District 29 Leader Elections and Campaign Guidance - District 29 Toastmasters

District 29 Leader Elections and Campaign Guidance

Dear Candidates for District 29 Office, 

First, I’d like to thank you for stepping up and volunteering to assume greater responsibilities.  The District requires a great deal of volunteer support to run effectively and provide the support and service that our members should expect and it is only through the willingness of members like you that we are able to make that happen.  So, congratulations on your nomination and Thank You! 

Second, I need to make sure you are aware of the rules and opportunities for you to conduct candidate communications to the District Council. Please review the entire emailI apologize that this is long. It is important that you know what you are and are not permitted to do for your campaigns  An Elections Toolkit can be found on the Toastmasters International website.  

You will also need to familiarize yourselves with the guidelines from Protocol 9.0 District Campaigns and Elections.  This year there have been a few changes to the District Administrative Bylaws as follows: 

Earlier today, the updates for the October 25, 2021 Board of Directors meeting minutes were posted to the Toastmasters website. There has been an update to the District Administrative Bylaws, Article VII (e) effective for the upcoming elections cycle. 

  • A candidate nominated by the District Leadership Committee who is not elected to the nominated office may be nominated from the floor for a maximum of one (1) additional office at the District Council’s annual meeting. 
    • Please note, a candidate may apply to DLC for multiple roles, the DLC’s responsibility is to nominate the candidate for the best role. The intent of the change is so that any candidate may only run for a maximum of two roles either from nomination or the floor. 
  • A candidate who is not nominated by the District Leadership Committee may stand as a floor candidate for a maximum of two (2) District officer roles at the District Council’s annual meeting. 

Board of Director Meeting Minutes for December 20 have some important updates to Protocol 9.0 (6) and (9)

  • Protocol 9.0 (6)(E)(I) 
    • Only District Council members’ contact information is provided. The contact information must include all available names, mailing addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers of the District Council. 
  • Protocol 9.0(6)(R) 
    • Candidates or their representative(s) may not send campaign communications once the District Council annual meeting begins. 
  • Protocol 9.0 (9)(D) 
    • When held, a Candidate Showcase must be fully in person or fully online to give each candidate an equal platform. An online Candidate Showcase may be prerecorded and posted no sooner than one (1) week before the District Council’s annual meeting. 

Floor Candidates 

  1.  Nominations from the Floor.  Nominations made by the District Leadership Committee shall be effective when officially announced by the District Leadership Committee Chair or District Director. Additional nominations of qualified and eligible candidates may also be made from the floor at the annual District Council meeting with the consent of the person(s) nominated. Prior to running from the floor, a candidate for District Director, Program Quality Director, Club Growth Director, or Division Director must have completed the District Leadership Committee’s evaluation process in the same election cycle in which the candidate stands for election at the annual District Council meeting for that specific role to be considered eligible. All floor candidates must declare their intent to run to the District Director at least seven (7) days prior to the elections. 

    Floor candidates who have not gone through the District Leadership Committee’s evaluation process may only be nominated during the annual District Council meeting if the District Leadership Committee’s work is invalid. 

    Floor nominations for roles other than the District Director, Program Quality Director, Club Growth Director, or Division Director may occur even when that individual has not been evaluated by the District Leadership Committee as long as the individual meets all other eligibility requirements. 
     
    A candidate nominated by the District Leadership Committee who is not elected to the nominated office may be nominated from the floor for a maximum of one (1) additional office at the District Council’s annual meeting. 
     
    A candidate who is not nominated by the District Leadership Committee may stand as a floor candidate for a maximum of two (2) District officer roles at the District Council’s annual meeting. 

    In the event that there is no candidate(s) elected for District Director, Program Quality Director, Club Growth Director, or Division Director, the position(s) will be considered vacant and will be filled according to Article VII (g) of these administrative bylaws. 

