VOTING DELEGATE GUIDE
This guide is devoted to helping you to prepare students to serve as voting delegates during the
SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC). Your official delegates need to be
registered for the conference along with other people from your state.
Overview
SkillsUSA is a student run organization, whereby student members are charged with the responsibility
of governing the affairs associated with the student constitution. States are entitled to student voting
delegates commensurate with their membership to represent the views of their state association within
the structure of the National House of Delegates.
National House of Delegate sessions are three days of a business meeting setting. There are two houses
of voting delegates: one for college/postsecondary students and one for high school students.
Approximately 600 young adults, who are geographically diverse and hold various leadership roles
within their SkillsUSA chapters, come together to conduct the business of SkillsUSA.
Duties and Responsibilities of the National House of Delegates
The duties of the voting delegates are important to the operation of the organization; therefore, the
selection process for voting delegates must be seriously considered to assure that the voting delegates
are aware of their duties and will carry them out diligently.
Duties include:
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Enact bylaws, rules and regulations necessary for carrying out the affairs and activities of the
organization
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Elect officers of the organization
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Act upon items of business as requested by the National Executive Council and Board of
Directors
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NOTE: Because of the Delegate schedule during conference, it is not recommended for
contestants to serve as delegates. A national officer candidate may serve as a delegate and
vote, but may not be seated in the House of Delegate’s meeting during campaign speeches
and problematic questions.
Maximum Number of Delegates per State Association
Your state association is entitled to send delegates to the NLSC based on your state’s membership for
the year. Included in this guide is a reference for determining the number of delegates allowed. Find
the range of membership in your state. The number to the right is the maximum number of delegates
allowed. Use this guide for both secondary and college/postsecondary divisions.
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Preparing Your Delegates
In preparing voting delegates to represent your state in the most knowledgeable manner, the following
outline has been developed.
Purpose of a National Voting Delegate
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Represent your state
Conduct business of the organization
Elect national officers
Delegate Etiquette
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Delegates are to remain professional with candidates, other delegates and elected officers.
Delegates are to be present and on time for all meetings.
Delegates are to keep fellow delegates informed of daily activities.
Delegates are to treat others with respect.
Appropriate Attire for Delegates
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Delegates must be dressed in SkillsUSA official dress (SkillsUSA blazer, black skirt/pants, white
blouse/shirt, black shoes) during all delegate meetings.
Delegate ribbons will be distributed during delegate training and must be worn at all times while in
meetings.
Head Delegate
If you have a large delegation, it is recommended to appoint a head delegate to act as a spokesperson for
the delegation. Duties include:
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Communicate with the rest of the team
Make sure all delegates are in attendance and wearing delegate ribbon
Answer roll call during business meetings (see Business Meeting in this guide)
Make final decision on vote trading, support and actions
Campaigning for National Officer Candidate
If you have a candidate running for national office, it is the responsibility of the National Voting Delegate
team to campaign. The SkillsUSA Board of Directors has adopted procedures for conducting National
Officer Elections. These procedures are sent to a National Officer Candidate upon receipt of their
application in the national office. National Voting Delegates should be aware of all campaigning
guidelines.
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Campaign Guidelines:
No campaign literature of any type may be distributed before the time specified in the official adopted
agenda. This regulation prohibits advance conference mailings, posting of campaign literature, and
campaigning using the web, social media, email or texting.
To display materials in delegate meeting rooms, candidates are provided one 8’ table and candidates must
provide their own 24” x 36” free standing display board.
Samples of all campaign materials and a folder with itemized list must be approved by the Campaign
Material Review Committee.
No skits or props of any kind are allowed during any “Meet the Candidates” sessions or delegate sessions.
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The only officially sanctioned times for delegates to meet with candidates are during the “Meet the
Candidate” sessions and before or after delegate sessions.
Delegate Sessions During NLSC
There are five types of delegate sessions during the NLSC. They are:
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Delegate Training Sessions – Meeting where delegates receive an overview of delegate sessions, how to
conduct roll call, parliamentary procedure instructions are given, and delegate packets with delegate
ribbons are distributed.
Delegate Business Meetings – Meetings in which delegates sit in reserved seat, roll call is taken and
business is conducted.
Joint Delegate Sessions – Meetings for both houses held in the High School House of Delegates room.
Delegates will hear from Board of Directors, sponsors and government dignitaries.
Informal “Meet the Candidates” sessions – Delegates get to meet the national officer candidates in an
open forum. Candidates will be stationed around the room near their campaign materials, and delegates
talk to them in an individual or group setting.
Formal “Meet the Candidates” sessions – Meetings where delegates listen to national officer candidates
answer questions. Delegates get to submit questions prior to this session. Candidates will be on stage at
the same time. A current national officer will ask a question and each candidate has the chance to reply.
Business Meetings
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Delegates are expected to sit in the area reserved for their state delegation.
Alternate delegates in attendance must wear official dress and sit in the official alternate section.
Advisors are not allowed to be on the floor to communicate with delegates during sessions.
Roll Call is taken to establish an official number of delegates from each state attending the business
meeting and to have an official record of votes. Roll call will be taken at the beginning of each business
meeting. One person from each delegation (head delegate) should be assigned the responsibility for
answering the roll for their respective state. Before responding to the roll call, the spokesperson must
stand and proceed to the microphone. He/she should give the name of their state with the number of
official voting delegates present. All delegates should stand and remain standing until the national
secretary asks them to be seated. This assures an accurate count of delegates.
