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Balloting in an E.A. Lodge (Texas)

Bro. Stewart P.M.

Lead Moderator Emeritus
Staff Member
Again, please define "full members". All I proposed is making them pay dues. They would still have to earn the privileges of a Master Mason.

What we need to determine is what privileges, if any, should go along with the requirement to help support their Lodge & Grand Lodge.

Let me ask you this then; Under our jurisdiction an EA or FC must complete their "work" requiements within one year or be expelled from the Fraternity. What you are proposing is basicly nothing more than an increase in degree fees that would pay the per capita...?

Maybe we could get them to pay 1/2 Dues??
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
Not even close. The only penalty, if it can even be called that, is that after turning in the work of his degree, the "out-of-time" candidate must petition for advancement. Anyone ever hear of such a petition being rejected?

As to my proposal, the only thing it would do is to make EAs & FCs help support their Lodges financially. What say y'all?
 

tom268

Registered User
Sorry to say that, but it is a strange attitude you brothers have towards masonry. Pay the due, be a mason, have a funeral? Is that all? I really miss some aspects here in the discussion. How do EAs and FC feel? How many do not come back after their initiation? What are the arguments of those? Is support only financial? Do they not support their lodge by feeling of being a part of it? Do they not support the lodge by participating?

How can you really be a (craft) master, when you deny yourself the experience of accompany an EA and FC along his way? How can you really be a master, if you just surround yourself with other masters?

I know, you do this for many years and you know it that way. But remember, that masonry was not invented in the USA, it was imported. And it was different back then. The way you do it is not written in stone, it is the modification of a modification of the original. So, having it this way is not an argument. It is a product of the 18th century, modified in the 19th due to the Morgan Affair. How was it before that? Was it better or worse? Or just different?

If your lodges need financial support, you have one of two problems, a problem of membership being too small, or a problem of projects being too large. If you have a membership problem, making EAs and FCs members could help. Not only for the dues paying, but for the whole membership. If you have a project problem, EAs and FCs will not solve the problem, no matter if they pay dues, half dues or nothing at all.
 

Bill Lins

Moderating Staff
Staff Member
Good points, Bro Tom. I would add, for discussion purposes, that the more you pay for something, the more important it is to you- the same argument often given for dues increases (that "Masonry is too cheap").

Have at it, boys!
 

K.S.

Registered User
I like the idea as bro. Stewart has said, and of maybe having EA's pay 1/3 dues, FC's pay 2/3 dues and obviously MM's paying full dues. Not for the purpose of generating funds, but as bro. Bill_lins / Tom has stated, for the purpose that if you are paying for something, you are more inclined to take a vested interest and participate. Let's face it, as I have stated in another thread, EA's and FC's kind of get left behind.
Personally, I love going to lodge and participating as much as possible, I have a good time at lodge, during work as well as refreshment. but then again I am the colorful denominator that charges a lodge of "old timers". -(no offense meant)
 

BEDickey

Premium Member
I know here in Maine, all "business" is taken care of in either Master Mason Degree, or if any FC or EA are present, in the EA degree. FellowCraft degree is only for passing people to the degree of FellowCraft. That Being said I know and have witnessed things being left unsaid in an EA business meeting, as it pertained to business of the Master Masons of my lodge.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
In this years Grand Lodge of Kentucky conference an article was up for vote that would allow lodges the option to open on the EA degree for business meetings. It was voted down by a very large majority.
 

Lazza21

Registered User
It is very different over there in the USA to here in England. Here all lodge business is conducted in the First Degree. Once initiated (and dues must be paid upon initiation) everyone has a right to vote on lodge affairs financial or otherwise and take part in ballots for membership.
 

Ripcord22A

Site Benefactor
In both OR and NM lodge can be opened in the EA as for voting im not sure about NM but in oregon you can. Also in oregon your degree fees include ur first year of dues. So i did pay dues as an ea and fc. If you take 2 years to be passed and raised then yeah i think you should pay dues. I did mine in 3 months(initiated, 1 month later passed, 2 months later raised) so i dont see how they arent gonna pay dues......
 

Bloke

Premium Member
It is very different over there in the USA to here in England. Here all lodge business is conducted in the First Degree. Once initiated (and dues must be paid upon initiation) everyone has a right to vote on lodge affairs financial or otherwise and take part in ballots for membership.

Same in Australia. An EA is a full voting member. He is a full paying member (although many lodges pro-rata the fee according to how many months left in the financial year.

Hence
$250 GL Initiation Fee (recently put up from $99, proposed at $500 - huge backlash).
$104.50 GL Capitation Fee.
So the GL cost of initiation is currently $354.50

$0 Proposal Fee (it was abolished when GL cancelled all by-laws and replaced them with uniform rules a few years back).
Annual dues $150 - $500 depending on the lodge on the first working night that means $854.50... but if I saw that and knew a brother was not well heeled, I propose the lodge fees be waived or reduced.

When I joined, GL fees were all low and lodges often charged a candidate for EA 1.5 annual dues... the change has seen a shift of income from lodges to GL.

Opening in the 3rd is an American thing - as someone said, in reaction to the Morgan Affair...

If you are thinking an EA is not "qualified" to vote, sure they are inexperienced, but most votes are about beer, stamps and dinner. If there is a contentious vote, the mover will often speak to it, and there will be discussion... we trust our EAs to have a brain and use it... AND at the end of the day, with 20 members and 2 EAs, its only 10% of the vote residing in the EAs.. .who I've also seen abstain..
 

Levelhead

Premium Member
We can only ballot in the MM degree in florida. "From what I've always seen"


Sent from Mossy Oak Swamp Bottom
 

Pscyclepath

Premium Member
Here (AR) the only business that may be done in an EA or FC lodge is to hear a proficiency exam, or confer the degree. All other business, and all voting or balloting, must be done in the Master's degree.

At the same time, all stated communications must be opened sequentially in all three degrees, from EA up to the Masters... EAs get to sit in during opening of the EA lodge, but get purged when we move up to the FC; likewise for FCs, who get purged when we move up to the Masters...
 

Zack

Registered User
Br. Pscyclepath,
Do you have to close in all 3 degrees at the end of the meeting? If so, do you have a "short form" for closing?
 
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