Elections and Rotary References

Local Government elections this year seem to be hotly contested and in a number of cases the candidates are Rotarians or past Rotarians.   District through DG Dennis Shore has reminded us of the non-political ethos behind Rotary and care in not inadvertently contradicting that.

 Rotary Clubs, by their very nature, do tend to attract members who are concerned for and active in their community and it is therefore not unusual for past and present Councillors to have been members of the club. It is quite understandable that people who take an active role in their community, at all levels, would be attracted to membership of a Rotary Club. We certainly do not discourage this. 

However clubs shall not endorse or recommend any candidate for public office and shall not discuss at any club meeting the merits or demerits of any such candidate. There have been issues in the run up to the current elections where candidates have been endorsed by Rotarians in their capacity as a Rotarian. However well meant such an endorsement is, it is contrary to Rotary rules and must be discontinued.

Key points of the policy statement below prepared by our District Governance Director clearly sets out the Rotary policy and Presidents have been asked to point out these requirements to members if they believe they are being breached. Because actions may have been taken in good faith or without the realisation that they breached Rotary protocol,  we should approach the matter with the foregoing in mind. 

• There are a number of references in the Manual of Procedure to the practical application of this principle and, in particular, at page 84 it is provided that:
  • “Rotarians may not use the name or emblem…for the purposes of furthering political campaigns. Any use of the fellowship of Rotary as a means of gathering political advantage is not within the spirit of Rotary.”
• Thus to include in election material of a candidate a reference to Rotary involvement or a testimonial which may be perceived by the electorate as Rotary endorsing or supporting the candidate is in breach of the Manual of Procedure.
• Thus candidates who are Rotarians may include as part of their CV the mere fact that they are a member of a particular club but may not include any other reference to their Rotary involvement nor may they include a testimonial from a fellow member, or from a club for that matter, as that constitutes entering the political arena.
• If a fellow club member wishes to give a testimonial he or she can do so without mentioning Rotary. They can describe themselves as John Smith of ABC Company but not John Smith of Rotary Club of ABC.

 If anyone requires any further clarification they should feel free to contact the District Governance Director Philip Rowell whose contact details are in the District Directory.