District 123 Procedures

1. The district director may permit any member or other invited individual to attend a DEC meeting online.

1. The online meeting software used is Zoom. Each attendee is responsible for their own technology, including updating to the latest version of Zoom, having a working camera, knowing how to use the raise hand or other needed features, their own internet connection, and using the Zoom App. No action of the DEC or District Council shall be made invalid on grounds related to the loss or poor quality of a member’s connection.

All online attendees shall identify themselves upon entering the meeting by renaming themselves with their DEC or Council Position or role in the meeting, and first and last name.

Maintain audio and video presence throughout the meeting.

Mute their microphone when not speaking.

Wait until they are acknowledged before speaking; see interrupting a speaker.

The chair may cause or ask for: the muting of a member, stop sharing of the screen, and disconnection of a member (If causing undue interference with the meeting or lack of video presence). The decision to disconnect  is subject to appeal made by any member. The decision shall be announced during the meeting and recorded in the minutes.

1. Chat – Once the meeting is called to order, the chat will be set to Host, and Co-hosts only. Host / Co-hosts shall be: Chair, Chat monitor, logistics manager, and Zoom managers(s). Credential(s) chairs shall be host/co-hosts for District Council meetings. Questions may be permitted via chat at the District Director’s discretion. Chat will be used for motions and to claim preference.
2. Spotlight – shall be used to show the Chair (visible at all times) and member assigned to the floor.
3. Zoom Reactions – Use the Raise hand feature to seek the floor and for voting when requested.
4. Screen Share – Sharing will be enabled for all participants. Participants shall ensure slides are brand-compliant and confirm that the share function works prior to displaying (no extra time will be given for technical issues).
5. Poll – Used for secret ballots.
6. Live Stream – District Council meetings will be available to all members via live stream on the district website. The stream will only show the chair, and anyone assigned the floor.
7. Recording – A meeting may be recorded for District Use Only and shall not be published or shared. No other attendee may record audio or video of the meeting. The following may review the recording: District Director, Administration Manager, District Parliamentarian, and Toastmasters International, as required.
8. Video – All online voting members must keep their video on during the meeting and be shown. *** Members online must be able to see the following at all times: the chair and all attendees. (Gallery view)
9. Follow Host’s Video Order – The Zoom Manager will lock the following attendees in this order: In-Person meeting feed(s) (including in-person presenters) and Chair.

Online attendees will use the Raise hand feature (under Zoom reactions), and in-person members will raise their hand in the meeting when wanting to speak, and shall wait to be acknowledged by the Chair. If the wait to be acknowledged exceeds two (2) minutes, or if a vote on the matter of comment is imminent,m the member may unmute and comment “I have been waiting to speak on [note matter]”. Once the floor is assigned, the Chair/chat monitor will remove all reactions, and any queued chats will be cleared. To claim preference, a member previously seeking recognition may promptly again seek recognition. When acknowledged, the member’s position, name, and club#, as appropriate,will be provided when required.

A member who intends to make a motion that allows interrupting a speaker (ie. point of order, parliamentarian inquiry, point of information) shall use the raise hand feature, post the motion in chat (if online) to the Chair, and wait a sufficient amount of time (3 seconds) before attempting to interrupt the speaker by stating the motion.

Roll Call will be conducted for DEC and District Council meetings after the meeting is called to order The Administration Manager will check online and in-person attendance, and if needed, will call out each member of the DEC to ask if present, then record the response. The Administration Manager will provide the number of attendees to the Chair, and the chair will then confirm that quorum is present.

The proposed meetings for the upcoming year will be posted as events on the district website, www.toastmasters123.org, by not later than July 1.

Each event shall include the date, time, venue, and agenda for the related meeting. Other material, Zoom link, location, registration, and any other information about the meeting will be posted two weeks prior to the meeting.

A designated tab on the district website will include all DEC and Disgtrict Council meeting events.

The agenda will be approved at the start of the meeting. After acceptance, any changes to the agenda will require a vote of two-thirds cast in favour, or unanimous consent

Voting members have up to one minute to ask a maximum of one question per report. Online members should use the raise hand feature to ask a question, and in-person members should raise their hand in the room to  ask a question.

These rules may be suspended for an individual meeting by a two-thirds majority vote or unanimous consent.

Access to the District 123 Procedures shall be available to voting members at all times at www.toastmasters123.org.

