Voting in 2025

Voting in the ordinary plenary session 

If you have questions about voting in the Conference ordinary plenary session, please contact communications@efi.int.

Summary

  • Associate Member, whose membership has not been suspended, can vote in the ordinary plenary session. Affiliate Members do not have a right to vote in the session.

  • Chair and Vice-Chairs of the session cannot vote in the session (see Conference rules of procedure 4.3).

  • Each Associate Member present in the session should exercise their voting right. If there are more than one representative from the same Associate Member, they should inform the Secretariat which representative will vote in the session (Deadline will be announced at a later day). 

  • An Associate Members can give a proxy to another Associate Member present in the session. The Secretariat must receive the proxy no later than 48 hours before the start of the ordinary plenary session (see proxy instructions below).

  • Each voting Associate Member representative receives the voting cards and voting ballots in the morning of the ordinary plenary session when they register at the venue.

  • At the beginning of the ordinary plenary session, there is a roll call of the voting Associate Member representatives.

  • Background material pdf of each ordinary plenary session, sent two weeks prior to each session, contains all the proposed decisions and the different voting steps for each voting item.

Proxy instructions

  • The Associate Member representative must send the proxy to communications@efi.int no later than 48 hours before the start of the ordinary plenary session. 

  • Suggested template for the proxy email:
    I, [name], representative of [Associate Member giving the proxy], hereby declare that [name] is authorized to vote during the Conference ordinary plenary session on [date, year], in [city, country], on behalf of [Associate Member giving the proxy].

Conference rules of Procedure
Rule 6 Voting

6.1. Each Associate Member, whose membership has not been suspended according to these rules, shall have one vote in the Conference.

6.2. The right to vote for an Associate Member shall be exercised by its representative present in the session. If more than one representative of a particular Associate Member is present in the session it shall, before the voting commences, be established which representative exercises the right to vote. The right to vote for an Associate Member can be exercised through proxy for another Associate Member present in the session. To be valid, the proxy must be received by the Secretariat no later than 48 hours before the start of the session.

6.3. The Conference shall take decisions by a simple majority no fewer than half plus one of votes representing Associate Members classified as public entities. Abstentions are not considered as votes.

6.4. Voting shall be done by a show of hands, unless voting by roll-call or secret ballot is requested by any Associate Member or decided by the Chairperson, in which case that shall be the method of voting. In voting by roll-call, each vote shall be recorded. Voting can be conducted through electronic means.

6.5. If the Chairperson considers that the result of voting by show of hands cannot be established voting shall be by roll-call.

6.6. Between the ordinary plenary sessions of the Conference a written vote may be taken.