Note: Donna Labatt, the author of this post, served District 23 as District Governor in 1998-99 and served Toastmasters International as an International Director in 2000-2002. She can be found at the credentials table of nearly every District 23 Conference and is the resident expert that our district’s leaders turn to when they need advice on credentials and proxies.
The business activity of Toastmasters at all levels is conducted through credentials and proxies. In order to vote and represent a club at the District Council meeting or the Toastmasters International Annual Business meeting, a club representative must be credentialed. Only when the credentials are accepted, does the representative receive a ballot, become a voting delegate and able to speak on behalf of their club. We must have a certain number of clubs represented in order to have a quorum. Without a quorum, decisions cannot be reached. Consequently, the credentials and proxy process is extremely important. That process starts at the club level and is most visible at the District Council meeting.
In order to vote and speak at a District Council meeting, two conditions must be met.
- The club must be in good standing. That means the club has submitted dues for at least eight members to Toastmasters International for the current dues period.
- The person representing the club must be a member in good standing in that club. That means their dues are current for the current dues period.
Each club is authorized two ballots: one for the President and one for the Vice President Education. In order to get a ballot, the officer must present their proxy to the credentials desk. When the credentials desk confirms the standing of the club and of the officer, the ballot is given. As mentioned, the club president and educational vice president must be current on their dues; however, they must also be listed in those positions by Toastmasters International. It is imperative that clubs update their officer lists whenever there are changes and in December and June. The person who thinks they are the president or educational vice president and presents a proxy form for a ballot, will not get it if he or she is not also listed in those officer positions at Toastmasters International.
District 23 provides a PDF of the proxy form for your convenience. You can find this form and more information about the District Council meeting on the District Council and DEC Meetings page of our website.
If only one of these two club officers can attend the District Council, the one officer present is presumed to hold the proxy, ie, the voting and speaking privilege of the other, and so is eligible to receive two ballots. If neither the president nor the educational vice president can attend the District Council meeting, they can assign their respective proxy to another member of the club who is in good standing. A club’s proxy can only be assigned to another club member. The member carrying their club’s proxy becomes a voting and speaking delegate at the District Council.
District Officers are authorized one ballot each by virtue of being a district officer.
Because a District Officer may also be able to carry the proxy for their club, no person may carry more than three ballots. A district officer who is a member of three or more clubs can only carry proxies for two clubs for a total of three ballots; one for each of the two clubs represented plus one for the district officer position held.
The District Proxy form is on the District website and can be downloaded from it. A completed proxy form must be presented to the credentials desk at the District Conference in order to obtain a ballot. If neither of these officers can attend the meeting, they can print the form identifying the person who will be representing them at the meeting. Again, whoever is representing the club must be current on their dues.
The credentials desk is only open for specific periods of time during the conference and will close 30 minutes or more before the start of the business meeting. This is necessary in order to allow time to count the ballots distributed and determine a quorum. Be sure to obtain your ballot(s) before credentials closes. DO NOT come to the business meeting moments before it starts and expect to get a ballot. Once credentials closes, no more ballots will be issued.
