Guest Pacer Posted March 29, 2011 at 10:01 PM Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 at 10:01 PM In the absence of authority in an organization's bylaws which purports to follow Robert's Rules, can a nominating committee ignore nominations of qualified members from the membership for an executive position? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted March 29, 2011 at 10:05 PM Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 at 10:05 PM Well, I suppose the committee can (it is usually the committee's job to make a selection from possibilities), but come election day/night, the association cannot ignore nominations from the floor. So nominate your friend(s) then, if the committee declines to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted March 29, 2011 at 10:06 PM Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 at 10:06 PM In the absence of authority in an organization's bylaws which purports to follow Robert's Rules, can a nominating committee ignore nominations of qualified members from the membership for an executive position?The nominating committee is under no obligation to nominate a specific person just because a member suggested him. The Committee makes its nominations and then floor nominations need to be asked for by the Chair (of the assembly-not the committee).Edited to fill that "not" hole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmtcastle Posted March 29, 2011 at 10:31 PM Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 at 10:31 PM The nominating committee is under obligation to nominate a specific person just because a member suggested him.The not-hole strikes again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted March 29, 2011 at 10:36 PM Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 at 10:36 PM In the absence of authority in an organization's bylaws which purports to follow Robert's Rules, can a nominating committee ignore nominations of qualified members from the membership for an executive position?The role of the nominating committee under RONR is to nominate the individuals who, in the committee's opinion, are the "best" candidates for each position. Other individuals may be nominated from the floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pacer Posted March 29, 2011 at 10:46 PM Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 at 10:46 PM Seems like I am getting widely variant responses to my question. I thought the role of a nominating committee was to ensure individuals nominated were qualified and had consented to be considered for the position. There were 17 nominations for a position and the committee removed two qualified names and want to submit a slate of 15. I am concerned that since this particular election is being held with mail-in ballots, the two idnividuals removed will not get their prper consideration by the membership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted March 29, 2011 at 11:08 PM Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 at 11:08 PM The not-hole strikes again.Yeah it did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Wynn Posted March 29, 2011 at 11:12 PM Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 at 11:12 PM Seems like I am getting widely variant responses to my question.No, you're not, taking in to consideration that Chris H forgot to include the word "not" in his answer, and being mindful of the fact that the nominating committee does not control nominations... it simply nominates a candidate for each position. It is up to the members to make the rest of the nominations in a meeting, after the nominating committee has reported its selections, and the nominating committee has no power to "reject" a nomination from a member or to prevent a member from making a nomination. After the committee reports its selections, it ceases to exist. Your nominating committee should have nothing more to do with the election and nothing to do with the ballots or further nominations. See RONR(10th ed.), p. 421. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted March 29, 2011 at 11:18 PM Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 at 11:18 PM Seems like I am getting widely variant responses to my question. I thought the role of a nominating committee was to ensure individuals nominated were qualified and had consented to be considered for the position. There were 17 nominations for a position and the committee removed two qualified names and want to submit a slate of 15. I am concerned that since this particular election is being held with mail-in ballots, the two idnividuals removed will not get their prper consideration by the membership.The job of the nominating committee is to nominate people for the positions up for election. While they should choose who they think is best for the job it is not their job to decide who is qualified (sometimes someone who may not be as qualified may do a better job then someone who is very qualified) or ensure that the candidate would be willing to serve (though asking is not a bad idea). Of course, the assembly is free to instruct the committee to vet any possible candidates for qualifications and only submit the names of those who fit certain qualifications and have agreed to accept nomination/election but that is not the default job description under RONR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert B Fish Posted March 29, 2011 at 11:42 PM Report Share Posted March 29, 2011 at 11:42 PM The root problem for the operation of any nominating committee is frequently found when their power is absolute. Look around and see if the organization functions by almost never having a nomination from outside the nominating committee and never having such a candidate actually bel eelcted. Either such an organization is extremely fortunate in having such a long string of perfectly functioning nominating committees or the organization is headed down the tubes because it is unable to renew itself through the election of officers who will steer the group in new, better directions. Those organizations will be postng their woes on thie forum in a few years, complaining that they cannot get anyone to serve in office or that their president is a dictator. [dismount soapbox]-Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted March 30, 2011 at 12:19 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 at 