Board Officer Elections

[thompsoj]

If three people are running for Chairman of the Board and a majority is needed to win how is a runoff handled. Is the lowest vote getter eliminated and the runoff between the two remaining candidates or do all three candidates stay in the race and voting continue until someone achieves a majority?

[hmtcastle]

If three people are running for Chairman of the Board and a majority is needed to win how is a runoff handled. Is the lowest vote getter eliminated and the runoff between the two remaining candidates or do all three candidates stay in the race and voting continue until someone achieves a majority?

"all three candidates stay in the race and voting continue until someone achieves a majority"

[jstackpo]

...which may involve finding a fourth candidate that the three factions can agree upon - a sort of "everybody's second choice" dark horse.

[David A Foulkes]

"all three candidates stay in the race and voting continue until someone achieves a majority"

"When repeated balloting for an office is necessary, the names of all nominees are kept on the ballot. The nominee receiving the lowest number of votes is never removed from the next ballot unless the bylaws so require, or unless he withdraws - which, in the absence of such a bylaw, he is not obligated to do."

(RONR 10th Ed. p 426ff)

Now, this suggests that in fact any nominee may withdraw, despite the fact that it mentions only the lowest vote getter has that option. I personally doubt that is the only nominee who has this option available.

As for a fourth candidate, while write-in votes may be the way to get him/her into the race, I believe that nominations would need to be re-opened to put the name "officially" on the ballot. This is an Incidental motion requiring a second, is not debatable, is amendable, requires a majority vote, reconsiderable in the negative only.

[hmtcastle]

Now, this suggests that in fact any nominee may withdraw, despite the fact that it mentions only the lowest vote getter has that option. I personally doubt that is the only nominee who has this option available.

There's no need to personally doubt it or impersonally doubt it since it was never suggested. But perhaps the 11th Edition, which, for the first time, is carrying the weight of the online parliamentary world on its shoulders, might clarify this.

Nor does withdrawing one's name prevent one from being elected.

[David A Foulkes]

There's no need to personally doubt it or impersonally doubt it since it was never suggested. But perhaps the 11th Edition, which, for the first time, is carrying the weight of the online parliamentary world on its shoulders, might clarify this.

Nor does withdrawing one's name prevent one from being elected.

Impersonally doubt. I like that.

[Gary Novosielski]

"When repeated balloting for an office is necessary, the names of all nominees are kept on the ballot. The nominee receiving the lowest number of votes is never removed from the next ballot unless the bylaws so require, or unless he withdraws - which, in the absence of such a bylaw, he is not obligated to do."

(RONR 10th Ed. p 426ff)

Now, this suggests that in fact any nominee may withdraw, despite the fact that it mentions only the lowest vote getter has that option. I personally doubt that is the only nominee who has this option available.

Of course any nominee may withdraw. The reason that only the lowest vote getter is mentioned is that only in the case of the lowest vote getter would it even be suggested that his name be removed from the ballot. Certainly nobody would suggest removing someone else and leaving the lowest vote getter. RONR just makes it clear that nobody gets removed.

In the process of withdrawing, a nominee may also "throw" his support to another candidate, but of course the voters need not abide by this. They may even continue to vote for a candidate who has withdrawn, and possibly even elect him to office. If he then declines, they can't compel him to serve. They can, however, continue to vote for him in the new election.

Eventually all elections end, just as all planes eventually land. As the air traffic controllers are fond of saying, "We've never left one up there yet."