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Elections for Dummies


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I am CC for boy troop and girl troop.  So, as Key 3 I guess I got email from the OA Advisor that elections will be happening at the end of March.  I dont know the process and I want to make sure I know what's going on.

Eligibility requirements I was sent are...

1st Class

20 days camping with one long term in the last 2 years.

 

I am good with making sure Scouts are eligible as far as that is concerned.  How are the Scouts who meet the requirement chosen for the elections or do we submit everyone with the above requirements met to the OA folks?

As far as the adults.  How does that work?  I have a leader that has been around awhile in the District saying they usually nominate the parent of the Scout so they can do it together?

 

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In order for a youth to be elected they must have Scoutmaster approval.  The election team really has no idea who is eligible and they rely on the list provided by the SM.  This approval or disapprova

@KublaiKenlistes some great reasons. I will add some more 1. Costs, Scouting is getting more and more expensive.  Over 1/2 my troop cannot afford the yearly national registration and council fees

This thread has been locked. And posts have been hidden. It's time for courteous, cheerful and kind.

What I did as SM was put everyone on the ballot that was eligible. Very rarely there was a scout that was eligible but, well, a butt, that didn't represent the idea of honor scout. There are two ways to remove them, before or after the ballot is written, and that's an argument I'm not interested in getting into. Either way, at least in my troop, the scouts were harsher than I was. I think that was because they saw more than I did.

As a CC, you should be working with the SM on this one.

As for adults, we did what your other leader mentioned, send them in when their son gets it. I got my brotherhood 30 years after my ordeal. It was fun going with my son.

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10 hours ago, 5thGenTexan said:

As far as the adults.  How does that work?  I have a leader that has been around awhile in the District saying they usually nominate the parent of the Scout so they can do it together?

The adults must be registered at the time of nomination and induction (unit nominates, SE approves) and must meet the same camping requirement as the scouts.  A unit may nominate adults at a ratio of 1/3 the number of scouts elected.  Those adults should be nominated because they will be an assest to the OA, not as a thank you for being a leader or simply because their scout was elected and you want them to experience induction together. 

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13 hours ago, MattR said:

 There are two ways to remove them, before or after the ballot is written

Actually there is only one way, before. Once the SM approves the slate of candidates, it is a done deal. I had a SM try to intimidate an election team into changing the results after he approved the candidate. He then tried to intimidate me, cursing and yelling at me as the team and I left his meeting.

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3 hours ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

Actually there is only one way, before. Once the SM approves the slate of candidates, it is a done deal. I had a SM try to intimidate an election team into changing the results after he approved the candidate. He then tried to intimidate me, cursing and yelling at me as the team and I left his meeting.

That isn't true globally; in our Chapter all candidates are on the ballot and the SM only uses a strike if the candidate is actually elected.

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17 minutes ago, KublaiKen said:

That isn't true globally; in our Chapter all candidates are on the ballot and the SM only uses a strike if the candidate is actually elected.

That should be true globally.  Once the SM has approved someone to be on the ballot and they are elected he/she CANNOT change the result.

From the latest version of the OA Guide to Elections:

"After the youths have voted, the unit leader cannot adjust the results of the election. The Guide for Officers and Advisers says that lodge rules must include this standard rule: Rule III.A. The requirements for membership in this lodge are as stated in the current printing of the Order of the Arrow Handbook and the Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisers. The “Induction: Election to Ordeal” section of the Guide for Officers and Advisers, details the procedure to be used for elections. Voting by unit leaders or adjusting the results of the youth votes is not part of the procedure and therefore is not allowed."

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15 minutes ago, KublaiKen said:

That isn't true globally; in our Chapter all candidates are on the ballot and the SM only uses a strike if the candidate is actually elected.

According to the Guide to Unit Elections, once the SM approves the eligibility of the, and the vote is take, the SM CANNOT (emphasis) change the election results. Page 17 specificily states

Quote

After the youths have voted, the unit leader cannot adjust the results of the election. The Guide for Officers and Advisers says that lodge rules must include this standard rule:                                                   

"Rule III.A. The requirements for membership in this lodge are as stated in the current printing of the Order of the Arrow Handbook and the Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisers."

The “Induction: Election to Ordeal” section of the Guide for Officers and Advisers, details the procedure to be used for elections. Voting by unit leaders or adjusting the results of the youth votes is not part of the procedure and therefore is not allowed.

So f it is not global, then those chapters or lodges are in violation of OA policies.

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16 minutes ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

According to the Guide to Unit Elections, once the SM approves the eligibility of the, and the vote is take, the SM CANNOT (emphasis) change the election results. Page 17 specificily states

So f it is not global, then those chapters or lodges are in violation of OA policies.

Correct.

16 minutes ago, MikeS72 said:

That should be true globally.  Once the SM has approved someone to be on the ballot and they are elected he/she CANNOT change the result.

From the latest version of the OA Guide to Elections:

"After the youths have voted, the unit leader cannot adjust the results of the election. The Guide for Officers and Advisers says that lodge rules must include this standard rule: Rule III.A. The requirements for membership in this lodge are as stated in the current printing of the Order of the Arrow Handbook and the Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisers. The “Induction: Election to Ordeal” section of the Guide for Officers and Advisers, details the procedure to be used for elections. Voting by unit leaders or adjusting the results of the youth votes is not part of the procedure and therefore is not allowed."

 

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Correct. But it isn't done globally. And given that the OP's Chapter told him he needed 20 for membership and seems to have neglected to mention Scoutmaster approval at all, I would be skeptical of their adherence to standard. Forewarned and all...

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58 minutes ago, KublaiKen said:

Correct. But it isn't done globally. And given that the OP's Chapter told him he needed 20 for membership and seems to have neglected to mention Scoutmaster approval at all, I would be skeptical of their adherence to standard. Forewarned and all...

Maybe this is another reason for the OA to die? Why bother having rules if they are ignored.

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17 minutes ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

Maybe this is another reason for the OA to die? Why bother having rules if they are ignored.

True. But that could apply to any number of things in Scouting or elsewhere. Getting rid of roads because people keep speeding would seem extreme, right? 😁 It's in our nature to try to fix things, not throw them out.

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1 hour ago, KublaiKen said:

True. But that could apply to any number of things in Scouting or elsewhere. Getting rid of roads because people keep speeding would seem extreme, right? 😁 It's in our nature to try to fix things, not throw them out.

True, but if those who took an Obligation are not willing to follow it,  and fix the things that are broken, but instead are making the problems worse,  is the organization worth saving?

There comes a time when one is completely exhausted and overwhelmed by the problems that fixing them is not  worth it. 

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1 hour ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

True, but if those who took an Obligation are not willing to follow it,  and fix the things that are broken, but instead are making the problems worse,  is the organization worth saving?

There comes a time when one is completely exhausted and overwhelmed by the problems that fixing them is not  worth it. 

Yes, that is a decision each of us must make.

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