However, it disadvantages candidates who lose an election for a position decided earlier and then can't serve a different position. 15 0 obj Announce that you are about to conduct the election of Lodge officers for the ensuing Masonic year and state that you will now accept nominations for the office of WM. 12 0 obj endobj Grand Lodge Dues 24 Conducting an Election of Officers 24-25 Section . As JPM of my lodge, I've been asked to serve in this role for our upcoming officer elections. Be careful and make no For this reason, members should listen carefully to the report of the ballot counters' committee. endobj Same in NM amd OR. Collectively, these motions are known as motions related to nominations. Apply a check mark to indicate the choice wherever . <>>> Lodge to vote, the Master should invite the tiler in and have a The election (or rejection) of a candidate in a Masonic lodge is a secret ballot, and with few exceptions, must be completely unanimous. may use different methods of electing officers. Lodge Election Procedures "Worshipful Master (WM) or Preceding Officer" 1. Any blue lodge that does not hold annual election of officers is considered irregular by most Grand Lodges. [What is Freemasonry] [Leadership Voting by ballot enables a member to vote for a candidate not formally nominated by writing in a name a write-in vote. % If your bylaws don't require you to conduct an election by ballot, and if candidates are unopposed or there's no major contest for an office, you can save time with a simple voice vote (or viva voce). This example is based on moving to have nominations by committee, but the form is essentially the same for any of the methods. The report of the nominating committee is usually given under "special orders." When presenting the nominations or taking the vote for a list of offices, the president should follow the order of offices that appears in the bylaws. time immemorial. Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox! If a member is not present to choose which office he or she wants to serve, the members vote on which office they want him or her to serve. 3 0 obj endobj WM: "Brother Junior Warden, how stands the ballot in the Lodge over all Masons, affiliated and unaffiliated, that live and reside within the territory from which the Lodge may receive petitions for the Degrees; and, (b) personal jurisdiction, which means the power of the Lodge over its own members wherever they may reside and ceases only when the Brother ceases to be a member of the Lodge. j]Ic[faPhgcP0U0.!boS/]9[[3+:;:+:Q1DX. 3 0 obj Taking nominations by mail is basically the same as taking nominations by ballot. Only members entitled to vote are given ballots or are allowed to deposit ballots with a ballot counter or place them in the ballot receptacle. If members haven't used the machine before, it may be wise to show them how to use it the day before the election. appears the ballot shall be immediately retaken, and if a blackball He serves as Chairman of the Trustees of Title to the Masonic Temple and other Real Estate of the Grand Lodge, is a Trustee of the Consolidated Fund and Trustee of the Masonic Charities Fund. The election process may be the easiest part of deciding who handles a particular job in the organization. These elections happen in the end of the year to elect the following years leadership team. Freemasonry, the teachings and practices of the fraternal (men-only) order of Free and Accepted Masons, the largest worldwide secret societyan oath-bound society, often devoted to fellowship, moral discipline, and mutual assistance, that conceals at least some of its rituals, customs, or activities from the public (secret societies do not endobj However, calling nominations from your seat is often impractical, so you may want to adopt a more formal nomination process. The election of lodge officers is an annual event, specified in the lodge bylaws. WM: "The brethren of ____________ Lodge No. <> Voting machines having wedges inserted to prevent the lever from going down all the way. Talks] [Masonic endobj His term expires July, 2014.". You simply say, "Mr. Chairman, I move that the chair appoint a committee of three to consider and make recommendations on the replacement of Mr. Exeter, who has resigned as chairman of the membership committee." This site is not an official site of any recognized Masonic body in the United Tradition holds that the Master of the lodge appoint a committee of three (usually Past Masters) to serve as a Tellers Committee. In a ballot vote, after the ballot counters have collected all the ballots, a member can make the motion to adjourn. The mechanics of the election are governed by a few sections of the Minnesota Masonic Code and quite a bit of lodge tradition. It will take you step by step through the election process, help you to identify your responsibilities during each step, and provide suggestions to make your job easier. 