call of the meeting. Since the meeting is on Monday, it's probably too late for that too. Since the election is at the April meeting and you obviously can't wait until then, I would recommend setting an adjourned meeting for a week or two later. A motion to do so requires a majority vote for adoption. Someone can then provide notice of the motion to establish the committee at this meeting and make the motion at the adjourned meeting. If the chairman is a member, she can make the motion, but she should not do so. If she does, she should relinquish the chair to the vice chairman until the motion is disposed of. See FAQ #1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Theresa Posted March 21, 2015 at 04:24 PM Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 at 04:24 PM In order to make this work, it would help to know if the President/Presiding Officer has the power to run the election without action by the members? The board will ask this question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted March 21, 2015 at 04:35 PM Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 at 04:35 PM In order to make this work, it would help to know if the President/Presiding Officer has the power to run the election without action by the members? The board will ask this question. The presiding officer has the power to preside over the election and to appoint tellers, but you seemed to suggest earlier that what you mean by "run the election" is something more expansive than that. The President does not, for instance, have the power to establish additional rules for the conduct of the election without authorization from the membership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted March 21, 2015 at 05:21 PM Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 at 05:21 PM In order to make this work, it would help to know if the President/Presiding Officer has the power to run the election without action by the members? In fact, it's the presiding officer's responsibility to run preside over the election, even if she is a nominee. See pp.451-452. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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