Unit Elections Training

Grace J.

Lodge Secretary of Training

Totanhan Nakaha Lodge

Objectives

• Understand why unit elections are important
• Understand the correct way to approach a unit election from start to finish
• Understand how to bring this training back to your chapter(s)
• Allow unit election teams to perform effective trainings

1 - Rank

2 - Camping

3 - Spirit

4

Things to know

In order for a candidate to be up for election there are four requirements:

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Youth candidates in the Order of the Arrow are anyone under 21 years of age.

The rank requirements for election are as follows:

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• Scouting America: First Class rank or higher
• Venturing: Discovery Award or higher
• Sea Scouts: Ordinary rank or higher

The camping requirements for election are as follows:

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Experience 15 nights of camping with a troop, crew, or ship, containing one long-term campout (5 nights)

A candidate for the OA should exemplify Scout Spirit in their unit and community

To be actually up for election a candidate must be chosen by their Scoutmaster, Advisor, or Skipper

Importance

Unit Elections provide certain scouts with their first introduction to the Order of the Arrow. There are also other things many scouts don’t know about the OA that could interest them about the program. First impressions are very important and are often remembered.

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This isn’t necessarily done only through unit elections, some units have OA Representatives, or might just schedule a unit visit to learn more about the OA.

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Reminder : OA Members cannot run their own units elections or that of their linked unit.

BEFORE THE ELECTION

(yes work needs to be done prior to the elections)

Planning

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Most of the information is covered at an online meeting about the lodgemaster side of an election.

Most of the beforehand planning is done on lodge master.

Things you need to know for the meeting:

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• Is your team ready?
• Do you have a projector, tv, laptop you can use to display videos?
• Online or Paper ballots?
• Do you have the paper sheet from lodgemaster:

AT THE ELECTION

Remember your uniform!

Before it starts

Remember to wear your uniform (w/ sash)

First impressions matter

• Does the unit leader want the results announced tonight or at a later date?
• Get contact information of those eligible (if you don’t already have it)
• Determine if you active membership:

****At least 50% of active youth members MUST be present to conduct an election

• If at least 50% is not present, an election cannot be held
• Write the number of active members & the number present on the Unit Election Report in the spaces provided

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Arrive early

Meet with the unit leader:

Pointers to Conduct an Election

• Using the scripts and videos, found in the link tree, on the lodge website to conduct the unit election.
• National Election Video
• *Pause the video during the national elections video when it tells you to.
• Voting (will be covered on the next slide)
• Play lodge promo video
• call out (also found in the link tree)
• Chat with elected unit members

Paper Ballots

• When you pause the video, remind the unit that it should be silent during the voting period and they should vote for people who are deserving, even if it means not voting for their friends.
• *Not a popularity contest
• Pass out the paper ballots and writing tools and remind them they can vote for as few or as many people as they want.
• When they’re done writing their votes, collect the ballots.
• Proceed as told before.

Electronic Ballots

• Remember to set up a QR code before the election, you can simply use a QR code generator for your google form.
• Do the same things stated previously
• Volunteer your phone if you need to
• When done, finish the video and stop projecting your computer
• Proceed as stated previously

AFTER THE ELECTION

(YES MORE WORK)

Contact

• Contact whoever is in charge of elections for your chapter, this would be the youth AND advisor.
• Give them all the information from the unit election: UNIT ELECTION REPORT SHEET
• The person in charge of elections will input it into lodge master.

MOCK ELECTION

Ft. Oliver & Ella

Example of online ballot

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13bgmLLMt_yB4jttTxqaHMUSnO1TfgTWPCHZxyPwU8Ag/edit

Groups

Work with a group to come up with ideas as what you would recommend to someone to join the Order of the Arrow.

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Or why a scout might want to join.

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(you can say this at the election!)

QUESTIONS?

(its okay if you don’t have one)

Unit Elections Training

Grace J.

Lodge Secretary of Training

Totanhan Nakaha Lodge