Any pending business or documents shall be reviewed by voting members prior to the meeting

Main Motions, including amendments, shall be submitted in writing to the District Director / Chair, Administration Manager, and District Parliamentarian (one email to all three) at least 14 days prior to the meeting and shall be posted on the district website.

For any motions which may arise from the reports, unanimous consent may be used if the chair determines the motion shall be postponed. Any member can move to postpone.

All motions arising from the reports shall be displayed by the Administration Manager during debate and vote.

The maximum time for debate per motion is 10 minutes, including amendments, unless the Chair recommends and receives approval by unanimous consent or two-thirds vote in favour of allocating extended time for debate on the matter.

Each speaker shall have a maximum of 2 minutes per motiuon.

The Chair will alternate between those against and in favour.

The Chair will alternate between online and in-person debaters, if applicable.

Only voting members can debate.

The Logistics Manager shall display a red signal when the maximum time is reached, and a vote will be called at that time.

The Administration Manager will display the motion which is being voted on, including any amendments as a result of debate.

At a DEC meeting, voting shall occur by use of the QR code provided via screenshare for online attendees and in print copy for in-person attendees.

At a District Council meeting, voting shall be conducted via Zoom poll.

The Administration Manager will show the results of each vote, to be announced by the Chair, including the number of votes for each side, and any resulting action to be taken.

The Chair, Administration Manager, and Parliamentarian shall be at a table at the front of the room

A  lectern shall be set at the front of the room in a place easily seen by all attendees, virtual and in-person. 

The Chair shall be able to see and be seen by all attendees at all times.

All reports shall be delivered by in-person attendees from the lectern.

Reports shall be displayed by the Logistics Manager / Zoom master(s) from a single computer, and shall be provided by those presenting not less than 24 hours prior to the meeting.

The following attendees are permitted to be present both in-person and online for any meeting: the Chair, Administrative Manager, and Logistic Manager / Zoom Master(s) or any others to whom the Chair has specifically granted permission.

1. The Toastmasters year runs from July 1 to June 30.

1. There are 2 official District Council meetings required. Additional meetings may be called by the District Director, as required.

2. The first District Council meeting must be held before September 30 to ratify the following:

   • Budget
   • District Success Plan
   • Leadership appointments
   • Speech contest decisions
   • Additional miscellaneous decisions, as required, by Toastmasters International

   3. The second District Council meeting is considered the annual business meeting and will be held at theAnnual Spring conference,  for ratification of the following:

   • Alignment report for the following Toastmasters year
   • District Leaders for the following Toastmasters year
   • Additional mMiscellaneous decisions, as required, by Toastmasters International

The following are voting members on the District Council and all must be in good standing:

In clubs in good standing:

• Club Presidents,
• Club Vice Presidents Education

District Executive Committee members consisting of:

• District Director,
• Program Quality Director,
• Club Growth Director,
• Public Relations Manager,
• Administration Manager,
• Finance Manager,
• Immediate Past District Director,
• Division Directors, and
• Area Directors.

The number of clubs in good standing registered with Credentials by the assigned deadline, usually 3 days before the District Council meeting, will determine quorum.

Quorum is 50% + 1 clubs in good standing represented.

1. The District Administration Manager will email all eligible District Council members the notice of District Council, including the date, time, and Zoom link for registration at least 4 weeks before the meeting.

   The nominations report will be included with the notice of the Spring District Council.

   The notice will be posted on the District Website, www.toastmasters123.org.

2. The required fields for Credentials registration will be included in the Zoom registration including:
   1. name (first, last)
   2. primary club
   3. club officer role (club president, club vice president education only)
   4. secondary club (if carrying a vote from more than 1 club)
   5. District Executive Committee role if a DEC member

Notification is sent 4 weeks before the District Council meeting.

At least 2 weeks before the District Council, the final agenda and minutes of the previous District Council will be sent.

The District Alignment report and any other reports, documents should be provided before the District Council.

The District Administration Manager should provide the minutes within 1 week following the District Council meeting.

The notice of District Council meeting sent by the District Administration Manager will include the link to register for the District Council meeting and credentials through the Zoom registration link.

After registration, a unique to you, meeting link will be emailed. 

The Zoom link provided after registration is UNIQUE TO YOU and the meeting Zoom link can not be shared as it is tied to your weighted vote.

