A Nominating Committee that Works for Members

The entry point for board elections in credit unions and other one -member, one-vote democratic organizations is the nominating committee.

The committee’s role is critical .  Unlike most other shareholder owned companies, credit unions have no weighted voting by share classes, by number of shares owned,  or another differentiation controlling the owner’s voting power.

Unfortunately in most credit unions the nomination process is a very closed and tightly managed event.  The committee’s majority are usually current board members.  The nominees are selected internally.  The number of persons nominated just equals the open board seats.

Members who would like to run are not considered or turned down.  Once the committee’s selections are announced, member petition nominations requiring 500 signatures, or more, must be submitted in a short time period to be placed on the ballot.

The bottom line is that there are rarely any board contests requiring real credit union  elections.. The open positions are filed by acclamation, as the number candidates equals the open seats.  That is how most current board members gained their positions.  Why change the system?  And it is how “elections” are conducted in authoritarian countries around the world.

An Example of Credit Union Board Nomination-Domination

Here is a description of the required process for member participation to gain nomination  for the board at SECU (NC), the country’s second largest credit union (link).  The post by Jim Blaine  also reprints the very much more difficult member nomination process at PenFed.  The article opens with this paragraph:

Preserving SECU Members’ Right To Serve On The SECU Board…  (july 23, 2026)

 The SECU Board is determined that SECU members – that means you! – should not have the ability to reasonably self-nominate to serve on the Board; nor should members have a choice among candidates. In other words, your vote as an SECU member-owner will no longer matter; your vote will not be counted. . . (link to rest of post)

Note that the post closes with a request to sign a petition to add two more candidates to the ballot in the upcoming annual meeting election.  Here are the actual nominating rules at SECU within the entire election procedures. [see here])

How the Nomination Process Can and Should Work

This is an email I received yesterday about our local swim-tennis club’s annual election of volunteer board directors.  It is simple, clear and open for all to participate in the nomination process no matter how active they have been as members.

July 27, 2026

Dear Edgemoor Club Members,

The Edgemoor Club Board of Governors has selected a Nominating Committee whose purpose is to determine the slate of nominees to replace the Board members whose terms will end this October. This email serves as official notice, per the Club’s constitution, that a nominating committee has been formed.

The committee will determine nominees for the following Board positions:

Vice President/Chair House and Grounds

Treasurer

Swim Chair

Membership Chair

The five committee members are:

Name, Board Representative and personal email

Name, Member Representative and personal email

Name,  Member Representative  and personal email

Name, Member Representative and personal email

Name,  Member Representative   and personal email

As an Edgemoor Club member you will be able to vote on the nominees at the annual meeting this fall.

All Board positions are for two-year terms unless otherwise noted.

Please email any of the nominating committee members listed above with the name or names of those who you would like to nominate. You may submit your own name to the committee for consideration. Please send your recommendations along as soon as possible, before August 15, so that the committee can give them full consideration.

Many thanks,

Membership Chair, Edgemoor Club Board of Governors

Simple,, Open and Inviting

Why can’t credit unions be this transparent in their elections of their volunteer leaders?  Such a process would instill trust in the board’s oversight, recognize the owners’ rightful role, encourage democratic participation, and probably attract some strong candidate interest.

This would enable credit unions to conduct real elections which is the true foundation of democratic governance.  That basic principle  is called the “consent of the governed” or in Lincoln’s phrasing “of the people, by the people, for the people.”

Please let me know what I am missing?