In a voice vote, the winner is easy to determine and the vote is over when someone wins the election. takes up his place at the tilers door. The person who gets the most votes may not have a majority of the votes. It may not display this or other websites correctly. If not, the members can vote again during that meeting for another candidate. 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. ", JW: "Fair (cloudy) in the South, Worshipful. Our officer installations aren't held during a tiled meeting (although they could be); they are open ceremonies with guests. Talks] [Masonic
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All Articles] [Masonic
hb```BVG ea8 P}+/m ", WM: "How in the West, Brother Senior Warden? Pause. A late-arriving member can vote only with other members' consent by majority vote. It's used in the vast majority of situations in which members elect their officers at a meeting. These rules supersede the adopted parliamentary authority. Achieve this by asking them to hang out with you. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> place with the Senior and Junior Wardens alternating in calling the
We must open on the third and conduct all business that requires a vote on the third. Tradition holds that the Master of the lodge appoint a committee of three (usually Past Masters) to serve as a Tellers Committee. At this time the
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It's never in order to vote Yes or No (or For or Against) a candidate when electing persons to office. Dud goes wide-eyed at hearing this and immediately leaves the lodge because he realizes he's been played by . That means run-offs are just plain out of order. If you become a Free Mason, you will: Join both the oldest and the largest fraternity in the world. . The balloting committee can still count the ballots. accept?" 2. ;D[{cv,#(145:n') Both a bank's president and janitor can apply for membership, and they're considered equally qualified. 2. endobj 3. 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 One of the most important franchises which the Masonic character offers is THE ELECTION OF MASTER FOR THE ENSUING TWELVE MONTHS. No candidate whose application has
Nominations are now open from the floor. Because fraud does happen in the election process, members need to be alert and watchful of the election process. endobj
Any blue lodge that does not hold annual election of officers is considered irregular by most Grand Lodges. _____
The best thing an organization can do is adopt rules that tell how to proceed if a member challenges an election or if a person is illegally elected to office and has begun to serve. REG. Sometimes there is a split in the nominating committee over who to nominate. At the Worshipful Master s order the Stewards distribute the ballots for the first position to be voted upon. Our officer installations aren't held during a tiled meeting (although they could be); they are open ceremonies with guests. The Committee on Masonic Education and Information of . % <>
Clearwater Lodge No. endobj
Since it is the obligation of every brother of the
Rules may include how long the organization saves ballots and how long members can wait to challenge an election. A person can nominate himself or herself. (or for affiliation) which has received a unanimously favorable
2. 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. Books Online] [E-Books] [Library Of
Each officer and member, before voting, must exchange the
However only Masters can vote. Yes, every year Masonic Lodges do have elections. 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. Join us as we strive to make good men better by teaching universal values through the use of geometry and architecture metaphors. 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. You can use a ballot vote to decide either a motion or an election: If the ballot vote decides a motion, the question is clearly stated by the chair, and you're instructed to mark your ballot Yes or No (or For or Against). West and bright (black) in the East. 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. Crossing the G. In most grand lodge jurisdictions, rituals call for an altar to be placed in the center of the lodge room holding the respective Volume of Sacred Law. This requires secretaries (and possibly grand secretaries if different jurisdictions) to get involved, but is a somewhat common occurrence. If members haven't used the machine before, it may be wise to show them how to use it the day before the election. If they don't set a time for an adjourned meeting, they can call a special meeting (if the bylaws allow this). distribute the ballots for the first position to be voted upon. ballot closed." Votes cast by illegal voters must not be counted at all, not even included in the number of total votes cast. Suddenly it's 3am. Same in NM amd OR. Ie!W2UP7MEdq-2Y+(jVW`Y, z?D;tr>[iqqF7!FR$uh?%b Some practices to watch out for include: Ballot boxes being stuffed or written ballots being changed. names. The secretary repeats the vote after recording it, to ensure accuracy. %%EOF
time immemorial. When the nominations stop, the chair just declares nominations closed after making sure that no more nominations are forthcoming. %PDF-1.5
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. A poor meeting achieves the opposite results. Club elections and officers are an integral part of the organization and must be conducted according to the group's bylaws and rules. Nominations for each office are followed by the election for that office. endobj Taking nominations by mail is basically the same as taking nominations by ballot. The Senior Deacon obtains the ballot box and presents
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. endstream
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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. After nominations are closed, the vote is taken on each nominee in the order in which they were nominated. Some organizations add nominees to the ballot only if the name is submitted on a petition signed by some minimum number of members. 5. 6 Y~0 0@
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distinctive apron has been designated by the Grand Lodge is present at a Masonic meeting or communication, he may wear the apron so designated. *.MXPY!~@Aa%^ N&4D1la`:v@Ai,^t #. endobj
The Masonic rituals provided here are as practiced under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Nevada, circa 1986. endobj
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. The requirement for election by ballot is a majority, and a candidate has no obligation to withdraw just because he polls low numbers. The "lex non scripta," or unwritten law of Freemasonry is derived from the traditions, usages and customs of . The Senior Deacon closes the lid on the ballot. 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. A Lodge supporting this vital outreach of the Foundation, will be properly noted. 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. Freemasons meet in a temple, which they call a "lodge", as that is where ancient stonemasons met when working on a church or cathedral Lodges are grouped by region, roughly in line with the old. other regular Masonic body other than those stated. If officers assume their duties immediately after the meeting is adjourned, it is then too late to question the election. %`y`aSW2.9]!BBI I've never see a script or outline, but it should proceed as follows: That sounds like the CA required verbiage. If a member is elected and not present and has not previously said that if elected he or she will serve, someone should call the member to see if he or she will accept the office. inviolably preserved. yy MWY*^K$@48SyFHv! hbbd``b`$+@9`~ $U@ AL Abo;I0 V!$B Collectively, these motions are known as motions related to nominations. These elections happen in the end of the year to elect the following years leadership team. The Authorities for Masonic Law. If the ballot vote decides an election, you're instructed to write the name of the nominee of your choice on your ballot. 13 0 obj
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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 . 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. 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 so, I declare the
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Depending on the Grand Lodge, this can be anywhere from 18 to 25. endobj In most places, the answer is likely no. Elections are decided by majority vote unless your bylaws provide differently. If the motion is adopted, the assembly can adjourn before the vote is announced if it has another meeting scheduled. If you have a nominating committee in place, ask this group to declare their nominee for a specific officer role. 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. As Masons, we hone our skills to apply their use, improving ourselves daily. When counting ballots, ballot counters need to keep a few key points in mind: Blank votes are treated as scrap paper and don't count at all. 12 0 obj
Magazines Online]
Small technical errors, such as spelling mistakes or marking an X when a checkmark is called for, don't make a vote illegal as long as the voter's intent is discernible. :7YA/gOwNw|\g[u|I}?F. endstream
/Rotate 0 >> Masters are required to see that the ballot box is
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. When holding ballot elections, you have two procedural options: Nominations for all offices conclude before any balloting begins. WM: "Brother Junior Warden, how stands the ballot in
If you had to move before you finished receiving the three degrees of the blue lodge, you'd need lodge B to perform courtesy work. Register a free account today to become a member! Be careful and make no
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. While the . endobj