Incomplete Slate of officers

[Guest Melinda]

As Chairman of our book club’s nominating committee I am having trouble filling one office.  

If I can’t get a volunteer before the slate us voted on, what happens?  Our bylaws don’t address this issue.

[Richard Brown]

Do your bylaws or special rules of order prohibit nominations from the floor?  If not, and if RONR is your parliamentary authority, nominations must be taken from the floor at the meeting at which the nominating committee makes its report and, if a different meeting, the meeting at which elections take place.  So, if someone offers to serve, that person can be nominated from the floor and may even nominate himself or herself.  46:6 RONR (12th ed.).

As to the nominating committee, the committee can reconvene and add a nominee to its list of nominees.  I will note that it is usually not correct to refer to the list of nominees as a "slate" unless your rules specifically require it.  Unless your rules provide otherwise, the nominating committee should compile a list of nominees, each of whom is usually voted on individually rather than as a "slate". 

[Gary Novosielski]

If the rules in RONR apply, "slates" are not voted on, and in fact are not a thing.  The report of the nominating committee is not called a slate, it is called the Report of the Nominating Committee.  It is a list of individual nominees, each of whom is elected (or not) individually, not as a group.

After the report of the Nominating Committee is delivered, the chair must call for additional nominations from the floor. 

If a ballot vote is required by the bylaws, one must be held, and write-in votes are permitted (and space should be allowed for them on the ballot).  If a ballot vote is not required, any unopposed candidate can simply be declared elected "by acclamation".

If there are no nominees for an office, write-in votes are still possible, but unless the bylaws provide otherwise, any election must be by majority vote, i.e., any elected candidate must receive more votes than all other candidates for that office, combined. A second and subsequent ballots may be necessary.  

If, at the conclusion of the voting, an office remains unfilled, the election is incomplete, and still must be completed as soon as possible.  Depending on what your bylaws say about the term of office (look for a phrase such as "...until their successors shall be elected"), an existing incumbent might remain in office until the election is completed.  If the office becomes vacant, a person can be appointed to fill it, but only until the election can be completed.  

[I see that @Richard Brownbeat me to the Save button, but fortunately, we agree.]

Edited February 28, 2023 at 05:58 PM by Gary Novosielski
[added]

[Richard Brown]

On 2/28/2023 at 11:55 AM, Gary Novosielski said:

[I see that @Richard Brownbeat me to the Save button, but fortunately, we agree.]

Yes, but you mentioned an option that I did not:  the option for write-in votes.  And you went into more detail. 😃

Edited February 28, 2023 at 06:07 PM by Richard Brown
Added last sentence