Nominations

[Guest Sharleen]

Club notice went out opening nominations with information and the deadline for the Nominating Committee to accept nominations. Membership was given 15 business days notice of the election meeting (Bylaws). Nominations are now closed.

Our Bylaws were revised and accepted at a special meeting of the membership. The revision went into effect immediately. In the previous bylaws, it stated nominations will be taken from the floor. In the revised bylaws, it was deleted.

The revised new bylaws is posted on our website and the prior to that a mailing went out with the proposed revision. We won't be asking for nominations from the floor but if someone asks, do we just say that nominations will not be taken from the floor? The deadline for nominations was June 1st.

[hmtcastle]

We won't be asking for nominations from the floor but if someone asks, do we just say that nominations will not be taken from the floor?

If your bylaws say nothing about nominations from the floor, they should be asked for and accepted per RONR.

I assume the deadline you referred to was a deadline for the nominating committee, not for nominations per se.

In any case, members should also be free to vote for (i.e. "write in") persons who weren't nominated at all.

[Rob Elsman]

Club notice went out opening nominations with information and the deadline for the Nominating Committee to accept nominations. Membership was given 15 business days notice of the election meeting (Bylaws). Nominations are now closed.

Our Bylaws were revised and accepted at a special meeting of the membership. The revision went into effect immediately. In the previous bylaws, it stated nominations will be taken from the floor. In the revised bylaws, it was deleted.

The revised new bylaws is posted on our website and the prior to that a mailing went out with the proposed revision. We won't be asking for nominations from the floor but if someone asks, do we just say that nominations will not be taken from the floor? The deadline for nominations was June 1st.

If RONR is the club's parliamentary authority, the chair is required to call for nominations from the floor after the nominating committee has presented its final report. RONR (10th ed.), p. 421, ll. 6-20.

[Guest Sharleen]

Club notice went out opening nominations with information and the deadline for the Nominating Committee to accept nominations. Membership was given 15 business days notice of the election meeting (Bylaws). Nominations are now closed.

Our Bylaws were revised and accepted at a special meeting of the membership. The revision went into effect immediately. In the previous bylaws, it stated nominations will be taken from the floor. In the revised bylaws, it was deleted.

The revised new bylaws is posted on our website and the prior to that a mailing went out with the proposed revision. We won't be asking for nominations from the floor but if someone asks, do we just say that nominations will not be taken from the floor? The deadline for nominations was June 1st.

So, we should have stated in the bylaws that "Nominations WILL NOT be taken from the floor"? We plan to conduct elections as usual but not ask for nominations from the floor. Everyone had the opportunity to submit nominations. I thought in Robert's Rules, nominations can be conducted with or without nominations from the floor.

[Rob Elsman]

So, we should have stated in the bylaws that "Nominations WILL NOT be taken from the floor"? We plan to conduct elections as usual but not ask for nominations from the floor. Everyone had the opportunity to submit nominations. I thought in Robert's Rules, nominations can be conducted with or without nominations from the floor.

For most ordinary societies, the general law is the best procedure. What harm do you perceive there will be if nominations from the floor are called for?

[hmtcastle]

Everyone had the opportunity to submit nominations.

Everyone had the opportunity to submit names (not nominations) to the nominating committee but the nominating committee was free to accept or reject those suggestions when making its report and the report of the nominating committee is just the first step in the electoral process, not the last word.

[Guest Sharleen]

For most ordinary societies, the general law is the best procedure. What harm do you perceive there will be if nominations from the floor are called for?

A group (past board members/officers) of the membership have had a different agenda for our nonprofit organization. Some may try to bring in "their own" with nominations from the floor at the last minute and sway the vote. People have been nominated and the names have been posted. Everyone had the opportunity to nominate and run for a position. We want to be transparent - just seems like this is a good way for us.

[Guest Sharleen]

Everyone had the opportunity to submit names (not nominations) to the nominating committee but the nominating committee was free to accept or reject those suggestions when making its report and the report of the nominating committee is just the first step in the electoral process, not the last word.

The membership submitted "Nominations" for positions on the board and the Nominating Committee accepted the nominations as long as they met the qualifications according to our bylaws. No nominations came in after the deadline.

[Rob Elsman]

A group (past board members/officers) of the membership have had a different agenda for our nonprofit organization. Some may try to bring in "their own" with nominations from the floor at the last minute and sway the vote. People have been nominated and the names have been posted. Everyone had the opportunity to nominate and run for a position. We want to be transparent - just seems like this is a good way for us.

If debate on the "posted" nominations brings out that two are convicted felons and the third is on the lam, wouldn't it be nice to focus on a fourth? I'm exaggerating for fun, of course, but it might, in fact, occur that general dissatisfaction with the "posted" nominations might cause a "dark horse" (white knight?) to be nominated from the floor.

