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SAMPLE RULES FOR UNDERGRADUATE ELECTIONS AT GRAND CHAPTER AND GRAND COUNCIL

These rules are incorporated into the Rules for Grand Chapter as stated in Rule 17 of those Rules.

  1. The Nominating Committee shall interview each candidate nominated for office, except as noted below, and shall ensure that each candidate is aware of the duties of the office to which he has been proposed for nomination, the time commitment involved, the financial implications and the other relevant aspects of the office sought. Upon completing the interview, the committee shall render a finding of either “Highly Qualified,” “Qualified” or “No Opinion,” as more completely defined below.
  2. If the Nominating Committee is reasonably satisfied a) that a candidate is aware of the duties and responsibilities of the office; b) that the candidate is confirmed as a Sigma Chi in good standing; c) that no condition or personal circumstance exists which would render the candidate unfit for office; and d) the candidate affirms his desire to seek the office to which he has been proposed for nomination, and will fulfill the statutory requirements of that office; the Nominating Committee shall find him “Qualified.”  The Nominating Committee shall issue a designation of “Highly Qualified” to one or more candidates for office who they believe to be particularly well suited for the position.  If the Committee finds that a candidate is not qualified or not well suited to the office to which he is nominated, the Committee shall enter a finding of “No Opinion” and so inform the candidate prior to announcement of the Nominating Committee’s report.  In that event, the candidate may withdraw or proceed as he chooses.
  3. Candidates found to be Highly Qualified, Qualified, or No Opinion for elective office shall be identified by the Committee as such to the Grand Chapter prior to the speeches for each officer seat election.
  4. The Nominating Committee will not interview or issue opinions on candidates for Grand Praetor (except in the event that a Province Caucus is not unanimous, and as provided below in Rule 13), Undergraduate Representative to the Executive Committee, Grand Praetor Member of the Executive Committee, Grand Trustee Member of the Executive Committee, or Alumnus Member at Large of the Executive Committee.
  5. In the event that a member of the Nominating Committee wishes to seek an office other than one currently held, or seeks any contested office, he should withdraw from membership on the Nominating Committee. The person or body which selected that person to serve on the Nominating Committee should select a replacement.
  6. All discussions within the Nominating Committee shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed outside of the Nominating Committee meeting room.
  7. No member of the Nominating Committee should speak on behalf of any candidate or otherwise participate in any campaigning.
  8. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to prevent nominations from the floor.  In the event a candidate is nominated on the floor for an office where other candidates for that office have been reviewed by the Nominating Committee, the Committee shall convene and interview such candidate.  To prevent undue delays in the proceedings, the Grand Consul may announce a time deadline by which delegates intending to nominate a brother from the floor for such an office must declare his intention to do so. The purpose of this deadline is to give the Nominating Committee time to interview the prospective nominee and prepare a supplemental report for that office.  The Grand Consul may rule a floor nomination out of order if the nominator does not comply with any such deadline.
  9. In any contested election for a Grand office, numbers will be placed in a clear glass bowl or similar receptacle and drawn by each candidate to establish a random order. The candidates will be listed in that same order, and the candidates, or those making speeches on their behalf, will speak in that order.  The presiding officer may set a time limit for speeches, not to exceed 15 minutes total for all persons speaking on behalf of a nominee.

    Elections for any contested Grand officer position will be held by secret ballot. Candidate names may be printed on the ballot provided that the ballots do not give any preference to any candidates. The candidates should be listed in the same order as drawn for speaking. All candidates’ names will be displayed on an overhead projection or similar medium, viewable to all voting delegates. Ballots shall be counted by Grand Officers not running for election serving as tellers, appointed by the Grand Consul and assisted by the Headquarters Staff or by electronic methods monitored by the Head Teller. Said ballots shall be preserved for a period of 120 days and shall be accessible to any member in good standing who wishes to see them. In lieu of paper ballots, the Grand Chapter may utilize an electronic voting mechanism with due regard for security and the integrity of the voting process.  Electronic voting records need not be retained past the adjournment of the Grand Chapter.

  10. (a) Except as provided in subpar. (b) for the election of Grand Trustee, in the event no one candidate receives a majority of the votes cast in a contested race, a run-off vote will be held between the top two candidates. (b) Each of the several Grand Trustees to be elected at Grand Chapter shall be elected by a majority vote. Any candidate for Grand Trustee receiving a majority vote shall be declared elected to that position. One or more run-off votes shall be taken among those nominees for Grand Trustee who did not receive a majority of the votes cast on the preceding ballot. On the second and any subsequent run-off vote, the candidate receiving the fewest number of votes shall be dropped from consideration. Run-off ballots shall continue until each of the Grand Trustee positions to be elected at the Grand Chapter has been decided by a majority vote.
  11. In order to be elected, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast and a quorum must be present in the meeting room during a vote for any office.
  12. In any contested Grand Praetor race, designated members of the Nominating Committee will make diligent efforts to mediate the issue within a Province Caucus. If unanimity cannot be reached despite such efforts, the Nominating Committee shall present to the Grand Chapter all candidates found to be qualified.
  13. Vote totals will be announced only to the actual candidates in any election. Immediately after each vote, on the request of the candidate, he will be provided with a written note disclosing the vote totals. It will be the responsibility of the officers who count the votes to ensure that this written notice is provided to each candidate if requested, and they may designate any Headquarters Staff or other officer to deliver the note following the announcement of the results. No results will be final until the candidates have been provided with the written notice of the result of the vote.
  14. Each candidate may have one person, other than the candidate, designated to be in the vote counting room. This person may only observe and must not interfere with the counting process or the counters.