Uncontested Elections - Mailing Ballots

[Guest Sherri]

For electing officers, our club's bylaws say that nominations will be taken at a meeting (previously announced) and ballots will be mailed to the membership. The membership then mails the ballots back within 14 days. We are filling two vacancies on the board and had nominations at a membership meeting. There is only one nominee for each position. Does a ballot still need to be sent out or can these people be elected by acclamation? The only method for election that is in our bylaws in the ballot-mailing method. It seems a waste of time, paper, and postage when neither position is contested. Need advice, please.

[Robert B Fish]

For electing officers, our club's bylaws say that nominations will be taken at a meeting (previously announced) and ballots will be mailed to the membership. The membership then mails the ballots back within 14 days. We are filling two vacancies on the board and had nominations at a membership meeting. There is only one nominee for each position. Does a ballot still need to be sent out or can these people be elected by acclamation? The only method for election that is in our bylaws in the ballot-mailing method. It seems a waste of time, paper, and postage when neither position is contested. Need advice, please.

If your bylaws require that elections be conducted by ballot, that provision may not be waived, even by unanimous vote. While it might seem to be a waste, voting by ballot preserves the members' rights to write-in other candidates or to vote for an illegal candidate thereby denying the legal candidate the majority of votes cast needed for election.

-Bob

[hmtcastle]

It seems a waste of time, paper, and postage when neither position is contested.

Then you might want to think about amending the bylaws to accommodate such a situation. But for now, as noted, you've got to follow the rules as they are.

And I trust your mail-in ballot method is such that the secrecy of the members' votes is preserved.

[Guest Sherri]

Then you might want to think about amending the bylaws to accommodate such a situation. But for now, as noted, you've got to follow the rules as they are.

And I trust your mail-in ballot method is such that the secrecy of the members' votes is preserved.

Yes, the secrecy is preserved. I mail the ballots in envelopes and the ballot is printed on both sides so they can fold it over and mail it back without an envelope. No return address is necessary.

Thanks for your help.

[David A Foulkes]

Yes, the secrecy is preserved. I mail the ballots in envelopes and the ballot is printed on both sides so they can fold it over and mail it back without an envelope. No return address is necessary.

Thanks for your help.

And the potential problem here is if a ballot gets lost in the mail (hey, it does happen, you know), it would not be returned to the member, and they would go forward think their vote was received and counted. Oh well.

[hmtcastle]

And the potential problem here is if a ballot gets lost in the mail (hey, it does happen, you know), it would not be returned to the member, and they would go forward think their vote was received and counted.

Although if it were truly lost, I'm not sure how a return address would help.

In any case, Sherri may want to review RONR's famous "double envelope" method on p.410.

[David A Foulkes]

Although if it were truly lost, I'm not sure how a return address would help.

In any case, Sherri may want to review RONR's famous "double envelope" method on p.410.

Okay, maybe not so much lost (I was loose with that word) but let's go with incorrectly addressed then, or anything that might make it undeliverable and unreturnable.