Supreme Court Rules - Rule 7 - Rules Governing the Missouri Bar and the Judiciary - Establishing and Providing for the Government of the Missouri Bar: Nominations and Election of District Members of the Board of Governors

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Supreme Court Rules

		Section/Rule:	7.07
Subject:	Rule 7 - Rules Governing the Missouri Bar and the Judiciary - Establishing and Providing for the Government of the Missouri Bar	Publication / Adopted Date:	May 16, 1974
Topic:	Nominations and Election of District Members of the Board of Governors	Revised / Effective Date:	January 1, 2018

7.07. Nominations and Election of District Members of the Board of Governors

(a)

Eligibility.

A member of The Missouri Bar is eligible to be elected a member of the board of governors from the district specified in Rule

6.01(i)

determining the member's voting place.

(b)

Nominations.

A member of The Missouri Bar may be nominated to be a member of the board of governors by petitions signed by not less than ten members of The Missouri Bar. Signers of a petition must be enrolled in good standing and entitled to vote for the person nominated. Each member of The Missouri Bar may sign as many nominating petitions as there are members of the board of governors to be elected from the district in which such member is entitled to vote.

Such petitions shall be received by the clerk of this Court from January 1 to June 20 prior to the election. If June 20 falls on a weekend, such petitions shall be received until the next following business day. If a petition is filed electronically, the person filing the petition must retain the original of the petition for one year and produce it to the clerk upon request.

(c) Ballots.

The clerk of this Court shall prepare and print ballots containing the names and office addresses of all qualified candidates.

If only one person shall be nominated for each vacancy to be filled in any district, no ballots for such positions shall be prepared. If only one person shall be nominated for each vacancy to be filled in any district and one of the vacancies is for a partial term and one of the candidates agrees to accept that partial term, no ballots for such positions shall be prepared.

Such ballots shall be numbered consecutively and shall state the date and purpose of the election and shall advise the voter with respect to voting. Candidates shall be listed on the ballot in the order in which they have filed.

(d) Mailing of Ballots and Signature Cards.

Not later than July 20 prior to the election, the clerk of this Court shall mail one ballot to each member of The Missouri Bar in good standing enrolled in the district from which members of the board of governors are to be elected.

With each ballot the clerk shall mail a separate card, placing thereon the same number placed upon the accompanying ballot. On the card, the voter shall write the voter's office address, print the voter's name, sign the voter's name, and mail or deliver the card together with the ballot to the clerk.

(e) Voting.

Each member of The Missouri Bar in good standing entitled to vote in the proper district pursuant to Rule 6.01(i), may cast as many votes as there are members of the board of governors to be elected from such district but may cast not more than one vote for any one candidate.

(f) Counting of Ballots.

The votes for the members of the board of governors shall be canvassed each year on a date between August 15 and August 31 specified by this Court. All votes with respect to any district shall be canvassed on the same date, but different dates may be designated for different districts.

The clerk, with the assistance of two or more members of The Missouri Bar designated by the chief justice of this Court, shall open and canvass all ballots received at the clerk's office up to 10:00 A.M. on the day of the election.

No ballot shall be counted unless cast by a member of The Missouri Bar in good standing enrolled in such district from which members of the board of governors are being elected. No ballot shall be counted unless accompanied by a signed card with a number corresponding to the number on the ballot.

(g) When Candidates Declared Elected.

The number of candidates equal to the vacancies to be filled in each of the respective districts who receive the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. If only one person is nominated for each vacancy to be filled in any district, those nominated shall be declared elected without any voting in such district.

(h) Certification of Results.

The clerk shall promptly certify the results of all elections to this Court and to the executive director of The Missouri Bar.

(Adopted Dec. 1, 2015, eff. July 1, 2016. May 16, 1974, eff. Aug. 1, 1974. Amended Nov. 15, 1974, eff. Sept. 1, 1975; Dec. 17, 1991, eff. July 1, 1992; amended June 6, 1994; Aug. 10, 2007; amended Dec. 1, 2015, eff. Jul. 1, 2016; Dec. 19, 2017, eff. Jan. 1, 2018.)