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Lodge Elections & Installations

Keith C

Registered User
Tomorrow night is our Elections and Installations of Officers for the Masonic year beginning St. John's Day Next.

I am curious how many of you experience contested elections vs the adoption of a slate with one candidate for each office? As I understand the situation we have 3 people running for one of the positions, with the rest having a single candidate, and, unfortunately, one very important chair without a candidate.

It should be an interesting evening! I am a little apprehensive because I am not sure if I completely remember my dialog for calling off from Labor for the set-up for balloting, and I had to turn in my Ritual Manual to be accounted for by the DDGM before he gives them to the new WM for distribution as he sees fit! At least I am sure that the gaggle of PMs who sit next to my Station in the South will correct me if I mis-speak!!!!
 

JanneProeliator

Registered User
We have installation this coming friday.
In our lodge (I assume in all of the jurisdiction) we move naturally from chair to chair untill WM. Some chairs might be filled with some past masters if there is not enough younger brothers to fill all the chairs.

I'm really excited about the upcoming installation as it is my first installation eaven thou I have been working as a junior steward since september. I'll be moving to junior MC.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
The installation in my home lodge will be 17 Dec. We progress regularly from chair to chair unless something is badly wrong!
 

Matt L

Site Benefactor
In my jurisdiction the WM, SW, JW, Treasurer and Secretary are elected. The other positions are appointed by the WM. I have, on a few occasions SW's not make it to the East.
 

Glen Cook

G A Cook
Site Benefactor
In Utah, we regularly have contested elections (GL too).

In UGLE, I’ve never seen one, noting the secretary and wardens are appointed.
 

Keith C

Registered User
I have seen this once when it was obvious that the SW was not capable of performing the WM duties. The obvious question was how he had made it to SW to begin with.

In our case it is normally progressive as well, JD to SD to JW to SW to WM. Deacons are appointed and seem to often drop out. In our District (I am not 100% sure if it is Jurisdiction wide) in order to be on the ballot for JW you must be signed of at District School of Instruction on conducting the Business of the Lodge and conferral of the EA Degree. For SW also the FC Degree and for WM also the MM Degree. Our current SD who was supposed to be on the ballot for JW was found not proficient when he attempted to emulate the EA Degree with a Senior Instructor at the end of November (You must be signed off by Nov 30th to be on the Ballot.) The assumption now is that he will be able to fix the issues he was having and get signed off soon. So the Chair will be vacant of an Elected JW, and each month a PM will be appointed to the chair until he gets signed off and we have a separate special election.

The Officers we elect are: WM, SW, JW, Sec., Tres, 3 trustees/year as well as Representative and Substitute Representative to the Grand Lodge. All others are appointed. Our one contested position is Representative to the Grand Lodge, which is normally the Immediate Past Master.
 

Keith C

Registered User
We have installation this coming friday.
In our lodge (I assume in all of the jurisdiction) we move naturally from chair to chair untill WM. Some chairs might be filled with some past masters if there is not enough younger brothers to fill all the chairs.

I'm really excited about the upcoming installation as it is my first installation eaven thou I have been working as a junior steward since september. I'll be moving to junior MC.
We have installation this coming friday.
In our lodge (I assume in all of the jurisdiction) we move naturally from chair to chair untill WM. Some chairs might be filled with some past masters if there is not enough younger brothers to fill all the chairs.

I'm really excited about the upcoming installation as it is my first installation eaven thou I have been working as a junior steward since september. I'll be moving to junior MC.

Are all of your officers Installed? Here in PA it is just the Elected officers WM, SW, JW, Sec & Tres.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Between 2 of my jurisdictions I have attended GL roughly 10 times. Once I have seen a contested election.

In 25 years of Freemasonry, none of my own lodges have had a contested election. However I have been visiting during elections and I've seen contested elections I think twice.

At one of the lodges that I saw a contested election the local Brothers informed me that was standard for that lodge. So it seems like contested elections are common in a small number of lodges but otherwise rare occurrences.

It would be fun to had statistically valid data on that question rather than my own anecdotal report.
 

LK600

Premium Member
In both NM and CA you are not officially anything until installed. All officers must be installed by a specific date.

Same here in FL. Well, you may be called, as an example Worshipful Master elect. I am now Secretary Elect (though I'm unsure if that's just local or State wide).
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
elections went well Last night, I was elected Lodge Treasurer, looking forward to be of help to my Lodge....
Congratulations Brother!
The Officers we elect are: WM, SW, JW, Sec., Tres, 3 trustees
In Kentucky elected and appointed officers differ according to the bylaws of each lodge. For example my home lodge elects all officers except for Chaplin and Marshall which are appointed.
 

Keith C

Registered User
As it turns out we ended up NOT having a contested election after all.

I was Installed as Senior Warden for the ensuing Masonic Year, beginning Saint John's Day next. So I officially take the office on the 27th of December.

I have a feeling that this year is going to pass very quickly and I have a lot of preparation to do!
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
Interesting, Appointed Officers here are never Installed, they serve at the Will and Pleasure of the Worshipful Master.
Here it is not necessary to install appointed officers. However, after the WM,SW,JW, Sec., and Treas., have been installed there will sometimes be a "mass" installation of the other elected officers at which the appointed officers are welcome.
 

Bloke

Premium Member
I've never been a member of a subordinate lodge where there was a contested election - several times in my masonic journey, several people have thrown their hat into the ring for the same job, but have always been able to agree that one withdraw before the ballot.. that said, we do have elections for a purpose so one or more candidates is completely in order - what is important is their context and also what happens after - a ready acquiescence to the vote of the lodge..
 
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