How NACo Works

NACo achieves its vision of healthy, safe and vibrant counties across the United States through a strategic focus on strengthening the leadership and ingenuity of county governments and our elected and appointed officials as well as our residents. NACo is owned by America’s county governments with oversight and governance by an executive committee and board of directors.

Bylaws

NACo’s Bylaws govern how the association is run, detailing its object and purpose and the structure and responsibilities of the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee and the membership.

BYLAWS - ADOPTED JULY 2020

Executive Committee: Officers and Regional Representatives

The NACo executive committee consists of 8 member elected officials: president, first vice-president, second vice-president and immediate past president, and four regional representatives elected by regional caucuses.

The officers are responsible for the property, funds and business affairs of the association in the absence of the Board of Directors, and exercise all powers and authority granted by the Board of Directors. The officers are elected each year during the Annual Business Meeting at the association’s annual conference in July.

Regional representatives provide input to the president and other officers with respect to NACo policy, regional priorities and county trends, as well as keep member counties informed of the association’s activities and assists in membership recruitment and retention. Regional representatives are elected by 4 regional caucuses (West, Central, South and Northeast) during the annual conference for staggered, two-year terms.

Board of Directors

The NACo board of directors governs the strategic goals, policies and priorities of the association, as well as oversees the association’s policies, business and property. Members of the board are elected and appointed county officials from active member counties or designated officials and are nominated at the Annual Conference to serve on the Board, as follows:

• State associations nominate at least one member, plus additional members based on factors related to NACo member counties in each state
• National affiliates nominate 26 members
• The Western Interstate Region president and the chairs of the Large Urban County Caucus and Rural Action Caucus serve on the board
• President appoints 10 at-large members
• Past presidents currently serving as elected county officials
• Executive Committee of 4 officers and 4 regional representatives

The NACo membership elects officers for the association each year. The election of the second vice president is usually the position that is contested. These elections occur during the business meeting at the NACo Annual Conference. During the business meeting, counties also vote on resolutions that set NACo legislative and association policy for the coming year. 

Each county is allotted votes based on the amount of dues that it pays. Dues are based on population, and use the 2010 Census numbers.

• Counties with dues of $450 to $1,199 receive one vote.
• Counties with dues of $1,200 to $2,399 receive two votes.
• Counties with dues of $2,400 to $3,599 receive three votes, and so on
• The maximum number of votes a county can receive is 51.

A county must be a member "in good standing" in order to be able to vote. This means that a county's NACo membership dues for that year must be paid. Members wishing to serve as voting delegates on behalf of their county may submit their voting credentials early by choosing to be a voting delegate through the NACo Annual Conference online registration page, or turn in a voting credentials form. Counties must have at least one registration for the virtual Annual Business Meeting to participate in the NACo election.

To facilitate the voting process, we encourage members to authorize one voting delegate per county.

The NACo Credentials Committee, a group of elected county officials appointed by the current NACo president, supervises the election process. The committee ensures the credibility of the election and is charged with resolving disputes about election issues.

Learn more about voting credentials by visiting www.NACo.org/VotingCredentials.

The Credentials Committee

Click here to view the members of the Credentials Committee.

The NACo bylaws also provide for a Parliamentarian, Reading Clerk and Tally Clerk to aid in the election process. These positions are appointed by the NACo president.