12:19 AM I thought the role of a nominating committee was to ensure individuals nominated were qualified and had consented to be considered for the position.So far as RONR is concerned, this is not correct. It is possible that your organization's rules provide otherwise. If so, it will be up to your organization to interpret its customized rules. See RONR, 10th ed., pgs. 570-573 for some Principles of Interpretation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmtcastle Posted March 30, 2011 at 12:23 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 at 12:23 AM I thought the role of a nominating committee was to ensure individuals nominated were qualified and had consented to be considered for the position.Nope. The role of the nominating committee is to nominate. Usually just one candidate for each open office. Additional candidates may then be nominated "from the floor". And members can even vote for candidates who weren't nominated at all (by casting a "write-in" vote). Determining eligibility (as opposed to being qualified) is the general responsibility of the membership and, I suppose, the particular responsibility of the president.In short, the only nominee that that nominating committee should be concerned with is the one it selects. Once it's done that its work is done and it dissolves into the mist until the next election cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted March 30, 2011 at 12:42 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 at 12:42 AM Seems like I am getting widely variant responses to my question. No, it looked to me like everyone agreed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim Goldsworthy Posted March 30, 2011 at 12:47 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 at 12:47 AM In the absence of authority in an organization's bylaws which purports to follow Robert's Rules, can a nominating committee ignore nominations of qualified members from the membership, for an executive position?Yes.The Nom. Comm. may ignore any and all such people.Just because Person P is "qualified", that by itself carries zero weight, in the parliamentary sense of binding a Nom. Comm. to regurgitate that name on its report.That "qualified" person may not be the best person for the job.And the Nom. Comm. is free to use its best judgment as to what single name to put up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David A Foulkes Posted March 30, 2011 at 12:55 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 at 12:55 AM Seems like I am getting widely variant responses to my question. I thought the role of a nominating committee was to ensure individuals nominated were qualified and had consented to be considered for the position. There were 17 nominations for a position and the committee removed two qualified names and want to submit a slate of 15. I am concerned that since this particular election is being held with mail-in ballots, the two idnividuals removed will not get their prper consideration by the membership.So, just to be clear..... this election is being conduct by mail-in ballots only? And you have 15 (or 17) nominations for a single position? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted March 30, 2011 at 01:10 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 at 01:10 AM So, just to be clear..... this election is being conduct by mail-in ballots only? And you have 15 (or 17) nominations for a single position?Well this will be one time we won't hear complaints that there are no nominees for a position. On the other hand they might have a problem with someone getting a majority vote with so many names to choose from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted March 30, 2011 at 01:39 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 at 01:39 AM There were 17 nominations for a position and the committee removed two qualified names and want to submit a slate of 15. Wait, are you really saying the nominating committee is submitting 17 names for ONE POSITION? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmtcastle Posted March 30, 2011 at 01:41 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 at 01:41 AM Wait, are you really saying the nominating committee is submitting 17 names for ONE POSITION?Actually, it looks like the nominating committee whittled down the list to "just" fifteen candidates. And the question is whether the whittling was proper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted March 30, 2011 at 04:13 AM Report Share Posted March 30, 2011 at 04:13 AM Wait, are you really saying the nominating committee is submitting 17 names for ONE POSITION?It appears that the nominating committee believes that its role is a sort of "screening committee," and its job is simply to determine whether a particular candidate is, in its opinion, "qualified," rather than selecting the "best" candidate. The original poster, on the other hand, believes the role of the nominating committee is simply to determine whether a particular candidate is qualified in accordance with the organization's rules and to verify that the candidate has agreed to be nominated. The tension between these viewpoints is heightened since it appears that the nominating committee, the original poster, and the rest of the organization believe that the nominating committee is supposed to be the first, last, and only say in the nominating process, and this is made a reality due to the lack of any other mechanism for members to make nominations. In such an environment, the nominating committee is given an undue amount of influence over the election.Of course, none of this has any basis in RONR. It's unclear whether it has any basis in the organization's rules, or if the organization is simply doing it wrong. At any rate, it's likely too late to do anything now other than start a write-in campaign for the one or both of the individuals who didn't make it (if some members believe they are preferable to the other 15 candidates). Since an error in the nominating process will not cause a continuing breach, it will be too late to raise a Point of Order after the election is over, and it seems there will not be a meeting prior to the election. The members might just have to deal with it for now and try and to get it right next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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