Reasonable amt. of time to mail appeal concerning election

[Guest Kath P]

Hi.  Does anyone have a reference in Robert's Rules of Order concerning the timely filing of an appeal to election results?

[Gary Novosielski]

The Appeal motion (see §24) in RONR, refers only to appealing decisions (rulings) of the chair.  It typically happens as a result of the chair's ruling on a Point of Order (§23).  None of this would be done by mail. The timeliness requirements for points of order related to elections depends upon the nature of the rule violation that is being alleged.  It can vary from nearly instantaneous to virtually forever, depending on the circumstances.

Elections normally become final upon the announcement of the result by the chair.  What specific reasons exist in this case that would raise doubts about the result?

Edited to add:

Of course if your bylaws have a specific rule that applies to "filing" an election appeal by mail, then those are the rules you'll need to follow, If they do not specify a time requirement, then the default rule for notices in RONR would suggest "a reasonable time".  So the phrasing of your chosen title for this topic was spot on.

Edited January 11, 2017 at 07:41 AM by Gary Novosielski