Is a meeting valid if Roberts rules are not followed correctly?

[Guest Deb K]

A meeting was called to order with out the recording secretary present at the start of the meeting and no secretary was appointed to keep minutes.

A vote was taken and the results were not disclosed.

There was no motion that the meeting was to close.

Is this a valid meeting?

[jstackpo]

Were any points of order raised AT THE TIME relating to the procedural problems?

I trust somebody knows what the adopted motion said and which side won the vote.

[Guest Deb K]

two people counted the votes but they were not disclosed and the meeting was not adjourned properly

[Chris Harrison]

two people counted the votes but they were not disclosed

So are you saying that besides these two people who counted the votes no one knows whether the motion was adopted or not? If that is the case and the ballots weren't kept in a secure manner so a recount could be ordered I would say that the vote is invalid because no one besides the two who counted the ballots even knows if the motion was adopted.

and the meeting was not adjourned properly

Since I would assume that people aren't still waiting in the meeting hall for someone to Adjourn the meeting properly they understood that the meeting was over and went home (or wherever they wanted to go).

[David A Foulkes]

two people counted the votes but they were not disclosed and the meeting was not adjourned properly

Where was the Chairman in all of this? Sounds like someone fell asleep at the gavel.

[Guest Deb K]

There was a chairman - he just walked away after the voting ballots were collected.

How should the fact that no minutes were take be addressed?

[Chris Harrison]

How should the fact that no minutes were take be addressed?

If one of the members that was at the meeting is willing he or she should write up what he or she remembers was done and have them ready before the meeting where the minutes are to be approved. At that meeting he or she should present this document as the minutes and they would be treated as the minutes usually are (being subjected to any corrections the members bring up). Of course, if no member is willing to do so the assembly can create a committee to draft the minutes from their recollection but having someone do it beforehand would make things go more quickly. Also, in the future to prevent this from happening again you all should elect a Secretary pro tem who would take the minutes in the Secretary's absence.

[David A Foulkes]

There was a chairman - he just walked away after the voting ballots were collected.

Yikes! So, we'll assume no Tellers were appointed, they didn't prepare a Teller's report for the Chair, the Chair didn't read it (i.e. the results of the vote) to the assembly, nor pronounce the result of the vote (motion adopted or lost). He just got up and left. Does he often do this? Between you, me and the lamppost, the fact that you don't have any minutes recorded is the lesser of your problems.

[Chris Harrison]

Between you, me and the lamppost, the fact that you don't have any minutes recorded is the lesser of your problems.

I'll second that notion. If this is a recurring theme I hope this organization's bylaws make it fairly easy to remove the Chair for office or elections for Chair will be coming real soon because this guy needs to go. Of course the members are far from blameless in all of this because they should have elected a Secretary pro tem when the Secretary was absent and a Chair pro tem to continue to preside after the Chair took off (unless the Vice Chair was there in which case he should have taken over).