[OMS_MANAGERS] Question on Board Election Voting Practices

[Rachel O'Rourke]

Thanks for sharing Judy - that makes sense for a 501c3 setup. I really
appreciate your response.

Rachel

On Tue, Jun 9, 2026 at 12:38 PM <judyg at macnet.com> wrote:

> We are a 501c3, and not a business association.  Our bylaws are about
> Board Members, one vote per member. Neither a business nor a business owner
> "owns" a seat on the Board. Board Members are voted in, serve a term.  They
> might be voted in for several terms (term limits not in our bylaws).
> That's how we handle it. We are a tiny group, small town.
>
> Judy Gerrard - Dayton Community Development Association
>
>
> On 2026-06-09 8:06 am, Rachel O'Rourke wrote:
>
> 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
>
> [image: __tpx__]
>
>
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