0 If the bylaws specifically address this situation, members should follow the bylaws. ", WM: "How in the West, Brother Senior Warden? <> %PDF-1.5 You must log in or register to reply here. Blogs] [Links] endobj (After June 15, individual counties and cities could choose to continue their own meeting limitations, in which case those limitations would continue in force.) The above procedure is repeated for each position or Brethren, I declare that you have The person who gets the most votes may not have a majority of the votes. << /Im1 11 0 R >> >> LODGE VISITATION - A PRIVILEGE. . For the qualifications of candidates in order to join a Masonic Lodge in Texas there are a series of "Freemason requirements". The entire ballot counters' report should be included in the minutes of the meeting. Depending on your organization and the decisions being made, balloting may take place during a meeting, or polls may be open during polling periods including times when no meeting is in progress. <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Grand Lodge Committee on Masonic Education: CHAPTER 31: Lodge Service Commission: CHAPTER 32: . Cell phones, chewing gum, crinkly snack wrappers and other distractions should be disallowed during a fraternity election (except during breaks). (or for affiliation) which has received a unanimously favorable endobj The appointive officers of the Grand Lodge, save the Deputy Grand Secretary, shall be Robert's Rules on elections are very straightforward after what is often a politically charged prequel of nominating and campaigning. If it is discovered after an election that the person elected does not meet the eligibility requirements, and even if the person has begun to serve, the election is void. A Lodge supporting this vital outreach of the Foundation, will be properly noted. mistake.". Nominations are taken for successive offices in the order they're listed in the bylaws. The secretary places all nominations in the minutes. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The presiding officer can continue presiding, even if he or she is one of the nominees for the office. These elections are to vote on new top lodge officers in the blue lodge. Chapter 63 covers general voting and Chapter 68 covers the secret ballot. States or elsewhere. Adam is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Pennsylvania and is employed as a Senior Manager of International Tax in Latrobe, PA. It varies! Because fraud does happen in the election process, members need to be alert and watchful of the election process. Whenever you need to specify a way to come up with nominees, as you probably will for situations your bylaws don't cover, you use a motion related to the method of nominations. WM: "You will present the ballot to the officers and <> The motion to have a vote for a particular office recounted needs a second, is not debatable, and takes a majority vote to adopt. programs and procedures of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, a Masonic District and their Lodge. ballot closed." 3. "30*5gDcJuk.w^m=12Ua&0cE'|H%KV L%|c]c0l;v=[, Cj+M 38xHDL\. accept?" endobj "If so, I declare the The election of lodge officers is an annual event, specified in the lodge bylaws. The "lex non scripta," or unwritten law of Freemasonry is derived from the traditions, usages and customs of . 1.01 Charter: This Lodge exists by virtue of a Charter, dated 20th day of January, 1892 from the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Florida, and is located in the City of Clearwater, in the County of Pinellas, in the State of Florida. When the next meeting begins, the first order of business is to hear the report of the balloting committee and for the presiding officer to announce the vote that was taken at the previous meeting. Your group's rules and customs determine when floor nominations are accepted. a portion or all of the petition(s) reread? If electronic machines are used for voting, they should be programmed so that each segment of the ballot is treated as if it were a separate ballot. Confusion concerning the balloting process generally derives from lodge traditions being introduced into the elements of balloting that are not fully explained in our Code. This method gives voters an idea of the group's preferences without holding an actual election. Conducting an Election of Officers p. 25 Section III. Interestingly, some years ago, Virginia implemented a dues amnesty program. endobj should be destroyed. REG. <> Take security measures to protect the privacy of the nominating ballot; each member is instructed to fold his or her ballot inside a signed envelope and mail it back in an outer envelope. Members then vote on a candidate to fill the remaining office. If members adjourn before an election is complete, they should set the time for an adjourned meeting to finish the election. A member of the committee should then be designated to call each nominee to see if he or she is willing to serve if elected. Two top hats are placed on the kneeling pad at foot We can conduct lodge business in the EA degree in Minnesota, but only Master Masons can vote. [ 11 0 R] In counting the votes, the balloting committee must not confuse a majority vote with the highest number of votes. MAKE SURE YOU READ YOUR GRAND LODGE CODE! Remember brethren, a 5 0 obj The Committee on Masonic Education and Information of . f;-^*//%^je)R%^eKuZJQ\LU/Zgy:FDt8KF:US1OG+T/5i]\V5qhw`6mjzS"m].