How to Conduct a Successful Board Election
The board elections are an essential component of advancing your organization economically and socially and also ensuring solid governance. Voters who vote in elections that are competitive with a large participation can prevent a monopoly on power by making sure that the board members have a variety of expertise, experience and interests to best serve the needs of the company.
The bylaws of your organization provide the basic guidelines and legal rules for the conduct of board voting. Bylaws usually specify the number of votes required to select a specific candidate, the positions that require voting and how terms can be added, deleted or replaced.
In most member-based organisations, the board votes regularly on issues like membership tiers and dues. However, the primary responsibility of your board is to ensure that the organization can operate responsibly and efficiently.
A good board election will include voting, nominations on a nominations committee and training to help new members get up to speed. This is a great way to build trust and create a sense of engagement with your members while showing your governance skills.
The nominating committee should carefully review the list of members and verify that each candidate meets the qualifications to be able to serve in the office. The board will need to call a new election in the event that one is elected but later discovers they are unable to serve. It is possible to avoid this by asking any member who realizes that they are not able to serve to ask to be removed from nomination during the meeting to nominate them.