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Electing 4-H Officers

Resources for holding elections and campaigning for 4-H officer positions.

Why are 4-H Club Elections Important?

Elections Provide:

  • Strong youth leadership for each new 4-H year.
  • Development of leadership skills through the use of parliamentary process.
  • Youth opportunity in goal setting and team building.
  • Structured meeting settings to assist in accomplishing club goals.
  • An environment to empower youth to be active learners.

Election Process – Points to Remember:

  • Explain officer roles and duties
  • Gather nominations
  • Offer time for nominees to campaign
  • Create a secret ballot voting process
  • Prepare an Installation of Officer Ceremony

Time Commitment

It is best to elect officers at the second or third meeting, after members have had the chance to get to know each other. Plan time for icebreakers and campaign speeches prior to the election.

Campaigning for a 4-H Officer Position

Successful Campaign Strategies

  • Understand the position
  • Introduce yourself to club members
  • Highlight qualities you bring to the position
  • Create a campaign speech to share at a club meeting
  • Optional: Create fun promotional posters or materials to share

Sportsmanship

Good sportsmanship is a critical skill for youth. Competitive events and activities provide a great opportunity for youth to learn how to be fair, respectful, and gracious – whether they win or lose. Remember to congratulate all nominees.

Time Commitment

Campaigning may take place during the first few meetings dependent on when elections take place. 2-3 hours of at-home preparation (speech, posters, materials).

Officer Elections

Youth club officers are a powerful component of having a high-functioning 4-H club. Officers play an important role in guiding club decisions and conducting business meetings. Serving as an Officer is also an important leadership role.

Consider these important points when setting the stage for club elections

4-H Calendar

Setting a date for elections will offer youth time to plan, prepare, and campaign for office. Consider holding fall elections in conjunction with an end of the year event.

Campaign

Ask members to create a poster, speech, or video to share with the others prior to the election meeting. Campaigning can help build relationships among youth and offer youth time to highlight the personal qualities they bring to the club. This also provides a public speaking opportunity.

Campaigning for office can be fun! Schedule and announce when youth can begin to campaign for office. Officer campaigns can be unique to each club. Some suggestions for campaigns include:

  • Create videos
  • Design Posters
  • Recite campaign speeches

Club Size and Meeting Location

Take into consideration your club size and location when planning officer elections. Chose a method of secret voting that is easy for your group. Ensure that all youth may be heard, and larger meeting spaces may require a microphone or sound system for everyone to hear.

Qualifications for Candidacy

Cloverbud members (ages 5-8) may not serve as officers. Review the Club Bylaws for officer requirements such as age or years of club participation as each county club may be different.

Decide as a club any requirements for campaigning for office. This may vary by club. Considerations include:

  • Minimum member age
  • Minimum number of years in the club
  • Availability to run for more than one office if not elected

Installation of Officers

Installation of officers is a celebration and recognition of the new leadership within a club. Newly elected youth will take an oath to perform their duties to the best of their abilities and lead by example for all members of the club. When planning installation ceremonies, consider ways to:

  • Involve club advisors
  • Utilize past officers
  • Announce to the club the names and positions of all newly elected officers
  • Present officer resource and record books

Election Meeting Tips

In-person Meetings

  • Have space for youth running for office to stand up in front of the group so everyone knows who they are voting for.
  • It is helpful for members to wear name tags or have some other form of identification available such as table tents.
  • Use a microphone so everyone can hear campaign speeches, election process and results.
  • Select an adult volunteer who is not related to a candidate for tallying results.

Virtual Meetings

  • All member names should be visible on screen.
  • Use the chat box to privately submit votes to a selected adult volunteer.
  • Teach youth how to mute and unmute microphones to help with sound quality.
  • Polls can be used for voting if a slate of officers has previously been approved by the club.

General Tips

Review club officer positions yearly. All clubs will elect a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. There are many other positions clubs can have officers elected for, such as Healthy Living and Safety Officer, Recreation Leader, Historian, News Reporter, and Community Service Officer. Clubs may also choose to create an office specific for their club, such as Chaplin, Recycling Record Keeper, or Refreshment Coordinator. Be sure to discuss and/or provide handouts or links to information including:

  • Explanations of officer roles
  • Leadership characteristics
  • Time commitment
  • Resources available to officers

Voting

Make the voting official by using a secret ballot vote. Ballot collection should be organized by officer position and separated by candidate for accurate counting. Select volunteers to help prior to the meeting. If virtual, make sure all youth understand the process for voting prior to casting the first vote. There are a variety of ways to collect a secret ballot, such as:

  • Printed ballot
  • Individual names written on pieces of paper per officer
  • Eyes closed, raised hands
  • Heads down, raised hands
  • Approved slate of officers
  • Virtual voting through polls
    • To ensure each youth has a vote, individual devices should be used
    • Make sure the results are not publicly shared
  • Submit votes using a chat box sent directly to an appointed adult

Information on this page is compiled from three guides published by Ohio State University Extension. The original PDF documents are available at “Why are 4-H Club Elections Important? (PDF) (created by Lydia Flores and Audrey Dimmerling, November 2020),” Campaigning for a 4-H Officer Position (PDF) (created by Lydia Flores and Audrey Dimmerling, November 2020,” and “Officer Elections (PDF) (created by Audrey Dimmerling, Jenna Hoyt, and Stacey Perry, March 2021).”