Can a club’s President or VPE pick up the vote for the other officer if only one of them attends the District Council meeting?
Yes, the intent is to have each club represented by two votes. If one officer or the other cannot attend, the officer attending can pick up both votes and does not need a signed proxy to do so.
Can a club proxy holder with one club officer’s proxy pick up the vote for the other officer if the other officer does not attend?
Yes, just as the above answer states, the intent is to have each club represented by two votes.
If my club’s President and VPE forgot to assign their proxy to a club officer, can I call them and have them assign it to me over the phone?
No, we need to have a signed, paper proxy. Perhaps they could fax it or scan and email so that you could get it printed.
No one from my club can attend the District Council meeting. May we assign our proxy to a friend from another club who is going to attend?
Only an active member of your club may carry your club’s proxy. You cannot assign it to a member of another club. This includes district officers like your Area Director.
I’m pretty sure that last time I assigned my votes to the District Director. Why can’t I do that this time?
That was probably for the International Annual Business Meeting which takes place every year at the International Convention. That is a different meeting and has different rules. For our District Council meetings, clubs must send their own representatives in order to have a voice in the proceedings. For the International Business meeting, your club can assign it’s votes to the District Director or any active Toastmaster (even one who is not in your district.)
I am a member (or I am an officer) in two clubs. May I carry the votes for both clubs?
A club member or officer may only carry two votes. You could carry one from each or two from one. The only exception to this is that District Officers each get one vote for being a District Officer. So a District Officer may carry a total of three votes.
I do not have a proxy for my club but I am interested in seeing how our District Council works. May I attend the District Council?
Absolutely. The District Council meeting is open to all Toastmasters and it’s wonderful when people want to watch, learn, and be involved. Please do attend.
I have important business to bring before the District Council. What is the proper procedure for doing that?
Since we follow Robert’s Rules of Order (Wikipedia article,) the proper way to bring new business before the District Council is by making a motion during the New Business portion of the meeting. Please use the District 23 Motion Form (available on the District Council and DEC Meeting page) to write your motion and bring two copies to the District Council meeting. Also, please send your motion to the District Director and Administration Manager as soon as possible so that it may be placed on the meeting’s agenda. We have limited time during the meeting and motions will handled in the order they are received. If we run out of time, we may not get to motions that came in late.
To get your motion on the agenda (and therefore included in the meeting and not subject to time available during the New Business portion of the meeting,) submit your motion to the District Director at least four (4) weeks prior to the next District Council meeting.
I have important business to bring before the District Council but I do not have a proxy and am not a vote carrying member of the District Council. May I speak at the District Council?
No, only voting members of the District Council may make motions, join in deliberations, and vote during the District Council meeting.
Then how do I get my business presented before the District Council?
Please have a vote carrying member of your club present the information.
I’m interested in learning more about how our district works. May I attend the District Executive Committee (aka, DEC) meeting?
The DEC meeting is comprised of the current District Officers. Guests may attend but only at the invitation of the current District Director.
