Tau Beta Pi President's Book - Manual of Chapter Operations
Section B

Section III - Election Procedure

(2005 Edition - last update 01/24/2005)

Note: Some chapters of Tau Beta Pi have had problems meeting the quorum requirements for conducting meetings, especially important meetings where membership elections are to be held. If a chapter finds it extremely difficult to obtain a quorum, it may implement Bylaw VI, Sec. 6.05(b), which permits its Advisory Board to declare absent members inactive, thus reducing the number of members required for a quorum.

Inactive members are excluded only from those rights and privileges which the Constitution and Bylaws specify for active members. The rights and privileges limited to active members are:

Convention delegate B-I, 1.04; B-V, 5.05(a)
Fines B-VIII, 8.01(a)
Inactive status B-Vl, 6.05(a), (b), (c)
Officers C-VI, 6
Quorum B-V, 5.07
Voting C-VIII, l(c); 2(b), (c), (d), (e); 4(a)(4); 5(a)(4); 11; C-IX, 5(a); C-XVII, 2(a), (b); B-V, 5.04(a); B-VI, 6.03(b)(1)

However, a long-term solution to the quorum problem will involve a more careful selection of members and a review of chapter operations.

Section 6.03 of national Bylaw VI requires that each chapter "approve an election procedure consistent with its methods of measuring exemplary character." This Bylaw allows a chapter to select an election procedure, i.e., voting procedure, of its own provided it takes into account the character of each eligible candidate and provides for full-chapter voting on the candidates.

Election to membership in Tau Beta Pi remains an explicit act taken by deliberate chapter action. Election is not accomplished by "automatic" means by lack-of-objection assumptions or by default of chapter action.

There are two approved methods for voting on candidates: (l) The traditional procedure, where candidates are discussed and voted on individually and (2) the bloc-voting procedure where candidates are voted on in groups. When using the bloc-voting procedure Bylaw VI, Section 6.03(a), specifically states that the candidates must be considered "individually at some point in (the) character measurement process."

Statements on election procedures with two sample methods are presented below. These sample procedures are designed to fit both small and large chapters.

Sample Procedures for Election

Applicable to all chapter election meetings: At least three-fourths of the active members of the chapter must be present to constitute a quorum.

All groups or individuals must be elected by at least a three-fourths affirmative vote of the active members present and voting affirmatively or negatively, so long as the affirmative vote is a majority of the total active membership of the chapter.

A. Traditional Procedure (for small chapters):

At the election meeting the candidates are discussed and voted on individually in the order of their scholastic rank in class, top student first, seniors first, then juniors. Voting in order of class rank is the traditional method; however, other orders may be used.

After all candidates have been considered and voted on there shall be a second individual ballot taken in the same order for each candidate who failed election on the first ballot. No candidate who fails election on the second ballot shall be considered further unless 25% or more of the voting members present so request. No candidate who fails election on the third ballot shall be considered again at this election.

B. Group or Bloc-Voting Procedure (for large chapters):

At the election meeting the character-evaluation reports of the interview committees, departmental caucuses, resume screening committees, or project evaluation committees are given to the chapter.

Active members are to be given the opportunity to remove or purge one or more candidates from a group or bloc so that they can be discussed and voted on individually. Purging may result merely from some members' wanting more data on a candidate, not necessarily from the intention of voting against the candidate.

Conduct the vote on the groups or blocs.

Conduct a first ballot on each of the purged candidates, seniors first, then juniors, allowing for discussion as desired.

Conduct a second ballot on the purged candidates who failed to be elected on the first ballot.

A third ballot is to be taken on candidates failing election on the second ballot only if 25% or more of the voting members present so request. No candidate who fails election on the third ballot shall be considered again at this election.