Policy on Runoff Election Voting Procedures

Adopted: November 18, 2003

Preamble: The Constitution and Bylaws of the WCOARA require that a candidate for a WCOARA office receive a majority, that is, greater than 50%, of the votes cast in an election to be officially recognized as having been elected to a WCOARA office. The Constitution and Bylaws, however, offer no guidance on how to proceed with a runoff election, when none of the candidates for an office receive the required majority of votes cast, by the members casting ballots in an election. To correct this situation, the following Runoff Election Voting Procedures shall be employed.

1. A runoff election shall be held for a tie vote, or when no candidate for office receives the required majority of votes cast, by the members casting ballots in any WCOARA election.

2. The runoff election shall be held as soon as possible following an inconclusive vote.

3. If the results of the annual November WCOARA election require that a runoff election be held, the WCOARA Board of Directors will select the method and timing of the runoff election. However, in no event shall the runoff election be held later than the January WCOARA meeting, immediately following the November WCOARA election. The preferred method and timing, for a runoff election, shall be by written ballot, distributed with the December WCOARA Newsletter, and mailed or delivered by, or for, the member to the WCOARA Secretary, before the ballots are counted at the December Holiday Party, or at the December meeting, if a Holiday Party meeting is not scheduled. When this preferred method and timing for a runoff election is used, it shall not require prior approval by the WCOARA Board of Directors.

4. Only the two persons receiving the highest number of votes for a particular office, during a vote count that produces an inconclusive result, will be included in the count of votes in a runoff election. Of these two people, the person receiving the majority of the votes cast in the runoff election shall be considered elected to the office. This Policy on Runoff Election Voting Procedures shall become effective as of the November 2003 annual election meeting of the West Central Ohio Amateur Radio Association, and shall apply to all elections, held thereafter, unless rescinded or modified by a subsequent vote of the membership.