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IBTF Election Process Policy & Procedures

The information below describes the official IBTF election process which will take place at the 2027 IBTF General Assembly.

It includes the following topics:

  • Elected Positions

  • Nomination Process

  • Nominees

  • Election Process

  • Assumption of Office

 

PLEASE NOTE: At the 2027 General Assembly, all Cycle 2 positions are up for election, and those positions receive a 4-year term at that time. Additionally, the Athlete Commission Chair and Vice-Chair positions are an exception to this rule. These two positions have a term of 2 years and are open for election in both Cycle 1 and Cycle 2.

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Election Timeline:​​

  • ​October 1, 2026: Nomination period opens (Nomination forms will be distributed to countries).

  • November 15, 2026: Nomination period closes.

  • Mid-November/Early December: The list of candidates (including profiles) is sent to eligible voters.

  • January 29-31, 2027: IBTF Elections and General Assembly

2027 Elected Positions

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The following positions will be elected in this 2nd Cycle:  

Board:

i          Vice-President (Cycle 2) - Presently held by Nicky O’Neill        

ii         Treasurer (Cycle 2) - Presently held by Alessia Dolci 

iii        Member-at-Large 2 (Cycle 2) - Presently held by Fabio Ardizio 

iv        Member-at-Large 3 (Cycle 2) - Presently held by Moto Tsuchiya 

v         Athlete Commission Chair (Cycle 1 & 2) - Presently held by Elisa Gregori (Interim) 

vi        Athlete Commission Vice Chair (Cycle 1 & 2) - Presently held by Jason Travers  

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Technical Sports Commission:

i           Vice Technical Director (Cycle 2) - Presently held by Massimo Ostini 

ii          Judges Director (Cycle 2) - Presently held by Jackie Stewart  

iii         Coaches Director (Cycle 2) - Presently held by David Doyne  

iv         Vice Majorettes Director (Cycle 2) - Presently held by Marina Mihelcic 

v          Member-at-Large 4 (Cycle 2) - Presently held by Iva Rejlova 

vi         Member-at-Large 5 (Cycle 2) - Presently held by Didac Roman Pallares  

 

Each member federation may cast a single vote. The positions listed will be elected to a 4-year term. 

 

The following positions are elected by the Athlete Commission delegates (online vote):  

i          Athlete Commission Chair (Cycle 1 & 2)  

ii         Athlete Commission Vice Chair (Cycle 1 & 2)   

 

Note: Savannah Miller, has taken the position of Administrative Assistant/General Secretary and Elisa Gregori has been appointed to replace Savannah in the Athlete Commission  Chair position for the interim period.   

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Nomination Process

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Nominations will be received by the Nominations Committee by online JotForm beginning October 1, 2026 in the year prior to the General Assembly. The nomination period closes November 15, 2026 and the online nomination form will be disabled at that time. Nominations will not be accepted after the nomination period closes.

 

Only Full or Associate IBTF Member Federations are eligible to make nominations for any of the Elected Positions listed above.

  • With the exception of the Member-at-Large positions, the Member Federation may nominate up to 1 candidate for each position.

    • For the Board Member-at-Large position, the Member Federation may nominate up to 3 candidates.

    • For the Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large position, the Member Federation may nominate up to 5 candidates.

  • A Member Federation is not required to submit a nomination for every position – positions can be left blank on the Nomination Form.

  • A seconder is not required for any nomination.

 

Nomination Forms will be accepted from only the authorized representative of IBTF Full or Associate Member Federations.

 

Nominations will not be taken from the floor during the General Assembly. The practice of receiving nominations from the floor prohibits the Member Federations from learning about the nominees prior to deciding their respective votes.

