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When the scoutmaster is red in the face and screaming in the OA scouts face, demanding that he fudge the vote count so that the scoutmaster's son can be elected, I am absolutely getting between them. I call that defending a 14 year old from a 40 year old bully. You can call it condescending or whatever you want.

Address and phone are not really considered private information. You may not remember but we used to get a paper phone book mailed to all residents with address and phone numbers listed. Additionally, there is this thing called the internet where you can look up anyone's address and often their phone for free. Besides, if we can't trust a scout to treat such information with respect, then who can we trust?

I can sympathize with your situation. I can also understand why you and he want to be active in this aspect of your scout's life. But, let's keep in mind that scouting is not for us. It isn't for the adults or the parents or our close loved-ones. It is for the kids and there may be, and will be circumstances where we do things for the kids that may either disadvantage the adults or otherwise not be in the adults best interests. If you and your boyfriend feel this strongly about him being an attending adult in activities then I encourage you to do two things. 1. Have him register

The major point here for me (setting aside the criminal record for a moment) is that this is your boyfriend. He is not a parent, step-parent, legal guardian, or registered adult leader. For this reason alone he should not attend a cub function unless invited by the cubmaster and only within his /her parameters. I think you might be focusing too much on the criminal record piece and missing this important facet.

This is what causes problems: folks ignoring the procedures and doing their own thing. OA Election Team Should NEVER have added a Scout's name to the elected sheet simply because the SM recommends them. That is not how it is done. From personal experience, I know youth on an election team can get intimidated at times by adults. So my question is, where was the adult adviser to intervene on behalf of the election team?

Spot on advice from @qwazse I was SM for 5 years and was one of the Adult Advisors working with our Chapter's Elections Teams for 50+ elections over the years, so I saw it in my troop as well as at other troops. This happens, and is a learning opportunity for growth.

@'Lope, welcome to the forum. Do look up the guide on the O/A's website. My understanding: Even if other requirements are met the SM may decide if a scout should or should not be a candidate for election. (Clearly, the SM did decide that this boy was worthy to be on the ballot.) But, the SM may not override the vote of the scouts. So, yes, this is a learning tool. I've found that this usually means figuring out what younger scouts don't like about your behavior. Deciding if you want to change that behavior. And changing accordingly.

Scoutmaster approval is required to be placed on the ballot, but the Guide to Unit Elections does not provide for alternate election procedures. I recommend following the advice in the following link https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/06/30/keep-oa-elections-popularity-contest/

The OA Guide to Unit Elections is available online; it details the process. From your numbers, I assume either 21 or 22 ballots were turned in, so 11 votes needed to elect...if the scout didn't meet that threshold, then he was not elected. The Guide to Unit Elections doesn't mention any other way to be elected (i.e. appointed/nominated by SM, etc.). I don't ever remember a way to for a scout to get in the OA other than election.

I think this may change with the inclusion of girls.

There is the other side: 1) You have a boy (girl) in scouts. 2) You slowly get sucked into the myth and re-discover your inner boy. 3) Some old scouters or real boy scouts teach you some skills, you get just enough 'official' training to stay our of trouble. 4) You deliver the best program you can, make friends, and gain 100 unofficial nephews. Some inspire you, most are memorable, and a few break your heart. 6) You ignore national unless you hang around the forum or there is a press release. Look the whole world seems to be falling apart, some of us on the front

I like the above, however, it should be specified that camping is either a night in a tent you helped put up (with the exception of summer camp), or under the stars. I do agree that camping under the auspices of different groups should count, and 50 nights (30 nights in addition to Camping Merit badge) would probably be adequate. It would definitely be better than the current system. I believe that a Scout learns more about being a Scout in a weekend than in 6 months of meetings.

I don't think anyone here is saying it's ok to add requirements on our own. But we can talk about changes in the requirements that we'd like to see, or at least be considered.