[hmtcastle]

the Nominating Committee accepted the nominations as long as they met the qualifications according to our bylaws

Well, you of course have to follow your bylaws but that's not the usual role of a nominating committee (which is to nominate the person it thinks "best" for each open office). If it simply "rubber stamps" all eligible candidates there's really no need for such a committee since, by definition, only eligible candidates can serve.

[Gary Novosielski]

A group (past board members/officers) of the membership have had a different agenda for our nonprofit organization. Some may try to bring in "their own" with nominations from the floor at the last minute and sway the vote.

Right. That's called "democracy".

People have been nominated and the names have been posted. Everyone had the opportunity to nominate and run for a position. We want to be transparent - just seems like this is a good way for us.

And that sounds like "we are frightened by democracy".

[Josh Martin]

So, we should have stated in the bylaws that "Nominations WILL NOT be taken from the floor"?

Well, if you wish to continue with having a Nominating Committee with no nominations from the floor, yes. Since the Nominating Committee seems to be a fairly useless step in the process, however, it may be best to just switch to nominations by mail.

I thought in Robert's Rules, nominations can be conducted with or without nominations from the floor.

This is correct, however, if a Nominating Committee is used, nominations from the floor must be allowed unless the organization's rules state otherwise. It may be best for your society to switch to nominations by mail, since that seems to essentially be what you're doing anyway. The "Nominating Committee" appears to serve no useful role in the process - unless, I suppose, the qualifications in your Bylaws are so complex that it takes an entire committee to determine if a candidate is qualified.

[Guest Sharleen]

Well, if you wish to continue with having a Nominating Committee with no nominations from the floor, yes. Since the Nominating Committee seems to be a fairly useless step in the process, however, it may be best to just switch to nominations by mail.

This is correct, however, if a Nominating Committee is used, nominations from the floor must be allowed unless the organization's rules state otherwise. It may be best for your society to switch to nominations by mail, since that seems to essentially be what you're doing anyway. The "Nominating Committee" appears to serve no useful role in the process - unless, I suppose, the qualifications in your Bylaws are so complex that it takes an entire committee to determine if a candidate is qualified.

I think that the Nominating Committee's role has been adopted in a different way - different from what you all have been stating about the committee. In all the organizations I have been part of, the membership calls-in, emails, or mails-in the names (nominees) for a position on the Board to anyone on the Nominating Committee. If the nominees meet the qualifications (bylaws) to run for an elected position, that name is listed on the ballot. The Committee makes sure the person is a current member of the club, etc. If nominations are not submitted for the different positions, the committee will seek nominations to complete a slate. After the deadline, the Nominating Chairman presents the slate to the President who then presents it to the membership. The membership had been notified of the deadline and the date of the general meeting/election. This is how the process has always been handed down. Again, we would ask once if there were any nominations from the floor because it was in our bylaws. Even though that part has been deleted in the revised bylaws (with the idea of not taking nominations from the floor), you all are saying that it should be asked anyway. If we would have put the wording, it would then be understood and known and wouldn't have to ask. Correct?

[Sean Hunt]

I think that the Nominating Committee's role has been adopted in a different way - different from what you all have been stating about the committee. In all the organizations I have been part of, the membership calls-in, emails, or mails-in the names (nominees) for a position on the Board to anyone on the Nominating Committee. If the nominees meet the qualifications (bylaws) to run for an elected position, that name is listed on the ballot. The Committee makes sure the person is a current member of the club, etc. If nominations are not submitted for the different positions, the committee will seek nominations to complete a slate. After the deadline, the Nominating Chairman presents the slate to the President who then presents it to the membership. The membership had been notified of the deadline and the date of the general meeting/election. This is how the process has always been handed down. Again, we would ask once if there were any nominations from the floor because it was in our bylaws. Even though that part has been deleted in the revised bylaws (with the idea of not taking nominations from the floor), you all are saying that it should be asked anyway. If we would have put the wording, it would then be understood and known and wouldn't have to ask. Correct?

By RONR, it should. Given that the Nominating Committee isn't really making nominations but rather vetting them, though, it seems like it would be reasonable to disallow nominations from the floor. In order to do that, it would have to be done explicitly.

[Josh Martin]

Even though that part has been deleted in the revised bylaws (with the idea of not taking nominations from the floor), you all are saying that it should be asked anyway.

Replace "should" with "must" and you are accurately summarizing the responses.

If we would have put the wording, it would then be understood and known and wouldn't have to ask. Correct?

If you explicitly place in the Bylaws that there shall be no nominations from the floor, then that's that. If you're really serious about this issue, you may want to prohibit write-in votes as well.