GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING UNIT ELECTIONS

Transcription

1 Na Tsi Hi Lodge 71 Order of the Arrow Monmouth Council Boy Scouts of America GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING UNIT ELECTIONS A. PROCEDURES FOR UNIT ELECTIONS Candidates for youth membership in the Order of the Arrow (OA) shall be elected by youth members of the unit in accordance with the policies set forth by the National Committee of the Order of the Arrow. Youth Membership Qualifications To qualify as a candidate for youth membership in the Order of the Arrow, all of the following requirements must be satisfied: 1) be under 21 years of age*; 2) be an active, registered member of the Boy Scouts of America; 3) hold the rank of First Class Scout, as a minimum; 4) after registration with a Troop or Varsity Team, but within 2 years immediately prior to the election, have experienced 15 days and nights of camping under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America, including 6 consecutive days and 5 nights of long term camping, with the remaining days and nights to be overnight, weekend, or other short term camps; and 5) be approved by the Unit Leader. * A Scout with a disability who is classified as a youth member of the unit (regardless of age) may vote and be a candidate for election as long as all other qualifications are met. To be inducted into the Order of the Arrow, candidates must participate in the Ordeal and in the Induction Ceremony. Preparing for the Election Night Please note: 1) the election must be conducted by a trained Election Representative of Na Tsi Hi Lodge 71, preferably by an election team, unless it can be demonstrated that this would cause extreme hardship for the unit. 2) only youth candidates may be elected by the unit; and Page 1 of 7 rev 12/29/12

2 3) adult candidates may be recommended by the unit, but must be approved by the Lodge s Adult Selection Committee and the Scout Executive. Preparation for the election should begin well in advance of election night, with a review of the purpose of the Order of the Arrow and the qualifications required for election. The Scouts should be advised that election into the Order of the Arrow must be based on the candidate s willingness to serve his fellow Scouts. While adults may advise the youth members of the unit on fair and proper procedures for an election, please remember that the actual conduct of the election is the responsibility of the youth members, and their decision is final. The Unit Leader should prepare a list of those Scouts who are qualified for membership in the Order of the Arrow. This information should be conspicuously posted at the time of the election. At least 50 percent of the active registered youth members of the unit must be present to hold an election. The Unit Leader determines who the active members are. In Boy Scout troops and Varsity Scout teams, every registered active member of the unit who is under 21 years of age at the time of the election is eligible to vote. Be sure to have available a sufficient quantity of paper and pens/pencils for writing ballots. Holding the Unit Election The Unit Leader selects a date for the election and informs all youth members of the unit. It is the responsibility of the Unit Leader to ensure that at least one Election Representative of the Order of the Arrow is present to conduct the election. This may be the unit s OA Troop/Team Representative, or they may be members of an election team from the Lodge s Unit Relations Committee. The Unit Leader verifies that at least 50 percent of the active registered youth members of the unit are present, and that the names of the youth eligible for election are conspicuously posted. A member is considered active if he participates in at least some of the activities of the unit during the year. A youth may list on his ballot any combination of names, including all eligible candidates, who he believes are worthy to become members of the Order of the Arrow. The OA Election Team should stress the following points to the youth members of the unit prior to the election: 1) Select the candidates who, in your opinion, have set the best examples of brotherhood, cheerfulness, and service. Page 2 of 7 rev 12/29/12

3 2) Vote only for those whom you believe will continue in unselfish service to your unit. 3) If you are new in the unit and do not know the candidates well enough to vote wisely, you may abstain by not turning in a ballot at all; this will not affect the final result. 4) If you feel that none of the candidates are worthy to be members of the Order of the Arrow, turn in a blank ballot. 5) Youth members who are eligible for election also vote, and they may vote for themselves if they feel that they are worthy. 6) To be inducted into the Order of the Arrow, candidates who are elected must participate in the Ordeal and in the Induction Ceremony. 7) Membership in the Order of the Arrow continues long after the Ordeal is completed. Secret ballots should be cast. The ballots are collected by the OA Election Team. Tabulating the Ballots When the voting is finished, the OA Election Team counts the number of ballots turned in (including the blank ballots), and enters this number on the Youth Candidate Election Report. The OA Election Team then determines the minimum number of votes a youth must receive to be elected, as follows: if the number of ballots turned in is even, divide this number by 2; if the number is odd, first add 1, then divide by 2. The number of votes required for election is entered on the election report. The votes are counted in private by the OA Election Team and the Unit Leader. All votes count equally. If at least one youth member of the unit has been elected, the result is final. If no one is elected on the first ballot, the OA Election Team announces this fact and states that the unit will be given the opportunity to vote one more time. Time should be allowed for further explanation of the purpose of the Order of the Arrow and the election procedures, and for answering any questions. However, no information about the votes that have been counted is to be revealed at any time. The second ballot then is held immediately. If the unit still elects no one, then that is the final result for the year s election. For each of the youth candidates elected, the Unit Leader records on the election report the following information: name, full address (including ZIP code), telephone number, and birth date. The results may be announced following the election (at the discretion of the Unit Leader), but the actual vote count should not be publicized. Reporting Election Results Page 3 of 7 rev 12/29/12

