George Mervosh

I certainly hope not.

RONR offers no suggestions for this type of situation.

No rule in RONR prohibits it, but it's probably a good idea to have a friend do it instead.

As far as RONR is concerned, you are correct. "As indicated on page 21, a quorum in an assembly is the number of members (see definition, p. 3) who must be present in order that business can be validly transacted. The quorum refers to the number of members present, not to the number actually voting on a particular question. " RONR (11th ed.), p. 345 Also, see http://www.robertsrules.com/faq.html#9

" A society has the right to determine who may be present at its meetings and to control its hall while meetings are in progress; but all members have the right to attend except in cases where the bylaws provide for the automatic suspension of members who fall in arrears in payment of their dues, or where the society has, by vote and as a penalty imposed for a specific offense, forbidden attendance." "Nonmembers, on the other hand—or a particular nonmember or group of nonmembers—can be excluded at any time from part or all of a meeting of a society, or from all of its meetings. Such exclusion can be effected by a ruling of the chair in cases of disorder, or by the adoption of a rule on the subject, or by an appropriate motion as the need arises—a motion of the latter nature being a question of privilege (19). A motion to exclude all nonmembers (except absolutely necessary staff, if any) is often referred to as a motion to "go into executive session" (see 9)." RONR (11th ed.), pp. 644-645

As to your first question, RONR doesn't say, but the membership controls their meeting and they may exclude any or all non-members any time they wish to. The board has no rights, collectively, at a meeting of the membership.

Agreeing with Mr. Honemann, you're probably better of starting with RONR In Brief to begin familiarizing yourself with the rules in RONR before you dive into the deep end that is the 11th edition. http://www.robertsrules.com/book.html As a friend of ours used to say - "I expect I'm not alone in suggesting emphatically that you first get your RONR - In Brief, without delay, and read it at once. I keep saying, if you go to a store to buy it, read it standing there. Maybe move away from in front of the cashier, to allow the other customers to buy their copies. It should take you an hour or so, unless you're a college graduate -- they can take all day, tomorrow also if they have to tie their shoelaces themselves. If you're on a lunch break, you'll just have to get back a little late. If people are depending on you to feed them -- relax, they won't starve. If you're there by car, give your keys to that cashier, who will be allowed to return them to you when you're finished. If you have ordered it by mail, don't take the time to get a box-cutter to open the carton: just have at it with your fangs and claws"

Under the rules in RONR, an adopted main motion that is still applicable can be amended. See §35. RESCIND; AMEND SOMETHING PREVIOUSLY ADOPTED beginning on p. 305 in RONR (11th ed.).

RONR addresses your question: "An organization could suspend the rules, or adopt a special rule of order, so that the nominee with the fewest votes is dropped from the list of nominees for succeeding ballots in the expectation that voters will then confine their choice to the remaining nominees. Only a bylaws provision, however, could make the dropped nominee ineligible for election so as to render illegal any subsequent votes cast for that nominee. (See pp. 430–31.) " RONR (11th ed.), p. 441 footnote.

Oh great. Another thing Mrs. M will remind me is not proper at a table.

I think they are rules of order, just not suspendable ones since they protect absentees.

Please, John, he's just a Fisherman.

It's nice they keep you in the know. I was more struck by the very unfortunate editorial errors on p. 37.

Since you're not voting until October you have time. Don't forget Section 22 to walk you through establishing the adjourned meeting.

No that's wrong. You said your next general meeting is in April. As the cited passage indicates if your next meeting is not within a quarterly time interval (and yours isn't) you need to set up an adjourned meeting in the near future to try and complete the election. If the membership is unwilling to do that then they will need to decide how to interpret that bylaw.

That's fine. "If an assembly wishes to adjourn when an election is incomplete, an adjourned meeting (9) should be provided for. If such an adjourned meeting is not provided for and the organization will hold another regular business session before a quarterly time interval has elapsed (see pp. 89–90), the election is completed at the next regular meeting. " RONR (11th ed.), p. 444 Prior to adjourning the official membership meeting, by majority vote the membership can set the date and time for new meeting in the near future to complete it. See also, §22. FIX THE TIME TO WHICH TO ADJOURN RONR (11th ed.), p. 242ff

At this point, I think the society has an obligation to continue to try and complete the election. When is the next membership meeting? Never mind. I see this is a what if question. If the election is not complete the membership should either complete it at its next meeting or set up an adjourned meeting to complete it.

How can it not be both?

Backing up, Dr. Kapur, see RONR (11th ed.), p. 469, and see the footnote on that page as well.

More facts would be helpful. Explain what you mean by contradict.

Registered Parliamentarian test given by NAP, but around here it's just an inside joke.

I would have missed this one if it was on my RP test, because I was going to say they're stuck.

Under the rules in RONR this matter is left to the discretion of the board, not one member. They can permit or forbid attending and/or speaking. By the way, see this reminder from Mr. Gerber noting you should start a new thread, rather than adding on to a current one. https://robertsrules.forumflash.com/topic/25416-important-read-this-first-faq-and-information-for-new-members-and-guests/

You have a bit of a fundamental problem here, since the Articles you mention are likely from the 4th Edition of Robert's Rules of Order which you're likely viewing online. Those rules you are reading are 103 years old. You need to update to the 11th Edition. See this http://www.robertsrules.com/book.html Try starting with RONR In Brief as an intro before you dive into the big book although the rules in the 11th Edition itself will be applicable when not in conflict with the other rules you mentioned.

"In some organizations all nominations from the floor are completed and nominations are closed for each office before voting for any office takes place. In other organizations, when nominations for one office have been completed, votes are cast for that office and the result is announced before the chair calls for nominations for the next office (see also pp. 439–41). A custom of the organization based on its own conditions should determine which of the two procedures is used. In either case, the different offices are taken in the order in which they are listed in the bylaws." RONR (11th ed.), pp. 435-36