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District Officer Elections

Your district leaders are elected each year at the District Council Meeting at the Spring District 18 Conference. In accordance with Policies & Procedures, our district nominating committee nominates candidates for district office and screens candidates for eligibility. Committee members must exercise their independent judgments with respect to all prospective candidates, having in mind the best interests of Toastmasters International and the district, as well as the experience, abilities and qualifications of prospective candidates. The candidates nominated by the committee are placed on the ballot. Other candidates may choose to be nominated from the floor.

General Information Links

Election Procedure (abridged, from District Leadership Handbook – page 57):

Floor Nominations

For each office, the chair will ask whether there are any additional nominations from the floor. Floor nominees, or their designees if they are not in attendance, then state their eligibility qualifications. Floor candidates must be nominated by a member of the district council or their proxy holder. To be nominated from the floor, candidates must sign at the time of the floor nomination, or previously must have signed, the Officer Agreement and Release Statement published by Toastmasters International. All signed forms will be sent to World Headquarters and kept as part of the district’s permanent records at World Headquarters. When nominations are completed, the chair will declare the nominations for that office closed.

Candidates’ Speeches

Each district officer candidate, including floor candidates, is entitled to a two-minute speech. The speeches by the candidates are delivered in alphabetical order of the candidate’s last name, by office, beginning with the highest contested office. Each such speech is delivered from the speaking area (so defined) and given by the candidate, if present. If the candidate is absent, the candidate’s representative may give the speech. No other speeches, demonstrations or other activities are allowed. The balloting for each office takes place immediately following the close of nominations for the office. Each candidate is expected to provide one Toastmaster to observe the counting of the ballots. The election is completed and the winner announced before moving to the next office to complete nominations for that office.

Candidates nominated for one office and not elected to the office may be nominated from the floor for a lower office, in the order stated above. After nominations for an office are closed, if only one candidate is running for the office, the chair will entertain a motion to dispense with the secret ballot for the uncontested office and to instruct the secretary to cast a single ballot for the candidate.

If there are multiple offices of division governor each with only a single nominee, the chair will entertain a motion to dispense with the secret ballot for all the uncontested offices and to instruct the secretary to cast a single ballot for each candidate.

Any candidate receiving a majority of the votes cast is declared elected. In the event no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast for a contested office, voting continues with the use of special ballots and without the name of the candidate receiving the fewest votes. This procedure continues until one of the candidates receives a majority of the votes.

During the counting of the ballots, the chair may move officer reports to this part of the agenda.