“One District, One Voice”
DISTRICT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE and DISTRICT COUNCIL MEETING
Electronic (Virtual) Meetings - Standing Rules of Order
1. Order of Precedence and Virtual Meeting Format
Electronic meetings of the District Executive Committee and the District Council shall be subject to all rules adopted by the District Council, or by Toastmasters International. For parliamentary procedures, the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th Edition shall be the final authority to questions regarding parliamentary procedures.
Electronic meetings of the District Council shall be conducted through Zoom. All delegates will register their attendance via the meeting invitation link sent to their email. The District Director shall direct the use of Zoom voting features such as Reactions (raised hand) or Polling. If an anonymous vote is required, Election Buddy shall be used to conduct a secret ballot vote thus fulfilling bylaw requirements.
2. Attendance Tracking
For attendance tracking purposes, rename yourself on Zoom using the following method:
Club XX Pres – John Smith (for Club Presidents)
Club XX VPE – John Smith (for Club VP Education)
ADxx – John Smith (for Area Directors)
DivD XX John Smith (for Division Directors)
Sr 7-ROLE – John Smith
3. Meeting Logistics
a. Members should remain muted unless there is a need to speak.
b. To gain recognition from the Chair, members should raise their virtual hand and wait to be recognized by the Chair.
c. When making a motion or speaking concerning business before the group, the member should state their name, club name, and office/role.
d. Those making motions on the agenda are limited to the prescribed time to state their case. Motions not on the agenda are limited to two (2) minutes.
e. Debate on a particular motion is limited to 10 minutes total, which may be extended at the discretion of the Chair.
f. A member’s discussion on a motion is limited to one (1) minute.
4. Technical Malfunctions
Each member of the DEC and DC will be responsible for his or her audio, video, and Internet connections. If an individual member experiences a loss in connectivity or poor connection quality it shall not prohibit the business of the DEC or DC business from being conducted. The member may rejoin the meeting by logging in to the Zoom room; the Zoom Master, Assistant Zoom Master, or Administration Manager will admit the individual once they re-join.
If the DEC or DC Zoom room experiences a technical malfunction due to loss of connectivity or poor connection quality, the Chair will notify all attendees via text and/or email and work to resolve the issue promptly. If the malfunction is not resolved within 10–15 minutes, attendees will be notified by text and/or email that the meeting will be rescheduled.
5. Credentials Chair Report and Quorum Procedure
The Credentials Chair shall report at the beginning of the DEC or District Council meeting with the total number of delegates registered. No proxies will be permitted.
The Credentials Chair will also report if a quorum is present. For the District Executive Committee, a quorum is confirmed if 51% are registered for online attendance. For the District Council meeting, a quorum is confirmed if one-third of paid club Presidents and Vice-Presidents Education are registered for online attendance. Members of the District Executive Committee do not count toward a District Council quorum; however, they may vote on all transactions.
If quorum is not present, the District Council meeting will continue as if quorum was present. However, any business that is transacted at a meeting in which quorum is not present must then be approved by a majority of the District Council on the basis of two (2) votes per club.
6. Credential Requirements and Voting Authorization
District Executive Committee members are entitled to one (1) vote as a DEC member, and may cast up to two (2) additional votes as a club President and/or Vice President Education.
Each club in good standing with Toastmasters International at the time of the District Council Business Meeting is entitled to two (2) votes. The club President and club Vice President Education are the designated delegates with one vote each, unless carrying both club votes.
There are no proxies permitted at the District Council Business Meeting.
7. Participation at District Executive Committee and District Council Meetings
Before addressing the District Council, delegates must be recognized by the Chair to speak. To seek recognition by the Chair, a delegate will raise their hand in Zoom.
When recognized, delegates should unmute their microphone before speaking and state their name and club name, or if a District Executive Committee member, state the name and title. Delegates should mute their microphone/device when not speaking.
Unless invited or approved by the Chair, District Executive Committee and District Council delegates are the only people entitled to address a meeting.
8. Timer
The Chair shall appoint an official timer and make sure the speakers can see the timer. Speakers may PIN the timer’s video to their screen in Zoom, to see the colors.
9. Electronic Voting Procedure (when using Election Buddy)
The District Director shall direct the use of Zoom voting features such as Reactions (raised hand) or Polling. If an anonymous vote is required, Election Buddy shall be used to conduct a secret ballot vote thus fulfilling bylaw requirements. All voting results will be recorded in the meeting minutes.
a. Anonymous Votes/Secret Ballot: The Chair will ask delegates to cast their vote by opening their email which contains a ballot from Election Buddy and vote by accessing the link provided. The Chair will remind delegates to check their spam folder for the voting link in the event they cannot find the ballot email in their inbox. Election Buddy dashboard reports results in real-time and tabulates votes as they come in (both percentages and number of votes). Once the voting period is closed, the team managing the vote will close the vote and the Chair will announce the results before moving to the next item. The process will repeat itself until agenda items complete. Committee reports may be presented while votes are being cast to save time.
b. General Votes/Consensus: When required, Zoom reaction tools can be used when votes are not private. On occasion, the Chair will use unanimous consent for un-contested votes to expedite routine business. The Chair’s announcement of voting results shall include number of delegates voting in each proposal.
11. Minutes
The District Executive Committee and the District Council Business Meeting minutes will be posted on the D50 website.