Board elections online: nominations, seats, ties and the record

Electing the board is the item where members care most about the procedure being right, and the item where paper causes the most trouble: ballots with too many crosses, tellers who disagree, a candidate who lost by one vote and wants a recount. Online, the counting is exact and the ballot is secret by default. What remains is deciding the rules before the meeting, because the system will apply exactly what you configure.

Nominations

The bylaws decide whether candidates must be nominated in advance or may be proposed from the floor. If in advance, put the deadline in the notice and list the candidates in the material. If from the floor, the system must let the chair add a candidate on the spot, in the time it takes to type a name. Either way, confirm that each candidate is eligible under the bylaws, for example a member in good standing and not an employee, and ask each one to confirm they stand.

List the candidates in the same order for everyone, alphabetically or by lot, and give each a minute to present themselves before the vote opens. Remote members should see the same list on their screen as the room sees on the projector.

Several seats at once

Most elections fill several seats in one vote. There are three common ways to count.

One vote per seat. Each member may vote for up to as many candidates as there are seats; the candidates with the most votes are elected. This is the online equivalent of the traditional written ballot and the default when the bylaws say nothing. Decide whether a member may vote for fewer candidates than there are seats; on paper that ballot is valid, so online it should be too. Voting for more is simply prevented.

One vote per member. Each member votes for a single candidate, and the top candidates fill the seats. It gives minorities a better chance of a seat, but only use it if the bylaws provide for it or the meeting adopts it before the vote.

Ranked. Members rank the candidates and the count transfers votes. It needs an explicit counting rule that members understand and the bylaws support. Do not introduce it at the meeting; if you want it, amend the bylaws first.

If there are no more candidates than seats, many bylaws allow election by acclamation. Even then, a short open vote for or against the slate takes a minute and gives you a record.

Secret by default

Elections of persons should be secret unless the bylaws say otherwise. Nobody should have to vote against their neighbour in public, and a candidate should not be able to see who supported them. The system stores each vote apart from the identity, so the result shows votes per candidate but not who voted for whom, while the record still proves how many members voted. The guide on secret ballots online explains what to require from the system.

Alternates and ties

Many boards have one or two alternates, or substitutes, elected at the same meeting. There are two ways to fill them: a separate vote after the board election, or the runners-up from the board election become alternates in order of votes. The second is quicker but only works if the bylaws allow it or the meeting decides it beforehand, and only if the candidates agree to serve as alternates; not everyone who runs for the board wants a substitute seat. Decide and announce it before the vote opens.

Read the bylaws for a tie-break rule. Common ones are a second vote between the tied candidates, or drawing lots. A casting vote for the chair is rare in elections and should not be assumed. If the bylaws are silent, a run-off between the tied candidates is the fairest option and takes a minute online; lots are the last resort. The important thing is to state the rule before the vote, not to decide it after the tie is known.

Terms and staggered seats

Say which seats are up for election and for how long. If the seats have different terms, for example two seats for two years and one seat for one year to fill a vacancy, decide in advance how they are allocated: the candidates with the most votes take the longer terms, or the vacancy is filled in a separate vote. Put it in the material so candidates know what they are running for.

The record

The record should show the seats, the candidates, the number of eligible members, the number of votes cast, the votes per candidate, who was elected, who was elected as alternate, the counting rule, and the timestamps. The minutes state the names elected and their terms. Announce the numbers unless the bylaws say only the names are read out; candidates are generally better served by knowing them.

Keep the record with the minutes. Bodies that must be informed of the new board, whether a company registry, an association register or a bank, will want minutes that show the election was properly held, and the record is what backs them. The step-by-step guide covers the rest of the meeting.

Checklist

• Nomination procedure and deadline as the bylaws require.
• Candidates confirmed eligible and willing to stand.
• Counting rule for several seats decided and announced.
• Ballot set to secret.
• Alternates and tie-break decided before the vote opens.
• Terms per seat stated in the material.
• Record with votes per candidate kept with the minutes.