Club Officer Elections FAQ

The full club officer election process is outlined in the Club Officer Elections section of the Club Leadership Handbook.

Clubs are encouraged to fill all officer positions; however, the club must fill the required positions for a club officer list to be considered valid. These roles are the Club President, one Club Vice President role of the club’s choosing, and the Club Secretary. These roles must all be held by separate individuals.

Please note that the Club President may serve in this role for only one (1) annual term or two (2) consecutive semi-annual terms, according to Article VI, Section 9 of the Club Constitution for Clubs of Toastmasters International.

Plan to hold officer elections at the club’s first meeting in May, if possible. If your club votes semi-annually, the elections should take place in November.

The club is required to have quorum present to vote, which is more than 50% of the active members of the club in attendance, per Article V, Section 1 of the Club Constitution for Clubs of Toastmasters International. If a quorum is not present, the election is postponed until the next club meeting that quorum is present.

No. Members do not have to be present to be elected, but they should confirm in writing that they would accept the office prior to the election. If candidates were put on the ballot by the Club Leadership Committee, it is typical practice for the Club Leadership Committee to have already reached out to those individuals prior to their report.

According to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, members cast votes again until one candidate obtains a majority (p. 441, II. 1-5). Some clubs choose to have a designated member settle the tie by casting their vote. This is allowed as long as this member has not already cast a vote for the open office.

Meeting online does not significantly change how club officer elections are conducted. The primary consideration is ensuring ballots are submitted and counted accurately. Options for collecting votes include:

• If a blind ballot is not possible, the club may vote to proceed without it and collect votes through the meeting chat, sent directly to the ballot counter.
• Elections must be held live, but members may submit ballots via email.
• Free online tools, such as forms or surveys, can be shared to members during the elections, and used to cast ballots.

Quorum may be defined as half of the members plus one (1). For example, if a club has 20 members, quorum is 11.

Please contact the Club Quality and Member Support Team at clubquality@toastmasters.org for more information or if the club is having trouble meeting quorum.

Once the new club officers are elected, update your club officers online in Club Central before June 30, or December 31 for semi-annually electing clubs. This ensures that the club retains access to Club Central at the start of the next term and allows side-by-side meetings with the current club officers.

When updating the club’s officer listing, use the “Future Term” tab at the top of the page so that the current officers are not replaced before June 30, or December 31 for semi-annually electing clubs.

If the club officers are having trouble updating the club officer list for the next term, please contact the Club Quality and Member Support Team at membership@toastmasters.org.

No. While the Club Constitution allows for a Club Leadership Committee, you can still hold elections without one. According to Article VI, Section 5 of the Club Constitution, nominations for club officers are made in two ways:

• By the Club Leadership Committee: If a committee is appointed, they must share their nominations at the meeting prior to the election, or distribute them via email at least two weeks before the vote.
• From the floor: Active members may nominate candidates live during the election meeting. If no committee was appointed, the club can proceed entirely with floor nominations without a committee report.

If a Club Leadership Committee is appointed, they must announce their findings at least two weeks prior to the election. If the committee fails to do so, all candidates will run from the floor. The Club Leadership Committee findings may be distributed to the club by email. More information can be found in the Club Leadership Handbook.

Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised states, “Members of the Club Leadership Committee are not barred from becoming nominees for office themselves.” (P. 433, II. 29-30). Any member, including those who served on the committee, can nominate themselves from the floor if they wish.

Any club officer can be part of the Club Leadership committee; however, Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised (p. 433, II. 14-15) suggests that the President, specifically, should not be a part of this committee.