Tallying Votes For An Association Election

[J. J.]

It is not at all uncommon for an assembly to recess for just a few minutes for informal consultations, and I see nothing in the rules or the common practices of ordinary societies to make me think that each of these should be recorded in the minutes. There are instances where they should be; for example, where a recess is taken at the hour prescribed in a previously-adopted program or agenda, it is perfectly proper to enter it on the minutes to document that the assembly conformed.

That could be "standing at ease" without a recess.

In the case of main verses privileged, if no other motion was pending, it would be a main motion to recess.

The rule in RONR seems clear that a recess should be noted in the minutes.

[Shmuel Gerber]

It is not at all uncommon for an assembly to recess for just a few minutes for informal consultations, and I see nothing in the rules or the common practices of ordinary societies to make me think that each of these should be recorded in the minutes. There are instances where they should be; for example, where a recess is taken at the hour prescribed in a previously-adopted program or agenda, it is perfectly proper to enter it on the minutes to document that the assembly conformed.

The scenario in this topic is a perfect example of why RONR says that a recess should be recorded in the minutes -- to reflect (or perhaps establish) the society's custom that a recess is taken to count the election ballots.

[Rob Elsman]

That could be "standing at ease" without a recess.

In the case of main verses privileged, if no other motion was pending, it would be a main motion to recess.

The rule in RONR seems clear that a recess should be noted in the minutes.

The "rule", if you want to call it that, has to do with the nature and purpose of the minutes. There is no need to record things that have absolutely no significance for the future. If there is a reason to think that a genuine need will exist in the future to know whether a recess was taken, then, by all means, record it. Otherwise, leave it out.

[Gary Novosielski]

I see no point in the secretary's notation that the recess occurred without a vote, unless it was a desire to lay the groundwork for a later challenge, or maybe just a little passive-aggressive dig at the way the chair handled it.

If so, the way to handle it would have been to raise a Point of Order at the time.

(I think I should set up a macro key that types the above phrase automatically.)

The chair was wrong to "assume" a recess without checking for consent. Custom may have given him leave to assume the motion, but it is sloppy chairmanship to fail to indicate the right to object every time unanimous consent is--what's the word--invoked?

Here, no timely point of order was raised, there was no continuing breach, and the idea that the results of the election could be voided by whether or not the assembly properly recessed during vote counting is just grasping at straws..