Running Booster Club Elections: Nominations, Ballots, and Ties

An Election Calendar

The bylaws set the dates. A club with a July 1 fiscal yearFiscal yearThe club’s 12-month accounting year, set in the bylaws. Many booster clubs use July 1 through June 30 to match the school year, and the club’s filing deadlines count from the day it ends.All terms and a May election might follow this calendar.

The Nominating Committee

A nominating committee finds qualified candidates and presents a slate (a list of one nominee per office). The bylaws should say how the committee is chosen, how many members it has, and when it reports.

RONRRobert’s Rules of OrderRobert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), the rulebook most booster club bylaws adopt for running meetings. It governs a club only if the bylaws adopt it, and state law and the bylaws come first.All terms is specific about independence. “The nominating committee should be elected by the organization wherever possible, or else by its executive board,” and “in an organized society the president should not appoint this committee or be a member of it, ex officio or otherwise.” If the bylaws make the president an ex officioEx officioHolding a seat because of another position, such as a principal, athletic director, or head coach named in the bylaws. Under Robert’s Rules of Order, an ex officio board member has full voting rights unless the bylaws make the seat non-voting.All terms member of all committees, they should expressly exclude the nominating committee. A president running for a second term should have no role in choosing the people who decide whether to nominate them.

Other rules for the committee:

1. Committee members may be nominated. RONR does not bar them, and barring them would discourage good candidates from serving on the committee.
2. One nominee per office is enough. RONR does not require contested elections, and adding names to create a contest does not produce better officers.
3. Get consent before nominating. The committee confirms each nominee is eligible under the bylaws and willing to serve before including that person on the slate.
4. Check eligibility. Typical requirements are membership in good standing and any term limits in the bylaws. For the treasurer, the club’s internal controls may also bar a close relative of another bank signer.
5. Report, do not adopt. The committee’s report is never adopted by vote. The election is the decision.

Notice

Members must know an election is happening. The bylaws set the notice period and method. Send the notice, the date and place of the election meeting, and the slate to every voting member, and keep a copy of what was sent and when. Notice protects members who do not attend most meetings and is often the first point anyone challenging an election will check.

Nominations From the Floor

After the nominating committee reports, the chair calls for nominations from the floor, unless the bylaws prohibit them. Floor nominations are in order even when a committee has made its report, and they are a protection against a closed slate.

1. The chair says, “The nominating committee has nominated [name] for president. Are there any further nominations for president?”
2. A member says, “I nominate [name].” No second is required.
3. The chair repeats each nomination and asks again for further nominations.
4. When no one else wishes to nominate, the chair declares nominations for that office closed.
5. The chair repeats the process for each office in the order the bylaws list them.

A member may not nominate more people than there are positions to fill. A motion to close nominations requires a two-thirds vote, and the chair should not rush it.

Voting

The bylaws control the voting method. When the bylaws require a ballot, the club must use one, even for an uncontested office. A motionMotionA formal proposal that the club take an action or a position. Under Robert’s Rules of Order, a motion is the only way a board or membership meeting makes a decision.All terms directing the secretary to “cast a unanimous ballot” is not good procedure and cannot replace a required ballot. When the bylaws do not require a ballot and only one person is nominated, the chair declares that person elected (an election by acclamation). For contested offices, a secret ballot is the fairest method even when the bylaws do not require it.

A majority of the votes cast elects. A candidate wins only with more than half of the votes cast. A plurality (more votes than anyone else, but less than half) elects only if the bylaws say so. With three or more candidates and no majority, the club votes again. Balloting continues until someone has a majority. The lowest candidate is not dropped unless that candidate withdraws.

Write-in votes count as legal votes unless they are unintelligible or cast for an ineligible, unidentifiable, or fictitious person.

Ties are resolved by voting again. RONRRobert’s Rules of OrderRobert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), the rulebook most booster club bylaws adopt for running meetings. It governs a club only if the bylaws adopt it, and state law and the bylaws come first.All terms does not provide for a coin toss or drawing lots. A club that wants a tiebreaker should put one in the bylaws, and a club that elects by mail or online ballot should, because it cannot easily vote again on the spot.

Tellers and the Tellers’ Report

The president appoints tellers to distribute, collect, and count ballots. Three tellers is common. Tellers should not be candidates in the contested race, and they should be trusted by both sides.

Tellers count the ballots together, without interruption, and prepare a written report:

The head teller reads the report. The chair reads it again and declares the result: “Ms. Alvarez is elected president.” The secretary enters the full tellers’ report in the minutes. Keep the ballots, sealed, until the time for any challenge has passed (a period the bylaws or a standing rule should set), then destroy them.

When New Officers Take Office

The bylaws should set the start of the term, preferably the first day of the fiscal yearFiscal yearThe club’s 12-month accounting year, set in the bylaws. Many booster clubs use July 1 through June 30 to match the school year, and the club’s filing deadlines count from the day it ends.All terms. If the bylaws are silent, an election takes effect when it is announced, provided the person elected is present and does not decline, or is absent but consented to being a candidate. An installation ceremony is optional unless the bylaws require one, and it does not affect when the term begins.

Between the election and the start of the term, the outgoing and incoming officers should hold a transition meeting, update bank signers, transfer logins, and hand over records. The procedure is on Booster Club Officer Transition.

Vacancies and Removal

The bylaws should say who fills a vacancy between elections (often the board) and for how long. Under RONRRobert’s Rules of OrderRobert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), the rulebook most booster club bylaws adopt for running meetings. It governs a club only if the bylaws adopt it, and state law and the bylaws come first.All terms, an officer can be removed before the end of the term only if the bylaws allow it. If the bylaws say officers serve for a term “or until their successors are elected,” the members can remove an officer by a two-thirds vote, by a majority vote with previous notice, or by a majority of the entire membership. If the term is fixed with no such language, removal requires formal disciplinary proceedings. Bylaws provisions for vacancies and removal are on Officer Provisions in Booster Club Bylaws.

State Law

For an incorporated club, state nonprofit law may govern member elections, including notice, voting by members, and proxies. In California, for example, members of a nonprofit public benefit corporation may vote by proxy unless the articles or bylaws limit or withdraw that right. Rules vary by state; check the club’s state page.