Ballot for several candidates for equal number of board seats

[Guest Anon]

A board has a three open positions which are to be filled by an election at a meeting of the members. The bylaws allow nominations only by a nominating committee. The nominating committee nominates three names. The bylaws require a ballot election. I believe that each open position is treated as a separate "ballot" and so if we distribute ballots with all three names, and someone votes for one or two but not all three names, we don't count the blank sections in the denominator for those names. So as long as one person votes for each person, they will be elected. Am I correct in that? This is going to feel kind of like a waste of time.

[Gary Novosielski]

No, it  is somewhat different.

If the three offices are identical, it is one section on the ballot, with the instructions: Vote for up to three.  Then, when counting the ballots, you count the number of ballots that express at least one choice, and that total becomes the "number of votes cast".  Ballots that express no discernable preference are ignored, as are blank ballots.  Write-ins are counted the same as other votes.   Ballots with votes for more than three are counted as one illegal ballot cast, but add one to the total.

The number required to elect is a majority, i.e. more than half, of the votes cast.   Candidates who receive fewer votes than that are not elected.

Even if the bylaws prohibit nominations from the floor, write-in votes are permitted, and there should be sufficient spaces on the ballot to accommodate them.

[Guest Anon]

Thank you, that's very helpful. I had not considered that write-ins would be allowed. The bylaws describe a nomination by petition of members as well, and those nominees are to be vetted by the board. So it seemed like they bylaws only contemplate election of board-approved nominees. But I think you will say that unless the bylaws specifically say write-ins are not allowed then they are allowed. 

[Joshua Katz]

That, and that by definition a write-in is not a nominee.