Selecting board members is a vital way to grow and strengthen an organization. Establishing a procedure for nominations and elections helps prevent problems and maintains fidelity to the bylaws. When the chair or the president selects new members, the procedure is not vetted properly and could cause discord among members who were selected by committee.
The committee should be difference between executive and non executive careful in reviewing the membership list to identify individuals who are a suitable match for your company. The ideal scenario is for the committee to consider candidates and discuss notes. If the committee is not able to identify the right candidate for a certain office, it is a good idea to keep the seat open and allow members to nominate their own names.
Once the committee has completed its list of candidates it is able to hold elections. The most commonly used method to elect candidates is through a voice vote. The chair will ask for a yes or no vote on each candidate, in order. The candidate who receives the majority of votes wins.
Other methods for electing members of the board include writing votes, a roll call or cumulative vote. No matter the method used it is essential that the votes are accurately counted. If a member notices that the vote counters don’t follow the proper procedure or if there was an error in counting votes, they should raise their hands and notify the presiding officers of their concerns.