RULES OF PROCEDURE – Nominations, Credentials & Election Committee
I. Corpus
This Committee shall consist of at least three (3) members appointed by the President. Any one of the Committee members may act as the Credentials Officer (CO) at voting time.
II. Credentials
Candidates for election to the Board must be residents of Michigan certified as members of MSA in good standing. Votes cast in the election may only be made by members in good standing that has paid their dues for the current year.
III. Nominations
This committee shall prepare a list of nominees, who have been contacted and who have agreed to serve on the Board if elected:
1) All Officers and Board Members, whose term will expire in the year of the election, shall automatically become candidates for reelection unless they refuse.
2) The number of candidates on the ballot shall not be less than 1.5 times the number to be elected for any office.
3) Geographic area shall be considered in selecting nominees in the interest of statewide representation but shall not be a mandatory restriction.
IV. Election
1) A ballot shall be mailed or e-mailed at least 30 days prior to the election, which will be held on the last day of the State Shoot.
2) The ballot shall list all known candidates and provide adequate space for write- in candidates.
3) The ballot may, from time to time, contain questions of interest to the membership of MSA as directed by the Board.
4) Complete and unbiased instructions shall accompany the ballot.
V. Absentee Voting (By Mail or Electronically)
Absentee voting shall take place as follows:
1) The official ballot, or a reasonable facsimile that is legible and complete, may be used to vote.
2) Choices shall be marked plainly with an “X” and shall not exceed the number of choices as stated in the instructions.
3) If a voter wishes his ballot to be secret, he or she must mail the ballot individually and separately. The ballot must be enclosed in an envelope on which his name and MSA number has been printed. This envelope must then be inserted in an envelope for mailing to the MSA Secretary
4) The Secretary – Treasurer will deliver the sealed ballot envelope to the State Shoot, and the Credentials Officer shall certify that the member is in good standing and mark the roster accordingly. The still unopened envelope shall then be dropped in the Ballot Box.
5) If a voter does not require his ballot to be secret, he must include his name and MSA number on the ballot and mail it or fax it according to instructions on the ballot.
VI. Direct Voting (At the State Shoot)
1) Ballots identical to those mailed will be available at the State Shoot.
2) The Credentials Officer shall prepare a sealed ballot box and insert a signed statement that states that the ballot box was empty and sealed prior to casting of any ballots.
3) The Credentials Officer must certify the voter before he or she can cast a ballot. The CO may demand identification of any voter. The CO will mark the roster to indicate those having cast ballots.
4) The voter is not required to identify his or her ballot in any way once the CO has determined their eligibility to vote.
VII. Polling Place
The polling booth will be open from the beginning of the State Shoot until 2:00 PM on the last day of the State Shoot.
VIII. Tellers
Two or more Tellers shall be appointed by the Committee who are not known candidates:
1) The Tellers shall open the ballot box in the presence of the Elections Committee member in charge.
2) The Tellers shall open and destroy any envelopes that contain absentee ballots and stack all ballots.
3) Ballots shall be checked for irregularities, and, if the intent of the voter is in doubt, the Teller shall lay it aside until all other ballots have been tabulated.
4) Together the Tellers shall determine the intent of the voter. If the ballot is in error, it shall be disqualified for the candidate(s) to which the error applies, but it shall not be invalidated with regard to a correct vote for any other candidate or question; i. e. if a voter votes for more than the specified number of candidates for the Board of Directors, none of his selections will be counted.
5) Failure to vote, or to vote for less than the maximum number of candidates, shall not invalidate a ballot.
IX. Results
The Credentials Officer and the Tellers shall agree upon the results and sign the tabulation sheets. They shall report to the President, who shall announce the results of the election. The tab sheets, original ballots, and the statement by the CO that the ballot box was empty and sealed prior to the election shall be given to the Secretary- Treasurer, who shall retain this record until the next election is held.
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