Protocol 9.0 Section 6.0 Campaign Communications 

Please familiarize yourself with Campaign Communications portion (Section 6.0) of Protocol 9.0. Note: It is reproduced here for your reference only (in all cases, the actual protocol as presented on the Toastmasters Website is considered the official record, not the excerpt here) 

6. Campaign Communications 

  1. A campaign communication is any message, in any form, such as phone calls, postal mail, email, and social media, unsolicited by the recipient that promotes or publicizes a candidate. 
  1. Photographs, audio, video, and electronic representations in all campaign materials and displays, and on the candidate’s website and social media profiles, related to this campaign may be of the candidate only; no other persons are permitted. All candidates are responsible for obtaining written permission for any quotes and testimonials used in candidate campaign materials and displays, on websites, and on social media profiles. Proof of written permission may be requested for review by the District Director. 
  1. Unsolicited subscriptions to information by or about a candidate, such as a newsletter, blog, or social media page, are not permitted. 
  1. Communications by the District in connection with a candidate’s presentation at a District conference, and internal communication among campaign team members, are not considered campaign communications. 
  1. The District Director provides contact information to declared candidates only after receiving their Officer Agreement and Release Statement. 
    1. Only District Council members’ contact information is provided. The contact information must include all available names, mailing addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers of the District Council. 
    2. The contact information may only be used for campaign purposes. 
  1. District candidates may only send two (2) campaign communications. These communications may only be sent to members of the District Council: 
    1. The first communication may be sent between January 1 and two (2) weeks prior to the District Council’s annual meeting. 
    2. The second communication may be sent two (2) weeks prior to and no later than the date of the District Council’s annual meeting. 
  1. Candidates may have a website and use social media to promote their candidacy. No District or club social media sites or websites may be used to promote any individual candidate. District and club websites may list the nominated candidates. 
  1. Candidates are prohibited from participating in Toastmasters-related discussion groups on websites, including social media sites, for campaign purposes. 
  1. District candidates may use the Toastmasters trademarks, including the logo and the names “Toastmasters” and “Toastmasters International,” on printed and electronic campaign materials, websites, and social media sites. Use of the trademarks on any other items requires the written permission of the Chief Executive Officer. 
  1. Candidates may not produce or distribute any wearable campaign items (such as buttons, pins, hats, sashes, apparel, etc.). 
  1. At District conferences and District non-election meetings (such as Area and Division speech contests), nominated candidates and floor candidates may only distribute and display campaign materials in the Candidate Corner (if there is a Candidate Corner). Candidates or their representatives are responsible for the delivery, set-up, and removal of materials. 
  1. At District non-election meetings (such as Area and Division speech contests), candidates may be introduced as long as all candidates present are introduced. 
  1. Candidates may not host hospitality suites at any District event or contribute to a District hospitality suite. A hospitality suite is defined as a room where refreshments are provided, and attendance is open to any member. 
  1. Candidates may speak and give educational presentations at District conferences, at a time other than during the District Council’s annual meeting, at the discretion of the District Director. 
    1. All candidates must receive equal opportunity. 
    2. The time, place, and length of presentation are identified by the District Director. 
    3. Candidates shall not serve as speech contest officials. 
  1. Candidates may not present campaign speeches at any District non-election meeting, or campaign at any club meetings. 
  1. Advertisements in District publications, such as in newsletters, in conference programs, or on websites, by or on behalf of candidates for District office are not permitted. 
  1. The names of floor candidates are not published with the DLC report or in any other District publication. 
  1. Candidates or their representative(s) may not send campaign communications once the District Council annual meeting begins. 

Candidate Campaign and Showcase 

  • A campaign communication is any message, in any form unsolicited by the recipient that promotes or publicizes a candidate. 
    • Includes backgrounds in the online meeting platform and a reference in the name used for candidates. 
       
  • District Candidate’s Corner – Online 
    • Districts must have an Online Candidate Corner. 
    • Districts must provide all candidates an equal opportunity to have a personal statement posted to the District website (or the District’s primary communication method if not a website). 
      • These statements may not be emailed or posted on District social media. 
      • However, a link to the District Online Candidate’s Corner may be emailed as a District communication, informing members of the updates to the website. 
         
  • Timing: May begin at any time at the discretion of the District and be available until the day before the District Conference to accommodate the Area and Division contests being held online. 
     
  • A special notation should be made for nominated candidates or floor candidates. 
      

1.     We are in the process of putting together a District Council Meeting & Elections Webpage on our District Website. If you have a campaign flyer, brochure etc, you will be able to get it linked to this webpage. 

2.     We will conduct an online candidate showcase on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022, at 7 PM. The details and the zoom registration link for the showcase are on the district website. 

3.     During the actual Business meeting, the candidates for a contested office will be permitted to present a two-minute speech before the election.   

We will forward any additional guidance we receive from Toastmasters as they become available. 

Thank you and please let me or Narayanan Doraswamy, DTM, DLC Chair know if you have any questions.  

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