Election of a Regional Prior

1. The president of the election is the brother who actually governs the vicariate in accordance with the norm of 385, § II, 2, or, if he is out of office, the senior in the Order among the superiors of that region.
2. After consulting the regional council, it is for him to determine the time of the election and to notify all the voters; he must do this within a month of knowing that the office is vacant.

The electors are the brothers having active voice who are assigned to the vicariate directly or indirectly by reason of office.

1. Without prejudice to n. 443, for a person to be elected validly as regional prior, it is required that:
   1. he be thirty years old and ten years from first profession; 
   2. he has not been regional prior in the same region for the two four-year terms immediately preceding.
2. If any brother cannot be elected because of the lack of one or more of the conditions mentioned in § I, 1 and 2, the brothers may postulate him to the prior provincial who may dispense from the interstices and make provision according to n. 467.

1. It is for the provincial council or the regional council to determine whether the voters must come together specially to hold the election or may vote by post.
2. If the election is carried out in a special assembly:
   1. the president and the place of the election shall be as in n. 477;
   2. in the actual process of the election, n. 464 shall be observed (see Appendix n. 18).
3. If, however, the voters cannot gather together conveniently, the following norms shall be used:
   1. within the time determined by the president (n. 477, § II), each voter shall write his vote on a ballot-paper in accordance with n. 452, 6;
   2. then, after placing the ballot-paper in an envelope, he shall write in his own hand his name and place of residence on the envelope and seal it carefully. After that, he shall enclose the first envelope in another envelope and send it to the president with a special marking so that it can be easily recognized.
4. When the time determined for receiving ballot-papers has elapsed, the president with the regional council shall conduct the count:
   1. when all the external envelopes have been opened in the presence of the council, the names of the electors written on the outside of the inner envelopes are examined to see whether each of them has the conditions required for active voice; if anyone does not, his vote shall be considered null and void;
   2. the number of voters and of envelopes is compared;
   3. the envelopes are opened and burned before the ballots are unfolded;
   4. the votes are then examined in accordance with n . 452, 9, 10, 11;
   5. if the majority required for election or postulation is obtained, a decree of election shall be drawn up by the president, and an authentic document of the election shall be prepared and sent to the prior provincial in accordance with n. 453, § I (see Appendix n. 24). All the voters shall be notified by letter of the result of the election;
   6. if, however, an absolute majority is not obtained in the first ballot, the president with the council shall fix the time for holding a new and final ballot; and shall inform by letter both the prior provincial and the voters of all that has taken place;
   7. a provincial chapter, however, may determine that a third or even a fourth ballot may be held if in the second or third an absolute majority is not obtained;
   8. if in the final ballot, whether it is the second (n. 6: or the third or the fourth (n. 7), an absolute majority is not obtained, it devolves upon the prior provincial to make provision for the office (see n. 464).