 

Once the nomination period closes during last week of November, all nominees will be contacted by the Nominations Committee to:

  1. Confirm they agree to be nominated for any position(s)

  2. Confirm they meet the eligibility requirements

  3. Provide some biographical information about themselves that will be shared with the IBTF Member Federations

Nominees​ Eligibility

 

​To be eligible for nomination to President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, or a

Board Member-at-Large position, a person must be:

  1. A member in good standing of an IBTF Member Federation, and

  2. Be nominated by any Full or Associate Member Federation in good standing, and

  3. Be endorsed by their Member Federation’s delegate to the General Assembly

 

To be eligible for nomination to Technical Director, Judges Director, Coaches Director, Majorettes Director, or a Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large position, a person must be:

  1. A member in good standing of an IBTF Member Federation, and

  2. Be nominated by any Full or Associate Member Federation in good standing, and

  3. Be endorsed by their Member Federation’s delegate to the Technical Sport Assembly

 

A person may be nominated for more than one position.

 

It is not necessary or required for any nominee to be in attendance at the General Assembly (physically or virtually).

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Nominees Profiles​

It is important that all voting members have information about the nominees for the Executive Board, Athlete Commission, and Technical Sport Commission positions in advance of the General Assembly itself. This will assist the IBTF Member Federations in determining their voting preferences.

 

Once the nomination period closes, the Nominations Committee will contact each nominee to collect some background information. That information will be shared with the IBTF Member Federations no later than the second week of December (45 days before the General Assembly).

Election Process

 

The elections are held in the following sequence:

 

  1. President

  2. Vice-President

  3. Secretary

  4. Treasurer

  5. Board Member-at-Large 1

  6. Board Member-at-Large 2

  7. Board Member-at-Large 3

  8. Technical Director

  9. Judges Director

  10. Coaches Director

  11. Majorettes Director

  12. Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large 1

  13. Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large 2

  14. Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large 3

  15. Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large 4

  16. Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large 5

  17. Athlete Commission Chair

  18. Athlete Commission Vice-Chair

 

Followed by the Continental Commission Elections

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In the event there are no nominees for a position, no election is held for that position and it is left vacant. The incoming Board may, at its discretion, appoint a person to fufil the duties until the next General Assembly. A special election will be scheduled to take place at the next General Assembly, to elect someone to that position for the remainder of that position’s term.

The Election Procedure below is used for all Elected Positions:

  1. The Nominations Committee Chairperson (or their designate) is the Presiding Officer for the election portion of the General Assembly.

  2. The Secretary will read the roll call of eligible voters.

  3. The Nomination Committee Chairperson will submit the Nominations Committee Report. This Report lists all eligible candidates for all Election Positions.

    • A nominee may, at their own discretion, withdraw their name from consideration for any position at any time during the election process.

  4. All voting is done by secret ballot. The Presiding Officer will appoint two Scrutineers who will assist with the distribution, collection, and counting of all ballots.

  5. Ballots will be counted in the presence of the General Assembly. Ballot results will show:

    • Total Votes Cast

    • Total Spoiled Ballots

    • Total Eligible Votes (Total Votes Cast – Total Spoiled Ballots)

    • Votes Required to Win (Absolute Majority of the Total Eligible Votes)

    • Votes Received by each candidate, and the Total

    • Winner

  6. The Presiding Officer will review the rules of election:

    • Only Full or Associate Member Federations are eligible to vote. Each country receives one vote.

    • If there is exactly one person nominated for a position, then that person shall be acclaimed to that position, and no election shall be required for that position for that term.

    • If an election is required, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of Eligible Votes to be declared the winner of that election. Some examples:

      • If there are 18 Eligible Votes, 10 votes are required to win

      • If there are 19 Eligible Votes, 10 votes are required to win

      • If there are 21 Eligible Votes, 11 votes are required to win

      • Eligible Votes = Total Votes Cast less any Spoiled Ballots

    • If no candidate receives an absolute majority of votes:

  1. The candidate(s) that received the lowest number of votes is removed from the ballot.

    • If removing all candidates with the lowest number of votes leaves zero or one candidate on the ballot, no candidates are removed.

