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Lodge Officer Election Rules

Aal-Pa-Tah Home » Leadership » Election Rules

Lodge Officer Election Rules

The following criteria is for the Aal-Pa-Tah Lodge elections which will be used to hold the upcoming Lodge election of Lodge Chief, Lodge Vice-Chief of Inductions, Lodge Vice-Chief of Program, Lodge Vice-Chief of Service, Lodge Secretary, Lodge Treasurer, and Lodge Historian at the upcoming Summer Powwow weekend, June 3-5, 2011.  If you are planning to run for one of these positions, please read the following criteria carefully. The Candidates' meeting mentioned under “Candidate Eligibility Requirements” item #6 will occur at the Lodge’s service day at Tanah Keeta, Saturday, May  21, 2011.  If you wish to run for an Office, you must notify the current Lodge Chief at chief@aal-pa-tah237.org AND the Lodge Advisor at advisor@aal-pa-tah237.org no later than May 20, 2011 to schedule your Candidate meeting timeslot.  If there is any reason you cannot attend the service day for the interview, you must arrange to complete the interview PRIOR to the service day.  If you plan on running for an Office, you also must register as an attendee of the Summer Powwow weekend and make sure that your dues are current for the 2011 year.

Candidate Eligibility Requirements

A Candidate for office must meet the following requirements:

  1. Must have been inducted or transferred into Aal-Pa-Tah at least twelve  months prior to the election date.
  2. Candidates for the Offices of Lodge Chief, Lodge Vice-Chief of Inductions, Lodge Vice-Chief of Program, and Lodge Vice-Chief of Service, must have successfully completed at least one term as a Chapter Chief or a Lodge Officer position, in any Lodge and in any year prior to the election.  Successful completion to be determined the Key 3, and the position’s  adult advisor, sitting at the time the prior Office was completed.
  3. Must have dues paid for the current year.
  4. Must not reach his 21st birthday during the scheduled term of office (ending June 2nd, 2012).
  5. Must physically reside within the official boundaries of The Gulf Stream Council.
  6. Must be currently registered with a unit that is chartered by The Gulf Stream Council, BSA.
  7. Must present himself at the scheduled Candidates' meeting, unless he is running for a Chapter position, or makes specific prior arrangements with the Lodge Chief and/or Lodge Advisor.  The Candidate may have one person of his choosing with him during the interview.  The person can be anyone of the Candidate's choosing, as long as they are not also a Candidate.
  8. Must be determined eligible by the Interview Committee.  The Interview Committee is composed of: (a) the Current Lodge Chief, but only if he is not running for an Office, (b) the Lodge Advisor, (c) Associate Lodge Advisor(s), and (d) one youth who is not a Candidate, to be appointed by the Lodge Chief.
  9. Must provide a letter from his unit leader indicating that: (a) a Scoutmaster's Conference has been held to discuss the Scout’s role within the unit and how that responsibility will be met during the term of office, and (b) the Candidate has the approval of the unit leader to run for office.
  10. Candidate acknowledges that the responsibilities of all Lodge Officers includes, but is not limited to, monthly meetings with the others Officers and Lodge Advisor.

Voter Eligibility

All dues paid members who have not reached their 21st birthday by the day of the election and are registered for the Lodge weekend are entitled to vote.  No absentee ballots or proxies are permitted.  The Lodge Secretary is responsible to provide the supervisor of elections with an accurate list of eligible voters.

General Election Rules

  1. The election for each Office is to be held separately.  The results will be announced before the next election will begin.
  2. A Candidate may run for any Office.  If he is defeated, he may run for another Office of his choice.
  3. Campaign promotional material is limited to a single poster board.  The poster board itself may be science fair project style (with folding sides) or may be just plain poster board and may contain as much information or pictures as the Candidate wishes on one side of the board only.  There will be no other campaign material by the Candidate or on his behalf.  All poster boards will be displayed together in a designated location after weekend registration has begun.
  4. A Candidate may be disqualified, upon the approval of the Lodge Key 3, for violations of the election procedure or for conduct that is not keeping with the highest traditions of the Boy Scouts of America.  The Scout Oath; Scout Law, and Obligation of our Order will serve as standards of judgment.  A Candidate may be held responsible for actions on his behalf.
  5. The Lodge Chief and Lodge Advisor shall appoint one youth and one advisor.  The youth will hold the title: “Supervisor of Elections,” and shall hold such duties and responsibilities as are implied by that title and any other duties as may be assigned to him by the Lodge Chief.
  6. At the time of the Annual Lodge Business Meeting, The Candidates will be expected to:

A.    Be nominated by another youth member of the Lodge. The nominator will be allowed to speak for two minutes on behalf of the Candidate.

B.    Speak for two minutes, if they so wish. 

7.     Neither the current Lodge Chief (unless he is running), The Supervisor of Elections, nor any adult may nominate, speak for, or in any way publicly endorse any Candidate.

  1. The Candidate that receives a majority of the votes cast is elected. Unintelligible ballots are not counted.
  2. Unopposed Candidates must still receive a majority of the votes cast.
  3. If no Candidate receives a majority of the votes cast for an Office, a second vote will be held immediately between the two Candidates that received the highest amount of votes.  If the second vote results in a tie, the determination of which of the tied Candidates will serve in the Office will be made by the current Lodge Executive Committee, before the new Officers are installed, by a majority vote of that body.  The Lodge Chief may never be chosen by the Lodge Executive Committee, and must be the result of a whole Lodge vote.
  4. If no Candidate runs for a given Office, the newly elected Lodge Chief will appoint to that Office a Lodge member who meets the “Candidate Eligibility Requirements.”  The Lodge Executive Committee must approve Officers appointed in this manner, by a majority vote of that body.
  5. After counting, the ballots will be held by the advisor to the Supervisor of Elections for a period of thirty days.  Any Lodge member, with the approval of the Lodge Chief, may review the ballots during this period.
  6. New Lodge Officers shall take office on Sunday, immediately following the closing of the business meeting.
  7. Chapter elections shall take place immediately following Lodge elections.

 

Talent Release - By participating in any Aal-Pa-Tah Lodge activity, the participant, and the participant's legal guardian when the participant is a minor, grants Aal-Pa-Tah Lodge and Gulf Stream Council - and their officers, employees, agents, licensees, representatives, or assigns - permission and consent, to copyright, use, publish, exhibit, display, broadcast, or otherwise disseminate via any medium: film, video, kinescope, audio, still pictures, slides, or any other type of recording, which includes the participant's name, voice, and/or image or likeness. The participant and/or legal guardian waives any and all rights to inspection or approval of the final product. The participant and/or legal guardian waives any all rights to remuneration for uses consistent with this waiver. The participant and/or legal guardian further releases Aal-Pa-Lodge and Gulf Stream Council - and their officers, employees, agents, licensees, representatives, or assigns - from any liability arising out of uses consistent with this waiver, including but not limited to claims of misrepresentation or false light. Aal-Pa-Tah Lodge and Gulf Stream Council warrants they shall conduct all uses in manners consistent with the policies of the Boy Scouts of America.