Running as a slate

[Guest Peggy]

Is it possible under RONR to run candidates, one for each office, as an indivisible slate, or must they run as individuals? If the slate is permissible, where might I find reference in RONR?

Thanks!

[Kim Goldsworthy]

Is it possible under RONR to run candidates, one for each office, as an indivisible slate, ...

No.

You won't find a reference for such a thing in RONR 10th edition 2000.

... or must they run as individuals?

Forget "run".

They must be voted on individually.

Exception: If a (secret) ballot vote is not required, then no voting is required.

The chair merely announces (by acclamation) that each individual is elected.

To repeat, this assumes that there is no more than one nominee per open office.

So, in that regard, they are indeed a "slate" in the dictionary sense, not in the Robertian sense.

But, again, there is no such term as "slate" in RONR; and "running" is not to be found in RONR.

[Trina]

Is it possible under RONR to run candidates, one for each office, as an indivisible slate, or must they run as individuals? If the slate is permissible, where might I find reference in RONR?

Thanks!

NO on the 'indivisible' part. Anything like that would have to come from the bylaws, or other higher rules.

As Mr. Goldsworthy said, if there is only one candidate per office, people may call that a 'slate'. If no other nominations come from the floor, and if the bylaws don't call for a vote by ballot, the whole bunch of candidates may be declared elected by acclamation. However, that's really a shortcut for convenience -- it doesn't mean the various candidates are really linked together in any way.

[hmtcastle]

Is it possible under RONR to run candidates, one for each office, as an indivisible slate, or must they run as individuals?

And the underlying principle is that a member has a right to vote for whomever he wants, can not be compelled to vote for someone he doesn't want, and is free to abstain from voting. So you can't say that if you vote for Joe, you also have to vote for Jane and Jim and Jackie 'cause they're all on the same slate.

That''s not to say that those four can't campaign as a group and urge the voters to vote for all of them, but that's a different story..