“Two candidates castigate the bar for a variety of complaints, including perceived corruption, bloated bureaucracy and alleged misbehavior of bench officers.”
This juicy description describes a State Board of California election in the periodical, The California Bar Journal. The article goes on to briefly outline the fourteen candidates and their districts.
What’s notable is how the article opens. The election was a hybrid election:
“for the first time [the California Bar Association] permits voters to cast ballots electronically or with a traditional mail-in ballot.” (emphasis added)
Election to a bar association is definitely prestigious and newsworthy. Elon University was pleased to publicize one of their graduates reaching the State Bar of North Carolina, for example.
More frequently, though, law firms elect Board of Governors to oversee policy making and manage operations. These nominations and elections are important for the law firm’s functioning and a nod of peer approval.
In just a few years it is all but ubiquitous that law firms use online voting. Board of Governors elections are some of the most regular voting events.
The Benefits of Online Voting for Board of Governor Elections
The rapid switch from paper ballots to online voting is easy to understand.
- An anonymous setting preserves voter privacy. A secret ballot option is an attractive feature to ensure everyone eligible to vote can do so without pressure or fear of reprisal.
- It's an easy way to present candidates and their accomplishments to peers. Lawyers running for a seat on the Board of Governors have the opportunity to submit candidate bios, photos, and other relevant information.
- Pre-made templates make it simple to publicize voting results by email or social media. Templates simplify the notification process. Templates can be customized and saved for use in future years, too. This is helpful since Board of Governors election typically happen biennially.
Online Voting Best Practices for Law Firms
We recommend reviewing the best practices outlined in our law firm Board of Governors use case. Key points include:
- Select software that allows for anonymous voting. Not all voting platforms include this feature. eBallot software has this customization built in; it is a simple process to switch on or off depending on specific ballot needs.
- Set up a ballot that can be edited and reused as a template. This will reduce administrative time and the need to re-introduce the software to lawyers in the future years.
- Demonstrate the voting process prior to the election. This provides a refresher for seasoned lawyers and is helpful for newcomers.
Do you represent a law firm? A state law association? The size of your Board of Governors election doesn’t matter because eBallot scales to fit your needs.
Chances are your next election won’t be fraught with allegations of “corruption, bloated bureaucracy, or misbehavior.” Run your next election fairly and efficiently using eBallot software.
Katie McCaskey
Sarah Diamond : Apr 28, 2021
Alex Hay : Mar 18, 2021
