Incomplete election slate

[Guest Edmund]

Our organization is having its annual election for BOD. This year there are five openings so we need six to submit their resumes. It appears that there will be only two by the deadline. Our By-laws call for nominations from the floor to fill the remaining spots prior to the formal election if there aren't enough by the deadline. Some people argue that the two who turned in resumes are automatically elected and therefore only four need to be nominated from the floor for voting to fill the other three positions. I do not think this is correct. I feel that the two originals should be part of a slate of six (them + the four nominated from the floor) and from these we elect the top five. Help.

[hmtcastle]

This year there are five openings so we need six to submit their resumes.

Not according to RONR you don't.

If you don't have enough nominees, you hold the election anyway. Someone who wasn't nominated could win with write-in votes.

As always, your rules may vary. But RONR keeps it simple.

[Gary Novosielski]

Our organization is having its annual election for BOD. This year there are five openings so we need six to submit their resumes.

The use of "resumés"is not covered by RONR, so we can't answer what your rules mean. But why do you need six? Why not five; why not ten?

It appears that there will be only two by the deadline. Our By-laws call for nominations from the floor to fill the remaining spots prior to the formal election if there aren't enough by the deadline.

Only if there aren't enough? That would be unusual. Are you sure? Normally, you would call for nominations from the floor anyway. But nominations don't "fill spots." They're just nominations. Spots don't get filled until the actual election. You don't need nominees to hold an election.

Some people argue that the two who turned in resumes are automatically elected and therefore only four need to be nominated from the floor for voting to fill the other three positions. I do not think this is correct. I feel that the two originals should be part of a slate of six (them + the four nominated from the floor) and from these we elect the top five. Help.

Well, you're both incorrect. Nobody is "automatically" elected without an election, so you're right about that. But this idea of a "slate" is something that's not in RONR. Again you mention six like it was some magic number. You have five open seats, so you want people to vote for five names. There can be anywhere from none to a hundred candidates nominated. You should not stop at six, though.

And you do NOT take the top five. You take the top five of those who get a majority--i.e., whose names appear on more than half the ballots cast. If fewer than five get a majority, the ones who did are elected, and you hold a second ballot (or more) to elect the rest. You stop when you have elected enough. Ties are broken by voting yet again.