[OMS_MANAGERS] Question on Board Election Voting Practices

[Rachel O'Rourke]

Hello Main Street colleagues,

I'm reaching out to get some perspective on how other Main Street
organizations handle voting rights during board elections.

We recently encountered a situation where an individual stakeholder owns
multiple downtown businesses and/or properties within our district.
Historically, our organization has not had a formally adopted policy
addressing whether that person receives one vote as a stakeholder or
multiple votes based on the number of entities they own. Practices have
varied over the years.

For this year's election, we opted to allow one ballot per stakeholder,
regardless of how many businesses or properties they own. The rationale was
to create a more equitable and consistent process, but it has prompted
questions from some members who believe voting rights should be tied to
each separate ownership entity.

I'm curious how your organizations approach this issue:

   -

   Do you allow one vote per person?
   -

   One vote per business or property?
   -

   One vote per legal ownership entity (individual, partnership,
   corporation, LLC, etc.)?
   -

   Is your process outlined in your bylaws, board policies, or another
   governing document?
   -

   Have you ever had pushback on this issue, and if so, how did you address
   it?

We're planning to review our bylaws and governance policies to provide
greater clarity moving forward, and I'd greatly appreciate hearing how
others have navigated this situation.

Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences and any language or
policies you're willing to pass along.

Best,

Rachel O'Rourke
Executive Director
Downtown Bend Business Association

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