Updated: August 31, 2026
The difference between being nominated and being elected is that nomination puts someone forward for consideration for a position, while election is the process through which eligible voters choose who will fill that position.
Being nominated does not necessarily mean someone will become an officeholder. A nominee may need to meet eligibility requirements, formally accept the nomination, and compete against other candidates before voters make the final decision.
So, how are candidates nominated? The process varies by organization and its bylaws, but it may allow self-nominations, nominations by other members, or recommendations from a nominating committee.
Organizations may also establish eligibility requirements, nomination deadlines, or procedures for reviewing and approving nominees before they appear on the ballot. In board elections, for example, a nominating committee may verify candidates' qualifications before presenting eligible candidates to the membership for a vote.
Understanding the difference is especially important when managing board nominations. Once the nomination period closes and eligible candidates are established, the organization can move into the election stage, where members use the voting method specified in the organization's rules to select its leaders.
|
Term |
What It Means |
What Happens Next |
|
Nominated |
A person is put forward for consideration for a position |
Their eligibility may be reviewed before they become a candidate. |
|
Candidate |
A person who is eligible and seeking the position |
They may appear on the ballot and compete in an election. |
|
Elected |
A candidate has been selected through the organization's election process |
They can take the position according to the organization's rules. |
Being nominated means that a person has become a candidate or nominee for a role. That role could be anything from mayor to president, or, in the corporate world, from vice president to chairman of the board.
Being nominated may or may not have been that person's choice. The person may have chosen to step forward and present themselves as a candidate for an office or role by announcing their intention to run for the office. Alternatively, a candidate may have been nominated by their peers or superiors. In the latter scenario, the candidate has the option to decline a nomination for a board position.
Furthermore, in the world of politics, a nominee may have to go through several rounds of voting against other nominees in order to be their political party's candidate. These candidacy processes are known as primary elections.
Being elected means that a candidate has won an election and is now the person that will fill the role that has been voted on. There are many ways in which someone can become elected to an office or a corporate board position.
The candidate who receives the most votes wins the election. While this makes sense at face value, it can become complicated in situations where there are more than two candidates. This may lead to a scenario where one candidate gets the most votes, but does not receive over 50% of all votes. Thanks to its simplicity, however, this system is one of the most popular.
In situations described above where a single candidate fails to obtain more than 50% of the vote total, the two-round system forces the top two candidates into a second round of voting whereby the winner is the candidate that receives more than 50% of the vote. This is the voting system used in a majority of countries' government elections.
This system removes the need for a second round of voting by allowing the voter to rank their candidate in order of preference. If their first-choice candidate does not receive a majority of votes, their vote goes to their next choice, and so on. Using this system allows a winner to be identified immediately without the need for a second round of voting.
The above scenarios only cover situations where a single winner is chosen. However, in the world of corporate board elections, there may be multiple candidates vying for multiple vacancies. This is known as a multi-winner election in which the candidates who receive the most votes are elected for several different open seats.
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