Every business meeting follows a set agenda. The delegates will adopt an agenda at the first official
session and additional items may not be presented until all agenda items have been completed. Any
delegation wishing to have an item placed on the agenda may present the item in writing to the national
president or delegate session coordinator any time before or during the delegate training.
A credentials committee is appointed to assist with seating of delegates, serve as facilitators on the
delegate session floor, monitor the floor and the replacement of delegates with alternate delegates. The
committee is also responsible for keeping the secretary posted on increases and decreases in state delegate
counts.
Late delegates will be admitted to the floor at appropriate times by the credentials committee.
Voting delegates must practice parliamentary procedure during all business meetings.
Voting delegates must be present to cast their vote on all floor votes. One person cannot cast two votes.
Voting delegates leaving the floor should appoint an alternate who will represent them during the
absence. The alternate will sit in the voting delegate’s seat during this time. This exchange is to be
cleared by a credential’s committee member.
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Voting delegates must stand to be recognized during business meetings. When recognized, he/she must
address the assembly from the floor microphone by first giving their name and state before discussing
business.
A voting delegate desiring to come to the stage and speak from the speaker stand must rise, give their
name and state, and ask permission to speak from rostrum.
Parliamentary Procedure
All SkillsUSA Delegate Sessions are conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
Making a Motion
1. Raise your hand. When you are called upon, stand.
2. After you are at the microphone, state your name and the state you represent. Be sure that you speak
slowly and clearly so that the secretary can capture the information in the minutes.
3. State the motion by saying: “I move that” or “I move to”
4. Someone else from a different state must second your motion in order for the motion to be considered.
5. Once a motion is properly moved and seconded, the chairperson will call for discussion.
6. The person who made the motion has the first right to discuss the motion and will be called on by the
chairperson to do so.
7. If you choose to discuss, which means speaking for or against the motion, you must proceed to
microphone and wait your turn to be recognized by the chairperson.
8. Always begin your debate with your name and state.
9. At the end of debate, the chair will call for a vote.
10. Once the vote is taken, the presiding officer will rule on the motion.
National Officer Voting Process
Voting for national officers is done by secret ballot.
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A primary election is held for all regional offices with more than two candidates. The top two recipients
from each region will be listed on the final ballot.
The five top vote recipients from the At Large candidates and the top vote recipient from each of the
Regional officer positions will be National Officers. Any unopposed office must receive a majority of the
possible votes.
Voting will be open for twenty minutes following the close of the last business meeting of the day on
Thursday and Friday.
TAG Tuesday
New this year is an opportunity for your delegates to participate in Train, Act, Grow (TAG). To
participate in this ultimate delegate training experience, pre-registration is required.
 Delegate training just got ramped up a notch with TAG Tuesday! TAG Tuesday will lead
delegates on a quest that will allow them to Train, Act and Grow from their leadership
experiences so that their ability to engage more, give more and ultimately be a better delegate for
their state is key. Pre-registration is required, and three tracks are available: high school state
officer, high school chapter member and college/postsecondary state officer or member.
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Leadership training for high school delegates will build upon creating successful partnerships,
opportunities to get involved, managing your reputation and essentials of creating an effective
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organization. High school delegates will conclude their day with a hands-on, experiential
activity that is sure to impact and enhance their leadership ability.
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College/postsecondary delegates will have an opportunity to focus on individual skills that will
kick start their careers: successful networking, creating a marketable you, and balancing
personal and professional success. The college/postsecondary training will conclude with live
interviews with business leaders who will offer individual feedback on resumes and interviewing
techniques.
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SkillsUSA
Guide for Determining Number of Delegates
High School Division
0501 1,501 2,501 3,501 4,501 5,501 6,501 7,501 8,501 9,501 10,501 11,501 12,501 13,501 14,501 15,501 16,501 17,501 18,501 19,501 -
500
1,500
2,500
3,500
4,500
5,500
6,500
7,500
8,500
9,500
10,500
11,500
12,500
13,500
14,500
15,500
16,500
17,500
18,500
19,500
20,500
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
20,501 – 21,500
21,501 – 22,500
22,501 – 23,500
23,501 – 24,500
24,501 – 25,500
25,501 – 26,500
26,501 – 27,500
27,501 – 28,500
28,501 – 29,500
29,501 – 30,500
30,501 – 31,500
31,501 – 32,500
32,501 – 33,500
33,501 – 34,500
34,501 – 35,500
35,501 – 36,500
36,501 – 37,500
37,501 – 38,500
38,501 – 39,500
39,501 – 40,500
40,501 – 41,500
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
Over 41,500 members, one additional delegate/1,000 members or greater fraction thereof..
College/Postsecondary Division
0251 751 1,251 2,251 -
250
750
1,250
1,750
2,750
2
3
4
5
6
2,751 – 3,250
3,251 - 3,750
3,751 – 4,250
4,251 – 4,750
4,751 – 5,000
8
9
10
11
12
Over 5,000 members, one additional delegate/250 active members or greater fraction thereof.
Both High School and College/Postsecondary division’s delegate count is based on Total membership.
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