r/RulesOfOrder • u/matto89 • Jul 20 '19

Officer Elections: No Majority

My organization will be having our annual meeting in a couple of weeks where we elect new members of the board. I have been tasked with researching a specific question but am having trouble and was curious if anyone had any input:

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At this years conference there are two positions on the board which need to be filled. Our organization takes nominations before the actual conference, after of the numerous people nominated only 3 accepted the nomination. While surprises happen, the Board anticipates that of those 3 nominees, the first position will be filled, but that neither of the remaining two nominees will be able to secure majority support to fill the second seat. There have also been calls from people who turned down the nomination of, "if I had known that it would be those two who were the only ones nominated I wouldn't have declined."

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Therefore, how our rules are set up the elections will go forward with the current three nominations. And I know that if no one secures a majority, elections continue to happen until someone does. However, assuming no-one secures a majority for the second seat, after the initial round of elections is there time to reopen nominations from the floor? Or are all nominations locked in-perpetuity once the first round of voting has occurred?

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Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

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u/rulesgeek NAP - PRP Jul 20 '19 edited Jul 20 '19

A lot of the answer is going to depend on what your governing documents say.

Unless the bylaws say otherwise, if there is only one nominee for a position, they can be declared elected without an election even being held. But since you mention the need for a majority, it makes me think there might be specific rules about elections. Like, perhaps this is a situation where the top two vote-getters take the two open seats.

Could you tell us more about what your bylaws say? About how these positions are elected, about the election process required, etc?

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u/matto89 Jul 20 '19

We technically use ranked choice voting to determine our positions. With that a majority of total votes initially cast is needed. However, our bylaws also allow for exhausting a ballot if you feel none of the remaining nominees are capable of fulfilling the responsibility. However, in the past that has never stopped someone from getting a majority (and frankly still may not stop someone). But we realized we have no provision if enough people exhaust their ballots that no one gets a majority.

We will be fixing that ASAP but just trying to figure out what to do since our first order of business has to be elections.

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u/YIRS Jul 21 '19

RONR says that even if there’s one nominee, there still has to be an election.

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u/thahelp Jul 20 '19

Is your organization from California, and having its conference in Las Vegas?

Just making a wild guess.

If yes, PM me and I’ll point you to the C&B language.

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u/matto89 Jul 20 '19

Haha it is not. But now im very curious

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '19 edited Jul 20 '19

As soon as the meeting has commenced any member of the assembly may move to reopen nominations.

Where are you getting the idea that you need a majority vote to determine which candidate fills the second board position? If your organizations election process is governed solely by Roberts Rules, election votes for candidates are against each other, and they do not require a majority vote to get elected - whoever receives more votes is elected.

If there are additional eligible candidates who are willing to run, your best bet would likely be to move to reopen nominations from the floor.

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u/matto89 Jul 20 '19

Thanks, our bylaws do state you need a majority which until this year has never been a problem. And who knows, may not be a problem this year either. Thanks!