4 - Terms of trustees.
§ 4. Terms of trustees. 1. The persons first elected trustees of such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple or post, if a lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, or a chapter of Royal Arch Masons, shall be divided by lot by the officer making the certificate of election, so that the term of one shall expire on the day of the festival of Saint John the Evangelist, next thereafter, and another in one year, and the third in two years thereafter. If other than a lodge or chapter of Free and Accepted Masons, the trustees first elected shall be divided by lot by the officers making the certificate of election, so that the term of one will expire in one year, one in two years, and one in three years thereafter. One trustee shall annually thereafter be elected by such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple, grotto, post, tribe, tent, nest, camp, encampment or canton, or Degree of Pocahontas council, by ballot, in the same manner and at the same time as the first three officers thereof severally are or shall be elected according to its constitution, by-laws and regulations; and a certificate of such election under the hands of such officers and the seal of the lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple, grotto, post, tribe, tent, nest, camp, encampment or canton, or Degree of Pocahontas council, if it has any, shall be made, and shall be evidence of such election and entitle the person so elected to act as trustee. If any trustee dies, resigns, demits, is suspended or expelled, removes from the state, or becomes incapacitated for performing the duties of his office, his office shall be deemed vacant. Such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple, grotto, post, tribe, tent, nest, camp, encampment or canton, or Degree of Pocahontas council, may, at any regular communication, convocation, encampment or other regular meeting, by whatever name known, fill any vacancy in the office of trustee, by ballot, which election shall be certified in like manner and with like effect as an annual election, and the person so elected shall hold his office during the unexpired term of the trustee, whose place he was elected to fill. 2. In the event that any such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple, grotto, post, tribe, tent, nest, camp, encampment or canton, or degree of Pocahontas council shall, in accordance with the constitution and general rules and regulations of its grand lodge, chapter, commandery, council or other governing body to which it belongs or with which it is connected, and in conformity to its own by-laws, if it has any, determines to increase the number of its trustees from three to five, the two additional trustees shall be first elected at the same time as the trustee elected to succeed whichever of the previously elected trustees whose term first expires. At such election each of the three trustees elected shall, by lot, be assigned a term of one, two or three years, as the case may be. Thereafter all trustees shall be elected for terms of three years. 3. In the event that any such lodge, chapter, commandery, consistory, council, temple, grotto, post, tribe, tent, nest, camp, encampment or canton, or degree of Pocahontas council shall, in accordance with the constitution and general rules and regulations of its grand lodge, chapter, commandery, council or other governing body to which it belongs or with which it is connected, and in conformity to its own by-laws, if it has any, determines to increase the terms of its trustees from three to five years, the trustees hereafter elected shall be elected for terms of five years each. 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision one of this section, trustees of lodges of Free and Accepted Masons shall be elected and their terms commence at the first stated lodge communication next following the Grand Lodge Annual Communication.