Section 7. Conduct of Elections

The Election Committee shall conduct such elections as follows:

(a) The Election Committee shall receive the report of the Nominating Committee for Officers no later than Nov. 15 of the year preceding the Annual Meeting; and for Executive Council not less than sixty days prior to the date of the annual meeting. The Committee shall determine if the persons nominated are eligible for office;

(b) Within five days of receipt of the report of the Nominating Committee, the Election Committee shall notify each nominee of such nomination and of the names of other persons nominated for the same position and said nominees shall within two days from the date of notification accept or reject the nomination. Nominees failing to respond shall be deemed to have accepted the nomination;

(c) The Election Committee shall receive nominating petitions submitted pursuant to Section 5(b)(2) of this Article not less than ten days prior to the date of the annual meeting;

(d) At the close of the nominations for president-elect, secretary and treasurer, the Election Committee shall cause ballots to be prepared. Each ballot shall have printed thereon the name of each person duly nominated for each position and shall provide for a write-in for each position. Each ballot shall contain instructions as to the method by which a vote for a particular candidate shall be indicated. Each ballot shall contain a notice as to the last day by which a ballot must be received at the Headquarters of the Young Lawyers Division which date shall annually be fixed by the Election Committee:

    (1) Election by mail-out ballot. A voter list shall be prepared from the current membership of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia and each member shall be given a distinguishing number. No later than December 10 of the year preceding the Annual Meeting, each member shall be furnished by regular mail a ballot for the election of president-elect, secretary and treasurer of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia and an envelope addressed to the Headquarters of the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia bearing an identifying number consisting of the identifying number of the member. The ballot shall bear no number.

    (2) Each member desiring to vote shall mark his or her ballot according to the instructions thereon and shall return the ballot or ballots in the envelope herein before described to the Young Lawyers Division of the State Bar of Georgia on or before the date specified by the Election Committee. Only ballots returned by active members in good standing on or before said date shall be counted.

    (3) The Election Committee shall report the results at the next annual meeting of the Young Lawyers Division. The Election Committee may utilize and employ such impartial accounting and clerical assistance as it may deem necessary.

    (4) Recount. Any candidate dissatisfied with the result of the count as to his or her election may request, within six hours after the result has been reported, a recount of the ballots pertaining to his or her election by filing such request in writing with the president of the Young Lawyers Division. The president shall forthwith appoint a Recount Committee (which shall be composed of persons different from the Election Committee) which shall, as soon as practical, recount the ballots pertaining to all elections in which a recount has been requested and examine the ballots not counted, determine the number of votes validly cast for such candidate in such election, and report the results. The results determined by the Recount Committee shall be final and not subject to further challenge.

    (5) Declaration of Results of Elections. The candidate receiving the majority of the votes in each election (according to the report of the Election Committee, or in elections in which a recount has been requested, the report of the Recount Committee) shall be declared elected. In computing the number of votes cast in each election for the purpose of determining the number constituting a majority thereof, there shall be excluded from such computation the votes cast for a "write-in" candidate receiving less than 2% of the total votes cast in such election.

    (6) In all instances where there are more than two candidates for any office of president-elect, secretary and treasurer and no one of such candidates receives a majority of the votes cast in the election to fill such office, the Executive Council of the Young Lawyers Division shall, within 10 days from the date of the report of the Election Committee, or the Recount Committee as the case may be, make and announce to the membership at large adequate provisions for a run-off election between the candidates receiving the two highest number of votes, which said run-off shall be held not later than thirty days from the date of the report of the Election or Recount Committee aforesaid, and shall be conducted in all respects as provided in these bylaws for regular elections; provided that incumbent holder of the position shall continue to serve until his or her successor is determined.

(e) As to the election of the Executive Council of the Young Lawyers Division, the Election Committee shall have ballots prepared for distribution at the Annual Meeting of the Young Lawyers Division. Each ballot shall include the name of each person duly nominated for each Executive Council position and shall provide for a write-in for each position. Each ballot shall contain instructions as to the method by which a vote for a particular candidate shall be indicated:

    (1) The Election Committee shall, at the Executive Council meeting which precedes the Annual Meeting, present to the Executive Council for their approval a plan for the conduct of the Executive Council elections of the Annual Meeting, which plan shall contain a list of places and times for voting at the annual meeting and which plan shall insure that there is adequate time to count votes prior to the meeting.

    (2) Each member registered at the annual meeting desiring to vote shall mark his or her ballot according to the instructions thereon and shall return the ballot to one of the voting places.

    (3) The Election Committee shall, at the end of the voting, count the votes and report the results at the annual meeting. The Election Committee may employ such impartial clerical assistance as it may deem necessary.