Need help explaining why committee chairs don't have a vote

[Guest Guest]

I am chair of the bylaws committee for a non-profit professional organization. In this organization, Committee chairs do not have the right to vote on Board business, unless they also serve on the Board in another capacity (i.e. they have been elected by the membership to be an officer or Director).

I'm assuming that this scenario is the norm. Is this correct?

Here's the background:

The chair of another committee is upset that she is not allowed to cast a vote during Board meetings. She feels that the all committee chairs should have the right to vote, and is suggesting that we change our bylaws to allow it. I'm assuming that the primary reason committee chairs are not voting Board members is because they are appointed to their positions by our Chair, they not elected to their positions through a democratic process to which the entire membership contributes. Thus they should not have the right to vote because they are not necessarily serving the interests of the membership.

Also, if committee chairs did have the vote, their numbers would nearly equal that of the voting Board members which doesn't seem democratic.

[Tim Wynn]

I am chair of the bylaws committee for a non-profit professional organization. In this organization, Committee chairs do not have the right to vote on Board business, unless they also serve on the Board in another capacity (i.e. they have been elected by the membership to be an officer or Director).

I'm assuming that this scenario is the norm. Is this correct?

Here's the background:

The chair of another committee is upset that she is not allowed to cast a vote during Board meetings. She feels that the all committee chairs should have the right to vote, and is suggesting that we change our bylaws to allow it. I'm assuming that the primary reason committee chairs are not voting Board members is because they are appointed to their positions by our Chair, they not elected to their positions through a democratic process to which the entire membership contributes. Thus they should not have the right to vote because they are not necessarily serving the interests of the membership.

Also, if committee chairs did have the vote, their numbers would nearly equal that of the voting Board members which doesn't seem democratic.

According to RONR, only members of the board have the right to vote at a board meeting, but it seems that both you and your opposition understand that. As for amending the bylaws, it's up to your organization to decide what they should say. There is no universal right or wrong concerning this; your organization will have to decide what it wants. Your arguments against it seem valid.

[g40]

Maybe you are making this more complicated than it needs to be. At a Board meeting, members of the board vote. Those who are not board members do not vote. If a person (in this case the upset committee chair) wants to vote at a Board meeting, she should try to become a board member.

[Josh Martin]

I am chair of the bylaws committee for a non-profit professional organization. In this organization, Committee chairs do not have the right to vote on Board business, unless they also serve on the Board in another capacity (i.e. they have been elected by the membership to be an officer or Director).

I'm assuming that this scenario is the norm. Is this correct?

Well, only board members vote on the board. That much is the norm. Who the members of the board are varies from organization to organization. Some organizations do have the committee chairs serve as ex-officio board members. Others don't. It's ultimately up to your organization.

I'm assuming that the primary reason committee chairs are not voting Board members is because they are appointed to their positions by our Chair, they not elected to their positions through a democratic process to which the entire membership contributes. Thus they should not have the right to vote because they are not necessarily serving the interests of the membership.

Also, if committee chairs did have the vote, their numbers would nearly equal that of the voting Board members which doesn't seem democratic.

These are certainly common reasons why some organizations choose not to have committee chairs be ex-officio members of the board.