How to schedule a Unit Election / How the election is conducted for youth

1. The Patrol Leader’s Council picks a date for the OA election. Dates should be picked far enough in advance to allow the election team to schedule the election. Elections are best held during a regular troop meeting, at a time where as close to 100% of the troop as possible can attend.
2. The SM or SPL contacts the Lodge Vice-Chief for your district (contact information listed here). The election is scheduled through the Vice-Chief, who will personally conduct the election, or send a trained and authorized representative in his place. The SM or SPL should be prepared to give clear driving directions, meeting time and location, and what time they would like the election team to be there. The election team typically arrives 10 minutes before the election to set up and start the necessary procedure.
3. The Scoutmaster prepares a list of eligible candidates for election based on the requirements above. Prior to the election, the Scoutmaster should notify and counsel those Scouts who he is not recommending for election. If possible, the Scoutmaster or Senior Patrol Leader could prepare preprinted ballots with all the names of the eligible candidates. If not, the election team will have blank ballots with them.
4. About a week before the election, the Election Team will contact the Scoutmaster to verify the election, location, time, etc. Any questions or concerns should be resolved at this point.
5. The election team arrives before the election is held. They will ask for the number of Scouts registered in the troop; the number of Scouts present at the meeting; and the names and ranks of all Scouts who are deemed eligible by the Scoutmaster. The Scoutmaster certifies this information on the election form.
6. The election team conducts the unit OA election. The names of the candidates are presented, and the election team explains the criteria for voting. Voting for candidates is done by secret ballot, and no interference or public revelation of an individual’s votes or the votes in total is tolerated. All youth, including Assistant Scoutmasters under the age of 21, may vote. Candidates may vote for themselves if they think that they are worthy.
7. Candidates voting have three options.
   1. They cannot turn in a ballot, which is abstaining. This does not affect the final result.
   2. They can turn in a blank ballot, which is a vote for nobody. This counts against all candidates.
   3. They can vote for any number, including all, of the candidates eligible. This helps those who they vote for, and hurts those who they don’t vote for.
8. Ballots are collected by the team and counted in private. In order to be elected, a candidate has to receive 50% of the ballots COLLECTED (abstentions don’t count against the final, but blank ballots do). The election team notes which scouts have been elected, and destroys the ballots (preferably off-site). If no one Scout has enough votes to be elected, the election team re-runs the election, with further explanations of the OA and offering to answer questions. If the result of the second ballot is that again no one is elected, that counts as the election for this year. As long as one youth is elected, the election is valid.
9. The Scoutmaster is told the results of the election. It is his choice as to when the results are made known; immediately or at another time in the troop setting, or he can wait until the next available Order of the Arrow Call-out Ceremony. Note, however, that a candidate has one (1) year in which he may complete the Ordeal, which completes his membership into the OA.
10. Completing the Ordeal, a weekend-long experience that tests a Scout’s dedication to the Scout Oath and Law, is the final step for membership in the Order of the Arrow. Orca Lodge #194 has two Ordeals a year, one in the spring and one in the fall, so the candidate generally has two opportunities to complete the Ordeal. Please do not hold off on notifying a candidate unnecessarily so that he misses a chance to be inducted. Exceptions to the one-year rule may be granted by the Lodge for extenuating circumstances. If a Scout does not complete the Ordeal within one year and an exception is not granted, they would need to be re-elected.