ICMA has a long tradition of relying on the regional nominations process to identify a single nominee from among multiple candidates in a region. Historically, there has been a preference for relying on this process instead of having a competitive election ballot with active campaigning.

Beginning with the 2026 nomination process, all candidates are required to submit a petition with their candidate application. Members not endorsed by the Regional Nominating Committee for their region may choose to have their names placed on the election ballot in accordance with the Executive Board nomination process. 

Executive Board elections are conducted association-wide, and election requires a majority of votes cast by eligible voting members, not just members within a candidate's region. However, should a member in a contested election choose to campaign, the following guidelines apply:

• If more than one candidate appears on the election ballot for a region, each candidate may submit a candidate statement of no more than 250 words for the online voting system. Since biographical information is already provided, candidates are urged to focus their remarks on how their experience relates to their proposed service on the board, what they would bring to the board that is unique, and their plans if elected. The statement should not mention any current or former ICMA member or other nominees from the region. ICMA staff may edit for grammar, punctuation, spelling, or length
• It is inappropriate to use public resources to conduct a campaign.
• Campaigning at the ICMA annual conference is restricted. It is inappropriate to circulate petitions or campaign material or to use conference-related venues for campaign purposes.
• It is inappropriate for members to contact Regional Nominating Committee members individually.
• Candidates will not use ICMA social media channels or member communications such as ICMA Connect or LinkedIn for campaigning.
• ICMA will make mailing labels available for campaigns at an at-cost rate. A sample of the campaign material must be provided ahead of time and no more than two communications may be sent. To comply with international privacy standards and ICMA’s privacy policy, ICMA cannot provide lists of member e-mail addresses.
• ICMA committees and task forces are not to endorse candidates for the board.

Contact Us

U.S. candidates: If you have questions about the nominations process in your region, contact your ICMA regional director. Use the State Leadership / Liaison Directory. International candidates, contact ICMA staff at icmanominations@icma.org.

For general inquiries about the nominations or election process, contact ICMA staff at icmanominations@icma.org.