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Checklist: Board of Directors Elections for Social Clubs

There are no set rules on how board of directors elections must be conducted for social clubs in North America. The election process can differ depending on the size of the organization, the attitude of the members, and the bylaws that are in place. However, there are certain key features that every election should have. Read Polyas’ top tips on how to conduct a board of directors election for social clubs below. 

How do they work?

(1) Appoint a committee to help manage the election. Having a group of people, an election committee, tasked with specifically organizing the election will greatly help with the planning stages. In a smaller organization, one member can be appointed as an ‘election officer’.

(2) The election committee or officer will then announce the date of the election and the opening of the nomination period. All nominations must go through them in order to ensure that nominee fulfils the criteria necessary to run as a candidate.

(3) The election committee must also create the electoral roll. This is a list of everyone that is eligible to vote in the election. The members’ names should at least be included, but ideally, there will also be email addresses, phone numbers, and other contact details.

(4) Once the nomination period has ended, the ballot must be created. This should feature all the positions that are open as well as the candidates running. Depending on the bylaws, there should also be an ‘abstain’ option. The ballots should feature clear instructions on how members should cast their vote.

(5) The election begins and the process is carried out in the agreed manner. This may be online or live at the annual general meeting.

(6) The election ends. The election committee must now count all the votes and announce a winner.  An election officer should also document all steps of the election in detail so members can gain an insight into how the election was run. 

Download the Checklist for your Board of Directors Election

Does that all still sound a little complicated? Polyas has compiled a handy checklist to help you stay on top of things. Here you can discover the key steps to go through when planning your election. 

The checklist for the board of directors election is free to download. 
Checklist board of directors elections for social clubs (PDF)

Polyas Tip: As you can see, planning an election can be challenging. Sending out materials, printing off ballots, and organizing an election center is a time-consuming process. So why not organize your next election online? Forget manually dealing with printing difficulties, and organizing ballots and documents - you can plan the entire election in minutes while sitting at your desk. Contact our election experts to receive a non-binding quote today!

The Electoral Roll

The electoral roll is one of the most vital aspects of any election. The roll is a list of eligible voters that are allowed to take part in your social club elections, either by voting or by nominating themselves. While it should at the very least feature the voter's full name, ideally their contact details will be listed as well. When relevant, their voting rights should also be featured. One of the first things to do when planning an election is to make sure the roll is up to date. Are there any members that are no longer eligible to vote? Are there new members that are not included? The easiest way to stay on top of this is to make sure members provide all of their details when they join your club. 

Polyas recommends keeping the electoral roll on some sort of digital spreadsheet. If you conduct your election with Polyas, you can simply upload your spreadsheet into our POLYAS voting manager. Then, all your members will be emailed simultaneously informing them of the election and how they can take part. Learn more about online voting here.