After the period during which a recount can be conducted has passed, you don't need to keep the ballots. it to the Master who inspects the ballot box making sure that the No officer of a Masonic lodge may take up his elected or appointed duties until formally installed to his office by proper authority. If the lodge is not able to contact the individual after a reasonable period of time, the non-paying Mason is dropped (suspended). 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 of lodge officers is an annual event, specified in the lodge bylaws. 3. 263 0 obj <>stream [Articles] [Masonic After the committee reports, the chair states: President: The nominating committee nominates Alex Shaw for president, Bianca Fernandez for vice president, Raymond Platt for secretary, and Donna Agnese for treasurer. Whatever nomination method you propose, be specific. WM: "Brethren, you have heard read the Introduction. endstream endobj 37 0 obj <>stream JavaScript is disabled. If an elected candidate declines the office after he or she is elected and after the meeting has adjourned, another election needs to take place, if at all possible. If no candidate is found, the committee can leave that slot open for nominations from the floor. Pause. Some practices to watch out for include: Ballot boxes being stuffed or written ballots being changed. . 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. Ask for nominations for an officer position. These rules supersede the adopted parliamentary authority. Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation. 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. Both a bank's president and janitor can apply for membership, and they're considered equally qualified. 5 0 obj 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. The secretary should give the committee a copy of the membership list, the bylaws, a description of the duties of each office, and the eligibility requirements. petition(s) of _______________ for the degrees of Freemasonry, [Articles] [Masonic It's used in the vast majority of situations in which members elect their officers at a meeting. << /Length 12 0 R /Type /XObject /Subtype /Image /Width 610 /Height 521 /ColorSpace These elections are to vote on new top lodge officers in the blue lodge. %%EOF Lodge elections are performed via a Masonic Ballot Box. Talks] [Masonic The bylaws should not tie the hands of the committee to find more than one person to fill each slot; the committee should find the best candidate for each office. Brethren, I declare that you have Robert's Rules sets out several methods of making nominations for positions: An organization can nominate candidates in several ways: This method is used whenever the membership wants to rely on the presiding officer to recommend candidates but also wants to reserve for itself (or its designee, such as the board of directors) the approval of the nominee. REG. 3 0 obj In a ballot vote, after the ballot counters have collected all the ballots, a member can make the motion to adjourn. A member may for indecorous or unmasonic conduct be excluded from a single meeting of the lodge. Ballot counters should cast their ballots at the same time that the assembly votes. In Tennessee, the only time you open an EA or FC lodge is to confer those degrees. takes up his place at the tilers door. other regular Masonic body other than those stated. A Lodge member who has held the highest office in the Lodge has for life a Masonic position of his own. APPOINTMENT. 1. 705 South Hercules Avenue. New Jersey checking in. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Nominations for each office are followed by the election for that office. Usually the president closes nominations when no further nominations come forward from the assembly. 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." programs and procedures of the Grand Lodge of Ohio, a Masonic District and their Lodge. Mail or absentee ballots not arriving on time or mysteriously disappearing when the time comes to count them. << /Type /Page /Parent 3 0 R /Resources 6 0 R /Contents 4 0 R /MediaBox [0 0 612 792] endobj A properly planned and executed meeting results in good participation. masonic lodge election procedure; shkolla viktor hygo logo October 28, 2021. masonic lodge election procedure . Sometimes there is a split in the nominating committee over who to nominate. The secretary repeats the vote after recording it, to ensure accuracy. 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. You are using an out of date browser. The Worshipful Master orders the Wardens to take This method is applicable when, Appointing members to committees, if specified in the motion creating the committee, or if prescribed in the bylaws, Electing a presiding officer in a mass meeting. 