voting threshold

[Guest Guest SK]

What does Robert's say about requiring a vote threshold to be reasonable? If it is too high, the organization cannot vote on issues or function.

[Tim Wynn]

What does Robert's say about requiring a vote threshold to be reasonable? If it is too high, the organization cannot vote on issues or function.

RONR sets the voting requirement for all the motions contained in it. If a society wishes to set a vote requirement in its bylaws, that would overrule RONR, and in its bylaws an organization may adopt any rule it wishes, even deviating from parliamentary law. See RONR(10th ed.), p. 10, l. 11-16.

[David A Foulkes]

What does Robert's say about requiring a vote threshold to be reasonable? If it is too high, the organization cannot vote on issues or function.

What is it about voting thresholds that you think is unreasonably high? Does your organization have some specific voting requirements beyond what is prescribed by RONR? Main motions and many others "only" require a majority of votes cast, thus lending to the concept of "majority rule". That is, more members vote for a motion than against it. Perhaps your organization has a different concept it operates under?

[Guest guest sk]

The question is when a vote threshold is so high that you will never achieve it and thus not be able to pass the motion (or issue) because you can never achieve that high threshold (2/3)?

[Tim Wynn]

The question is when a vote threshold is so high that you will never achieve it and thus not be able to pass the motion (or issue) because you can never achieve that high threshold (2/3)?

You may be confusing a 2/3 vote with a vote of 2/3 of the entire membership. Perhaps Mr. Foulkes will give a nice example of the difference.

[David A Foulkes]

The question is when a vote threshold is so high that you will never achieve it and thus not be able to pass the motion (or issue) because you can never achieve that high threshold (2/3)?

Certain motions require a 2/3 vote, often because they restrict members rights, such as bring debate to a close, or changing a motion that was previously adopted. If enough members wish to adopt such a motion, they would vote for it. If not, the motion will be defeated, and that's probably as it should be, as the membership has spoken.

[Guest Guest]

The organization requires a 2/3 vote (in person or by proxy) of all members to pass a dues increase and they never get that many to send in the proxy or come to the meetings. Thus, it is impossible to get the dues increased.

[David A Foulkes]

I think the membership has spoken. "Read my lips: no dues increase!"

Now, if you think the bylaws can be amended to lower that voting threshold, that's another option, if the vote to amend can be attained.

[Shmuel Gerber]

What does Robert's say about requiring a vote threshold to be reasonable? If it is too high, the organization cannot vote on issues or function.

The organization requires a 2/3 vote (in person or by proxy) of all members to pass a dues increase and they never get that many to send in the proxy or come to the meetings. Thus, it is impossible to get the dues increased.

"The vote of a majority of the entire membership is frequently an alternative to a requirement of previous notice, and is required in order to rescind and expunge from the minutes (see p. 299). Otherwise, prescribing such a requirement is generally unsatisfactory in an assembly of an ordinary society, since it is likely to be impossible to get a majority of the entire membership even to attend a given meeting, although in certain instances it may be appropriate in conventions or in permanent boards where the members are obligated to attend the meetings."

--RONR (10th ed.), p. 391.