Running Elections

[5yearscouter]

In our troop the existing leadership goes over the requirements for positions the week before elections, usually with a review before election day. The troop has a bunch of rules for who can run for what position, they want SPL to have NYLT, and obviously 1st class. they have attendance % listed, but they are not enforced or tracked in any way. and of course the list of rules is in the 58 page bylaws, so it's likely to be adult created list, not scout created. but anywhooooo.

 

the boys seem to talk amongst themselves ahead of time, recomending each other,and pushing each other to see who is interested in positions.

 

Election night, the current SPL asks for those who are interested in the office of SPL to come to the front of the room. Usually scoutmaster at that time tells anyone if they are not eligible(so that could be handled a bit better in advance to avoid hurt I guess). Scoutmaster goes over the requirements for the job, tries to ensure all parents know what their scout is getting themselves in for.

 

then the scouts vote by raise of hands for the different boys. Current SPL and Scoutmaster both count hands, but it's pretty open for anyone to count the raised hands. Current SPL congratulates new SPL and goes and sits down with the other scouts.

 

Elections are every 6 months, a scout can run for position multiple times, but there is encouragement by scoutmaster for them to not re-run for the position after a year of the same job. Except for Quartermaster, when they get a good quartermaster they tend to try to keep him.

 

The New SPL then calls for anyone who is interested in ASPL to come forward. He also may try to call people to the front that he wants as his ASPL, especially the prior SPL if they do not stand up. the boys in the audience usually are cheering for certain people, which sways the SPL in some manner. SPL discusses options with SM and they announce usually 2 ASLs for the size troop we have.

 

Repeat for all other positions.

Den chief is never mentioned in this.

 

Once elections are over, the boys are sent off to redo their patrols. In our troop, patrols have been completely redone every 6 months and that means our patrols are very ineffective. about the time they start really working well together, it's time to change patols again. that is an adult thing to prevent cliques and bullying [what I'm told]

 

Current SPL at the PLC on Monday night had a vote to have patrols stay together for at least a year, with fixes being done every 6 months after elections only if needed. Some of the moms sitting in the back of the room were agast and worried over "my son has to stay in the same patrol for a year, what if he hates it and is being picked on? my poor baby."

 

so I raised the question and the SPL and SM let everyone know if they have an issue with not fitting in to their patrol, or not getting alone in the middle of the year, to talk to the SPL for a patrol change. But that should be done whether there are permanent, semipermanent or ad-hoc patrols.

 

 

[Oak Tree]

Except for Quartermaster, when they get a good quartermaster they tend to try to keep him

 

We had that happen to us with scribe. One Scout was really good at it, he liked the job, he wanted to keep the job, and no one else really wanted it. Four SPLs in a row appointed him to be scribe. I'm with you on the smiley-face.

[jtswestark]

Others have pretty well covered my answers to the questions.

But before we start whining about another form, this is one that is greatly needed. Its not an actual form, just a paragraph or two from the SPL candidate to explain why he wants to be SPL with a parent signature on it. There is no right or wrong answer, in fact it usually becomes the outline for his election speech (we use closed ballots). Three reasons we do this -

1.) To get the kid to stop for a minute and consider what and who he is about to commit to.

2.) Make sure the parent knows what hes about to commit himself and his family to just as, if not more important.

3.) Talk about his past performances, where he will need to improve / or not, what will be expected of him by the SM. Clear expectations that a SPL candidate may not realize before hes in the position. He will be tasked for extra meetings, time, phone calls, emails, and duties. If he is unable to do this the Troop suffers. I also try to prepare him for failure and to have in mind a couple other positions he would like to take on in case that happens.

 

All it takes is to get burned one time by an SPL that doesnt have Mom on board and youve got a mess to deal with. Rather not go there and rather have the parent on board up front. Some parents have talked the boy out of it when they are busy with Band, sports, etc The reason I want that letter is to review these things. I wanted to make sure a candidate that was in season and captain for his HS sport team would have time to do both. He presented a well laid out plan and we went with it. He won and had a successful term. Without clear understanding of what was ahead, what I expected of him, we wouldve had a mess.

 

Why I dont want consecutive terms we use 6 months terms, typically have three to four patrols and about 30 boys. There are limited number of positions, lots of Scouts needing leadership for advancement, and limited number of years for Scouts to engage in them. A lot of growth occurs at these ages in 6 months. Arguably, 6 months terms may be too short, but I feel its a good time for each to get a good feel of a position and they can move on with that experience. I like pushing boys out of their comfort zone and getting them to try QM if they arent gadget guys, Scribe if they're unorganized, or ASPL/SPL if they are a little shy. Six months isnt too long to suffer through a job they dont really like, but they always, always come out of it for the better. If they have a heavy term in school they can take one off and they aren't out of action for a full year. Not unusual to have an Eagle candidate that has held many positions in the Troop that if he was allowed to stay in one for extended time wouldnt have experienced.

 

I too found out the guys would have this stuff all planned out long before the elections were even held. Its hilarious to overhear the deal makings going on.

 

So yes, this is an area our leaders are giving structure and Ill take the criticism for being too involved in these aspects. But we believe that trade off is worth the growth the guys get through each leadership term.