Absentee Ballot

[Guest RSchenk]

Our club's president was removed from office.  An election for a new president was scheduled for the next meeting.  Candidates were selected. Members were notified of the election date and time.  Members who could not attend were sent absentee ballots.  The absentee ballots were returned before the election date. On election night, some members pushed to revise the ballot and write in the past president thus not allowing the absentees the right to debate, or discuss. Would this invalidate the election?  If so, should we call for another election? How should the motions be worded. We are using the 11th edition Rules on issues not covered by bylaws or policy.  Can you state sections for my reference?

[Guest Who's Coming to Dinner]

Members always have the right to write in a candidate of their choosing. They are not restricted to the announced or preprinted candidates. I presume this would go for absentee ballots as well. However, RONR forbids absentee voting, so you are on your own to apply whatever bylaw provisions you may have.

[Josh Martin]

1 hour ago, Guest RSchenk said:

Our club's president was removed from office.  An election for a new president was scheduled for the next meeting.  Candidates were selected. Members were notified of the election date and time.  Members who could not attend were sent absentee ballots.  The absentee ballots were returned before the election date. On election night, some members pushed to revise the ballot and write in the past president thus not allowing the absentees the right to debate, or discuss. Would this invalidate the election?  If so, should we call for another election? How should the motions be worded. We are using the 11th edition Rules on issues not covered by bylaws or policy.  Can you state sections for my reference?

Absentee voting is prohibited unless authorized by your bylaws. Even when absentee voting is permitted, RONR strongly recommends against a procedure where some votes are cast in person and others are cast by absentee ballot, in order to avoid exactly the problems you have described. Nonetheless, members have a right to vote for any eligible person, whether or not that person has been nominated, unless your bylaws provide otherwise.

See RONR, 11th ed., pgs. 423-424, 439.

There is another potential problem, however, in that you probably should not be holding an election for President in the first place in this situation. When there is a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President becomes President, unless your bylaws expressly provide otherwise (or if the office of Vice President is also vacant). There is then a vacancy in the office of Vice President which must be filled. Since you cannot elect a President if you already have one, this would make the election invalid, and you would need to hold a new election for Vice President.

See RONR, 11th ed., pg. 458.

Edited March 31, 2018 at 09:09 PM by Josh Martin

[SaintCad]

A member that chooses to be absent do not have their "right to debate" taken away or as you put it "not allow[ed]".  They willingly give up that right by not attending.