Election Resources
“Do you want to run for a position on the District or International Board? Here is exactly what you will need to do
before DCON, at DCON, & after DCON!”
Before DCON
Starting from the beginning, before the District Leadership Convention begins, every candidate must agree to complete to following steps:
Read through the Candidates Welcome Letter.
Check through the Statements of Candidacy.
Gather the required signatures.
Complete a biosketch resume + biosketch form.
Candidates Welcome Letter
The Candidates Welcome Letter is a simple introduction letter for potential candidates. In this letter, you will find the listed materials you need to review and complete to be considered for a position on the District or International Board. Please read through it and determine whether you can or cannot complete the necessary materials on time.
Statements of Candidacy
Statements of Candidacy are signed contracts for your future term. You must sign your desired position’s Statement to clarify whether you can or cannot complete the necessary duties of your desired position. Below you can find all of the Statements of Candidacy for each potential position:
Signatures
Required Signatures required for all candidates for District Office or International Board Endorsement. This is a signed statement that clarifies if you, as a candidate, are qualified for your desirable position. This is also a reminder for you to understand that while serving on the Key Club District or International Board, it may require absences from school or work to attend the mandatory meetings listed on the Statement of Candidacy form. Signatures are required from the following:
Legal Guardian
Key Club Kiwanis Advisor
Key Club Faculty Advisor
School Principal
Biosketches
Biosketch: one page resume with graphics & colors; includes why you’re running, what you will do if elected, key club experience & awards, personal background, etc; biosketch examples.
Biosketch Form: one page resume with words only; includes years in Key Club, activities outside of Key Club, favorite activity, special awards, etc.
*biosketches and forms must be emailed to the MinnDak District Board before the District Leadership Convention begins!
At DCON
After completing the previous steps, there are mandatory actions needed to complete your campaign while at the District Leadership Convention. This includes:
Attending the Candidates Orientation Meeting.
Caucusing featuring speeches + interviews.
Candidates Orientation Meeting
The Candidates Orientation meeting is for ANYONE interested in running for a District or International position. Just because you attend this meeting does NOT mean you have to run for a position. The purpose of this meeting is to give candidates important information regarding their next steps in campaigning as well as information about what their desired position will entail (duties, occupied time, travel, financial matters, etc.).
While in attendance, potential candidates will have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have about running. This meeting is traditionally on Friday evening, the day before caucusing will occur. Candidates will also have time to discuss their future plans with parents, guardians, and friends.
Caucusing
Caucusing: the process used with elections when deciding between candidates; includes speeches, interview questions, etc.
Caucusing plays a major role in Key Club elections because this is exactly how future candidates are chosen. There are a couple of different branches of caucusing that occur within Key Club specific elections including speeches and interview questions.
First, speeches. Candidates are required to give a speech within three minutes. The purpose is to introduce yourself first and foremost. This is what we a “personal statement.” You can include who you are, where you’re from, years and experience in Key Club (including any past positions held), or anything else you think is necessary. You will then have a certain amount of time to verbally state your reasons for running, and what you will do with the power in your position. You can choose to use up all of your time during your personal statement and reasons for running, OR you can yield a certain amount of your time to be asked a series of interview-styled questions until your time has run out. Questions can range from your qualifications, activities outside of Key Club, or Key Club trivia.