Republican Committee of Lancaster County Endorsement Convention
Orders of the Day
For the Full Committee, Legislative District Committees and Area Committees
Farm and Home Center
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
I. General Provisions
1. The call of the roll is waived and the registration shall be used to establish the presence of a quorum. Proxies (Article I, Section 3, E.) must be filed with the Secretary before or during the initial roll call of the meeting. Additional proxies will not be accepted after that time.
2. Procedural votes shall be determined by voice vote. If the Chairman is unable to determine a majority by voice vote, an electronic vote shall be taken. Endorsement and all other votes shall be determined by the number of Committee members who: (a) are eligible to vote; (b) are present; and (c) cast a valid vote. Any voting member who finds it necessary to leave the meeting or arrives late is required to notify staff at the registration/credentials table so that the number of votes necessary for endorsement, placement on subsequent ballots, or all other votes may be adjusted accordingly. Upon leaving, voting members are required to return his or her electronic voting device(s) at the registration table.
3. There shall be a motion and a second to adopt the Agenda and the Orders of the Day.
4. The Committee may suspend and /or amend the Orders of the Day by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present in person or by proxy.
5. Only resolutions submitted by Committee members to RCLC Headquarters by 5:00pm on February 11, 2014, may be introduced or considered.
6. Candidates shall be considered for endorsement in the order of offices set forth on the Agenda.
7. For the purposes of voting on contested races, the “secret ballot” shall be by electronic voting. All votes on endorsements where there is a single nominated candidate shall be by voice vote.
8. Visitors, including the press, may observe the proceedings of the Convention except in breakout sessions from the designated areas. Visitors shall remain quiet, may not display signs or placards, and may not participate in the Convention. No recording devices will be permitted during the meeting. The Chairman may remove from the room any person except for voting members of the Committee and their proxies, officers, and appointees.
9. Out of courtesy for members of the Committee, all cell phones or other electronic devices should be turned off or muted.
10. Candidates in contested races shall not be present in the room during balloting. Candidates who are also committee members shall leave the room prior to the balloting, but shall be permitted to vote either by proxy or by casting his or her vote prior to the commencement of balloting by the remaining members of the Committee. After the results are announced to the members of the Committee at the conclusion of each round of voting, the results will also be announced outside the room.
11. At any point during the endorsement meeting, a candidate may withdraw his or her name from consideration for endorsement, and may address the Committee for a maximum of two minutes.
12. Previously announced candidates for United States Representative in the 7th and 16th Congressional Districts, State Senator for the 36th District, state Representative for the 13th, 37th, 41st, 43rd, 97th, 98th, 99th, 100th, 128th and 129th Legislative Districts shall be announced by the Secretary. There shall be no nominating or seconding speeches. There shall be no speeches by any uncontested candidate (previously announced or nominated from the floor) prior to each District Committee’s endorsement vote. After a candidate is endorsed, he or she may address the Convention for one minute.
13. In the event that a candidate is properly nominated from the floor in a previously uncontested race, the Chairman shall assemble the members of the Committee eligible to vote in the now contested race at a location to be determined.
14. All nominations from the floor shall be made when that race is announced during the assemblage of the Full Committee. Candidates nominated from the floor must be present and consent to the nomination. If no additional nominations are received, the nominations shall be closed. Once nominations are closed, any further nominations from the floor shall be out of order. Only committee members eligible to vote in a given district may nominate another candidate for that district from the floor.
15. Ballot(s) containing the names of all candidates who have previously announced their candidacy for each respective office shall be used for the initial balloting. Nominations from the floor shall be considered write-ins. Committee members will not be permitted to vote for write-in candidates who have not been officially placed in nomination prior to voting, nor for those candidates no longer in contention in accordance with the provisions of the by-laws.
II. Pennsylvania Senatorial and State Representative Legislative District Endorsement Procedure
16. Following the close of all business to be brought before the Full Committee, all Congressional, State Senatorial or State Representative Districts where there is a contested ballot shall meet in their respective Legislative Districts for balloting and endorsement. Each candidate may have a maximum of one minute to address the respective Legislative District Committee and shall respond to questions for a maximum of five minutes. Order of presentation shall be determined by drawing of lots.
17. In the event that it is necessary to convene a Legislative District Committee in a room separate from the main meeting room (per Article I, sec. 11, paragraph 2 of these Orders), these Orders of the Day shall continue to apply. Only county officers, Legislative District Committee members, their proxies, the appointed deputy chairman, tellers, and secretaries shall be permitted in that room during the voting. Voting shall be by electronic device.
18. The County Chairman may appoint a deputy chairman to preside over each of the Legislative District Committees where more than one candidate has been nominated for endorsement. The deputy chairman shall not be a Committee member in the district in question or a proxy for a Committee member in the district in question.
19. The members of the Legislative District Committee shall vote by electronic voting device using the Full Committee Procedure under Article IX, Section 2 of the Committee Bylaws
20. Any candidate who receives, in the first ballot, two-thirds (2/3) of the vote of the members of the Committee, certified to be present in person or proxy and eligible to vote on such nomination, shall be declared an endorsed candidate.
21. In the event that no candidate or fewer candidates than the number for whom endorsement is sought receives two-thirds (2/3) of the certified votes in the first ballot, then a second ballot shall be taken. Any candidate receiving at least fifteen percent (15%) of the certified votes in the first ballot shall be voted upon in the second ballot. Any candidate receiving two-thirds (2/3) of the certified votes in the second ballot shall be declared to be an endorsed candidate.
22. In the event that no candidate or fewer candidates than the number for whom endorsement is sought receives two-thirds (2/3) of the certified votes on the second ballot, then a third ballot shall be taken. Any candidate receiving at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the certified votes in the second ballot shall be voted upon in the third ballot. Any candidate receiving two-thirds (2/3) of the certified votes in the third ballot shall be declared to be an endorsed candidate.
23. In the event that no candidate or fewer candidates than the number for whom endorsement is sought receives two-thirds (2/3) of the certified votes in the third ballot, then a fourth ballot shall be taken. The candidates for the fourth ballot shall total one more than the total number of remaining endorsements to be made and shall consist of that number of candidates receiving the highest number of votes in the third ballot. Any candidate receiving
two-thirds (2/3) of the certified votes in the fourth ballot shall be declared to be an endorsed candidate.
24. In the event that all endorsements have not been obtained by the fourth ballot, the committee may take additional ballots. The candidates for all subsequent ballots shall total one more than the total number of candidates remaining to be endorsed. If subsequent ballots are taken, any candidate receiving at least two-thirds (2/3) of the certified votes in any ballot shall be declared to be an endorsed candidate.
24. In the event that all endorsements have not been obtained by the fourth ballot, the committee may take additional ballots. The candidates for all subsequent ballots shall total one more than the total number of candidates remaining to be endorsed. If subsequent ballots are taken, any candidate receiving at least two-thirds (2/3) of the certified votes in any ballot shall be declared to be an endorsed candidate.