16 0 obj The Secretary announces the results of the vote, a The person who gets the most votes may not have a majority of the votes. Masonic Lodge Election Procedure HB89 - Tightens the time frames for issuance of firearms licenses by probate judges. The mechanics of the election are governed by a few sections of the Minnesota Masonic Code and quite a bit of lodge tradition. or opinion By transfer of membership, maintaining continuous membership, and 4. The way to fill out the Mason form form form online: To start the form, use the Fill camp; Sign Online button or tick the preview image of the document. 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. As Masons, we hone our skills to apply their use, improving ourselves daily. My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum. Don't implement a new process to 450 lodges until it is . to the Junior Warden, then the Senior Warden and then the Worshipful )GT?=Sk8&o9sU|$gv}~3H'>}3DReeZCZ2HN7.WadE-lUG|1pU]d. again appears the petitioner shall be declared rejected, but he may at 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. It's never proper to drop the candidates receiving the lowest vote totals from a ballot unless they withdraw voluntarily. 4 0 obj Grand Lodge Committee on Masonic Education: CHAPTER 31: Lodge Service Commission: CHAPTER 32: . A website endorsed by a Lodge will be considered the official Lodge website, and will be subject to these criteria and rules. should be destroyed. The most important thing associations or governments can do is appoint conscientious and honest people to serve on the ballot counters' committee and to watch the polls. _____ cast their ballot?" The election process may be the easiest part of deciding who handles a particular job in the organization. In balloting on a petition for affiliation, if one blackball $.' j]Ic[faPhgcP0U0.!boS/]9[[3+:;:+:Q1DX. 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. 15 0 obj The Masonic Oath is hugely significant, as it is represents a Masons' integrity and is an example of their strong bond to all other brothers within the fraternity. 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). endobj An officer election form is a document used by groups, clubs, and organizations to elect leaders and fill vacant positions. endobj Voting machines having wedges inserted to prevent the lever from going down all the way. A motion to open nominations, when made by a member, is usually a motion to reopen nominations after they have been closed. 587 When the nominating ballot is received, the signed inner envelope containing the ballot is logged in against a list of voting members, and the ballot is deposited in a receptacle for tallying like an election ballot. If it's determined that enough illegal votes were cast by illegal voters to affect the result, and these votes can't be identified and removed from the count, then the vote is deemed null and must be retaken. "If so, I declare the 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. This may be done by the Master, under a provision of the bye-laws giving him the authority, or on his own responsibility, in which case he is amenable to the Grand Lodge for the correctness of his decision. That means run-offs are just plain out of order. <> Blogs] [Links] ;D[{cv,#(145:n') distinctive apron has been designated by the Grand Lodge is present at a Masonic meeting or communication, he may wear the apron so designated. At the end of each successful vote the ballots places. Magazines Online] 292, elections may be held in a lodge opened in an EA as long as there is an EA attending. << /Im1 11 0 R >> >> _____ When nominations are taken from the floor or when a nominating ballot is used, a good practice is to provide the members with an eligibility list so that they are not nominating people who will not be able to serve. Each question on a multipart ballot is counted as a separate ballot. The Master then casts his own vote. 12 0 obj *(cM YiVo~r049>Kwz,8*#]qVLB`l:HM\7Gj#?#PV(F"y@f4 @hbe2q&8%RYcM`uU;ap10n Interestingly, some years ago, Virginia implemented a dues amnesty program. LODGE VISITATION - A PRIVILEGE. [ 11 0 R] Taking nominations by mail is basically the same as taking nominations by ballot. No matter which procedure you use, the order in which you take up each election is the order in which the offices are listed in your bylaws. Robert's Rules on elections are very straightforward after what is often a politically charged prequel of nominating and campaigning. A person can nominate himself or herself. 'xzwQ38/4b|T}R-g|7uhw 4!"icE)S7AEo %PDF-1.5 The Code has two primary chapters that describe the process of voting in subordinate lodges. States or elsewhere. 