dman

Thanks to the 3 members above for their helpful and clear responses. I had read FAQ #6, and it addressed part of my question, just not the part of whether a voice vote was appropriate when the "present" is specified. Godelfan did address this, so thanks to you all. Dan

Within the constitution/bylaws of our organization, the vote required to pass budgetary items is noted as: "majority of the members present". There is disagreement in the board on what this means. I contend it means if 10 attend the meeting, 6 votes are required to pass no matter how many of the 10 vote. If a combination of "no" votes and abstentions totals 6 votes, then the 6 required "yes" votes cant be acheived and the measure does not pass. Other board members say a voice vote can be used as long as there are no "NO" votes. I think, with a voice vote, it can not be confirmed the threshold 6 votes have been met so a hand count is always required. When a "majority vote" is called for it is the majority of votes cast. Abstentions dont impact the results. When a "majority vote present" is called for it is the majority of attendees regardless of the number of votes cast. So here abstentions arent counted, but affect the vote by possibly preventing the majority being met. What is correct? Thanks for any information. Dan