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Voting Procedure for Board Elections in Associations

In general, the board of directors is elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the association through the membership. Since every association gives itself their own bylaws, the voting procedure can differ between the various associations. 

Board of Directors: Candidate Election

As a rule, the board of directors election in associations is conducted as a candidate election. Individual members (or if the bylaws allow it, external persons) can run for a position on the board. The directors on the board are elected by the membership through relative majority. 

It is also possible to run for a position on the board of directors in absentia, if it is included in the bylaws and the candidate signed a declaration of consent. 

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Voting Procedure of "List Elections"

The board of directors can also be elected in a “rigid list” or rather “en bloc”. This voting procedure has to be part of the bylaws and it needs to be clarified when this voting procedure applies.

Read more about amending your association’s bylaws!

“List elections“ in associations
When using the “rigid list“ or “en bloc“ voting procedure, the election officer creates a list of candidates with their planned position on the board of directors. The list of candidates represents the entire board of directors. When voting “en bloc”, the voter can vote for or against this list of candidates. If there is more than one list of candidates, the voter has to elect one. The list of candidates with the majority of votes wins the election.

More about list elections in the POLYAS election glossary

POLYAS-Tip: If your bylaws allow it, you can conduct your board of directors election and your AGM online. That is how you save time when organising your board of directors election and increase the voter turnout of your association. Learn how online voting works now!

Advantages of Online Voting

Online voting gives your members the option to cast their vote, even if they cannot attend the AGM. This way you can be sure that your board of directors is elected democratically and legitimised by the majority of your association. Moreover, if you add online voting to your voting option you guarantee a quorum at your AGM. 

Contact our voting experts to get started with online voting in your association!