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National Officer Election Process

It is a proud moment when the Chief's Bonnet is passed to the new National Chief of the Order of the Arrow. But how is a new chief actually elected? Who does the election, and what process do they go through to find the new youth leaders for our organization?

"In late December each year, the section chiefs from across the nation gather to participate in the planning of the national program for the next calendar year. As their first order of business, the chiefs elect a national chief and national vice chief"
--Field Operations Guide

This is the main statement that you will find in the Field Operations Guide concerning the election of national officers. The complete election process is not published in the FOG, as the National Committee updates and approves the process annually. Until now, less than 50 Arrowmen a year ever witnessed this event. Now, the national OA web site will give you a peek inside the election room at how the election is done.

The Section Chiefs meet behind these closed doors

First, all of the Section Chiefs, the National Chief and National Vice Chief enter a room where the elections are to take place, and the doors are closed. Each candidate makes a speech. (Typically, about two-thirds of the Section Chiefs run for a national office.) Each of the Section Chiefs then casts a ballot. The candidates who either receive no votes or the least number of votes are eliminated. The remaining candidates give a second speech and another vote takes place. The remaining candidates give a third speech and another vote takes place. After the third speech, no more speeches are given and votes are taken until two candidates remain. The remaining two candidates are escorted out of the room while the section chiefs come up with three questions to ask the candidates. One at a time, the candidates re-enter the room and answer the three questions. A final vote is then taken and the new Chief is elected.

This process is repeated for election of the National Vice Chief. The elections typically start at 8:00PM on the first night of the National Planning Meeting, and end around 3:00AM. The Section Chiefs then get a few brief hours of sleep before awaking the next morning at 7:00AM for breakfast. 

After breakfast, the Section Chiefs break out by region for the election of the Region Chiefs. These elections follow the same basic process as for the National elections, but are much quicker. They usually last about an hour.

Once elected, the new officers immediately assume their responsibilities and provide leadership in planning the coming year's program of emphasis.

(If you would like more details on the elections, talk with your Section Chief after he returns from the National Planning Meeting.)  

Revised 12/29/01.