Guest Andrewl Posted May 19, 2015 at 07:14 PM Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 at 07:14 PM I am in a sorority and we require a 2/3 majority vote for officers. We had ballot votes and for members who were absent at the meeting, ballots were mailed to them to cast their votes. Two candidates were on the ballot for secretary and the vote total was 9 to 10. Since there was not 2/3 majority and our bylaws didn't address the issues, we were not sure how to declare a winner. Some said the person with 10 votes win and others said we revote but it was not clear if we would again send in ballots to absent members if we revote or if we revote with just the members who were present. Please help. I have RROONR 10th edition and page reference would be great to support any response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted May 19, 2015 at 07:25 PM Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 at 07:25 PM You have an incomplete election. Keep voting until it's completed (i.e someone is elected and accepts). Look in the Index under "Elections, incomplete". All members can vote whether or not they voted in the first round. Absentee voting is prohibited (by RONR) unless authorized in your bylaws (or mandated by some superior rule or law). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted May 19, 2015 at 07:51 PM Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 at 07:51 PM To add to the reply by Mr. Guest, if you are allowing absentee ballots, you need to allow them again on the re-votes. But they are not permissible (and were not allowable in the first round of voting) unless your bylaws authorize them or they are mandated by some superior rule or law. What you experienced is one of the problems with mixing absentee ballots with in person voting. You could have kept voting at the meeting until you had a winner if only in person voting was allowed, but, because of the absentee ballots, you have to send them out again....and possibly again and again.... until you have a winner. Your situation is another example of why a two thirds vote is rarely required to elect someone to office. It is harder to achieve and is more likely to cause an incomplete election and the need for repeat balloting than would be the case with a majority vote requirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andrewl Posted May 19, 2015 at 07:52 PM Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 at 07:52 PM So we should not be sending ballots to people who do not attend the meeting correct. Our bylaws dont authorize but they do include language that lets everyone that the third Saturday in April is when the elections are held every two years. At the next meeting, it seems that we have to vote with members present at the meeting and keep voting until we have a winner correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted May 19, 2015 at 07:59 PM Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 at 07:59 PM Correct. And be sure to notify all members that the election isn't complete and will continue at the next meeting (which I assume won't be until next semester). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andrewl Posted May 19, 2015 at 08:01 PM Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 at 08:01 PM Sorry and if this should be posted as a new questions let me know but for clarification, since we "illegally" mailed ballots before, do we keep doing it this way? Don't know if it matters or not but this was the only contested position on the ballot so im not sure if we can just correct the error and vote at the next meeting or if we have to continue doing it wrong since that is how we started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted May 19, 2015 at 08:12 PM Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 at 08:12 PM Stop doing it wrong. Start doing it right. You're actually lucky someone wasn't elected with invalid absentee votes that could have made a difference in the outcome.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Andrewl Posted May 19, 2015 at 09:12 PM Report Share Posted May 19, 2015 at 09:12 PM Thanks. I couldnt agree more. Working with a group of people who are use to doing things how they want instead of doing them correctly. It is going to be a fight to get them to agree not to do the absentee but I got a lot of fight in me. Again thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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