Nominating Committee Form – Fill Out and Use This PDF

The appointment and report of this committee are provided for in article VIII, section 4 of the Standard Local Council Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. A suggested model, “District Election Procedures,” appears in the appendix and is included in this folder.

Essential steps to be taken by the committee include the following:

1. Review qualifications listed on this page.

2. Study the participation and performance of last year’s officers and members at large.

3. Make suggestions for each officer and member at large, matching skills to needs, and participate in committee effort to reach unanimous agreement on each nominee.

4. Participate as requested in personally contacting each nominee and securing agreement to serve.This step and the plans for recruitment are vital to the process. Use Selecting District People, No. 34512, as a guide.

5. Support fully the final action of the committee.

6. Treat all information as confidential.

District Chair. An individual of character recognized in the community as outstanding because of achievements as a leader, with recruiting and organizing ability that will inspire confidence and win support and cooperation for Scouting. This individual should be acceptable to the business leaders, the educators, and the religious leadership of the community.

vice Chair. One or more individuals who have the same qualifications as the district chair.

District Commissioner. An individual of character and standing in the community with organizing, administrative, and leadership ability.This individual should be a person who can successfully work with the commissioner staff and other Scouters to strengthen the packs, troops, teams, and crews in the district.

The nominating committee, after consultation with the district executive, recommends a district commissioner to the execu- tive board for appointment and commissioning. The district commissioner is an elected member at large of the district.

District Members at large. Individuals of character and standing in the community who, because of interest, organization experience, ability, or general knowledge, may be available for service as a chair or member of one of the committees in the district or for service in some special capacity to the district.The incoming district chair appoints the chairs of the various operating committees and other special or ad hoc committees with the approval of the voting members of the district.

District members at large (registration code No. 75) are voting members of the district committee.They are nomi- nated by the district nominating committee and are duly elected by the voting members of the district.They may be elected either at the last district annual meeting or during the interim at a regular duly called, monthly district commit- tee meeting.

CharteredOrganizationRepresentatives.Automatic voting members of the council and the district selected by their respective chartered organizations.

PuRPOSE

To elect district officers and district members at large.

Those eligible to vote

1. Chartered organization representatives registered and currently representing chartered organizations within the district’s geographical boundaries. (See ‘‘Chartered Organization Representative’’ on the next page.)

2. Registered district members at large duly elected at the last annual district committee meeting or during the interim at a regular,duly called district committee meeting.

3. Registered council members at large residing in the district.

TIME

The district committee meeting immediately preceding the council annual meeting should be the district annual meeting.

PROCESS

1. Ninety days prior to the district annual meeting, the district chair will submit suggestions for members of the nominating committee to the council president for approval.This committee should consist of three to five members. The president has the discretion to add or delete names for the nominating committee from the council executive board or the community at large. It is recommended that the council president appoint a member of the council executive board to serve on this committee. In the event of a vacancy in the office of district commissioner, the president may ask the council commissioner to serve on the nominating committee.

2. When approval is received from the council president, the nominating committee will meet with the district executive as adviser to form the slate comprised of nominees for district chair, one or more vice chairs, and district members at large, plus a nominee to be submit- ted by the district chair for council executive board approval to serve as district commissioner.

3. The nominating committee will not only agree on the slate but will also secure the nominees’ permission to stand for election and to serve if elected.

4. The members of the nominating committee will be iden- tified to the district Scouters between 60 and 30 days prior to the annual district committee meeting so that suggestions may be given to them for consideration.(This information may be included in one formal notice of the annual meeting.)

5. Suggestions may be made in writing to the nominat- ing committee for inclusion in its report providing the nominees thus entered are received by the nominating committee at least two weeks prior to the district annual meeting. If accepted by the nominating committee, the candidate will be contacted by the nominating commit- tee and permission received from the person to stand for election and to serve.

6. To provide a fair and orderly nominating process, nomi- nations will not be accepted from the floor at the time of election.This procedure also permits sufficient time to consider in advance all aspects of a nominee’s suitability to serve.

7. At the district annual meeting the district chair will call upon the chair of the nominating committee for the committee’s report and “turn over the chair to conduct the elections.”

a. The chair of the nominating committee will present first the committee’s nominees for district members at large; call for a motion, second, and vote.

b. The chair of the nominating committee then will present the committee’s nominees for district chair and vice chairs; call for a motion, second, and vote.

c. The district commissioner is to be an elected member at large but is offered for appointment and approval as district commissioner by the council executive board through the report of the district nominating committee and with the concurrence of the Scout executive.The district commissioner is not elected as district commissioner at the district annual meeting.

d. Vote of the majority of the members present at the district meeting is required for election.

DETAIlS AND CONTINGENCIES

1. Newly elected officers and members at large take office immediately following the district annual meeting.

2. If any portion of the nominating committee’s report is rejected, this portion must be reintroduced at a spe- cial or adjourned or recessed meeting of the district committee to be held within 30 days of the present meeting. Formal notice of this meeting must be sent to eligible voters immediately so that it is received at least two weeks prior to the meeting.Additional names may be submitted to the nominating committee during that period.The nominating committee will, at the next meeting, proceed with the portion of the election that failed passage. It is hoped that the nominating commit- tee members will discover the reasons for the failure of acceptance and attempt to deal with them.

3. In the event that a resolution is still not obtained, then the matter will be referred to the council president and/ or executive board for final resolution.

4. Because members at large take office immediately following the district annual meeting, they and the chartered organization representatives are eligible to vote at postponed elections if they were elected and the officers’ slate was not accepted.

5. Voting may be done by ballot but voice or hand votes are acceptable since a district is a non-policy-making body. If ballots are used, the secretary should be instructed to collect ballots only from those eligible to vote, marked with the name of eligible voters and counted by clerks appointed by the chair of the nominating committee. A motion to cast a unanimous ballot for the proposed candidates is acceptable.

1. The chartered organization representative is automatically a voting member of the council and the district upon the selection or appointment by the community organization and when registered as a member of the Boy Scouts of America. The individual is to be registered during the time that the chartered organization designates this person as chartered organization representative and shall have one vote. A chartered organization may only have one representative.

2. Primary responsibilities are to (a) help units be successful and (b) serve as a liaison between the chartered organization and Scouting.

3. The chartered organization representative is encouraged to become an active, participating member of one of the district’s committees.

Note: Council bylaws are the ‘‘final word.’’

ADDITIONAl GuIDElINES

1. The district executive is responsible for the orientation/ training of the committee at its first meeting. Be sure to have the committee view “The District Nominating Committee,” which is part one of the Commissioner Service and District Operation Support DVD (AV-06DVD08).

2. Many district nominating committees also need to view all or part of “Highlights of District Operations for the 21st Century,” which is part five of the Commissioner Service and District Operation Support DVD (AV-06DVD08). This portion of the DVD includes two segments that might be helpful to committees: “Highlights of District Operations for the 21st Century” and “Recruiting District Volunteers.” A Handbook for District Operations,

No. 34739, also is helpful for orienting committee members and for use in recruiting officers and members at large.

3. The nominating committee has a major responsibility mandated in the bylaws and clearly defined above. How- ever,the nominating committee should also operate after the annual business meeting to help fill vacancies and to encourage the process of recruiting district volunteers throughout the year.

4. In supporting the work of the committee, district execu- tives should use Selecting District People, No.34512,as the central resource on recruiting district volunteers.