PA PAC Endorsement Voting Procedures Explained:
Who May Vote:
Persons who have been members of the People’s Alliance for more than thirty days prior to the endorsement meeting and who are current on their annual dues for the year during which the meeting is held may vote at a PA PAC endorsement meeting. PA members who have joined PA for the first time during the thirty-day period immediately preceding an endorsement meeting may not vote at that meeting, but may attend the meeting and participate in debate. A PA member who is a candidate and PA members who are members of the candidate’s immediate family may not participate in the debate or decision for the candidate’s office. Immediacy shall be one degree of kinship, including the candidate’s spouse.
The Consent Agenda
There may be a consent agenda. It shall consist of a list of all the candidates in the races to be handled by general consent. There shall be no debate or discussion about endorsements to be handled by consent; however, any member present may object to the handling of any particular race by consent by indicating his or her objection before action is taken on the consent agenda. The race objected to will be removed from the consent agenda moved to the end of the regular agenda and will be handled like other races on the agenda, including discussion and debate. The consent agenda will be voted on in a single vote of the voting members. If consent is not given, the agenda may be reconsidered or, at the discretion of the coordinators, each race may be handled like other races on the agenda, including discussion and debate.
The Regular Agenda
The regular agenda shall be organized by office/race. For each race, the agenda shall be divided into two parts: First there shall be reports – during which the coordinators or someone designated by them shall report on the candidates, their questionnaire responses, and their interviews. A recommendation if there is one, shall be made at this time. Questions seeking information (as opposed to debating) are appropriate at this time. Second, the body shall debate and vote to determine which candidate, if any, shall receive the PAC’s endorsement. The procedure for voting shall be as follows:
A. When There is a Single Seat and Only One Candidate:
When a candidate is running unopposed, there shall be a competitive ballot between “yes” to endorse and “no” to withhold the PAC’s endorsement. This procedure shall also be employed for bond issues and other referenda.
B.When There is a Single Seat and Only Two Candidates:
There shall be a competitive ballot allowing each member to vote for one or the other candidate as the candidate’s name is called or for “no endorsement” which shall also be called.
D. When There is a Single Seat, But Three or More Candidates:
There shall be a competitive ballot allowing each member to vote for the candidate of his or her choice or for “no endorsement” as the candidate’s name or “no endorsement” is called. If one candidate gets 50% plus one of the votes cast, that candidate wins. If no candidate wins in the first round of balloting, the candidate(s) receiving the lowest number of votes shall be eliminated and there shall be another round of balloting. If the number of candidates under consideration in any round is five or greater and there is no winner in that round, then the two candidates who received the lowest number of votes shall be eliminated from consideration in the next round. If the number of candidates in any round is four or fewer and there is no winner in that round, then the candidate who received the least votes shall be eliminated from consideration in the next round. In every round of voting, members shall be afforded the opportunity to vote for “no endorsement.”
E. When There are Multiple Candidates Competing for More Than One Seat:
Each voting member shall have as many votes as there are seats in the race. There shall be a competitive ballot during which each candidate’s name shall be called. A voting member may expend one vote for each candidate whom he or she supports until the member has no more votes. After the first round of balloting, candidates who have received 50%-plus-one vote of the votes cast shall be endorsed. If a seat or seats remain for which no endorsement winner is identified, there shall be another ballot round during which each voting member shall have as many votes as there are seats remaining. Voting shall continue in ballot rounds in this way until all endorsements have been awarded. For the second round and each succeeding round the candidate(s) receiving the least votes shall be eliminated at the rate described in procedure (c) above. If after two ballot rounds seats remain for which there is no endorsement winner, the presiding officer shall call for a vote of the membership to continue or to cease balloting. This call shall be made after every ballot round thereafter as long as seats remain for which no endorsement winner is identified.