YLD Election Guidelines

Election of Officers

Filing Requirements: A bylaws amendment adopted in June 2015 requires those running for officer positions to file a written petition signed by 25 or more TBA members in good standing. These positions include vice president, secretary, treasurer and three grand division governors. A petition is available for download above. For district representative positions, a nominating petition should be submitted and does not require additional signatures. Petitions should be sent to Ross Smith, TBA YLD Secretary by Feb. 15. 

PRESIDENT
Length of Term: 1 year
Election Procedures: The President-Elect ascends automatically to the position of President at the completion of President-Elect term.
Filling Vacancies: The President-Elect will assume the office of President and serve out the unexpired term. However, if the President-Elect is unable or unwilling to fill the vacancy, the Executive Committee will nominate a member or members of the division to fill the unexpired term. The voting members of the Board then approve or reject the new president. If the individual selected is not the current President-Elect then he or she will serve the remainder of the vacating President’s term and then move to the position of Immediate Past President the following year.

PRESIDENT-ELECT
Length of Term: 1 year
Election Procedures: The Vice President ascends automatically to the position of President-Elect at the completion of the Vice President’s term.
Filling Vacancies: If the office of President-Elect becomes vacant during the term of office, the Vice President will assume the office of President-Elect while continuing to serve as Vice President and chair of the Long Range Planning Committee. The individual will serve out the remainder of the former President-Elect’s term and then serve his or her regular term as President-Elect the following year.

VICE PRESIDENT
Length of Term: 1 year
Qualifications: Candidates must be members of the division at the time of their nomination.*
Residency Requirements: The position rotates among the state’s three grand divisions from Middle to East to West. Candidates must be residents of the grand division they seek to represent.
Filing Requirements: Candidates must file with the YLD Secretary, no later than Feb. 15 of the year in which the election is held, a nominating petition signed by at least 25 TBA members who are in good standing.
Election Procedures: Candidates unopposed for a position are deemed to be elected on Feb. 15. Contested elections will be decided by the division membership via an electronic voting process. Ballots will be provided no later than March 1 and will be due back no later than April 1. A successful candidate must receive a plurality (the greatest number) of votes. In the event of a tie vote of the membership, the YLD Board will elect one of the candidates. In the event of a tie vote of the board, the YLD President will break the tie.
Who Votes? All members of the division.
Filling Vacancies: If no one files for the post, a nominating committee chaired by the President-Elect and composed of the Executive Committee is to nominate a member of the division for the position. The committee is to complete its work and report its nominations to the Secretary no later than March 15. If a vacancy occurs during the term, the President is to nominate a member or members of the division to fill the unexpired term. The voting members of the Board then elect a member of the division to fill the unexpired term.

SECRETARY
Length of Term: 1 year
Qualifications: Candidates must be members of the division at the time of their nomination.*
Residency Requirements: State of Tennessee.
Filing Requirements: Candidates must file with the YLD Secretary, no later than Feb. 15 of the year in which the election is held, a nominating petition signed by at least 25 TBA members who are in good standing.
Election Procedures: Candidates unopposed for a position are deemed to be elected on Feb. 15. Contested elections will be decided by the division membership via an electronic voting process. Ballots will be provided no later than March 1 and will be due back no later than April 1. A successful candidate must receive a plurality (the greatest number) of votes. In the event of a tie vote of the membership, the YLD Board will elect one of the candidates. In the event of a tie vote of the board, the YLD President will break the tie.
Who Votes? All members of the division.
Filling Vacancies: If no one files for the post, a nominating committee chaired by the President-Elect and composed of the Executive Committee is to nominate a member of the division for the position. The committee is to complete its work and report its nominations to the Secretary no later than March 15. If a vacancy occurs during the term, the President is to nominate a member or members of the division to fill the unexpired term. The voting members of the Board then elect a member of the division to fill the unexpired term.

TREASURER
Length of Term: 1 year
Qualifications: Candidates must be members of the division at the time of nomination.* 
Residency Requirements: State of Tennessee.
Filing Requirements: Candidates must file with the YLD Secretary, no later than Feb. 15 of the year in which the election is held, a nominating petition signed by at least 25 TBA members who are in good standing.
Election Procedures: Candidates unopposed for a position are deemed to be elected on Feb. 15. Contested elections will be decided by the division membership via an electronic voting process. Ballots will be provided no later than March 1 and will be due back no later than April 1. A successful candidate must receive a plurality (the greatest number) of votes. In the event of a tie vote of the membership, the YLD Board will elect one of the candidates. In the event of a tie vote of the board, the YLD President will break the tie.
Who Votes? All members of the division.
Filling Vacancies: If no one files for the post, a nominating committee chaired by the President-Elect and composed of the Executive Committee is to nominate a member of the division for the position. The committee is to complete its work and report its nominations to the Secretary no later than March 15. If a vacancy occurs during the term, the President is to nominate a member or members of the division to fill the unexpired term. The voting members of the Board then elect a member of the division to fill the unexpired term.

