Guild Elections

Everything you need to know about how Dragon Gaming Guild council elections work, from putting your name forward to the handover of power.

What is a council election?

Each Dragon Gaming Guild is led by an elected council of volunteers who manage and represent it. When council positions become vacant (or when a Guild is first established) an election is held so that members can choose who they want to lead their Guild.

Elections are run through the Dragon Gaming website. Voting is anonymous and secure, and the process is managed by Dragon Gaming HQ rather than by the Guild’s existing council, so the people standing for election have no involvement in running it.

The three positions

Three council roles are elected in each Guild election, one ballot per position:

Guildmaster
Leads the council. They look after the venue, manage Guild finances, and make sure everything runs smoothly day to day.
Games Warden
Oversees all games and GMs, making sure there’s always something great to play. Your first contact if you’re interested in running a game or have questions about the schedule.
Player Envoy
Here for the members. Whether you have a concern about your game, your GM, or a fellow player, your Player Envoy is your first port of call. All conversations are handled with care.

Putting yourself forward

Any active Guild member is welcome to stand for election. You don’t need to be on the current council or have any prior experience. Just a willingness to serve your Guild.

When nominations open, a declaration form appears on your Guild page. Add the positions you’d like to stand for and use the arrows to set your order of preference. Your name is added to the public candidate list straight away so other members can see who’s running.

You can stand for more than one position at once. Rank them in order of preference: if you win more than one, you’ll be awarded your top choice and the next-placed candidates will fill the remaining roles.
You can withdraw from a position at any time before nominations close: just remove it from your list and save again.
You must be an active Guild member to declare your candidacy. If you’re not sure whether your membership is active, check the My Account page.

Head to your Guild’s page to declare your candidacy or see who else is running. Guild pages are linked from the Guilds section of the website.

The candidacy form on your Guild page

Who can vote?

You’re eligible to vote in a Guild election if any of the following apply to you, along with having an active membership:

You’re currently a Dragon Gaming council member of that Guild
You’ve attended or run a game at that Guild at least once in the past 6 months
You voted in that Guild’s previous council election within the last 13 months

Eligibility is decided at the moment the election opens and is then fixed for the duration. If your circumstances change mid-election (for example, if you attend a session after the election has already started), your eligibility won’t change.

If you’re not sure whether you’re eligible, log in and head to the Votes section of My Account. Any open elections you’re eligible for will appear there.

How voting works

You’ll receive an email notification when an election opens (check your spam folder if you don’t see it).
Log in and go to the Votes section of My Account.
All three positions appear on a single ballot. Vote for one candidate per position.
Submit your ballot. Results are shown once the election closes.

🔒 Your vote is private. The system records how you voted, but this information is only ever accessible to Dragon Gaming HQ administrators, strictly for the purpose of investigating disputes or formal complaints. It will never be shared with members, candidates, or incoming or outgoing council members.

The email you’ll receive when an election opens

The election timeline

Each election follows a five-week process from the first announcement to the new council taking the reins.

📝 This is the planned timeline. For Dragon Gaming’s very first Guild elections, some stages (particularly nominations) may run a little longer than shown here while we see what works best for members, before settling on a best practice pattern for future elections.

Week 1 Nominations open
HQ announces the upcoming election. Nominations open on the Guild page and any active member can put their name forward for any of the three positions. You have until the following week’s session to declare.
Week 2 Nominations close: voting opens
Nominations close at the start of the session. That evening, the election email goes out to all eligible voters and the ballot opens on the website. Candidates are welcome to say a few words at the session about why members should vote for them. Voting is open for one week.
Week 3 Voting closes: results announced
The ballot closes and results are announced to all eligible voters. The incoming council are congratulated and handovers begin, giving the new and outgoing members two weeks to hand over the reins properly.
Week 5 New council takes over
Handovers are complete. The outgoing council step down and the new council officially takes charge. Their names are updated on the Guild page and they’re ready to serve.

Who runs the elections?

Elections are created and closed by Dragon Gaming HQ, not by the Guild’s own council.

⚖️ This is an important safeguard. Because HQ controls when elections open and close, and who is eligible to vote, the people standing for election have no ability to influence the process in their own favour. They can’t change the voter list, bring forward the deadline, or delay results.

If you have any concerns about an election or believe there has been an error with your eligibility, please contact Dragon Gaming HQ directly rather than your local Guild council.