Does the Chair have the right to revoke voting rights of an elected member?

[Guest Justin Shanley]

Hello,

I have searched for the answer to my question and have come up empty handed.

I am curious if the Chairman of a Representative Assembly has the right to revoke an elected representative member's voting rights?

Are there certain circumstances where the Chair would be allowed to revoke voting rights?

Currently, the issue I am having is with my peers using their personal/private social networking pages and expressing their opinions of other members (not by name or in an insulting fashion), and subsequently our Chairman is threatening to revoke voting rights and even pressuring members to resign. This does not seem possible, but I would appreciate an interpretation.

Thank you!

[jstackpo]

The fruits of your research are correct; you could find no such presidential rights because none such exist (unless the right is spelled out in the bylaws, which is extremely unlikely).

I gather all these threats and bluster are taking place outside of any meeting. If the president attempts to block someone's legitimate vote in a meeting, that is when you raise points of order, and demand that the president show you, and the other assembly members, what he bases his claim of power on.

And then elect a new president when the time comes.

[Tim Wynn]

I am curious if the Chairman of a Representative Assembly has the right to revoke an elected representative member's voting rights?

No, he does not.

Are there certain circumstances where the Chair would be allowed to revoke voting rights?

This authority would have to be provided in the bylaws or a higher governing document.