quorum

[rsl]

If a person recuses herself from a presentation in a meeting, can she be counted as part of the quorum for the vote on that item? The situation was that a committee member recused herself from hearing a case because she worked for the applicant. In order to establish a quorum, the committee later counted her vote as an abstention. What are Robert's Rules?

[Josh Martin]

If a person recuses herself from a presentation in a meeting, can she be counted as part of the quorum for the vote on that item?

The quorum is the number of members who must be present in order for business to be conducted. So long as the member stayed in the room, she counted toward the quorum.

The situation was that a committee member recused herself from hearing a case because she worked for the applicant. In order to establish a quorum, the committee later counted her vote as an abstention. What are Robert's Rules?

If the member was in the room, she counted toward the quorum. Unless this was a roll call vote, there was no need to take note of her abstention.

[Weldon Merritt]

If the member was in the room, she counted toward the quorum. Unless this was a roll call vote, there was no need to take note of her abstention.

The key part of this answer is "If the member was in the room." Based on the wording of the question ("excused herself from hearing a case"), I suspect the member may have left the meeting. If so, then she could not count toward the quorum.

[Tim Wynn]

The key part of this answer is "If the member was in the room." Based on the wording of the question ("excused herself from hearing a case"), I suspect the member may have left the meeting. If so, then she could not count toward the quorum.

That was RECUSED herself, not excused. Still, all the points about her presence stand.

[Weldon Merritt]

That was RECUSED herself, not excused. Still, all the points about her presence stand.

Oops! My mistake. But the wording still leads me to believe that she may have actually lefty the room, so yes, my main point stands.

[Gary Novosielski]

In order to establish a quorum, the committee later counted her vote as an abstention. What are Robert's Rules?

Vote counting has nothing to do with quorum. If she was in the room, she counts towards quorum.

Also, "counting abstentions" is an oxymoron. When people abstain, voting is what they're abstaining from. Counting something that did not happen always yields Zero.

[Guest Edgar]

Also, "counting abstentions" is an oxymoron. When people abstain, voting is what they're abstaining from. Counting something that did not happen always yields Zero.

But note Mr. Martin's reference to the exception made in the (rare) case of roll-call votes.

[Tim Wynn]

But note Mr. Martin's reference to the exception made in the (rare) case of roll-call votes.

In such a case, the secretary records the names of a certain number of members PRESENT who are not voting, whenever the number of those PRESENT and voting fails to indicate the PRESENCE of a quorum; he does not specifically record abstentions, and they are not calculated into the voting in any way.