ELECTION PROCEDURES
Election Procedures applicable to the election of Vestry Members and Delegates and Alternates to the Diocesan Convention.
Annual Meeting Date
The annual meeting of the Parish will be held each year on the third Sunday of February at 10:00 a.m. or on such other date which would be at least 30 days after the date of the regular or special Vestry meeting calling the annual meeting of the Parish, but not later than the last day of February.
Nominating Procedure
1. Before October 15 of each year, the Nominating Committee (as defined in the Bylaws) will give notice to the Parish that it is soliciting names of persons to be candidates for election to the Vestry and election as Delegate and Alternate Delegate to the Annual Diocesan Convention.
2. At the regular or special January meeting of the Vestry, the Nominating Committee will submit to the Vestry a list of qualified candidates for nomination for election to the Vestry at the annual meeting. The number of candidates listed will not be less than 5 nor more than 8. The number of candidates submitted is at the sole discretion of the Nominating Committee. From the list of candidates, the Vestry will select a final list of 5 qualified nominees for election to the Vestry.
3. At the regular or special January meeting of the Vestry, the Nominating Committee will submit to the Vestry a list of qualified candidates for election as Delegates to the Annual Convention of the Diocese. The list will contain not less than 24 names, or at the discretion of the Vestry, the number of Delegates to which the Vestry reasonably estimates the parish will be entitled pursuant to Canon 2 of the Diocese of Dallas (such number being the “Estimated Number of Delegates”) multiplied by two (such sum being the “Estimated Number of Delegates and Alternates”). The Vestry will review the list and if approved, the list will become the nominees for Delegates and Alternates, together in a single list without differentiation, to be submitted to the eligible voters in the Parish.
Announcement to Parish and Nomination by Nominating Petition
4. The names and biographical information of the Vestry and Delegate nominees will be announced to the Parish by publishing them in a Parish publication or other reasonable means of informing the members of the Parish entitled to vote, no later than the Sunday after the meeting of the Vestry at which such nominations were approved. Concurrently with the announcement of the Vestry nominees, the Vestry shall announce the procedure for nominating candidates using a Nominating Petition. Forms of Nominating Petitions will be available at the Church Office and on the SMAA Website.
5. Members of the Parish entitled to vote[1] (“qualified voter or qualified voters”) at the annual meeting may nominate a candidate for the Vestry or to be a Delegate for the Annual Convention of the Diocese by using a Nominating Petition. A single Nominating Petition will be used for each person nominated. Each Nominating Petition shall be completed with the required information and be signed by the (a) qualified voter of the Parish making the nomination, (b) the nominee who must be eligible to serve[2] (a “qualified nominee”), and (c) by 20 qualified voters. Each completed and fully signed Nominating Petition must be delivered to the Senior Warden in person or by delivery to the Parish Office receptionist by 2:00 p.m. on or before the 18th day before the date of the Parish annual meeting. Nominating Petitions received after 2:00 p.m. on the 18th day before the date of the Parish annual meeting will not be accepted or considered of any effect. The status of each nominating person as a qualified voter of the Parish, the status of each Nominating Petition nominee as a qualified nominee and the status of the 20 persons signing for each Nominating Petition nominee as qualified voters will be determined by the Senior Warden, the Junior Warden and the Parish Chancellor. A Nominating Petition not properly completed, either by qualified parties or not containing the proper information, will be rejected and will be of no effect. Those Nominating Petition nominees who are qualified nominees and whose Nominating Petitions contain the signatures of qualified voters shall be considered nominated and are referred to as “Nominating Petition nominee” or as “Nominating Petition nominees,” as appropriate.2
6. The Vestry will cause to be published in a Parish publication or other reasonable means of informing the members of the Parish entitled to vote, at least 16 days prior to the date of the Parish annual meeting, the names and biographical information for each nominee, the Vestry nominees and the Nominating Petition nominees. The Vestry nominees and the Nominating Petition nominees will be listed separately.
7. During the annual meeting, nominations from the floor will not be accepted.
Election Judges
8. A senior election judge shall be appointed to such position by the Senior Warden and Junior Warden acting together. The senior election judge will be responsible for conducting the election, the counting of all ballots cast at the election and the results of the election. The senior election judge will also be responsible for conducting any run-off elections, the counting of ballots cast and the announcing of the results of the run-off election. The senior election judge may appoint additional election judges and enlist the assistance of other members of the Parish entitled to vote at the annual meeting or SMAA staff to assist with conducting the election and discharging his or her duties in connection with the election, provided that such election judges and assistants may not be a nominee (either Vestry or Nominating Petition) or members of nominees’ immediate family. The election judges will keep all information concerning the election and the ballots, except as to the results of the election, confidential.
