District Campaigns and Elections FAQ

The committee will nominate at least one candidate for the roles of District Director, Program Quality Director, and Division Director. Two candidates must be selected for Club Growth Director. If the District Leadership Committee does not nominate the required number of candidates for an elective role, the role is considered incomplete on the report and is open for qualified floor candidates to run.

The work of the DLC is critical in ensuring long-term District success. The DLC must (1) abide by the timeline provided in Article XI, (2) identify and seek qualified candidates, (3) commit to meet on a regular basis to conduct candidate assessments, (4) confirm that each candidate meets the qualifications, and (5) ensure the minimum number of candidates have been nominated for each of the required elective positions. The DLC Report must be presented to the District Director at least six (6) weeks prior to the District's Annual Business Meeting. No DLC member may be nominated or run from the floor for any District office for the program year following the election at which the committee's report is presented.

The DLC Member Agreement is required to be completed for each member of the DLC.

A qualified candidate is a candidate that meets the qualifications outlined in the District Administrative Bylaws, Article VII (d).

An eligible candidate is a candidate that meets the qualifications outlined in the District Administrative Bylaws Article VII (d) and has been evaluated by the District Leadership Committee for the specific role. Only eligible candidates may run for roles that are listed as complete on a valid District Leadership Committee report.

A candidate may begin campaigning as soon as they have submitted their Toastmasters International District Leader Agreement and Release Statement, Candidate Biography Form, and photograph to the District Leadership Committee (DLC) Chair or District Director.

The report from the DLC may become invalid, causing all candidates to run from the floor.

If the DLC report is invalid, the DLC shall proceed in completing its work and select candidates for each role as outlined in Protocol 9.0. The DLC report may be presented to the District Council members as an advisory report at the discretion of the District Executive Committee. Each candidate selected by the DLC will run from the floor.

Prior to the elections, the presenter will state which deadline or requirement was not adhered to by the DLC, and that as a result the “advisory report” is being presented.

The DLC may begin evaluating a candidate as soon as the District Leader Agreement and Release Statement, Candidate Biography Form, and photograph are submitted to the DLC Chair.

No, the DLC Chair is a non-voting member of the DLC. The DLC Chair does not attempt to influence the other members of the committee.

The DLC Chair is not a voting member of the DLC. Therefore, they cannot represent a Division.

Yes, the DLC Chair may extend the nomination application deadline. However, the DLC Chair must extend the deadline for all roles. The extension cannot limit applications for a specific role(s). The DLC Chair must set a reasonable extension deadline that provides enough time to evaluate all applicants and deliver the DLC report to the District Director no later than six (6) weeks prior to elections.

No. Once the deadline to accept nomination applications has passed, consideration for nomination is not available unless the DLC Chair extends the deadline for all elective roles. The decision to extend the nomination deadline is at the discretion of the DLC Chair.

Yes, The DLC Chair is a non-voting member of the DLC. The DLC Chair must have at least a one-year absence from serving on a future DLC.

If the initial deadline of November 1 was met, the District Director may appoint a replacement DLC Chair. The report from the DLC will remain valid./p>

The DLC may evaluate candidates for additional roles at the discretion of the District Director. Since the other District roles are not considered elective leader roles, floor candidates may run during elections without being evaluated by the DLC. The seven (7) day requirement to submit their intent to run does not apply. Reference additional details in the District Administrative Bylaws, Article VII

A candidate may submit their intention to the DLC for multiple roles, and the DLC’s responsibility is to nominate the candidate for the most appropriate role. However, all candidates are limited to running for a maximum of two (2) roles, regardless of whether they were nominated or are running from the floor.

All Division Director roles are considered the same role. The (DLC) may nominate one (1) or more Division Directors for a single Division. The Division Director candidate only needs to be evaluated one time to be considered for all Division Director roles within the District. Nominated Division Director candidates may also run from the floor for other Divisions, provided they submit their intent to run at least seven (7) days in advance of the elections. A candidate may stand for a maximum of two roles during the District election.

Protocol 9.0 requires two Club Growth Director candidates to be nominated. If one candidate is nominated, the requirements of Protocol 9.0 have not been met, and the role will be considered incomplete on the DLC report. The single nomination from the DLC is valid. Any qualified candidate may run from the floor without being evaluated by the DLC. Each candidate must submit their intent to run from the floor to the District Director no later than seven (7) days prior to the election.

If there is still time, the DLC Chair may reopen the opportunity for candidates to submit their nomination application to the DLC to be considered for any role. The reopening opportunity cannot be limited to specific roles.

If the DLC Chair does not have time to re-open the nomination application and evaluate all candidates, the roles that do not have the required number of nominated candidates will be incomplete on the DLC report. Qualified candidates may run from the floor without being evaluated by the DLC, provided they submit their intent to run at least seven (7) days in advance to the District Director.

If a tie occurs, the DLC will continue discussions and re-vote until a majority is reached. If a majority vote cannot be reached, the candidate cannot be nominated by the DLC.

The report remains valid, as the DLC has completed its task in nominating the required number of candidates for the role. Only candidates that were evaluated by the DLC may run from the floor.

If there are no other candidates evaluated by the DLC for the role, the role will remain vacant and will be filled by the incoming District Executive Committee based on the recommendation of the incoming District Director. The process is outlined in the District Administrative Bylaws, Article VII.

The DLC may reconvene to determine if a previously evaluated candidate who was not selected initially can be nominated.

If there are no additional candidates that were previously evaluated, and there is still time, the DLC Chair may reopen or extend the application period. However, all applications must be considered for all desired roles. The DLC must have the ability to evaluate interested candidates and deliver their report to the District Director no later than six (6) weeks prior to the elections.

Yes, however, the candidate is limited to run for roles they were evaluated for by the District Leadership Committee (DLC) or roles they qualify to run for that are incomplete on the DLC report. The candidate must have submitted their intent to run from the floor for any elective role at least seven (7) days prior to the election.

Upon approval of a new Division(s), candidates who have gone through the DLC interview process for any Division are eligible to run from the floor for the new Division(s). The requirement for the candidate to submit the intent to the District Director seven (7) days in advance is waived.

If there are no candidates available, the role is filled as a vacancy outlined in the District Administrative Bylaws, Article VII. The incoming District Executive Committee will fill the role based on the recommendation from the incoming District Director.

Candidates cannot serve as test speakers or speech contest officials beyond the club level.

To find helpful resources for the DLC, visit the Elections Toolkit webpage. You may also want to review Protocol 9.0.