Complete the fields including:

• name (first and last)
• primary club number and name
• club officer role
• secondary club if you are carrying a vote for 2 clubs (club president or vice president education)
• District Executive role, if a DEC member

If representing a club(s) only, do NOT pick a DEC role.

If carrying both club and DEC votes, complete all the fields.

If DEC role only, complete name and DEC role only.

This isformation is used to determine your weighted vote assignment.

Weighted Vote

The number of votes assigned is considered the weighted vote. It can be 1, 2, or 3 votes depending on the votes assigned based on role.

Club

Each club in good standing is assigned 2 votes, which may be carried by either club president or vice president education or both may carry 1 each.

The club in conjunction with the club president and vice president education determines who will carry their 2 votes.

District Executive Council

Each DEC member holds 1 DEC vote.

Assigned Votes (Weighted vote)

Each club vote counts as 1. If you are carrying both club votes, you are assigned a weighted vote of 2. If you are carrying only 1 vote, it is a weighted vote of 1.

You can carry a maximum of 2 club votes and they could be split between 2 clubs if you are a club president or vice president education in both clubs and the other club president or vice president education is unable to attend.

If you are a DEC member, you are assigned a weighted vote of 1 for your DEC role.

A DEC member can carry a maximum of 3 weighted votes if they are also a club president or club vice president education and are carrying their club votes.

e.g. Member A is Club President, Club A, and is carrying both club votes = 2

Member B is a Club President in Club B, a Club Vice President Education in Club C and an Area Director. They are representing both Club B and C because Club President C and Club Vice President Education Club B are unable to attend. They carry 3 votes (2 club and 1 DEC) and represent 2 clubs for quorum.

Register for the Zoom meeting and complete the additional fields as explained in Section 2.2.1.

The Credentials Chair will validate your information against the official District Council report and confirm and assign your weighted vote.

A master datalist of unique link and assigned weighted vote is created.

Your initial registration determines the weighted vote assigned.   

If the 2^nd club officer also registers, you split the votes between you, and the Credentials Chair will ensure the correct weighted vote is assigned to both club officers. The Credentials Chair will do this automatically and you do not need to advise.

If the Credentials Chair is notified before the meeting (up to 1 hour before) that only 1 of the 2 registered officers can attend, the Credentials Chair can update the official weighted vote to ensure the 1 officer attending the District Council meeting is assigned both club votes.

If it is after 1 hour before the meeting, you can advise the Credentials Chair but they may NOT have sufficient time to make the update. 

If you do not attend the District Council but you have registered with Credentials, technically, your club has already registered for quorum, and the credentials report has already been submitted to the District Director.

It is your responsibility to have the alternate club officer attend and cast the votes. They need to register and advise the Credentials Chair that the previous registered officer will not be attending. They cannot use your link.

Quorum will be unofficially checked throughout the meeting to ensure we still have a quorum (50% + 1 clubs in good standing) although the number may not match 100% to the quorum values reported at the start of the meeting.

Yes, you need to attend the meeting to cast your vote.

Voting is conducted with Zoom polls, if a physical vote is required. An agenda item may be conducted via “unanimous consent” at the discretion of the District Director.

All roles on the Nominations report must have an official vote.

If there is only 1 nominee for a role, the District Director will direct the Administration Manager to cast 1 vote for the nominee.

If there are 2 or more nominees for a role, an official Zoom poll will be called using the following procedure:

The District Director calls for the vote.

The Zoom poll is displayed.

Voters make their selection.

The vote data is downloaded, including a unique link related to the voter and their vote selection.

The vote data is loaded into the voting software where the unique link, is matched to the unique link’s assigned weighted vote and vote selection to tally the results.

e.g.

Voter A 3 weighted votes for option A

Voter B 1 weighted vote for option B

Voter C 2 weighted votes for option A

Total:  5 votes option A, 1 vote option B for a total of 6 votes cast.

Your vote is confidential although the Credentials team has access to the data if they are requested to troubleshoot issues, such as a credentialled member with a unique link that is not showing a weighted vote.

There is nothing preventing someone attending the Zoom meeting from making a selection when the poll is displayed.

Their selection is NOT COUNTED in the results.

Votes are only counted if there is a weighted vote associated with the unique link.

A weighted vote is only assigned to valid voters in good standing in clubs in good standing.