How to Win a Fraternity Election

If you’re running for a position in your chapter, you're in the right place. Winning is not about being the most popular. It’s about listening to your brothers, fixing real problems, and earning their trust. If you want the best chance at winning, keep reading.

1. Talk to your brothers

First, you need to learn about the problems that exist in your chapter. You may already have ideas, but you should talk to your brothers to see if those problems are real. You’ll also learn about new problems you didn't think of previously.

Before the election, try to talk to as many brothers as you can. These talks can be short. Just listen and take notes.

Ask questions like:

1. What annoyed you about finances, brotherhood, or events this year?
2. What was confusing?
3. What would make next year easier?

Keep the questions relevant to the position you’re running for, and remember to listen more than you speak. As you talk to more brothers, you will start to see the patterns. Most people will mention the same things. Write down the top 3-5 problems that keep coming up.

2. Create clear solutions

For each problem, create a clear fix.

Example:

• Problem: “I don’t know what my dues goes towards”
• Solution: “I’ll give a weekly update at chapter showing our budget and spending”

• Problem: "I wish we had more money for the social budget"
• Solution: "We'll use MyGreek to improve dues collection and save on finance software"

Your solutions should be easy to explain, easy to understand, and helpful for everyone in the chapter.

3. Prepare your speech

Your speech is how you share your plan. It shows you care and have ideas that help the chapter. Many people lose elections because they don't prepare or make careless mistakes.

Do:

• Talk about the problems you found
• Explain how you will fix them
• Explain how this benefits the chapter
• Briefly explain why you’re qualified
• Keep an outline in your head so you don’t need a paper

Don’t:

• Talk bad about other candidates
• Talk bad about the current officers
• Read off your phone or a paper

You can use this outline:

1. Say the problems you heard
2. Say how these problems hurt the chapter
3. Share your plan to fix them
4. Explain why you’re the right person

4. Practice your delivery

After you write your speech, practice it. Record yourself and listen. Change your pace or tone if needed. Do not read from your phone. If you do, you’ll lose eye contact and the room will stop listening.

5. Address objections before they come up

People may worry about things like:

• You’re too young
• You have a hard class schedule
• You might not be strict
• You don’t communicate enough

Call these out yourself and flip them into strengths.

Example: “It’s true that I’m younger than my opponents. It’s also true that I’ve already done X, Y, and Z - which shows that I’m ready.”

6. Bonus: Plant questions in the election

Sometimes only two or three questions are allowed. Make sure important objections are asked.

Ask a brother you trust to ask:

• About your experience
• About your plan
• About your goals

This gives you a chance to give strong answers, instead of wasting questions on random topics. This doesn’t mean to plant softballs, or obviously-planted answers. Make sure they’re hard questions that everyone is thinking - and that you have an answer for.

7. Build support

Some brothers won’t pay close attention to the election - especially if you’re running for a chair position. That’s normal, and that’s why support matters.

Before election day:

• Talk to people one-on-one
• Ask if you can count on their vote
• Ask supporters to speak for you when you leave the room

Most elections are won before the speech.

Conclusion

Winning a fraternity election takes effort. But if you read this, you already care. Talk to brothers, find real problems, make simple solutions, and speak with confidence. Do this, and you’ll be ready to win your next fraternity election.

Good luck!