election and order of business

[Guest loose]

Situation: You have an annual meeting whose main purpose is to elect a new board. The bylaws stipulate that the annual meeting take place on this day and that elections take place.

This would make the election a special order, right? So it would come before new business, right?

What if the membership would like to set up term limits on officers? How would you bring up before the election if the election is first on the docket? Of course, it will be another year before you get a chance to set up term limits on the officers and members need to know what term of office they are electing people to.

In order to interrupt the election maybe I would raise a question of privilege...??

[J. J.]

When the election becomes pending, move to postpone it until after the assembly considers an amendment to the bylaws to set term limits.

[Matt Schafer]

loose, you are correct in that an election specified in the bylaws to occur during a particular meeting should come up under special orders in the standard order of business. That means it comes up before new business.

In addition to J. J.'s suggestion, another option is to move to suspend the rules to consider a bylaw amendment. This requires a two-thirds vote; J. J.'s technique requires only a majority vote.

But either way, you'll need to follow the amendment process dictated in the bylaws. If that process requires previous notice, then the assembly wouldn't be able to amend the bylaws to add term limits unless notice has already been properly given.

[David A Foulkes]

Additionally, whatever amendment to the bylaws would be desired to affect term limits can be adopted next year and still be "effective", assuming terms are multi-year. That is, a board officer in his third term at the time a two-term limit bylaw amendment is adopted would be unceremoniously dis-membered from the board upon the chair's announcement of the vote result. This would at least be one option if you haven't left enough time to abide by the amendment process requirements (notice, etc) for this year.

[Tim Wynn]

Additionally, whatever amendment to the bylaws would be desired to affect term limits can be adopted next year and still be "effective", assuming terms are multi-year. That is, a board officer in his third term at the time a two-term limit bylaw amendment is adopted would be unceremoniously dis-membered from the board upon the chair's announcement of the vote result. This would at least be one option if you haven't left enough time to abide by the amendment process requirements (notice, etc) for this year.

RONR (10th ed.), p. 579, l. 18-22, should be consulted in connection with this procedure... for as long as the Tenth is applicable.