Voting on committee reports

[Guest Karen]

In the interest of time during a board meeting, all committee reports are given and then voted on as a single item even though they are listed as a separate sub-items on the agenda under Committee Reports. What would be the proper way to record any dissenting votes on one particular committee report in the minutes if done in this manner?

[Guest Guest]

Correction- "listed as separate sub-items"

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Were there specific recommendations coming from the reports? What is the board voting on? If the reports are for information only, then the board simply receives the reports.

[Edgar Guest]

What would be the proper way to record any dissenting votes on one particular committee report in the minutes if done in this manner?

 

If you're voting on the reports as a single item I don't see how anyone could vote on a particular report. Though the question could have been "divided".

 

But reports should generally not be voted on at all. They should simply be received. If a report contains a recommendation then the reporting member (of the committee) makes a motion to adopt the recommendation (not the report).

[Kim Goldsworthy]

In the interest of time during a board meeting,

all committee reports are given and then voted on as a single item

even though they are listed as a separate sub-items on the agenda under Committee Reports.

What would be the proper way to record any dissenting votes on one particular committee report in the minutes if done in this manner?

Whoa! Hold them horses!

 

If you want "proper", then, per Robert's Rules of Order, you should not be voting on committee reports as a collection, at all.

 

If you want im-proper (namely, to continue the status quo of voting where you should not be voting on committee reports),

then, to solve your problem, the dissenting member would make a motion, "To Divide the Question." [see RONR for this term]

 

That motion (if adopted) will split the collective into the preferred subgroup(s).

 

The chair will then "put the question" [see RONR for this term] on one set, and then do the same with the other set.

 

The minutes (as you say in your question) will record the votes likewise, as separate votes.

E.g.,

All committee reports except X Committee: approved.

X Committee report: approved.

 

You do not record numbers on a voice vote. So you don't record the member's "no" vote in the minutes on a voice vote.

 

On a counted vote, of course you do record the numbers.

E.g., 10-0 for the committee reports set #1. 9-1 for the X Committee report.

[Guest karen]

Thank you for the information.