#{T^]q p;43[9[C nF^y' 64 A member shouldn't offer more than one nomination to a position if there are several seats for the same office such as for nominees to a board or a committee until all other members have had the opportunity to make nominations. The Master may approve a collective ballot if there To which Blaise replies "Yeah, 200 bucks is pretty steep.". Rules may include how long the organization saves ballots and how long members can wait to challenge an election. The main advantage here is that it allows members to consider the election results of one office before proceeding to the election of another office. If something doesn't quite add up, a member should question it during the meeting. A write-in vote is a legal vote unless it's unintelligible or cast for an unidentifiable or ineligible person or for a fictitious character, in which case it's counted as an illegal vote. 1. Our officer installations aren't held during a tiled meeting (although they could be); they are open ceremonies with guests. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. A motion to open nominations, when made by a member, is usually a motion to reopen nominations after they have been closed. In balloting on a petition for affiliation, if one blackball but their new year lodge elections and officer installations have been delayed due to their inability to meet. A parade of misfortunes had culminated by forcing potato planter Fred Jensen to stop his cross-country dash 85 miles short of his destination. Ask for nominations for an officer position. 9. Don't implement a new process to 450 lodges until it is . altar. When the secretary mails the members a notice about the nomination and election meeting, the letter can include a request that members who do not wish to be considered for office notify the secretary in writing. Nominees do not have to leave the room during the nominations, when the vote is taken, or when the vote is counted. Only one (1) official website per Lodge will be recognized by the Grand Lodge and linked to by the Grand Lodge of Georgia's website. ", WM: "Fair (cloudy) in the South, clear (dark) in the In either case, you need to appoint reliable ballot counters to hand out and collect ballots and to count the votes. NOTE: This is only a suggested procedure. Introduction. <> Some Lodges announce the results of the vote. However, we open the Lodge on the 3rd then call to refreshment, invite everyome in, after the ceremony the WM closes without form. . The Grand Lodge was founded shortly after George I, the first Hanoverian king of the Kingdom of Great Britain, ascended to the throne on 1 August 1714 and the end of the first Jacobite rising of 1715.. Officially, the Grand Lodge of England was founded in London on St. John the Baptist's day, 24 June 1717, when four existing Lodges gathered at the Goose and Gridiron Ale-house in St. Paul's . If your assembly's members are accountable to a constituency, your rules may require you to conduct your elections by roll-call vote. Master. If a member votes for fewer choices than positions to be elected, the vote is legal and those votes count. majority of those voting being necessary for election, and the Worshipful If counting ballots takes some time, it is best for the assembly to take a recess instead of adjourn. Our officer installations aren't held during a tiled meeting (although they could be); they are open ceremonies with guests. 3. During an election, especially when ballot counters are not trained or when candidates are running in opposition, members may become aware of mistakes or illegal procedures in collecting or counting the ballots. The Senior Deacon presents the ballot to each officer << /Type /Page /Parent 3 0 R /Resources 6 0 R /Contents 4 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] 8 0 obj A person can nominate himself or herself. After the votes are counted, the lead ballot counter reads aloud to the membership the complete report of the vote counts but doesn't declare the result. 1 0 obj cubes in the box. Master informs the successful individual as follows: "Brother Balloting for your acceptance into a Masonic lodge After the investigative committee reports to the lodge, your petition is voted on. Register a free account today to become a member! hmo@W}w*JGEa]/p o?_%au/$"p@ZPI 6AKFQt$8g!AHG[v;~&Wwu~|1xX21`9-Yd]%dsXQNxm -$we/mc5qrq:a/}4Y#A6,UX"{,S(JCs4l>nl,~nn%M&bt_zFPVJ_**#lU6uZe]Y[;M 6tvM{7W/225[n_SOmGP_4U_rH1v %m" &"`hh&q'I%D-rI$\\OScmalRCiPh_Th 7AN.RR9ou|r:9>NpT~XI|{&]MJ )FvJlC{hDRDT "DJc+^zrPl c[ That job belongs to the presiding officer, who reads the report again to the members, concluding with a formal declaration of the result. ojx&^ 64>"> |&`mkG l[o;5``ek l[;5zk Vhp 5Pq_t.Z1lhp3M \H{Tl nF$UkavOv1nT#-`mkp;m ~l 3ohG nF_..