In the vote for Secretary, unless he is retiring, The Louisiana Freemason Spring 2020 Issue by Grand Lodge of Louisiana Only MMs vote. A poor meeting achieves the opposite results. (rap). Past Masters have a standing in Masonic Law; certain duties may be assigned to them. Officers Duties and Responsibilities . Remember brethren, a SECRETARY FORMS AND REPORTS | Grand Lodge of Georgia, F. & A.M. stream 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. If members question the validity of an election or the procedure in taking the vote, a member should make a motion to recount the votes within a reasonably brief time after the president announces the election outcome. Same in NM amd OR. Westside Toastmasters is located in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, California. Or, they can tell members publicly that they do not have a nominee for a certain office; this allows members to volunteer. Get To Know Ohio Freemasonry's Grand Secretary | Freemason If the motion is adopted, the assembly can adjourn before the vote is announced if it has another meeting scheduled. Often the extra ballot comes from someone who has entered the assembly but has not signed in to the meeting. 8 0 obj Do Freemasons elect their top leadership? - Freemasonry Report [What is New] The report of the nominating committee is usually given under "special orders." <>/ExtGState<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 595.44 841.92] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Balloting must continue until a candidate receives a majority. 292, elections may be held in a lodge opened in an EA as long as there is an EA attending. places. The ballots are tallied very much like an election ballot, and the report becomes the list of nominees for each office. If this occurs and it does not affect the outcome of the vote, the election is still valid. /Rotate 0 >> Talks] [Masonic ", JW: "Fair (cloudy) in the South, Worshipful. 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. Elections are decided by majority vote unless your bylaws provide differently. The minutes may say, for example, "Eric Olson was elected to the board for two years. Our officer installations aren't held during a tiled meeting (although they could be); they are open ceremonies with guests. The assembly then votes again on the other office. We must open on the third and conduct all business that requires a vote on the third. In most cases, the threshold is a majority of the votes cast. If you become a Free Mason, you will: Join both the oldest and the largest fraternity in the world. 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. 0 ;J @*Ix~6ia 023X85i=%/v')^KkHaQaA {DCAH ' 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. To lend a professional air to the proceedings, suggest that brothers wear a collared shirt and tie, especially the candidates. 6. The Authorities for Masonic Law. endobj <> 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.". Nomination by petition is another method of nomination by mail; provisions must be made for it in the bylaws, and standard forms must be provided to candidates and electors upon request. %PDF-1.5 % When holding ballot elections, you have two procedural options: Nominations for all offices conclude before any balloting begins. 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. JavaScript is disabled. Nominations are taken for successive offices in the order they're listed in the bylaws. One vote against the petitioner generally rejects him. endobj qQ^&FJ J } Grand Master's Decisions on Masonic-Sponsored Meetings and Events 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. 5. The Principles of Masonic Law/Chapter XX - Wikisource This example is based on moving to have nominations by committee, but the form is essentially the same for any of the methods. The duty of a nominating committee is to find the best candidate for each office. 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. For every expense, large or small, the Secretary is to write a voucher which is to be countersigned by the Worshipful Master and passed on to the Treasurer for payment. PDF 2015 01 30 Installation of Officers of Local Lodges Discover the world's largest and oldest fraternal organization with over 3 million members. A properly planned and executed meeting results in good participation. Freemasonry's Requirements for Membership. The Master then casts his own vote. Chapter XV - Balloting Procedure - The Masonic Trowel 4. A common mistake in elections is having too many ballots cast for the number of members present. <>>> It is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily reflect the views 9 0 obj Masonic Lodge Election Procedure > 2023 F - Clubhouse The Politics of Freemasonry | Freemason Information Yes, every year Masonic Lodges do have elections. 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 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. election of Trustees to Board - General Discussion - The Official RONR 3. The election process may be the easiest part of deciding who handles a particular job in the organization. However, we open the Lodge on the 3rd then call to refreshment, invite everyome in, after the ceremony the WM closes without form. 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. 1. Robert's Rules of Order, Nominations And Elections - Westside Toastmasters PDF Guidance Notes for Lodge Secretaries in Hertfordshire _____ distinctive apron has been designated by the Grand Lodge is present at a Masonic meeting or communication, he may wear the apron so designated. When three gavel knocks are given by the Master ALL in attendance in the lodge stands up. Section 12: How To Run A Good Business Meeting - Masonic Grand Lodge of A member can rise and decline the nomination during the nominating process. ___________, you have been elected to serve as ____________ of If an EA is not attending, it is the option of the WM as to which lodge will be opened. . If a minority of the committee wishes to nominate someone else, the members in the minority can make the nomination when nominations are taken from the floor. Master. visiting brother take his place so that the tiler may cast his Introduction. It may not display this or other websites correctly. If not, the members can vote again during that meeting for another candidate. %PDF-1.3 All Articles] [Masonic Jewels of Masonic Secretary The Secretary's official duties include issuing the summons (a formal notice of an impending meeting, with time, date and agenda), recording meeting minutes, completing statistical returns to the Grand Lodge, and advising the Worshipful Master on matters of procedure. Secretarys table and put the ballots into one of the hats. 2 0 obj Because this form of voting favors one candidate over another based on the order of nomination, you should avoid using it except in mass meetings or when there's no serious contest for the office and a ballot is not required. It's never in order to vote Yes or No (or For or Against) a candidate when electing persons to office. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> % endobj petition(s) of _______________ for the degrees of Freemasonry, Mail or absentee ballots not arriving on time or mysteriously disappearing when the time comes to count them. endstream The Lodge web page must not link to or be linked to by any website where a conflict . Same in NM amd OR. BALLOTING PROCEDURE CHAPTER xv THE WORSHIPFUL MASTER'S HANDBOOK Grand Lodge, F.A.A.M. If anyone is elected, and it is discovered after the election that the person is not eligible, the election of that officer is null and void. ",#(7),01444'9=82. altar.". _____ cast their ballot?" should be destroyed. JavaScript is disabled. Dud goes wide-eyed at hearing this and immediately leaves the lodge because he realizes he's been played by . The entire ballot counters' report should be included in the minutes of the meeting. WB Christopher J. Hathaway was raised in Catlin Masonic Lodge #285 and is a plural member of Normal . 6 Y~0 0@ AUTHORITY. MASONIC ETIQUETTE - Correct Lodge Behavior. names. The balloting committee can still count the ballots. Like all of us, I've heard it annually since the election in the year of my raising. Masonic Lodges, Masonic Organizations, and Youth Orders may conduct in-person meetings and events in compliance with county and city restrictions, if any. 1. ", WM: "Fair (cloudy) in the South, clear (dark) in the or opinion Marshal takes up his place at the West Gate and the Junior Deacon 6 0 obj Masonry doesn't care about your worldly wealth or social position. Books Online] [E-Books] [Library Of If members don't understand exactly how it works, the ones whose preferred candidate doesn't get voted on are likely to think something is amiss. 4 0 obj It varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. It varies! Tradition holds that the Master of the lodge appoint a committee of three (usually Past Masters) to serve as a Tellers Committee. The organization must have another election. PDF The Grand Lodge of 6 0 obj 14 0 obj Collectively, these motions are known as motions related to nominations. Cell phones, chewing gum, crinkly snack wrappers and other distractions should be disallowed during a fraternity election (except during breaks). These could lead The Constitution is clear on the proper procedure