Unit Elections
Candidates for membership in the Order of the Arrow are selected by their unit! Youth are elected by their peers and adults are nominated by the Troop Committee.
Unit elections can be held between January 1 and April 30th of the year. All elections are recorded as having been conducted May 15th. The reason we record them as May 15th, is that a candidate has 12 months from election date to complete their ordeal. If the ordeal is not completed within 12 months, the candidate must be re-elected or in the case of adults, re-nominated.
To give candidates every opportunity to complete their ordeal during their period of eligibility, the Lodge will be offering ordeals during each of the five weeks of Boy Scout summer camp, an ordeal at Camp Topenebee in September and the last opportunity by mid-May of next year. See Lodge Calendar for dates, times and locations.
SCOUTMASTERS
A representative of your local Chapter will be contacting you during January or February to schedule a unit election. They can also do a camp promotion presentation if requested.
When the team arrives, they will provide further information on the election process and the ordeals. The election team will leave a copy of the election report for your records.
The summer camp ordeals will begin on Wednesday evening immediately following the call out ceremony and require a youth to miss his Thursday merit badge classes. He will complete his ordeal and induction ceremony on Thursday evening. This should not keep him from completing his merit badges as most merit badges are completed in less than five days. Youth can return to camp during another week to complete their ordeal. This only costs an additional $5 above the cost of the ordeal.
Many units notify youth who are elected. If your unit does this, it makes it easy for the candidate to select whether he will do the ordeal at camp. If you do not notify your candidates, please notify their parents so that they can help to make the ordeal decision.
See the frequently asked questions for further information. You can open the PDF below.
Also available below are the Summer Camp Ordeal Information Sheet, the Summer Camp Ordeal Registration Form and the Adult Nomination Form,
| File Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| OA Adult Nomination form (Fillable PDF) | Form required to be turned in to the Lodge to nominate an Adult (21+) to become an Ordeal candidate. Must be completed, signed by the unit Committee Chair and turned in to the Lodge by April 30th. Note: the unit must have at least on youth (<21) to nominate an adult. | Download |
| Order of the Arrow Membership Requirements 2015 ver | Requirements for becoming an Ordeal candidate | Download |
| Summer Camp Ordeal Form | Download | |
| Summer Ordeal Info Sheet | Information sheet for Ordeal candidates planning to complete their Ordeal during summer camp | Download |
| Unit Elections FAQ | Unit elections FAQ for unit leaders | Download |