Ballots
9. A motion for a vote by acclamation may be made at the annual meeting when voting for members of the Vestry, but such motion may only be made if no nominee to be voted upon is a Nominating Petition nominee. In all other circumstances, all votes for members of the Vestry will be recorded in writing on a paper ballot. Only ballots that the general form of which has been approved by the Vestry and the final form of which has been approved by the senior election judge will be use at the annual meeting.
10. Each voter must be a qualified voter. Each ballot will provide a place for the voter to write or print their name and will provide a place for the voter to sign their name. To be valid, a ballot must be completed with the legibly printed name of the voter and the signature of the voter. A ballot not properly completed and signed will be rejected and not counted in the vote tally.
11. Each ballot will list the name of the Vestry nominees and the Nominating Petition nominees separately. In addition, each ballot will provide a space near the name of each nominee to record the vote of the voter. Except as provided below, each voter shall vote for the exact number of candidates for Vestry specified on the ballot, no more, no less. Votes may be cast for Delegates to Convention in any number up to the maximum number of Delegates. A ballot on which the voter voted for more than or less than the number of nominees specified, shall be void and not counted by the election judges.
Voting Procedures
12. Voting by proxy is prohibited, as set forth in the Bylaws. Votes must be cast at the annual meeting, as required by the Canons of the Diocese. All ballots must be delivered to the election judges prior to closing of the polls at the annual meeting.
13. The election judges will receive ballots tendered during the time the polls are open during the annual meeting, in all cases subject to verification of information contained on each such ballot. The election judges may set up additional polling places in the Church on the day of the meeting and post the hours for polling by members of the Parish voting who desire to vote during the meeting.
Counting of Ballots
14. The election judges will review each ballot cast to determine if it meets the requirements set out above. If a ballot cast does not meet such requirements it will be rejected by the election judges.
15. The election judges will review the names of each voter (and their signatures) recorded on each ballot to determine if each voter is a qualified voter. The election judges will be furnished by the parish administrator a list of eligible voters. If a ballot is found by the election judges to be given by an ineligible voter it will be void and not counted.
16. Those ballots that have been reviewed by the election judges and found to comply with the requirements of these procedures shall be counted by the election judges and their support personnel.
17. The Vestry election will be decided by a majority of all votes cast. In the case of the Vestry election, the five (5) nominees receiving the highest number of votes and at least a majority of all votes cast at the meeting shall be elected.
18. The number of persons equal to the Estimated Number of Delegates receiving the highest number of votes will be elected as Delegates and the persons receiving the lowest number of votes will be elected as Alternates to serve in the order of the number of votes each Alternate receives.
19. No nominee, either Vestry or Nominating Petition, will be permitted to be present in the room or rooms in which ballots are being counted at the time ballots are being counted. No nominee will be entitled to have an observer or representative present at the counting of the ballots.
Run-Off Elections
20. The Vestry election must be decided by a majority of all votes cast. In the Vestry election the five (5) nominees receiving the highest number of votes and at least a majority of votes cast shall be elected. If five (5) persons are not elected, those who were not elected will continue as nominees for the Vestry. A run-off election will be held to fill the remaining Vestry vacancies. If a run-off vote is required, it will be conducted as soon as possible after the outcome of the prior round of voting is determined. The time and date for holding the run-off election shall be determined by the Senior Warden. If there is not sufficient time prior to the run-off vote to reprint ballots to evidence the reduced number of names on the ballots, ballots with the names of all nominees used in the preceding round of voting may be used for the run-off election. The number of votes to be cast may be different than the required number stated on the ballot. The senior election judge shall give the appropriate instructions as to the number of votes to be cast.
21. At the sole option of the Chair of the annual meeting, the Chair of the meeting may recess the meeting to accommodate the counting of the votes for the election of Vestry members and the Chair may reconvene the meeting to announce the outcome of the election to the meeting. The results of the meeting shall be posted as provided for in paragraph 22 of these procedures. If a run-off election is required, as contemplated by paragraph 20 of these procedures, the Chair with the consent of the Senior Warden may recess a meeting to a later time and date for the purpose of holding a run-off election in accordance with the procedures set out in paragraph 20 of this procedure.
Announcement of Election Results
22. The results of the election will be certified by the senior election judge and posted on the Church premises in a public place or places at the discretion of the senior election judge by no later than 3:00 p.m. on the Tuesday following the date of the election.