6 0 obj endstream In a voice vote, the winner is easy to determine and the vote is over when someone wins the election. The committee must carefully review the eligibility requirements for each office and see that the nominees meet these requirements. If the ballot vote decides an election, you're instructed to write the name of the nominee of your choice on your ballot. Masonry doesn't care about your worldly wealth or social position. In the vote for Secretary, unless he is retiring, A decision on how long to keep them can be made at the meeting when the vote takes place, or a short retention period for ballots can be adopted as a standing rule. endobj The Senior Deacon presents the ballot for examination It is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily reflect the views Senior Deacon,", WM: "Prepare and present the ballot box.". charge of the Ballot and they pick up the hats, take them to the To help with the Masonic experience at Lodge meetings, you were allowed to open on any degree, and use the Chamber 2. From his home in Pocatello, Idaho, across almost 3000 miles of highway, Fred's car had given trouble, and now, at Henniker, N.H., the cooling system finally gave up. The Guide is designed to be an easy-to-use reference based on the law and regulations as well as the knowledge and experience of OLMS staff. If a marked ballot is folded together with a blank ballot, the marked ballot counts as one legal vote, and the blank ballot is considered scrap paper. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. We can only drop to a different degree once we conclude that portion of the meeting. Using a nominating committee to assemble a list of willing and qualified candidates for office can greatly benefit members when the time comes to select their leaders. 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 234 0 obj <> endobj However, we open the Lodge on the 3rd then call to refreshment, invite everyome in, after the ceremony the WM closes without form. If members adjourn before an election is complete, they should set the time for an adjourned meeting to finish the election. All Articles] [Masonic 6. HWG l!$"' g]9=3>3U}Zo.wjyiQo?\>,:lFYE#q IBZ.rwi/A%f_N'_LDX The Senior Deacon obtains the ballot box and presents <> Every lodge is incorporated and required to have corporate officers. Booth Lodge 100-100C, be amended . 127. ___________, you have been elected to serve as ____________ of All officers resume their stations and If members are voting for offices that have staggered terms or that last more than a year, the secretary should include in the minutes when the term expires. Sometimes the committee is revived to make nominations to fill vacancies. 1. BALLOTING and LODGE ELECTIONS Excerpt from the Report of The Discipline Committee - Our 2014 Proceedings - Page 96: "The Committee also had its attention drawn to instances of irregular balloting procedures being of lodges. The advanced tools of the editor will guide you through the editable PDF template. endobj A member can't make the motion to adjourn while the assembly is occupied with taking a vote, verifying a vote, or announcing a vote, except when the vote is by ballot. Illegal votes are, Two or more marked ballots folded together (together they count as only one illegal vote). It is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily reflect the views Secretary prepares ballots for each position to be elected. In this case, the members must vote again until one candidate receives a majority vote. Each officer and member, before voting, must exchange the cubes in the box. NOTE: This is only a suggested procedure. For this reason, members should listen carefully to the report of the ballot counters' committee. Motions to close nominations are usually unnecessary because the nomination process simply continues until no one wishes to make further nominations. When the nominations stop, the chair just declares nominations closed after making sure that no more nominations are forthcoming. It varies! You are using an out of date browser. The appointive officers of the Grand Lodge, save the Deputy Grand Secretary, shall be Register a free account today to become a member! xU]o@|_cZR%q"b$*/}E(k nK6hb'_ D(|}5Dsq PBY%_'Dru.{,dW9PeOw9 d6!=#3r/iby+4C~9^-GT.d 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).. Dud goes wide-eyed at hearing this and immediately leaves the lodge because he realizes he's been played by . collect the ballots and place the hats with the ballots at the If the committee does its job well, the membership can enjoy some basic assurance that the candidates nominated have at least expressed interest in the job, have agreed to serve, and are qualified for the offices for which they're nominated. ballot closed." Freemasonry (or Brother __________for affiliation)." Nominees do not have to leave the room during the nominations, when the vote is taken, or when the vote is counted. Masonic etiquette decries anyone who does not obey the gavel. Ballot voting is the preferred voting method in situations in which knowing how all the members voted isn't desirable. %PDF-1.5 % The brother responds. endobj All business is done in a MM lodge. the name on the ballot and the Secretary repeats the name and tallies When it comes to ballot elections, your election isn't complete until a position is filled, and a position is never filled until a candidate receives the threshold number of votes required for election. The conventions are over, election day draws near, and the usual round of political rhetoric from candidates is blasted all over the TV, radio and internet, voters begin to wear out and are usually just ready for Election Day to be over with. the Senior Warden hands each ballot to the Junior Warden who announces 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 . endobj accept?" The assembly then votes again on the other office. The "lex non scripta," or unwritten law of Freemasonry is derived from the traditions, usages and customs of . 