--- title: "District of Columbia Bar: Now That’s a Close Vote" id: "28810" type: "post" slug: "district-of-columbia-bar-now-thats-a-close-vote" published_at: "2015-06-04T19:53:02+00:00" modified_at: "2015-06-04T19:53:02+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/06/04/district-of-columbia-bar-now-thats-a-close-vote/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/06/04/district-of-columbia-bar-now-thats-a-close-vote.md" excerpt: "One bar association had a vote so close that low response may have been the deciding factor in the election. Also: Get inspired by the maker movement when planning your event offerings." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "attendee engagement" - "conferences" - "event planning" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » District of Columbia Bar: Now That’s a Close Vote Here’s a nice bit of evidence you can share the next time your association has an election and you need to prove that voting is actually worth your members’ time. On Monday, the District of Columbia Bar announced the results of its elections, and the two main presidential candidates were separated by just 35 votes, [according to Legal Times (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nationallawjournal.com/legaltimes/home/id=1202728036778/DC-Bar-Members-Elect-President-in-Closest-Vote-Ever) . Annamaria Steward, an associate dean at the University of the District of Columbia’s law school, won the vote with 3,193 ballots cast in her favor, but media lawyer Laura Possessky was right behind, with 3,158 votes. Just 9.6 percent of the association’s members, or 7,212 people, voted in the election. If 9.7 percent had voted, it would have been just enough to shift results entirely. “It absolutely is the closest race in our history,” D.C. Bar spokeswoman Cynthia Kuhn said in a statement to *Legal Times*. ### Embrace the Maker Movement > Be a Maker at Your Event: [http://t.co/mEc0iqpmWk (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/mEc0iqpmWk) > [#eventprofs (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/eventprofs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#bizbash (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/bizbash?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Visit Cincy (@Visit_Cincy) [June 4, 2015 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Visit_Cincy/status/606492923681579008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **You tinker and tease all the time** when working on weekend projects. Why shouldn’t it be that way with your meetings? The maker movement is a great inspiration for your events, according to Cincinnati USA’s *MTG PLNR* blog. The reason? It’s an excellent way to ensure that your attendees are engaged and have a sense of ownership over the events they’re attending. “And why are people so sold on [the maker] trend? You can point to many factors, but the most obvious is the sense of accomplishment,” [Cincinnati USA states (opens in a new tab)](http://www.cincyusa.com/blog/be-a-maker-at-your-event) . “And it doesn’t matter how weird it looks, you made it and if you can actually use it in some way, the pride increases tenfold.” Some of the ideas in the post—for example, teaming up with a Habitat for Humanity chapter—are fairly easy to implement, while others may be trickier but can create a real pop. Think you could take a strategy like this to your next conference? *(ht @[CincyUSA (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/CincyUSA/) )* ### Other Links of Note **Trying to draft an effective contract** with a meeting hotel? [Successful Meetings has some useful tips (opens in a new tab)](http://www.successfulmeetings.com/Strategy/Meeting-Strategies/5-Tips-for-Creating-a-Bulletproof-Hotel-Contract/) for “bulletproof” contracts in what’s become a seller’s market. **If you ramble too much**at networking events, [check out this piece of advice (opens in a new tab)](https://hbr.org/2015/06/how-to-know-if-you-talk-too-much) from *Harvard Business Review*. **It’s not just about Throwback Thursday.** *Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog* has hashtags you can use [for every day of the week (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2015/06/04/hashtags-for-every-day-of-the-week-nonprofit-edition/) . [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#attendee engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/attendee-engagement/) [#conferences](https://associationsnow.com/tag/conferences/) [#event planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-planning/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoASAE TV Daily Recap: Final Day at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 14, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/14/asae-tv-daily-recap-final-day-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoDJ Johnson Shares His Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/dj-johnson-shares-his-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoAshley Cobb Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/ashley-cobb-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoJenny Teeson, CHSE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/jenny-teeson-chse-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F06%2F04%2Fdistrict-of-columbia-bar-now-thats-a-close-vote%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !