blackballs

[Guest Frank]

When voting on new members, is one blackball sufficient to not accept applicant or do you need three blackballs?

[Chris Harrison]

If you all are going to use a voting system where only a few "no" (black) votes can prevent someone from becoming a member you will need to codify all of the details in the bylaws otherwise if the candidate gets a majority vote they are in.

[David A Foulkes]

When voting on new members, is one blackball sufficient to not accept applicant or do you need three blackballs?

The footnote on p. 412 (RONR 11th Ed.) indicates some (secret) societies do apparently allow one or very few black balls to be enough to reject membership, although the custom is also "apparently declining." As noted above, your rules will need to detail those arrangements.

[J. J.]

When voting on new members, is one blackball sufficient to not accept applicant or do you need three blackballs?

I am a member of several different organizations that do use a blackball, several of which would reject based on one blackball, one of which requires three blackballs to reject.

It is solely up to your organizations rules.