4. If counting ballots takes some time, it is best for the assembly to take a recess instead of adjourn. Lodge Election Procedures "Worshipful Master (WM) or Preceding Officer" 1. The election of officers of the Grand Lodge shall be the first order of business at the afternoon session of the first day of each annual communication, unless a different time shall have been fixed by a two-thirds vote of the Grand Lodge. 10. Your members may wind up voting for Mr. Low as the compromise candidate. It's never in order to vote Yes or No (or For or Against) a candidate when electing persons to office. I used to post some of them here in a generic manner so all might learn from them. According to Robert's Rules, a motion to close nominations is out of order as long as any member wishes to make a nomination. collect the ballots, the Deacons approach the altar, pick up the hats, After each nomination, the president repeats the name to the assembly. By absolute demit, [ Chapter 76] 3. 2. endobj Master. 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? These Masonic rituals represent three degrees which are taken in sequence. 4[>56[Wbz ; ~D.Lf Y`S=#A.%* ^Ckk8a)W=Lt!z3 EHDG}S?#&,y$OAYNOQ kKl_B ? The committee then has to find a new nominee, and the members have to vote again. Your group's rules and customs determine when floor nominations are accepted. When called on to give the report, the chairman of the nominating committee states the nominations for each office. 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. endobj Depending on the Grand Lodge, this can be anywhere from 18 to 25. Annual Meeting Election and Installation of Officers Annual Past Masters Night Symbolic Degree Refresher Application Avouching Back to Lodge Night Bringing Freemasonry to the Attention of Profane Correspondence Dress Entering an Opened Lodge Examination of Visitors Example Sheet - Lodge Programs General Grand Honors once petition the same or any other Lodge in the jurisdiction. The position of Worshipful Master in the East occupies the most exalted position within the lodge. If members haven't used the machine before, it may be wise to show them how to use it the day before the election. Books Online] [E-Books] [Library Of Chairman of Nominating Committee: Madam President, the nominating committee submits the following nominations: for president, Alex Shaw; for vice president, Bianca Fernandez; for secretary, Raymond Platt; and for treasurer, Donna Agnese. been rejected by a Lodge shall again be proposed within six months after The ballots are tallied very much like an election ballot, and the report becomes the list of nominees for each office. x`TU?5%BBH*5XHRjD5IPJ@Z"MDE]sm.Cs)}{n/JFtZ_!ms6g:8_\Xt hq[gGBqvZ(}%p&N"4t 4b2hEs Procedure for Contempt: CHAPTER 101: Restoration after Suspension or Expulsion: CHAPTER 102: Our officer installations aren't held during a tiled meeting (although they could be); they are open ceremonies with guests. His term expires July, 2014.". In Kentucky, the individual is normally sent a certified letter. It is possible that because of a mistake in counting the ballots, or another procedural mistake, someone can be declared elected to office when he or she did not receive the majority votes. Masters are required to see that the ballot box is 2 0 obj Freemasonry promotes friendship, morality, and brotherly love among men of all races, religions, opinions, and backgrounds. 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. This example is based on moving to have nominations by committee, but the form is essentially the same for any of the methods. Since it is the obligation of every brother of the << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> You must come recommended by at least two existing Freemasons from the lodge you're petitioning. [What is Freemasonry] [Leadership 5. Our officer installations aren't held during a tiled meeting (although they could be); they are open ceremonies with guests. Is it permissible to hold election of officers in an EA lodge? After the brethren have cast their ballots. Also, members rarely move to close nominations because, whenever no further nominations are offered, the chair usually just declares, "Hearing no further nominations, nominations for the office of [name the office] are closed.". Be careful and make no These could lead The Constitution is clear on the proper procedure [Feedback]. Secretary prepares ballots for each position to be <> When the secretary prepares the eligibility list for the meeting, only those members who are willing to serve are on the list.
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