# When are officer elections?



## ebojones (Nov 14, 2014)

The newly raised brothers just purchased our constitutions, and haven't found where it states when officer elections are held, and after asking we got no direct answers. Cant figure out why. We were under the impression that they were yearly, but after hearing the WM say he wasn't bringing in any new candidates until next Spring kind of threw us off that way of thinking but got no direct answer as to when the right to vote as MM began or when elections take place. Anyone have info on voting/election policy for MWPHGLoT ? Thanks in advance.


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## crono782 (Nov 14, 2014)

I can't speak to how PH works in TX, but for us we have elections yearly prior to June 24. There is nothing that says the existing officers have to change, but elections must occur. There is not option for the WM to forego elections and declare the same line for the next year for obvious reasons. Perhaps your constitution and laws are bundled separately. The articles governing elections would likely not be in the constitution, but in the general laws. I'm positive there are articles outlining the process somewhere.


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## ebojones (Nov 14, 2014)

Thanks for the input brother. I will try to find it in the laws.


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## dfreybur (Nov 15, 2014)

Likely the constitutions you purchased was for the grand lodge.  The rules for the lodge are probably called bylaws and are likely to be only a few pages.  The by laws should "state" when the monthly meeting(s) is (that's why it is called the "stated" meeting), plus when the annual elections are.

Notice that your right to vote starts the stated meeting after you pay your dues after you are raised.  The votes will be for spending money, scheduling events, responding to requests as well as the annual vote for officers.  Very many lodges vote to pay their bills, others give a chance to object with various wording.

For elections of lodge officers, I've seen a lot of them be unanimous.  Perhaps there were some rapid fire words that you didn't know what they meant and then a gavel.  I remember that happening a number of times as I gradually learned what happens in lodge meetings and what the words mean.  "Say, what just happened?"  Even with contested elections I've seen them happen in about two minutes.  It is very unlikely they happened and you missed it, but it is within the realm of possibilities.  More likely it was worked out at a committee meeting just before opening and the report of the committee was read in and gavelled on so fast it blurred by.


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## Bill Lins (Nov 15, 2014)

dfreybur said:


> Likely the constitutions you purchased was for the grand lodge.  The rules for the lodge are probably called bylaws and are likely to be only a few pages.  The by laws should "state" when the monthly meeting(s) is (that's why it is called the "stated" meeting), plus when the annual elections are.


Dunno about other obediences but NOT under GLoTX. The rules regarding election of officers, particularly as to when elections are to be held, are found in the Grand Lodge Law, NOT the by-laws of a subordinate Lodge.


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