}$38~?g}z+O}?.]7?"kR7tFWo'E^ "EJ*F/'NPTAT,4)/ItJl8KgHC#unG &;iL-;G[_gC 6{-sMIa{vN_CwNeCE +]`7)$k,2? You follow the same procedures for elections by ballot, as far as arriving at the point of the election is concerned, but instead of casting your vote by ballot, each member announces his vote when the secretary calls that person's name. It is considered a faux pas to cross . of altar. Only MMs vote. You are using an out of date browser. endstream endobj 37 0 obj <>stream This requires secretaries (and possibly grand secretaries if different jurisdictions) to get involved, but is a somewhat common occurrence. it to the Master who inspects the ballot box making sure that the Our officer installations aren't held during a tiled meeting (although they could be); they are open ceremonies with guests. At the end of each successful vote the ballots The Trustees of the Charitable Foundation have authorized the "build out" of the Grand Lodge Library into the space formerly the drive through banking area. The duty of a nominating committee is to find the best candidate for each office. ____________ Lodge No. endobj and the Past Masters around the Lodge and places the ballot box on the A member can rise and decline the nomination during the nominating process. Section 3. %PDF-1.7 % 54 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[]/Index[33 34]/Info 32 0 R/Length 100/Prev 87331/Root 34 0 R/Size 67/Type/XRef/W[1 2 1]>>stream If you have only two candidates and the vote is a tie, you repeat the balloting until one candidate receives a majority. in Season 1, episode 2 of Lodge 49 on AMC, our hero Dud (Wyatt Russel) tells Blaise (David Pasquesi) "You'd have more people if the membership fee wasn't so high.". Whatever nomination method you propose, be specific. To help with the Masonic experience at Lodge meetings, you were allowed to open on any degree, and use the Chamber Westside Toastmasters is located in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Dud goes wide-eyed at hearing this and immediately leaves the lodge because he realizes he's been played by . Every day , before I retired, I would receive a wide variety of questions and comments from Constituent Lodge Secretaries and other officers, many of which are quite applicable to other lodges. WB Christopher J. Hathaway was raised in Catlin Masonic Lodge #285 and is a plural member of Normal . If you have a nominating committee in place, ask this group to declare their nominee for a specific officer role. The laws which govern the institution of Freemasonry are of two kinds, unwritten and written, and may in a manner be compared with the "lex non scripta," or common law, and the "lex seripta," or statute law of English and American jurists. ;J @*Ix~6ia 023X85i=%/v')^KkHaQaA {DCAH ' 1. Register a free account today to become a member! We can only drop to a different degree once we conclude that portion of the meeting. Join a brotherhood of over 2,000,000 men of all ages, from all races, religions, and countries, and from all walks of life. and the Master may oblige him to do so. A newly raised Master . <> once petition the same or any other Lodge in the jurisdiction. <> When two gavel knocks are heard, only officers of the lodge stand. An election is really nothing more than the handling of an assumed motion, with the question being on whom to elect to fill a position. other regular Masonic body other than those stated. In Texas, per Art. Lindale Masonic Lodge: 200 W. Margaret Street, Lindale, TX 75771 Main Location The HUB: 304 E. Ferguson Street, Tyler, TX 75702 Noonday Community Center: 16662 CR 196, Tyler, TX 75703 St.. 4[>56[Wbz ; ~D.Lf Y`S=#A.%* ^Ckk8a)W=Lt!z3 EHDG}S?#&,y$OAYNOQ kKl_B ? Your group's rules and customs determine when floor nominations are accepted. In most places, the answer is likely no. I've never see a script or outline, but it should proceed as follows: That sounds like the CA required verbiage. In most of the same grand lodge jurisdictions, there is also a G painted, sculpted, or otherwise suspended in the symbolic East of the lodge room (typically over the Master's chair).. The Senior Deacon presents the ballot for examination Development] [Education] [Masonic Sometimes the committee is revived to make nominations to fill vacancies. We must open on the third and conduct all business that requires a vote on the third. One vote against the petitioner generally rejects him. If the ballot vote decides an election, you're instructed to write the name of the nominee of your choice on your ballot. [Articles] [Masonic It varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. endobj position north of the altar. All business is done in a MM lodge. Booth Lodge 100-100C, be amended . The minutes may say, for example, "Eric Olson was elected to the board for two years. Can't interrupt a speaker who has the floor or a member making a nomination, Requires a majority vote (except the motion to close nominations, which requires a two-thirds vote), Can be reconsidered if it's a negative vote to reopen nominations. All business is done in a MM lodge. 2017 2 PREFACE This Manual has been assembled to enable Brethren to better understand the laws, customs, programs and procedures of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, a Masonic District and their Lodge. Organizations can create and write election rules to correct this mistake. ____ for the ensuing Masonic year. If no candidate is found, the committee can leave that slot open for nominations from the floor. If a person has been nominated to more than one office and is elected to two offices, he or she can choose which office he or she wants.