In the past board members were required to travel to meetings in person to cast their votes. With the advent of new technology, such as video conferencing, and online voting platforms board members can cast their votes remotely. This process is speedier which means greater efficiency and better decision-making for the company.
When you are setting up a remote vote system for your board, there are several important aspects to take into consideration. You must first decide the voting method. Most organizations have a nomination procedure prior to the election. Candidates can either volunteer to run, or they can be able to get in through signatures or be endorsed by other members. A thorough nomination process will bring early enthusiasm and help attract more qualified candidates. This can help ensure that the organization is represented in its leadership by the best individuals.
There are a lot of problems, including the fact that the results are not in any way tamper-proof and can’t be recorded in real time. It is difficult to determine which votes are valid if a member of the board responds to an board member remote voting apps e-mail ballot with a different format than their colleagues. Another issue with voting via email is that it is not completely anonymous, which is an issue when voting on sensitive or confidential matters.
While some states and bylaws do not permit voting via email, the majority of nonprofit boards can legally act outside of an actual meeting, as long as all the directors can hear each their responses in real-time and also if they have a the unanimous written consent signed by all directors.
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