Election of Board Members

The selection of the board members is a crucial way to build an organization and ensure it has the capacity to lead and succeed. Having a formal process for nominations and elections helps keep the organization in line with the bylaws. When the chair or the president chooses a new member to be a member, the process bypasses the meticulous scrutinization of the selection process for committees and may cause discord among the members who were selected by the committee.

It is essential that the committee scrutinizes the list of members and identifies candidates that are a good fit for the needs of your company. It is recommended that the committee discuss potential candidates and compare notes. If the committee is unable to find a candidate to fill a certain office it’s best to make the position open and let the members of the committee to nominate themselves.

After the committee has compiled the list of candidates, it can hold an election. The most commonly used method to elect candidates is try this out through a voice vote. The chair will request a yes/no vote on each candidate in order. The first candidate to get a majority of the ayes wins.

Other methods of electing a board member include a written ballot, roll call, and cumulative voting. Whatever method is used it is vital that the votes are accurately counted. If a member observes that the teller’s methods do not follow proper procedures or there has been an error counting votes, then they should raise their hands and notify the officers in charge of presiding over their concerns.