Online Election Voting Rules — 2026
Each Optimist Club in good standing with Optimist International shall be entitled to one vote for each 10 members or major fraction thereof based on the membership recorded in the International Office on April 30 immediately prior to the commencement of voting. Clubs organized after this date and prior to the last day of voting shall be entitled to one vote for each 10 or major fraction of 10 charter members recorded in the International Office.
To be eligible to vote in the elections, a Club must be in good standing, i.e. all obligations to Optimist International and the Club’s District paid as of April 30. Clubs may pay in the month of May to become in good standing; obligations must be received by 5:00 pm CDT Friday, May 22, 2026.
Survey and Ballot Systems will conduct the elections; four emails will be sent to the email address as listed on the Club Roster with the voting link and credentials. The Club President may change their email address to that of a designated individual or may forward the credential email to a designated individual.
Online election voting will be open for 30 calendar days following the announced date of the beginning of voting. Voting will close at the end of the business day 30 calendar days after the start of voting, May 1, 2026 – May 30, 2026.
Election for the International President-Elect and Vice Presidents-Elect are by acclamation this year. Elections for the two Directors-at-Large positions for the Board of Directors will be by the two highest number of votes cast.
For Board of Directors: Clubs may cast their vote for one or two candidates or abstain.
Each candidate receiving a vote from the Club will receive the total number of votes the Club is entitled to under Bylaws Article IV, Section 1 (E) and as stated in the first paragraph above. (As an example, if a Club is entitled to three votes and it casts a ballot for two candidates for Board of Directors at Large, each of those candidates will receive three votes.)
Additional information on International Elections can be found under Optimist International Bylaws Article V.
