The Annual Meeting of the Maine Elks Association takes place during the State Convention on May 2, 2026, at the Bangor Elks Lodge. All members of the Maine Elks Association are invited to attend, however only those who are delegates of a Lodge or an automatic voting member of the Association may vote on business that comes before the Association at this meeting.
During the meeting, the Credentials Committee Chairman will conduct a roll call of the Lodges in attendance to obtain a count of the number of delegates and automatic voting members each Lodge has for representation at the meeting. This can get confusing as to who is a delegate and who is an automatic voting member.
Two Types of Voters at the Annual Meeting
There are two types of voters allowed to vote at the Annual Meeting of the Maine Elks Association.
- Delegates
- Automatic Voting Members
Delegate (Lodge Voting Representative)
The Maine Elks Bylaws allow each Lodge to have a total of one (1) Delegate (Voting Representative) for every 50 members, or fraction thereof to vote at the annual meeting. Lets look at the following example as to how that is calculated:
Anytown Lodge #1234 has a membership of 756 members. The number of delegates this Lodge would have is a total of Sixteen (16).
(756 divided by 50 equals 15.12 delegate votes. The Lodge receives 15 votes for the 750 members, and 1 for the .12 (fraction) or six members above the 750 to make up a total of 756 members for the Lodge. The total number of Delegates the Lodge receives is sixteen (16))
Delegates are chosen by the Lodge or the Exalted Ruler depending on how the Lodge wishes to choose who will vote on behalf of the Lodge at the Annual Meeting.
According to the MEA Bylaws, the maximum number of Delegates a Lodge may have is 25. If a Lodge has 1,250 Members or more as of March 31st, they may only have 25 Delegates voting at the Annual Meeting.
Automatic Voting Members
According to the Bylaws of the Maine Elks Association, members may be entitled to an automatic vote at the Annual Meeting if they are or have been:
- Past State President
- Exalted Ruler (current)
- Past Exalted Ruler
- State Officer (Includes State Trustees)
- State Committee Chairman
If a member of a Lodge that attends the Annual Meeting of the Maine Elks Association and has one of the titles above, then they are considered an automatic voting member. If not, then they could be considered a Delegate (Lodge Voting Representative) if their Lodge has designated them to represent the Lodge in this manner.
Non-Voting Members
Members attending the Annual Meeting who are neither a Delegate or an Automatic Voting Member are not entitled to a vote and may be requested to be seated in an area designated for that purpose. They should not stand during the roll call, even if their Lodge name and number is announced.
One Person = One Vote
A member attending must fall into one category or another to be counted. Either they are a Delegate OR an Automatic Voting Member. They cannot be both.
As an example, if a member attending is the Lodge Secretary AND is a Past Exalted Ruler, they are entitled to be an Automatic Voting Member. They are not considered a delegate, and would only stand as an Automatic Voting Member when that group is called.
Credentials
Each member attending the Annual Meeting of the State Association who will be voting as a Delegate or an Automatic Voting Member will receive a credential form from the Lodge’s Secretary or Exalted Ruler. This form will require three signatures. The Exalted Ruler, the Lodge Secretary, and the holder of the Credential. It will also need to be sealed with the Lodge seal as well. This will be required to enter the hall before the meeting starts. You will also need your Membership Card to prove that the Credential Form and the Membership Card match.
On the form will be a grid with boxes and titles. The member attending will need to check ONE BOX ONLY as to how they will be classified for the Annual Meeting. If the Member holds a title that is listed on the form. Check that box (e.g. Past State President). If the Member does not have any of the titles listed, then check Delegate. Again, as stated above…One Person = One Vote, so you can only check whether you are a Delegate or Automatic Voting Member.
Roll Call
At the Annual Meeting, the Credentials Committee Chairman will call each Lodge in order of their Lodge Number, starting with the lowest Lodge number and proceeding to the highest. They will announce the name and number of the Lodge and how many Delegates the Lodge is entitled to (the calculation will have already been made)
Delegates
When the Credentials Committee Chairman calls for the Delegates of a Lodge to stand, only those who are DELEGATES should stand.
Automatic Voting Members from the list above DO NOT stand at this time.
A count will be taken of the number of Delegates representing that Lodge to make sure that the number of people standing does not exceed the total number of delegates that the Lodge is entitled to vote. After counting, the delegates will be asked to be seated.
Automatic Voting Members
When the Credentials Committee Chairman calls for the following to stand:
- Past State President
- Exalted Ruler (current)
- Past Exalted Ruler
- State Officer (Includes State Trustees)
- State Committee Chairman
Those who have a title that are listed above should stand. The Delegates DO NOT STAND at this time.
A count will be taken of the number of Automatic Voting Members at this time. There is no limit to the number of Automatic Voting Membes a Lodge may have at the Annual Meeting.
Lodge Total Votes
The total number of votes a Lodge may have at the Annual Meeting is the number of Delegates presenta PLUS the number of Automatic Voting Members present.
But what happens if a Lodge has more than 1,250 Members and is only allowed a maximum of 25 Delegates?
Remember, that a Lodge is entitled to a maximum of 25 DELEGATES, not VOTES. It is possible that a Lodge could have 25 Delegates in attendance and another 10 members who are Automatic Voting Members for a total of 35 Votes. The total Lodge votes is a sum of the two categories (Delegates & Automatic Voting Members).
The Annual meeting is the only time that the Maine Elks Association uses credentialed voting. All other State Meetings whether regular or special allow all members in good standing and in attendance to vote.
Hopefully, this will help you understand the complexity of the voting at the Maine Elks Association Annual Meeting.