masonic voting committee?

You have all been so helpful,and i have yet another question. How do the masons vote? I mean do all the lodge members vote on new canidates or are there certain members chosen for the process? Also is there multiple votes, once you are a member before you can progress between levels?

In Scotland the candidate is voted for in 'Open Lodge'. The Brethren are told that 3 or more black balls will exclude and that only members in good standing of that Lodge are entitled to vote. The Brethren will then place either a black or white ball into the ballot box. This is in brief how the ballot works. The ballot is confidential. I hope this reply is useful to you. The RWM votes first.


Gerard O'Donnell

well it was brought to my attention that there are 329 members in our town do they all vote or only a select few? and are there more votes that occur between levels when one advances to master that occur?

Another good question to be answered for Freemasons and non-Masons alike is "How do you use the ATS Search facility"?

The very subject addressed by this topic was covered in depth three days ago.

The only people that can cast votes on the "Ballot for the Degrees" are members (not visitors) of the Lodge that the petitioner has submitted for the Degrees of Freemasonry. Members who have not been raised to the Sublime Degree of Master Mason are not eligible to vote either. With the membership you have quoted, I can't imagine more than 45-50 votes to be cast (this is based upon my experience on turnout).

Originally posted by Orangemonkey
well it was brought to my attention that there are 329 members in our town do they all vote or only a select few?

Each member present is required to vote, not only in balloting for candidates, but also on any motion which is on the floor for a decision.
In cases of �regular voting� (i.e., voting on something besides petitioners), members vote by a show of hands after a motion has been made, seconded, and discussed. In these types of votes, majority rules in most cases. In some cases (depending on exactly what you�re voting on) a two-thirds majority is required. If the vote is tied, the Master is entitled to cast the �tie-breaker� by voting twice.

and are there more votes that occur between levels when one advances to master that occur?

In most jurisdictions, there is a separate ballot for each degree. When elected to the Degree of Master Mason, the candidate is also ipso facto elected to membership in the Lodge.

Fiat Lvx.

Originally posted by Masonic Light

and are there more votes that occur between levels when one advances to master that occur?

In most jurisdictions, there is a separate ballot for each degree. When elected to the Degree of Master Mason, the candidate is also ipso facto elected to membership in the Lodge.

Really? Not up here. Up here, there is a test of proficiency, but no seperate ballot. And if the proficiency test is no good, you just study hard and try again.

You guys down there in the states with your stringency

Originally posted by AlexKennedy
Really? Not up here. Up here, there is a test of proficiency, but no seperate ballot. And if the proficiency test is no good, you just study hard and try again.

Candidates here must pass a proficiency exam also, but the proficiency is not voted on; it�s the Master�s call on whether or not the candidate is properly proficient.

But a separate ballot is taken on each degree. Mackey elaborates on the reason for this in his �Jurisprudence of Freemasonry�, which has been adopted as official by my Grand Lodge. It could be, says Bro. Mackey, that during the very ceremony of initiation into the First Degree, the Candidate could show that he is not worthy of advancing further. Therefore, the ballot on the Second Degree is just as important as that of the First Degree, and so on.

For what it�s worth, I�ve never seen an Apprentice or Fellow Craft voted down for a higher degree, but there is still consolation in the fact that there are �checks and balances� in our voting system that would allow us to stop an unworthy brother of an inferior degree from advancing.

Fiat Lvx.