SPL Election questions

[Greeneagle5]

 

A new SPL is to be elected next week and prior to camp. SPL candidate

qualifications in our Troop are: All Scouts must be JLTC trained to be elgible for consideration.

 

My questions are : 1) What is the standard term in service for a SPL in your Troop(s) ? 2) What qualifications are needed to be considered a SPL candidate in your Troop(s) ? (We normally have an election every 6 months.)

Thanks,

 

Greeneagle5

[Bob White]

In my son's troop an SPL serves for 6 to 9 months. To be elegible he must be elected by a simple majority of voters.(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[KoreaScouter]

SPL in our Troop serves a 6-month term. SPL candidates have to be at least a 1st Class Scout and get the most votes in the election.

 

KS

[acco40]

Requirements (set by BSA): registered youth member of the troop, receive majoprity of votes by youth present

 

Requirements (Set by youth):

Age: none

Rank: 1st Class or higher (highly recommended)

Experience: Previous service as SPL, ASPL, PL, or APL

Attendance: 75% over previous 6 months (recommended)

 

The "term of office" is six months. Annually, before an election, I usually review the requirements set by the youth and open up for discussion any changes they may want to make. I give them my "druthers" on the subject but it is their decision.

 

Now for my question, in our troop, we have never had more than two boys run for SPL at a time so the problem of majority vs. most votes never came up. I'm curious, in troops that have more than two candidates running for SPL and none receive a simple majority how do you proceed with the election? Eliminate the candidate with the fewest votes? Keep only the top two?(This message has been edited by acco40)

[LPC_Thumper]

In my troop, we usually have 3 or 4 scouts run for office of SPL. We go with most votes cast that night.

 

For us it is a two week process. First week, nominations are made. Now when I say nominations, you should think more like "Hey I want to be the SPL!" Then they get a week to talk things over away from Scouts, and get their parents permission to attend JLT (which will occur the following weekend, after the election) Attending JLT for new PL, ASPL, SPL is mandatory, and if you are not available, then you are not eligible to be elected.

 

The canidates also select who they would like for ASPL, and talk with them. This way on the nite of the election, the boys know who the SPL/ASPL team will be. And can vote accordingly.

 

The following week statements by the canidates are given, vote is secret ballot. Once we know who SPL/ASPL are, THEY tell patrols to hold their new patrol elections. This way IF a scout needs an office for rank advancement, maybe they won't be the SPL, but they could be eligible for PL.

 

The next step is the SM and new SPL/ASPL go over the boys that are left without positions, and talk about Quatermaster, Scribe, Historian etc. SM also selects any needed TG. (This happens while outgoing SPL/ASPL conduct meeting.)

 

Might be a bit involved, but what this then does is we can have trained leaders the weekend after they are elected. We do this every six months, and we see it really helps our guys.

[EagleInKY]

Our process is going to look similar to Thumper's. Our first SPL election is coming up in August. We're a new troop, and we have not had an SPL. We've operated as two distinct patrols, with elected PLs. The PLs rotate SPL responsibility at troop meetings and activities.

Here's the requirements that the PLC and I have drafted: 

 

Age: none

Rank: Star or higher (waived initially, since we don't have anyone to Star yet).

Experience: Previous service as SPL, ASPL, or PL (since we haven't had SPL or ASPL, it will have to be one of the 3 former/current PLs).

Attendance:  90% of activities & meetings (agressive, but we'll see).

Training:  Past troop-level JLT attendance and commitment to attend next troop JLT.

The process goes something like this:

 

Week 1:  We review all positions, and boys self-nominate themselves for anything they are interested in. 

Between Week 1 & week 2:  SM/ASMs discuss SPL nominees and determine if any of them should not be allowed to run (due to scout spirit issues, attendance, etc.).  If a boy is disqualified, the SM will explain it to him privately, so no one knows this has happened.

Week 2:  SPL candidates make a speech.  Troop conducts election.  New SPL picks ASPL. Patrols then elect PL. 

Between week 2 & week 3:  SPL evalutes other boys for Troop positions.  Gets input from SM.

Week 3:  SPL announces Troop positions.

It's still a couple of months away, so it may change a little.  This is based upon some input from other troops in the area and our past experiences.  We're not sure how to handle the 3 (or more) person race.  Current thinking is to narrow it to the two highest vote-getters and then have an election between those two.

[braveboy377]

Our troop has elections about every 6 months. Our scoutster set the limit at first class.

[Eagledad]

Hi All

 

>>Might be a bit involved, but what this then does is we can have trained leaders the weekend after they are elected. We do this every six months, and we see it really helps our guys.

[DugNevius]

Our SPLs sit in for a One year Term.

[TheScout]

In our troop the PLC runs the election. Since we don't have written bylaws, the process might change slightly from year to year. They set the qualifications, (usually any boy in the troop), then the appoint a "Secretary", an older boy who is not running for the office to supervise the election. The PLC sets a date for candidates to declare and the date of the actual election. Interested scouts must inform the Secretary of their desire to run.

 

The Secretary then writes up the ballot. On the night of the vote the candidates are given an opportunity to make a speech and scouts may pose questions to them if they wish. The incumbent SPL gets to speak last, if seeking reelection, and the most senior scouts go before him in order of seniority. The Secretary then conducts the vote, and he counts the ballots in front of the troop.

 

Usually we have more than one scout run. A majority is required for election. In the event no scout has a majority, the scout with the least amount of votes is dropped, and another vote is held. This process continues until one scout receives a majority.

 

We elect a SPL annually, we find this good because the position has a learning curve, especially if there is a new SPL. After a couple of monthes he can usually find his grove and start running effectivly.

[FScouter]

The SPL is elected at the same time as patrol leaders, usually around 8 months. He can be re-elected. The PLC wanted to set qualifications including rank, tenure with the troop, and number of nights camped.

 

They are having second thoughts now about qualifications because they are finding out arbitrary qualifications have nothing to do with being a good SPL. At one point the qualifications were so strict that only one boy was qualified, so what was the point in having an "election"? The qualifications elected the SPL and the boys had no vote. They didn't like that.

[Bob White]

As a scoutmaster, and in troops as an assistant scoutmaster we have done it nearly exactly as TheScout described only SPL term was 9 months, Patrol Leaders were 6 and they staggered elections that way the PLC was never entirely new leaders at the same time. We took our model from the House of Representatives.

[TheScout]

Bob White,

 

I very much like the idea of staggering the PL elections. We might have to think about doing that in our troop. (I do believe you mean you took the Senate for a model however)

[FScouter]

If the SPL election is held at month 9, the PL's will be in mid term. If a current PL is elected as SPL, do you let the APL fill out the remaining term of the exiting PL? Hold an interim election?

[DonM]

We are in the midst of SPL elections. We elect SPL every 6 months and follow with PL elections. I have a meeting with the SPL about the Scouts and the other leadership positions, then he chooses them (including ASPL). The PLs select their APL.

 

We have no specific requirements, but the Scouts seem to limit themselves to 1st class and up and the Scouts that go on campouts.

 

We usually have more than 2 runnning. After the first vote by secret ballot, the top 2 candidates (or more if there is a tie) have a runoff.

 

DonM