Richard Brown

Question: Do motions have to be presented at the morning meeting first and then at the night meeting on the same day, or can a motion be presented first at a night meeting, and then voted on at the next morning meeting the following month? Just out of curiosity, how are amendments handled? What if the night meeting wants to amend the motion that was voted on at the morning meeting?

I agree that there might not be a NEED to withdraw the nomination, but that doesn't mean that it isn't possible to withdraw it. if te nomination is withdrawn by the member who made the nomination, that might have a significant influence on the votes ot the other members.

This is not a valid reason for declaring that adopted motions or amendments to your governing documents are invalid. The fact that a copy might not have been available during the debate might be a reason for defeating or postponing the proposed change, but it is not a reason for declaring it invalid.

I agree with the response by Mr. Honemann and I have a question for you: If it wasn’t the president, who ordered you to start holding in person committee meetings? Some other officer? The board of directors? The membership by means of a motion adopted at a membership meeting?

Like Mr. Martin, I do not understand what the issue/question is here. Guest GM5588 can you elaborate? We need more information.

It has been my experience that a state Secretary Of State can almost always provide you with a copy of a corporate charter (articles of incorporation), but having a copy of the bylaws is not customary in the states I am familiar with.

"Filed away" where and by whom?

Guest Tim, what exactly do you mean by this question: What exactly do you mean by "rescind or recall a secret ballot once it has been issued? Rescind or recall it in what way? And when? At what point in the balloting process?

RONR is not really clear as to whether a nomination can be withdrawn... or at least not without the consent of the assembly. The more common scenario is that nominations are re-opened (which may happen automatically if nominations are opened again at the election meeting) and someone else is nominated to insure that there are at least two candidates to choose from. If the rules in RONR control, nominations from the floor are in order at the meeting at which the nominating committee makes its report and again at the election meeting if the two events happen at two separate meetings. Also, if RONR controls, write-in votes must be permitted at the election and it is quite possible for a "write-in" campaign to encourage members to write in the name of someone who was never officially nominated.

The short answer is that yes, you can proceed with the second election once voting in the first election is closed. As my colleagues have pointed out, there are pros and cons to each method.

@Wright Stuff I agree with Dr. Kapur’s analysis and also ask that you provide the exact wording of the bylaw language which purportedly requires that the IPP be elected to the executive committee at a convention in an odd number year.

Guest, Tim, most of your answers are going to be found in your own rules, not in RONR. What do your bylaws and other rules say about email Voting? eEited to add: if email voting is not authorized in your bylaws or other rules or by state law, it is not permitted at all.

You don’t. The immediate past president becomes immediate past president by virtue of being the last person to have served as president regardless of why he or she is no longer president.

Agreeing with Mr. Katz, can you give us more information?

In other words, guest Marion, we need more information in order to give you a “yes“ or “no” answer! For now, the answer is “it depends“. Or “Maybe”.

My concern is the same as that of Mr. Merritt. If this organization is subject to state (or local) open meetings laws, changing the agenda in this manner may not be permitted.

We really need to know the answer to Mr. Merritt’s question in order to better help you. The removal from office procedures in RONR can be rather complex or relatively simple, depending on certain language in your bylaws. The chapter on discipline, for example, chapter XX, is 26 pages long.

In addition to the excellent questions posed above by Mr. Martin, I want to drill down further on one of them: who is this nonmember who is conducting the board meetings and how and why and by whom was he selected to do so? I agree with Mr. Martin that this board needs to take back control of its meetings and probably select a new presiding officer quickly.

The secretary needs to do everything reasonably possible to “find“ the bylaws. Since for some reason the secretary seems reluctant to do so, I suggest a small committee be created to find a copy of the bylaws. I bet a copy exists somewhere. If no copy can be located, then the Society should adopt a new set of bylaws.

No, not if the recommendation came from a committee of more than one person. Pursuant to RONR, recommendations from committees of more than one person which are made by the chairman or the member presenting the report do not require a second.

So if the bylaw language is just surplusage and changes nothing, why would you count an abstention as a no vote?

I agree with Mr. Martin that the nominating committee technically can be selected at any time and the date or timing is usually determined by the organization’s bylaws or custom. However, it has been my experience that the vast majority of groups that I work with select their nominating committees later in the year, not at the same time that the officers are elected or take office. Perhaps Mr. Martin‘s experience is different. I thought my original answer made that point, but perhaps it wasn’t as clear as I thought.

It means: that you have agreed to go along with whatever the majority wants. You have acquiesced. You have not affirmatively voted either yes or no. You have simply not participated. You have acquiesced. There are times, such as when a vote is based on the number of members present rather than the number of members voting, that an abstention might have the EFFECT of a no vote, but it is most definitely not a vote at all and should not be counted as such.

No. Unless you have a rule to the contrary, motions must be made at and during meetings. Prior to the meeting, a member can announce his intent to make a motion at the meeting, but the motion itself must be made at the meeting.

I agree that based on additional facts these meetings might indeed be regular meetings rather than special meetings. As such, the date, time and location must be provided in the meeting notice, but not necessarily the purpose of the meeting or the items of business to be taken up.