4 Recording and reporting the results of the election are as important as the election itself. Please use the Youth Candidate Election Report form supplied in the election kit. This form is NCR (No Carbon Required). Please print legibly and press hard enough for the last copy to be readable. The Unit Leader must sign the certificate of eligibility, and the youth member of the Order of the Arrow conducting the election must also sign the election report. Mail (or bring) the youth election report (along with the Adult Candidate Recommendation form, if any) to the Monmouth Council BSA Service Center. All election returns are due in by April 15th. The Unit Leader should retain the bottom copy of the election reports for the unit s records. Please a scanned copy of the completed forms to UNITRELATIONS@NATSIHI.ORG. This is to ensure that we receive your nominations and get the information to those candidates at the earliest possible time. Unless alternate arrangements are made by the Unit Leader with the Lodge Executive Committee, the candidates will be notified by mail concerning the date, time, and place of the Ordeal and the Induction Ceremony. Please tell the candidates that if they do not receive this notification by May 15th, they should inform the Unit Leader at once so that any mistakes can be corrected quickly and efficiently. Page 4 of 7 rev 12/29/12

5 Sample Election Scenario The following example illustrates a possible result of a hypothetical youth election. Number of registered active youth members in unit: 15 Number of youth members present at election: 9 Number of youth eligible for election: 5 Maximum number of names that may be listed per ballot: 5 Ballot 1 Ballot 2 Number of ballots turned in: 7 7 Number of votes required to be elected: 4 4 Number of candidates elected: 0 4 More than 50 percent of the registered active youth members in the unit are present, so the election may proceed. All of the youth eligible for election may be listed on a ballot. The 5 eligible Scouts are: Al, Bob, Chuck, Dave and Ed. The results of the first ballot are: Voter #1: (blank ballot) Voter #5: Chuck, Ed Voter #2: Al, Bob, Chuck Voter #6: Al, Bob, Dave Voter #3: Al, Dave, Ed Voter #7: Dave, Ed Voter #4: Bob, Chuck Voters 8 & 9: abstained Votes required for election = (7 ballots + 1) / 2 = 4 Votes received: Al 3 Dave 3 Bob 3 Ed 3 Chuck 3 Candidates elected: none Since no one received enough votes to be elected on the first ballot, a second (and final) ballot is held. The results are: Voter #1: (blank ballot) Voter #5: Al, Dave, Ed Voter #2: Al, Bob, Chuck Voter #6: Al, Chuck, Ed Voter #3: Al, Chuck, Dave Voter #7: Dave, Ed Voter #4: Chuck, Dave, Ed Voters 8 & 9: abstained Votes required for election = (7 ballots + 1) / 2 = 4 Votes received: Al 4 Dave 4 Bob 1 Ed 4 Chuck 4 Candidates elected: Al, Chuck, Dave & Ed Page 5 of 7 rev 12/29/12

6 B. PROCEDURES FOR UNIT ADULT CANDIDATE RECOMMENDATION Because the Order of the Arrow is principally a youth organization, unit Scouters are not to be given membership as a recognition. Recommendation of an adult for candidate status in the Order of the Arrow should take place only when that adult s participation will make the Order of the Arrow experience more meaningful in the lives of the youth members. Adult members shall be inducted into the Order of the Arrow at the discretion of the Lodge Adult Selection Committee and the Scout Executive. Adult Membership Qualifications Each year, the committee of a unit that has elected at least one youth candidate may recommend adult(s) to the Lodge for consideration as candidates for induction into the Order of the Arrow, provided the following conditions are fulfilled: 1) selection of the adult is based upon ability to perform the requisite functions, and not for recognition of service, including current or prior achievement and position; 2) the individual will be an asset to the Order of the Arrow due to demonstrated skills and abilities which fulfill the purpose of the Order; 3) the camping requirements set forth for youth candidates are fulfilled (in exceptional circumstances this requirement may be waived at the discretion of the Lodge Adviser and Scout Executive); 4) the adult leader s membership will provide a positive role model for the growth and development of the youth members of the Lodge; and 5) adult candidates must be 21 years of age or older and may be male or female. Recommending Adult Candidates A unit with up to 50 active youth (under 21 year old) members may nominate one adult per year, a unit with 51 to 100 active youth members may nominate up to two adults, and so on. Record the appropriate information on the Adult Candidate Recommendation form supplied in the election kit. This form is NCR (No Carbon Required). Please print legibly and press hard enough for the last copy to be readable. Both the Unit Leader and the Committee Chairman must sign the recommendation form, unless one of them is being recommended by the unit. In this case, an alternate adult leader should sign the form in place of the recommended adult. Page 6 of 7 rev 12/29/12

7 Return the completed Adult Candidate Recommendation form with the Youth Candidate Election Report. The unit should retain the bottom copy of both forms for the unit s records. Youth election and adult recommendation results must be returned to the Monmouth Council BSA Service Center by April 15th. A recommended adult candidate who is selected by the Lodge s Adult Selection Committee will be notified by mail concerning the date, time, and place of the Ordeal and the Induction Ceremony, unless alternate arrangements are made by the Unit Leader with the Lodge Executive Committee. A recommended adult candidate who does not receive this notification by May 15th should inform the Unit Leader at once so that any mistakes can be corrected quickly and efficiently. If a recommended adult is not accepted, the Unit will be notified by the Lodge. C. CANDIDATE STATUS After election, a Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, or adult Scouter remains a candidate until completion of the Ordeal and the Induction Ceremony at either the Spring Powwow or the Fall Powwow. If the candidate does not complete the Ordeal and Induction Ceremony at either weekend, the candidate s name will be dropped and he will no longer be a candidate. To become a candidate again, he must be re-elected (if he is a youth, or re-recommended if he is an adult). The Lodge Executive Committee may extend the time limit between election and induction if a candidate is ill or if there are other extenuating circumstances, but only upon written petition to the Lodge in a timely manner. Page 7 of 7 rev 12/29/12