Voting

[Guest EMILY]

On our Board of Directors we have an executive board which consist of the President, the Vice President, the Treasurer, the Secertary and the Past President. Then the rest of the board is a group of 6 directors. We have a question on if the regular voting is done by mojoraty of the vote wins then when the executive board does a vote just them then is it majority or unnonammous?

[Guest Emily]

On our Board of Directors we have an executive board which consist of the President, the Vice President, the Treasurer, the Secertary and the Past President. Then the rest of the board is a group of 6 directors. We have a question on if the regular voting is done by mojoraty of the vote wins then when the executive board does a vote just them then is it majority or unnonammous?

[/quot

What we have is an issue on the fact that the Board voted on spending some money a certain way. Now we would like to change it and called for the board to vote on the new spending of the same amount just different way. Do we need a unnonammous vote or just the majority?

[Gary Novosielski]

On our Board of Directors we have an executive board which consist of the President, the Vice President, the Treasurer, the Secertary and the Past President. Then the rest of the board is a group of 6 directors. We have a question on if the regular voting is done by mojoraty of the vote wins then when the executive board does a vote just them then is it majority or unnonammous?

[/quot

What we have is an issue on the fact that the Board voted on spending some money a certain way. Now we would like to change it and called for the board to vote on the new spending of the same amount just different way. Do we need a unnonammous vote or just the majority?

On your board you have a board and then some others? That's unclear.

Do you mean that you have a Board of Directors of eleven members, and an Executive Committee (a subset of the board) of five?

In any case, a majority vote is required for any ordinary main motion to be adopted, whether at a meeting of a board, an executive committee, or a committee (either standing or select). For that matter, the same is true at a meeting of the general Membership. Unanimous votes are not required.

Who is the "we" who want to change things--the Membership of the society? If so, you don't have to "call for" the board to vote again. You can simply meet yourselves and vote to reverse or amend their decision, as long as the money has not already been spent. It's a motion to Rescind (or Amend Something Previously Adopted) (RONR p. 293 ff.), and it requires a majority vote if previous notice is given or, without notice, either a 2/3 vote or a majority of the entire Membership.

[hmtcastle]

On our Board of Directors we have an executive board which consist of the President, the Vice President, the Treasurer, the Secertary and the Past President. Then the rest of the board is a group of 6 directors. We have a question on if the regular voting is done by mojoraty of the vote wins then when the executive board does a vote just them then is it majority or unnonammous?

What we have is an issue on the fact that the Board voted on spending some money a certain way. Now we would like to change it and called for the board to vote on the new spending of the same amount just different way. Do we need a unnonammous vote or just the majority?

Your smaller "executive board" is what RONR calls an executive committee (a "board within a board"). It's less confusing than referring to two "boards".

That said, most ordinary motions need only a majority vote for adoption. A few require a two-thirds vote but none require a unanimous vote.

If the general membership wants to amend a motion adopted by the board, it requires either a two-thirds vote, the vote of a majority of the (entire general) membership, or, with previous notice, only a majority vote. See Official Interpretation 2006-13.

[Josh Martin]

On our Board of Directors we have an executive board which consist of the President, the Vice President, the Treasurer, the Secertary and the Past President. Then the rest of the board is a group of 6 directors.

Okay, so you have an Executive Board and a Board of Directors.

We have a question on if the regular voting is done by mojoraty of the vote wins then when the executive board does a vote just them then is it majority or unnonammous?

The basic threshold for voting is a majority vote regardless of what assembly is meeting. RONR never requires a unanimous vote (although in some very rare cases it requires unanimous consent).

What we have is an issue on the fact that the Board voted on spending some money a certain way. Now we would like to change it and called for the board to vote on the new spending of the same amount just different way. Do we need a unnonammous vote or just the majority?

If you have two boards it's probably best to say more than just "the board" when you refer to one of them. Which board voted on spending the money and who wants to change it? This makes a huge difference in the answer.

[Guest Stacey]

What is the rule for voting on the Minutes of a Meeting? Can a Chairman Emeritus vote on the minutes of a meeting? What is the process?

E

[Gary Novosielski]

In the future, please ask a new question as a new topic.

What is the rule for voting on the Minutes of a Meeting? Can a Chairman Emeritus vote on the minutes of a meeting? What is the process?

