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CAIRNGORMS LOCAL OUTDOOR ACCESS FORUM 
Paper 2 22 August 2005 

CAIRNGORMS LOCAL OUTDOOR ACCESS FORUM 

PROPOSED METHOD FOR ELECTING A CONVENER AND VICE-CONVENER – FOR 
DISCUSSION 


1. The Forum shall elect a Convener and Vice Convener from amongst its membership. 
The process of election will be as follows: 

a) Any member may propose another Forum member as Convener, and a third 
member must second the nomination for it to be valid. 

b) Agency representatives may, nominate, second or vote for candidates but are 
not eligible for election 

c) Candidates together with the names of their proposer and seconder must be 
notified in writing to the Secretariat a week in advance of the Forum meeting 
at which the election will take place. 

d) Each candidate will have the opportunity to make a short statement to the 
meeting (maximum 5 minutes). 

e) Members who are absent from the meeting may be put forward for election, 
provided they have indicated to the Secretariat in writing their consent to 
being nominated and have the appropriate backing. A statement from the 
candidate may be circulated at the meeting. 

f) Election will be as follows: 
• All voting will be by secret ballot. 

• Members will score the candidates in descending order of preference – 
for example, if there are four candidates their preferred candidate will 
receive four points; second choice, three points; third choice, two points 
and last choice, one point. 

• Only Members who are present may vote 

• The candidate with the overall highest number of points will be the 
Convener. The candidate with the second most number of points will be 
the Vice Convener. 

• A tie between the first two places (for Convener) or a tie between the 
second two places (for Vice Convener) will be decided by a straight vote. 

• If the votes are tied then the decision will be made by ‘cutting cards’, the 
highest card will win. 

2. The duration of office for the first Convener and Vice Convener will be until April 
2007, with the opportunity for a further years’ extension subject to review. 

3. Thereafter the duration of the office will be 3 years (unless the member concerned 
ceases to be a Member of the Forum, or resigns from the position of 
Convener/Deputy Convener before the end of the period). 

4. For cases in which a Convener/Deputy Convener resigns or ceases to be a Member, 
the above process will apply, as the first item of business, at the next Forum meeting 
following the vacancy arising. 

5. The Convener will preside over meetings and in his or her absence the Vice 
Convener will preside. If neither is available the members will decide who will 
preside. 

6. At the second last Forum meeting before the term of office of a current Convener 
expires, election of the next Convener shall take place. 


Notes 

1b) Agency staff are the only members of the Forum with substitution rights, which is 
incompatible with the need for a Convener and Vice Convener who are consistent individual 
members of the Forum 

2) This ties in with the length of time of Forum membership for the inaugural term 

3) This ties in with length of appointment for future terms of membership 


Two further questions for consideration 

1) Should there be separate elections for the Convener and Vice Convener? 

2) How should we deal with the inconsistency that a member may be absent yet voted 
on as Convener; but a member who is absent may not vote?