nominations to show up on ballot

[Guest Bobm]

In an upcoming elections for board members, people have been nominated and have since made it known that they will not be a candidate for office. Should their names still be printed on the ballot in light of their decision?

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Your organization could decide whether the names should be printed.

[Richard Brown]

19 hours ago, Guest Bobm said:

In an upcoming elections for board members, people have been nominated and have since made it known that they will not be a candidate for office. Should their names still be printed on the ballot in light of their decision?

 

7 hours ago, Hieu H. Huynh said:

Your organization could decide whether the names should be printed.

This question has been causing me problems.  I don't have a definitive RONR-backed answer, but I do have a "from my gut" answer.  I don't disagree with Mr. Huynh's answer, but it is problematic:  I'm fairly certain the custom of this organization is that the ballots be printed prior to the election meeting and that there are no meetings scheduled between now and then.  So, having "the organization" make a decision prior to the election meeting might be difficult if not impossible.

It seems the consensus in prior discussions in this forum has been that members can't really decline nominations or have their names removed from nomination unless the society has a customized rule permitting it.  But, still, my gut tells me that if some of the members who were nominated do not want to serve and do not want their names in nomination and do not want their names on the ballot, then their names should not be on the ballot.  But, it isn't the end of the world if their names remain on the ballot:  An announcement can be made that they have asked that their names be withdrawn from nomination.  If they get elected anyway, they can decide then whether to consent to serve.  Who knows:  if elected, they may decide that maybe they should go ahead and serve.  Stranger things have happened. 

One more point:  If these members were nominated by a nominating committee, then the committee can meet again and remove these names from nomination and try to come up with replacement nominees.  Here is what RONR says on page 435 about nominees "withdrawing" and the committee meeting again to come up with new nominees:  "A nominating committee is automatically discharged when its report is formally presented to the assembly, although if one of the nominees withdraws before the election, the committee is revived and should meet immediately to agree upon another nomination if there is time. "

Perhaps that is the answer.

[SaintCad]

On 9/22/2017 at 6:57 AM, Richard Brown said:

 

This question has been causing me problems.  I don't have a definitive RONR-backed answer,

 

I do, p 434 where it says it is recommended, but not required unless through bylaws, for a candidate to have to accept nomination by the committee.  Also,p 444 where it give a person the option to decline the office if elected.  I think RONR makes it clear that absent a bylaw a person cannot be required to accept a nomination to be eligible except by bylaws.

[Richard Brown]

2 hours ago, SaintCad said:

I do, p 434 where it says it is recommended, but not required unless through bylaws, for a candidate to have to accept nomination by the committee.  Also,p 444 where it give a person the option to decline the office if elected.  I think RONR makes it clear that absent a bylaw a person cannot be required to accept a nomination to be eligible except by bylaws.

I think you are reading more into what is on pages 434 and 444 than is actually there. 

Forget about a nominating committee for a minute.  Assume the organization does like quite a few organizations do and takes nominations from the floor at the meeting prior to the election meeting.  They customarily have ballots printed based on the names nominated at the previous meeting and, if there was a nominating committee, the names submitted by the nominating committee. RONR seems to say that a candidate nominated by the nominating committee can withdraw, but it is silent as to those nominated from the floor.  Responses to previous threads in this forum about this issue, as I recall, seem to generally take the position that a nomination cannot be "declined" and that a member cannot have his name removed from nomination unless a special rule provides for it.  Those posts take the position that once nominated, a member is nominated.  He can refuse to serve if elected, but he is still nominated.  Perhaps some organizations will oblige and remove a name from the ballot (or from nomination), but I'm not at all sure RONR provides for it.  Even so, the member could still be elected by means of write in votes.

Therefore, I'm not at all convinced that names can be "removed from the ballot" once nominated unless some special rule (or perhaps a motion) provides for it.

[Gary Novosielski]

Mr. Brown raises some good points.

Yet RONR does seem to acknowledge that members who have been nominated may "withdraw" somehow.  I don't think this should be interpreted as applying only to a nominating committee, since we are also told that a candidate's name is not dropped from a second or subsequent ballot unless the member withdraws.

It would be nice if RONR told us more about how these withdrawals are handled, and whether, like resignations, they have to be "accepted" by somebody.  Until that happy day, I think the best we can do is fall back on the position that the assembly can decide such matters, hopefully by unanimous consent.

[Richard Brown]

1 hour ago, Gary Novosielski said:

Mr. Brown raises some good points.

Yet RONR does seem to acknowledge that members who have been nominated may "withdraw" somehow.  I don't think this should be interpreted as applying only to a nominating committee, since we are also told that a candidate's name is not dropped from a second or subsequent ballot unless the member withdraws.

It would be nice if RONR told us more about how these withdrawals are handled, and whether, like resignations, they have to be "accepted" by somebody.  Until that happy day, I think the best we can do is fall back on the position that the assembly can decide such matters, hopefully by unanimous consent.

I second Mr. Novosielski's suggestion that the authorship team clarify this issue in the next edition. 

[J. J.]

On 9/21/2017 at 1:07 PM, Guest Bobm said:

In an upcoming elections for board members, people have been nominated and have since made it known that they will not be a candidate for office. Should their names still be printed on the ballot in light of their decision?

I would be troubled about nominees "making it known" outside of a meeting. 

While there is not a mechanism for declining a nomination, traditionally it is made within a meeting.  I think if a person was nominated and there is not a mechanism outside of a meeting to withdraw, the nomination should remain.  A nominee may make it known on Monday that he will not serve, think about on Tuesday, and Wednesday decide to launch a campaign.  

Absent of some type of formal method for declining  a nomination outside of a meeting, I think anyone properly nominated would have to remain on the ballot. 

I would note that it would be out of order to nominate someone ineligible.

[Gary Novosielski]

Did something fall through the not-hole?

In the case of a nominating committee which has risen, after which one of their nominees wishes to withdraw, would it not be sufficient for the nominee to contact the chair or a member of the nominating committee rather than waiting for the next assembly meeting, which might well be the election meeting?

Edited September 25, 2017 at 12:11 AM by Gary Novosielski

[J. J.]

1 hour ago, Gary Novosielski said:

Did something fall through the not-hole?

In the case of a nominating committee which has risen, after which one of their nominees wishes to withdraw, would it not be sufficient for the nominee to contact the chair or a member of the nominating committee rather than waiting for the next assembly meeting, which might well be the election meeting?

No, but I was not clear.  I edited it.