Board elections are essential to the growth of your business economically and socially. They also aid in maintaining the integrity of your governance. An increase in voter participation and open elections help ensure that there is no monopoly of power by ensuring that the board consists of diverse interests, skills and experiences to best meet the organization’s needs.
The bylaws for your organization contain basic guidelines and legal requirements for how to conduct board voting. Bylaws usually specify the number of votes needed to elect a particular candidate, the position that requires voting and how terms can be added, deleted or replaced.
In the majority of membership-based organizations the board votes regularly on matters such as membership tiers or dues. The primary role of the board is to ensure that your company operates efficiently and responsibly.
A proper board election procedure will include nominations and voting along with a committee to nominate and training for new members to get them up to speed. This is a great method to build trust and engage with your members, while showing your leadership capabilities.
It is crucial that the nominating committee carefully review the list of members and make sure that each nominee meets the requirements for the office. If a candidate is elected and later discovers they aren’t able to serve, the board will have to call a new election. This is avoided by asking anyone who has realized that they are unable to serve to have their name removed from nomination at the nominating committee meeting.