BALLOT COUNTING

[Guest LYNN WHITT]

HI I BEEN READING ROBERTS RULES AND CAN NOT FIND ANYTHING ON IF AN ELECTION IS GOING ON AND BALLOTS ARE TURNED IN, IF THE CHAIR AND VICE PRESIDENT ARE ON THE BALLOT FOR ELECTION CAN THEY ALSO TALLY BALLOTS AND OPEN THEM AT THE MEETING? I THOUGHT THE CHAIR WAS TO APPOINT 3 MEMBERS TO TALLY THE VOTES 

[Richard Brown]

1 hour ago, Guest LYNN WHITT said:

HI I BEEN READING ROBERTS RULES AND CAN NOT FIND ANYTHING ON IF AN ELECTION IS GOING ON AND BALLOTS ARE TURNED IN, IF THE CHAIR AND VICE PRESIDENT ARE ON THE BALLOT FOR ELECTION CAN THEY ALSO TALLY BALLOTS AND OPEN THEM AT THE MEETING? I THOUGHT THE CHAIR WAS TO APPOINT 3 MEMBERS TO TALLY THE VOTES 

No, they should not.  See the following language on page 414 of RONR:

" Balloting Procedure. In balloting in a meeting where the voting is in the same room as the meeting, the chair appoints tellers to distribute, collect, and count the ballots, and to report the vote. The number of tellers is dependent on the number of voters, and the number of offices to be filled or questions to be answered, or the number of candidates. For a small group, two or three tellers are usually sufficient. The tellers should be chosen for accuracy and dependability, should have the confidence of the membership, and should not have a direct personal involvement in the question or in the result of the vote to an extent that they should refrain from voting under the principle stated on page 407. Often their position with regard to the issue involved is well known, however, and they are frequently chosen to protect the interests of each opposing side. They normally vote themselves."   (Emphasis added).

Note that this provision does not specifically prohibit a candidate from being a teller, but the better procedure is that the tellers not be candidates, although it is generally permissible and sometimes even customary that the candidates are permitted to witness the counting of the ballots.

[Josh Martin]

2 hours ago, Guest LYNN WHITT said:

HI I BEEN READING ROBERTS RULES AND CAN NOT FIND ANYTHING ON IF AN ELECTION IS GOING ON AND BALLOTS ARE TURNED IN, IF THE CHAIR AND VICE PRESIDENT ARE ON THE BALLOT FOR ELECTION CAN THEY ALSO TALLY BALLOTS AND OPEN THEM AT THE MEETING?

There is no rule explicitly prohibiting this, but I think most would agree that it is not the best idea.

2 hours ago, Guest LYNN WHITT said:

I THOUGHT THE CHAIR WAS TO APPOINT 3 MEMBERS TO TALLY THE VOTES 

There is no rule requiring a certain number of tellers.

If the assembly is sufficiently displeased with this, it is permissible to suspend the rules (by a 2/3 vote) to have the society elect the tellers instead.