Parliamentarian or Other Members Voting Restriction

[parkourninja]

Is there any restriction on how the parliamentarian or any other officers (besides the president whose restrictions I am already familiar with) may vote?

[Hieu H. Huynh]

See RONR 11th ed., p. 467, ll. 8-19.

[Josh Martin]

1 hour ago, parkourninja said:

Is there any restriction on how the parliamentarian or any other officers (besides the president whose restrictions I am already familiar with) may vote?

The parliamentarian does not vote unless the vote is taken by ballot.

There are no restrictions on officers other than the presiding officer and parliamentarian.

[Richard Brown]

Well, the parliamentarian "should" not vote, but as Mr. Martin recently pointed out in another thread, he absolutely "may" vote if he insists on it if he is a member of the assembly.  He does not lose the right to vote by being parliamentarian, but RONR says he should be willing to give up that right voluntarily (except when the vote is by ballot) if he is going to serve as parliamentarian.   Here is precisely what RONR says about it on page 467:

"A member of an assembly who acts as its parliamentarian has the same duty as the presiding officer to maintain a position of impartiality, and therefore does not make motions, participate in debate, or vote on any question except in the case of a ballot vote. He does not cast a deciding vote, even if his vote would affect the result, since that would interfere with the chair's prerogative of doing so. If a member feels that he cannot properly forgo these rights in order to serve as parliamentarian, he should not accept that position. Unlike the presiding officer, the parliamentarian cannot temporarily relinquish his position in order to exercise such rights on a particular motion. "

A member parliamentarian who insists on debating, making motions and voting contrary to the provisions in RONR can find himself subject to disciplinary proceedings.

[Richard Brown]

Note that on page 254, RONR says that if there is not a parliamentarian, the chair may consult with an "experienced member" for parliamentary advice.  This can serve as an effective substitute for a "member parliamentarian".   Some experienced member can become the unofficial "experienced member" to whom the chair turns for parliamentary advice.  As an alternative, if a member qualified to serve as parliamentarian is not willing to give up his right to debate, make motions and vote, the assembly can adopt a special rule of order granting him those rights the same as other members.

Here is the language from page 254:  "Before rendering his decision, the chair can consult the parliamentarian, if there is one. The chair can also request the advice of experienced members, but no one has the right to express such opinions in the meeting unless requested to do so by the chair. "