  2. The election is repeated with the remaining candidates.

  3. This process continues until one candidate receives an absolute majority of Eligible Votes.

  1. Once a person is elected to a position, they must withdraw their nomination for all remaining positions on that same committee. For example:

    • Once elected to a position on the Board, they must withdraw their nomination for all remaining Board positions

    • Once elected to a position on the Technical Sport Commission, they must withdraw their nomination for all remaining Technical Sport Commission positions

    • Once elected to a position on a Continental Commission, they must withdraw their nomination for all remaining Continental Commission positions

  2. For the Athlete Commission Chair and Vice-Chair elections, one must be male and the other must be female. Therefore, if the elected Chair is a female then all female candidates for the Vice-Chair position must withdraw. If the elected Chair is a male, then all male candidates for the Vice-Chair position must withdraw.

  3. Any candidate that is unsuccessful in the election for President, Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer may, at their discretion, allow their name to be added to the Board Member-at-Large ballot.

  4. Any candidate that is unsuccessful in the election for Technical Director, Judges Director, Coaches Director, or Majorettes Director may, at their discretion, allow their name to be added to the Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large ballot.

  5. For the Board Member-at-Large elections, all Board Member-at-Large nominees are held in a single pool. All nominees are included in the election for the first Board Member-at-Large position, and the election is held in the manner described above. Once the election is complete for the first Board Member-at- Large position, a new election is held with the nominees remaining in the Board Member-at-Large pool. And this is repeated for the third Board Member-at-Large position.

  6. For the Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large elections, all Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large nominees are held in a single pool. All nominees are included in the election for the first Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large position, and the election is held in the manner described above. Once the election is complete for the first Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large position, a new election is held with the nominees remaining in the Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large pool. And this is repeated for the third, fourth and fifth Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large positions.

  7. Once all elections are completed, the Presiding Officer will entertain a motion to destroy the ballots.

  8. For the Athlete Commission Chair and Vice-Chair elections, one must be male and the other must be female. Therefore, if the elected Chair is a female then all female candidates for the Vice-Chair position must withdraw. If the elected Chair is a male, then all male candidates for the Vice-Chair position must withdraw.

  9. Any candidate that is unsuccessful in the election for President, Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer may, at their discretion, allow their name to be added to the Board Member-at-Large ballot.

  10. Any candidate that is unsuccessful in the election for Technical Director, Judges Director, Coaches Director, or Majorettes Director may, at their discretion, allow their name to be added to the Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large ballot.

  11. For the Board Member-at-Large elections, all Board Member-at-Large nominees are held in a single pool. All nominees are included in the election for the first Board Member-at-Large position, and the election is held in the manner described above. Once the election is complete for the first Board Member-at- Large position, a new election is held with the nominees remaining in the Board Member-at-Large pool. And this is repeated for the third Board Member-at-Large position.

  12. For the Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large elections, all Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large nominees are held in a single pool. All nominees are included in the election for the first Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large position, and the election is held in the manner described above. Once the election is complete for the first Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large position, a new election is held with the nominees remaining in the Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large pool. And this is repeated for the third, fourth and fifth Technical Sport Commission Member-at-Large positions.

  13. Once all elections are completed, the Presiding Officer will entertain a motion to destroy the ballots.

Assumption of Office

 

All elected positions take office no later than March 1 following the General Assembly.

Before taking office, persons assuming certain Elected Positions must ensure they meet the following criteria:

 

  1. President - The IBTF President may not be a member of their Member Federation’s governing body.

 

  1. Technical Director, Judges Director, Coaches Director, Majorettes Director Anyone in one of these positions may not be:

    • A member of their Member Federation’s governing body

    • Their Member Federation’s delegate to the Technical Sport Commission, Majorettes Commission, or Athlete Commission

 

If they held any such position at the time of election, they must resign from that position before they are schedule to assume their IBTF office.

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