Improper Election

[Guest Guest George]

We had our election of offices at our last meeting. According to the board there were 22 members who could vote. I have been told that they allowed one member to vote that was not on the approved list of 24. In our bylaws it states that the President will only cast a vote when there is a tie, and we has also found out that he did vote. What should the general membership do in this case.

[Guest guest george]

Sorry should of been on the approved list of 22.

[David A Foulkes]

We had our election of offices at our last meeting. According to the board there were 22 members who could vote. I have been told that they allowed one member to vote that was not on the approved list of 24. In our bylaws it states that the President will only cast a vote when there is a tie, and we has also found out that he did vote. What should the general membership do in this case.

What was the outcome of the vote? If this one member's vote could not have affected the result, then there's really no worry about it this time anyway. Just pay better attention next time.

[hmtcastle]

Just pay better attention next time.

And don't let your board run your elections.

[David A Foulkes]

We had our election of offices at our last meeting. According to the board there were 22 members who could vote. I have been told that they allowed one member to vote that was not on the approved list of 24. In our bylaws it states that the President will only cast a vote when there is a tie, and we has also found out that he did vote. What should the general membership do in this case.

Just curious how you found this out. And by the way, this (the prez voting) really has nothing to do with your post, as we understand it so far. Just sayin'.....

And don't let your board run your elections.

Unless, of course, the board elects its own officers, although we can only surmise from George's post that this was not the case in this situation, due to the wording in his question.

George?

[Guest Guest George]

Just curious how you found this out. And by the way, this (the prez voting) really has nothing to do with your post, as we understand it so far. Just sayin'.....

Unless, of course, the board elects its own officers, although we can only surmise from George's post that this was not the case in this situation, due to the wording in his question.

George?

[Guest guest george]

The one member who voted that should not of has told a few of us that they allowed him to vote. We really don't know the vote total after going into another room to count the votes they came out and just said who won. Also it should be noted that when people asked to see the ballots they were told no.

[Gary c Tesser]

The one member who voted that should not of has told a few of us that they allowed him to vote. We really don't know the vote total after going into another room to count the votes they came out and just said who won. Also it should be noted that when people asked to see the ballots they were told no.

The tellers' report of an election result should always be announced, and it should include the vote tallies. Your group did not do this ... but generally, a procedural violation, which this is, must be nipped at the time it happens, or it's too late to object. I am toying with proposing that the violation was of a level that violated the rights of an individual member (also a valid objection if what was violated was the right of more than one of the individual members -- memo to the A-Team for the 11th Edition) -- as Chris H said, in another, related discussion thread -- but I suspect it wouldn't hold a lot of water.

... Maybe more, but at this point I think you better pay someone. Really. Contact the AIP or the NAP for a referral.

-- GcT

[David A Foulkes]

The one member who voted that should not of has told a few of us that they allowed him to vote. We really don't know the vote total after going into another room to count the votes they came out and just said who won. Also it should be noted that when people asked to see the ballots they were told no.

A bit of impropriety here. As noted, the tellers (committee) should have reported the results to the assembly, reading aloud all the vote count totals for all candidates, write-ins, illegal votes, etc, and then handed their (hand-written) report to the chair, who would re-read all the numbers and announce the results. This information would then be entered into the minutes. FYI for next election. See pages 400-404 for details.

As for whether (some members of) the assembly had a right to actually see the ballots is not something I recall seeing addressed in RONR, but we might find out something about that in subsequent posts.

[Gary Novosielski]

We really don't know the vote total after going into another room to count the votes they came out and just said who won. Also it should be noted that when people asked to see the ballots they were told no.

The count of ballots is required in the form of a teller's report [RONR p. 403], which should be read to the members present and entered in the minutes. If your minutes of that meeting have not been approved, you should require that correction; if they have been, you should require their amendment. If the tellers have destroyed the ballots without a record of the results, they should be reprimanded.

Under no circumstances should this be omitted in an election ... out of deference to the feelings of unsuccessful candidates....

...nor, I would hasten to add, out of any less altruistic purpose.

---

On your other point, it is correct that individual members have no power to inspect the ballots, but (a majority of) the assembly could have ordered a recount. The society, by custom (or a motion), may require ballots to be counted in full view of the assembly.

In fact, I don't know of a rule in RONR that would prevent the assembly from discharging the tellers committee and requiring them to produce the ballots, so that a recount in full view could be conducted by a different set of tellers (but others might know of one).

Of course, any of these remedies would require a general dissatisfaction on the part of the assembly with the way things were handled. If you're a lone voice, you're unlikely to get very far, unless you're a hell of an orator. If nobody cared enough to raise a point of order at the time, it may all be water under the bridge by now.

[Guest Member1301]

As a member,I am suspect of our last election.Who may request a recount?...When can an election be ruled invalid?

[Chris Harrison]

As a member,I am suspect of our last election.Who may request a recount?

Any member though the assembly would first have to agree to that by majority vote. However, the recount would be of the ballots which were cast. So if the ballots were destroyed or there is question of whether they were kept secure (meaning that no one tampered with them) ordering a recount may not be possible.

When can an election be ruled invalid?

If a continuing breach as discussed on RONR p. 244 occurred.

[Josh Martin]

As a member,I am suspect of our last election.

We may be able to provide further assistance if you would explain why.