A chamber of commerce forwards the interests of businesses by influencing and lobbying the government on issues impacting their network of businesspeople. The direction of their policies, as well as the overall governance of the association, is governed by a board of directors who are regularly elected at a general annual meeting.
Because chambers of commerce can often encompass different regions and nations, it’s helpful to use a professional industry voting system like ElectionBuddy to allow members to exercise their voting rights in a simpler, more accessible, and more efficient way.
Chambers of commerce are associations or networks of businesses. These organizations exist to influence and lobby the government on issues to promote and protect the interests of its members. They’re typically concerned in areas of:
While they’re concerned about laws and regulations, they don’t have a direct role in creating them, though they’re generally effective in swaying lawmakers and the public.
Chambers of commerce are made up of different business owners that share a locale or interest, though their scope can also be international. They operate under a multi-level membership structure, with state and local chambers being part of national chapters.
Chambers of commerce are influential in the implementation or discharge of business-related regulations being discussed or forwarded by the government. The United States Chamber of Commerce lobbies pro-business stances at the national level, but they also have state, city, regional, and local chambers that forward their interests the same way, focusing on issues and advocacies relevant to their specific chapters.
Aside from the benefits received from lobbying efforts, the members of chambers of commerce also receive deals and discounts, are listed in a member directory that differentiates them as a preferred vendor, and can participate in programs and services that can help them promote their business. To learn more about the difference between a chamber of commerce and regulatory body or professional association read our latest post.
Chambers of commerce don’t have a direct hand in legislation, but they do have a great effect on how regulations are made, supported, or taken down in the interests of their members. When it comes to national candidate elections, for example, chambers of commerce will voice out their support to federal candidates that have policies that aid in business activities and oppose laws that harm pro-business interests, including the loss of job creation, the stifling of innovation, and the undermining of economic potential.
Chambers of commerce also help lawmakers recognize how certain legislative propositions affect their sector; they may send key vote letters to politicians that make clear which policies are advantageous or harmful to the business environment.
For their lobbying efforts to become effective, chambers of commerce must be directed by a governing body that will steer them in the right direction. This is often realized through a board of directors, who are elected regularly (usually during an annual general meeting) from within a chamber’s membership base. These chosen officials are put in their positions by the electorate—the rest of the chamber’s members—and are tasked to govern the association, lead in policy direction, and run the organization on behalf of all stakeholders.
Because chambers of commerce often extend out of a locale, it’s imperative that you employ accessible voting mechanisms to ensure that every member’s voting rights are upheld at a board of directors election–this can be done with ElectionBuddy’s professional voting solution.
Through ElectionBuddy, you can design your ballot to fit your purpose, theme, and scale; it’s fit to handle any type of election you choose. You can even add candidate profiles to ensure that your members can make informed votes.
You can then send your ballots out via your members’ preferred method, be it via a link, an email, or through text, making the process extra available to them. They can even vote from any device—as long as it’s connected to the Internet! And if they’re too busy to vote when they receive the ballot, you can send them notifications so that you can reach them another time.
With ElectionBuddy, you can see results in real-time and even get easy-to-read insights (charts, graphs, etc.) to gauge your election. Hold your next chamber of commerce elections with ElectionBuddy for a simpler and easier vote! There are several types of professional associations, to learn more about these read our article with more information.
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