Normally, approval of minutes can be done by unanimous consent, without the need for a vote. The chair announces that the question is on the approval of minutes, and asks if there are any corrections to the minutes. Members may offer corrections, which if there is no objection, are made by the secretary. When there are no (more) corrections, the chair announces that the minutes stand approved as (read or) corrected. The only time a vote is needed is when members disagree on what the minutes should say. Majority rules.

Whether the Chairman Emeritus can vote depends on whether he is a member of the body that is approving the minutes. Members vote. Non-members do not--whether the question is on minutes or anything else.

[gregory]

Gary,

Do you have a page reference in RONR reguiring a vote on approval of the minutes where there is

disagreement? And if so, why a majority?

Also, is there any page reference addressing members voting to approve or

not approve minutes when some of those voting members weren't actually in attendance at that perticular meeting where they are voting to approve...point being, they can't or shouldn't actually

vote to approve or disapprove if they weren't there to confirm either or...right?

In the future, please ask a new question as a new topic.

Normally, approval of minutes can be done by unanimous consent, without the need for a vote. The chair announces that the question is on the approval of minutes, and asks if there are any corrections to the minutes. Members may offer corrections, which if there is no objection, are made by the secretary. When there are no (more) corrections, the chair announces that the minutes stand approved as (read or) corrected. The only time a vote is needed is when members disagree on what the minutes should say. Majority rules.

Whether the Chairman Emeritus can vote depends on whether he is a member of the body that is approving the minutes. Members vote. Non-members do not--whether the question is on minutes or anything else.

[Gary Novosielski]

Do you have a page reference in RONR requiring a vote on approval of the minutes where there is disagreement? And if so, why a majority?

(RONR p. 343, l. 10-28 and Tinted p. 18)

And why not a majority? That is the default voting requirement for virtually all business, except where the rights of a minority are abridged.

Also, is there any page reference addressing members voting to approve or not approve minutes when some of those voting members weren't actually in attendance at that perticular meeting where they are voting to approve...point being, they can't or shouldn't actually vote to approve or disapprove if they weren't there to confirm either or...right?

No. Not right.

Members who were not present at a meeting have as much right as any other member to vote on the approval of those minutes, if a formal motion is actually made. There is no page reference, because there is no such rule as you described.

[Josh Martin]

Do you have a page reference in RONR reguiring a vote on approval of the minutes where there is disagreement?

A vote is never required for the final vote on approval of the minutes, but a vote may be needed if there is disagreement on a particular correction. (RONR, 10th ed., pg.

And if so, why a majority?

Majority vote is the basic requirement for decision-making in a deliberative assembly. There is no reason the default would not apply here.

Also, is there any page reference addressing members voting to approve or not approve minutes when some of those voting members weren't actually in attendance at that perticular meeting where they are voting to approve...point being, they can't or shouldn't actually vote to approve or disapprove if they weren't there to confirm either or...right?

Once again, you should not take a vote on the final approval of the minutes. If one is taken, however, members are free to vote. Members are also free to vote on corrections. The bottom line is that members have the right to vote, period. (RONR, 10th ed., pg. 3, lines 8-12)

[tctheatc]

..point being, they can't or shouldn't actually vote to approve or disapprove if they weren't there to confirm either or...right?

Wrong, and you need to put that notion out of your head. All things being equal, members have the right to vote. Whether or not they are informed when voting, or voting intelligently, it doesn't matter. maybe someone wants to vote to approve the minutes (or an amendment to them) because they trust the person offering the motion. Maybe they just want to get that business done and over with. Would you preclude someone from voting on a motion to have donuts at next month's meeting if they were on a diet and wouldn't be eating any?

members can vote on business before the assembly.

[gregory]

Sounds good. Thanks.

Wrong, and you need to put that notion out of your head. All things being equal, members have the right to vote. Whether or not they are informed when voting, or voting intelligently, it doesn't matter. maybe someone wants to vote to approve the minutes (or an amendment to them) because they trust the person offering the motion. Maybe they just want to get that business done and over with. Would you preclude someone from voting on a motion to have donuts at next month's meeting if they were on a diet and wouldn't be eating any?

members can vote on business before the assembly.

[Gary Novosielski]

...point being, they can't or shouldn't actually vote to approve or disapprove if they weren't there to confirm either or...right?

Here's a good example of why someone who was not present at a meeting should be allowed to offer corrections:

Suppose you were absent from last month's meeting, but when the minutes were presented they said you had made some motion at that meeting. Wouldn't you feel confident in offering a correction to the minutes, even though you weren't there?