Unit Elections

Candidates for the Order of the Arrow are chosen not only for what they have done, but also for what they are expected to do in serving the welfare of others. Because you are selected for candidacy by the unique method of being elected by your peers, we are sure that you are well worthy of this honor.

OVERVIEW

WHAT: The unit elections are the process where Scouts will select those members of the unit that distinguish the qualities of doing our “National Honor Society” of Scouting. Units will also have the opportunity to nominate adult participants that will be considered for selection at a council meeting. Those elected members will then be invited to induction weekends to participate in the ordeal and become one with our lodge.

WHEN: Units can sign up for a visitation at one of their weekly meetings. The unit leadership should contact the chapter adviser and chief to set up a time. Chapters can be contacted at their round tables or via email.

Elections must be performed between January 1st and April 1st. An election should take around 30 minutes of a meeting.

The election season ends on April 1st of this year.

Membership Requirement's

Unit leader approval:

To become eligible for election, a Scout must be registered with the Boy Scouts of America and have the approval of their unit leader prior to the election. The unit leader must certify their Scout spirit (i.e., their adherence to the Scout Oath and Law and active participation in unit activities). The unit leader must also certify that the nominee meets all specified requirements at the time of this annual election.

Youth membership qualifications:

All members of, or candidates for membership in, the Order of the Arrow who are under 21 years of age shall be considered youth members or candidates for youth membership, subject to meeting the following requirements:

Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America.
At the time of their election, youth must be under the age of 21, and hold one of the following ranks corresponding to the type of unit in which they are being considered for election: Scouts BSA First Class Rank, Venturing Discovery Award, or Sea Scout Ordinary rank, or higher, and following approval by the Scoutmaster, Crew Advisor or Sea Scout Skipper, be elected by the youth members of their unit.
Have experienced 15 nights of camping while registered with a troop, crew, or ship within the two years immediately prior to the election. The 15 nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of at least five consecutive nights of overnight camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. Only five nights of the long-term camp may be credited toward the 15-night camping requirement; the balance of the camping (10 nights) must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps of, at most, three nights each. Ship nights may be counted as camping for Sea Scouts.
Adults (age 21 or older) who meet the camping requirement may be selected following nomination to and approval by the lodge adult selection committee.

Candidates for youth membership shall be elected by other youth members in accordance with policies set forth by the national Order of the Arrow committee.

Scouts with special needs:

The Order of the Arrow is committed to including Scouts and Scouters who have special needs because of a disability. In the case of special-needs troops, election teams should follow the same procedures, keeping in mind that any Scout who is classified as a youth member of a Scouts BSA troop, Venturing crew, or Sea Scout ship regardless of age, will be considered a youth (voting) member. All other membership requirements remain the same.

Adult membership qualifications:

All members of, or candidates for membership in, the Order of the Arrow who are 21 years of age or older and who are registered members of the Boy Scouts of America shall be considered adult members or candidates for adult membership. Individuals shall be selected as candidates based on the following:

Adult leaders in units:

Each year, upon holding a unit election for youth candidates that results in at least one youth candidate being elected, the unit committee may nominate registered unit adults, 21 years of age or older, for membership in the OA to the lodge adult selection committee, composed of the lodge adviser, the chairman of the council committee on which the lodge adviser serves, and the lodge staff adviser. The number of adults nominated can be no more than two-thirds of the number of youth candidates elected, rounded up where the number of youth candidates is not a multiple of three. In addition to the two-thirds limit, the unit committee may nominate the currently serving unit leader (but not assistant leaders), as long as he or she has served as unit leader for at least the previous 12 months. Recommendations of the adult selection committee, with the approval of the Scout executive, will be candidates for induction, provided the following conditions are fulfilled:

Selection of the adult is based on the ability to perform the necessary functions to help the OA fulfill its purpose, and not for recognition of service, including current or prior achievement and positions.
The individual will be an asset to the OA because of demonstrated abilities that fulfill the purpose of the Order.
The camping requirements set forth for youth members are fulfilled.
The adult leader’s membership will provide a positive example for the growth and development of the youth members of the lodge.

From the 2022 rev. of the Gude to Officers and Advisors.

Election Resources

The following resources are important in the training and execution of our unit elections. Feel free to use them as often and as thoroughly as possible! If you have questions email your lodge chief or unit elections chair!

OA GUIDE TO UNIT ELECTIONS

This guide is the ultimate guide to unit elections and provides more extensive information for very specific unit election questions that may be asked.

You can find this guide here.

ELECTIONS VIDEO

This video can be used to complement unit election procedures and processes.

UNIT LEADER PHONE CALL SCRIPT

This script is a utility to make it easier and more efficient to conduct phone calls with unit leaders. Make sure that you follow youth protection guidelines, and that you are kind and respectful. You are not required to use this script, it is just an aid for people who might not know where to start.

You can find this cheat sheet here.

Election Printables

LODGE UNIT ELECTIONS TOOLKIT

This toolkit holds the majority of forms that need to be printed for each unit election in one PDF. Its job is just to make tracking down resources easier.

You can find this resource here.

Unit Election toolkit.pdf

Ordeal Weekend Flier.pdf

INDUCTION FLYER

This flyer should be handed out to ordeal candidates. It contains the dates for induction weekends along with where to register and more information.

Training

LODGEMASTER TUTORIAL

For anyone who needs to input election data into Lodgemaster: this tutorial will be helpful.

Start the video at 33:23 to get the most applicable information.

ELECTION TRAINING

Marnoc Lodge has developed a Unit Election team training. Based on the national recommendation found in the Guide to Inductions. This asynchronous training can be taken anytime anywhere on a device with an internet connection.

You can find this training here.

UNIT ELECTION ROUNDTABLE PRESENTATION

This presentation is meant to be used for presentation at roundtables or other district events to talk to unit leaders about the unit election process.

This presentation can be found here.

Roundtable Unit Elections Presentation