GRAND DIVISION GOVERNORS
Positions: 
Middle Tennessee Governor
East Tennessee Governor
West Tennessee Governor
Length of Term: 1 year
Qualifications: Candidates must be members of the division at the time of nomination.*
Residency Requirements: Candidates must be residents of the grand division they seek to represent.
Filing Requirements: Candidates must file with the YLD Secretary, no later than Feb. 15 of the year in which the election is held, a nominating petition signed by at least 25 TBA members who are in good standing.
Election Procedures: Candidates unopposed for a position are deemed to be elected on Feb. 15. Contested elections will be decided by the membership of the division via an electronic voting process. Ballots will be provided no later than March 1 and will be due back no later than April 1. A successful candidate must receive a plurality (the greatest number) of votes. In the event of a tie vote of the membership, the YLD Board will elect one of the candidates. In the event of a tie vote of the board, the YLD President will break the tie.
Who Votes? All members of the division.
Filling Vacancies: If no one files for the post, a nominating committee chaired by the President-Elect and composed of the Executive Committee is to nominate a member of the division for the position. The committee is to complete its work and report its nominations to the Secretary no later than March 15. If a vacancy occurs during the term, the President is to nominate a member or members of the division to fill the unexpired term. The voting members of the Board then elect a member of the division to fill the unexpired term.

Election of District Representatives

Length of Term: 2 years
Qualifications: Candidates must be members of the division at the time of nomination.*
Residency Requirements: Candidates must reside in or maintain a principal office in the district they seek to represent.
Filing Requirements: Candidates must file with the YLD Secretary, no later than Feb. 15 of the year in which the election is held, a nominating petition containing the individual’s name and signature, firm/company, phone number and email address. This petition does not require 25 signatures from TBA members. A petition can be found here.
Election Procedures: Odd numbered districts are elected in odd numbered years and even numbered districts are elected in even numbered years. Candidates unopposed for a position are deemed to have been elected on Feb. 15. Contested elections will be decided by the division membership via an electronic voting process. Ballots will be provided no later than March 1 and will be due back no later than April 1. A successful candidate must receive a plurality (the greatest number) of votes. In the event of a tie vote of the membership, the YLD Board will elect one of the candidates. In the event of a tie vote of the board, the YLD president will break the tie.
Filling Vacancies: If no one files for the post, a nominating committee chaired by the President-Elect and composed of the Executive Committee is to nominate a member of the division for the position. The committee is to complete its work and report its nominations to the Secretary no later than March 15. If a vacancy occurs during the term, the President is to nominate a member or members of the division to fill the unexpired term. The voting members of the Board then elect a member of the division to fill the unexpired term.

District lines are drawn as follows (view a map of the districts):

District 1: Carter, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties
District 2: Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Fentress, Grainger, Jefferson, Scott, Sevier and Union counties
District 3: Knox County
District 4: Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea and Roane counties
District 5: Hamilton County
District 6: Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Jackson, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Van Buren, Warren and White counties
District 7: Cannon, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Rutherford and Sequatchie counties
District 8: Macon, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale and Wilson counties
District 9: Davidson County
District 10: Cheatham, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson and Stewart counties
District 11: Bedford, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, Wayne and Williamson counties
District 12: Benton, Carroll, Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion and Weakley counties
District 13: Chester, Decatur, Fayette, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Lauderdale, McNairy, Madison and Tipton counties
District 14: Shelby County

Election to Other Organizations

YOUNG LAWYER DELEGATES, TBA HOUSE OF DELEGATES

Positions:
Middle Tennessee Young Lawyer Delegate
East Tennessee Young Lawyer Delegate
West Tennessee Young Lawyer Delegate
Length of Term: 2 years (elected in odd numbered years)
Qualifications: Candidates must be members of the division at the time of nomination.*
Residency Requirements: Candidates must maintain their principal law office in the grand division they are seeking to represent.
Filing Requirements: Candidates must file a declaration of candidacy with the TBA Executive Director no later than February 15.
Election Procedures: Candidates unopposed for a position are deemed to be elected on Feb. 15. Should two or more candidates declare interest in a single position, the position will be filled in accordance with applicable provisions of the TBA bylaws.
Filling Vacancies: If no young lawyer files a declaration of candidacy by the deadline, the vacancy will be filled by the YLD Board.

YOUNG LAWYER DELEGATE, ABA HOUSE OF DELEGATES
Position: Position 3
Length of Term: 2 years (elected in odd numbered years)
Qualifications: Candidates must be members of the American Bar Association and the Tennessee Bar Association, and be within their first ten years of practice (change from five years to ten years effective as of Jan. 1, 2022) or under age 36 at the time they would assume office.
Filing Requirements: Candidates must file with the TBA Executive Director, no later than Feb. 15 of the year in which the election is held, a nominating petition signed by at least 25 TBA members who are in good standing.
Residency Requirements: State of Tennessee.
Election Procedures: Candidates unopposed for a position are deemed to be elected on Feb. 15. Contested elections will be decided via electronic voting. Ballots will be provided no later than March 1 and will be due back no later than April 1.
Filling Vacancies: If no young lawyer files a nominating petition by the deadline, the vacancy will be filled by the TBA Board of Governors at its next meeting.

Definition of YLD Membership

* An individual is considered a member of the Young Lawyers Division for the current bar year if he or she:

  • 1. Is a member in good standing of the Tennessee Bar Association AND
  • 2. Is under 36 years of age or within the first 10 years of practice, whichever comes later, for the entire bar year (change from five years to 10 years effective as of Jan. 1, 2022) OR
  • 3. Turned 36 years of age during the bar year. In this case, the individual will continue as a member of the division through the next annual meeting in June.

Election Calendar

Paper Ballot Preference Due Feb. 1
Nomination Petitions Due &
Uncontested Candidates Deemed Elected 		Feb. 15
Notice of Contested YLD Elections February issue of The Tennessee Young Lawyer
Emailing of Electronic Ballots March 1
Mailing of Paper Ballots March 1
YLD Nominating Committee to Recommend Candidates If None File March 15
All Voting Ends April 1
Announcement of Election Results As Soon as Possible After Electronic Voting Ends