Ordination

1. The election shall be announced immediately to the one elected; if he is absent, he shall come to the chapter as soon as possible.
2. Unless he has grave reasons, the one elected is bound to accept his election. But if he does not accept and the capitulars permit this refusal, they must proceed to a new election as soon as possible.

The election itself shall be conducted in accordance with n. 452 with these exceptions:

1. the ballots must be repeated until a brother is elected by an absolute majority of votes;
2. before the new Master is elected, the electors may not leave the chapter room – except the tellers, who may go to collect the votes of infirm voters if there are any;
3. an official document shall not be drawn up but a faithful report of the whole election with its various ballots shall be recorded in the minutes of the chapter.

1. The vicar of the Order shall preside over the election, that is, either the ex-Master of the Order who has just left office or the vicar according to our legislation (see n. 417).
2. The secretary of the election shall be the first secretary of the chapter.
3. The tellers shall be designated in accordance with n. 448, § IV.

On the day of the election or the day before, the Mass of the Holy Spirit shall be celebrated in every convent of the Order.

On the day before the election, the electors, summoned by the president, may have a discussion [tractatus] among themselves about the choice of Master.

1. For the confirmation or cassation of the elec­tion of a regional prior and its acceptance, nn. 465-473 shall be observed.
2. The right of appointing a regional prior devolves upon the prior provincial without prejudice to n. 373, 1:
   1. when at the time of the vacancy in the office of regional prior, the vicariate does not have the conditions described in n. 384; then, however, nn. 483 and 484 must be observed in the appointment of a vicar;
   2. when all the voters have renounced their voice and have not been reinstated by the prior provincial;
   3. when for any reason whatsoever a regional prior has not been elected or postulated within six months of the vacancy becoming known;
   4. when in the course of the election there have been seven inconclusive ballots (see n. 480, § II, 2);
   5. when the brothers elect the same brother again after the first election has been cassated, unless the sole reason for the cassation of that election was defect of form and not the person elected;
   6. when there have been two or, at most, three elections confirmed by the prior provincial but not accepted by those elected, then after the second election the prior provincial may and after a third, must, appoint a regional prior. 

1. It is for the statute of the provincial vicariate 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 in n. 455-bis 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 counters shall conduct the count in accord with n. 455-bis §II and according to the following norms:
   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;
   1. 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;
   2. 8. if in the final ballot, whether it is the second (n. 455-bis § II, 6: or the third or the fourth (n. 455-bis § II, 7), an absolute majority is not obtained, it devolves upon the prior provincial to make provision for the office (see n. 464).

1. Without prejudice to n. 443, for a person to be elected validly as regional prior vicar provincial, it is required that:
   1. he be thirty years old and ten years from first profession; 
   2. he has not been regional prior vicar provincial in the same region vicariate for the two four-year terms commissions 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.

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

1. If the statute of the vicariate shall have determined that the vicar be designated by election, 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 of the statute of the vicariate or perhaps another friar appointed by the prior provincial.
2. After consulting the regional vicariate 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.