Nominations and Elections

The purpose of the nominating committee is to recognize and seek qualified nominees for the elected leadership of the PTA. The members of the committee, therefore, have a tremendous influence on the future of the PTA and should be selected carefully.

The Nominating Committee

First meeting:

Elect a chairperson.
The principal may or may not serve on the committee; however, he/she may serve in an advisory capacity.
Check the bylaws to determine which elected positions you will need to fill.
Review the job descriptions and the time commitment for each position.
The nominating committee continues to serve until the official charter meeting.
It is not the responsibility of the nominating committee to appoint committee chairmen; however it can be helpful to keep a separate list of those interested in committee positions, and give the list to the newly elected president.

Selecting Candidates:

Open and frank discussions must take place. All discussions must be kept confidential, even after the committee has completed its work.
Identify potential candidates. Contact the principal (if not a member of the committee), teachers and staff for recommendations. Publicize the job openings via flyers, newsletters, or the website.
Do not try to talk a reluctant individual into accepting a nomination. It is better to leave the office vacant than to fill it with a reluctant candidate.
Every effort should be made to provide your PTA with a balanced slate in terms of new as well as experienced officers who are representative of the attendance area and the diversity of the school population. Consider skill sets needed for each position and skill sets possessed by potential candidates.
Members of the committee can be considered for an office. If a committee member is being considered for an office, the individual is excused from the meeting while that position is being considered. The committee then votes by ballot to place a name in nomination.
The committee is obligated to seek out the best-qualified candidates for each elected office. Submitting more than one name for a position would be highly unusual. If the committee selects two names, each person should be notified of the name of the other nominee.

Nominee Requirements:

Must be a PTA member.
Must support the basic policies and purposes of the PTA.
Should have knowledge of the organization and its role in the school and community.
Should be willing to give PTA priority, including attending meetings.
Must be fair and objective and willing to act in the best interests of the PTA.
Must understand the importance of teamwork.

Responsibilities of the Chairman:

Contact potential nominees or delegate to specific committee members.
Inform committee members of results of contacts.
Reconvene the committee if a nominee withdraws their name for consideration.
Read the nominating committee report to the members at the charter meeting.
Give a written report of the nominees to the secretary, signed by the members of the committee.

Contacting the Nominees:

Each nominee must be contacted to alert them of their recommendation to an elected position.
Nominees should be given a clear indication of the responsibilities of the office, how much time will be involved and that training is required.
Advise nominees to attend organization and election meeting.
After the election, the board may fill any vacant positions according to the unit bylaws.

Important Tips:

No member is eligible to serve in the same officer position for more than two consecutive years.
To be a PTA in good standing, you must have at least 15 members, a president, a treasurer and a secretary.
A position may be filled only by one person. There is no such thing as a “co-anything.”
A member can only serve in one elected or appointed officer position at a time.
No member can serve on the nominating committee for two consecutive years. The president never serves on the nominating committee.

Additional Resources

Addtional Tools for the Nominating Committee

Committee Checklist

Committee Report

Officer Transition

Tips for preparing for elections

Script for conducting elections

Reasons to conduct election by bylaws timeline

Strategies for filling boards

For more information visit Nominations and Elections on the CAPTA website.