Elections are held across America every single day. This is because many professional organizations, scientific associations, and philanthropic societies of all types, shapes, and sizes also need to elect their leaders. In a way, the process is similar to public elections.
Society and association voting differs from governmental elections in many ways, even if the basic fundamentals of an election are the same.
Governmental elections follow a set schedule that typically coincides with national elections for Congress and the office of the president. Usually, voters vote to fill offices, from the president or senator, all the way down to local city council.
Association elections are typically held during annual meetings. The dates of these events may shift and move over the years far more than a typical election might. If it’s a national association, they may also change the venue from one side of the country to the other, which can make attendance and voter turnout challenging.
The candidate selection process is somewhat similar to governmental elections, in that many organizations allow anyone to be nominated for a position, so long as the society's bylaws allow it. While government elections typically have a grueling primary process before a final candidate is selected, societal elections are typically simpler because the list of candidates is short and there is often only one round of voting.
When it comes to balloting, societies and associations have a huge advantage over their governmental counterparts. While many governments still have not gotten on board with the idea of online elections, societal and association elections regularly take place online.
It’s a tough proposition to mail out a huge number of ballots or expect all of your members to fly to one location for an in-person vote, so society elections have found a solution in the internet.
In an association or society election, tabulation of the votes is normally done by a committee assigned to oversee the election or by a society election officer. Votes in a governmental organization are typically counted by election volunteers from the local community.
Just as governments certify and announce election results, an association may do the same. Governments usually have dedicated electoral commissions that have a structure similar to that of committees which administer the elections of societies.
In association and society elections, the election is certified by the board of directors of the society and announced to its members. Typically, however, the board of directors will defer to its election committee or election officer to validate the vote before certifying it as a formality.
As you can see, there are many aspects of governmental elections and society elections that have a great amount of overlap. Whether it's a vote for city council or a vote for the leaders of a community coalition, both systems involve candidates, ballots, vote counting, and certification.
To learn more about these differing worlds, check out our post on examples of community-based coalitions!
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