Tellers
From Lights of Guidance[edit]
[+F1 (See also: Nos. 31-41)]
Tellers Should Be Given Guidelines--Recording of Identical Names[edit]
"It is for your National Assembly to determine how to properly instruct the delegates beforehand in the recording of identical names on ballots and to give the tellers guidelines for handling these questions when they arise in the counting of the ballots. Thereafter, it is for the tellers to make the decision and give the results to the Convention or Assembly....
Q. In the case of a tie between five persons for three vacancies should the names of the five be read for the delegates vote?
A. Yes.
Q. In voting for officers is it permissible to read the names of those persons who have tied?
A. When voting for officers of an Assembly a result is only reached when one member receives five or more votes. Until that result is reached all members are eligible for the office in question and the results of all inconclusive ballots should be made known to the meeting."
- (From a letter of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Jamaica, July 29, 1971, in Lights of Guidance, no. 80)
Convention Procedure in Connection with Tellers' Report[edit]
"Normal Convention procedure would call for a tellers' report announcing the names of the nine believers elected to the National Spiritual Assembly plus statistical information as to the balance of the votes cast. However, if the Convention votes to have the complete report of the tellers, or any part of it, the Convention is entitled to have the information which will thereupon be presented by the tellers in accordance with the vote of the Convention."
- (From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, December 16, 1965, in Lights of Guidance, no. 81)
Under Certain Conditions One or More Names May Be Invalidated[+F1 Ballot should not be invalidated because it contains name of Auxiliary Board Member (See Nos. 28-29)][edit]
"Under certain conditions an entire ballot may be declared invalid. These are: (1) More than nine names on ballot paper; (2) Less than nine names on ballot paper; (3) Duplication of names. Under other conditions, because of specified irregularities, one or more of the names may be invalidated but the rest of the ballot would be considered valid. These irregularities are: (1) A name not identifiable, or illegible; (2) The name of an ineligible person, such as a youth or person not resident in the jurisdiction of the voting area, provided of course that each ballot contains no more or less than nine names and no name has been duplicated."
- (From a letter dated July 29, 1971 from the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Jamaica, in Lights of Guidance, no. 82)
