QUESTION: can a non-member second a nomination made by a member?

[Guest Roger]

At a recent meeting of our non-profit baseball organization a board member was nominated by a member in good standing for another board position. The nomination was seconded by an assistant coach who is not a member in good standing (no assistants are considered "members"). The meeting went on and will go to a vote between the board member nominated and another member.

Can that board member be truly nominated if the second came from a non-member?

[Gary Novosielski]

Yes. Nominations do not need to be seconded at all!

[Gary c Tesser]

RONR does not require seconds to nominations at all. Check your bylaws and other rules, because unless they require seconds to nominations, then the question is moot, because his being nominated by a real member means he really was nominated, and he really is a nominee (or "candidate," if you prefer the word) -- just as much as anyone else who was nominated with an unnecessary second, and, equally, just as much as anyone who was not nominated with a second.

If your rules do require seconds, then the second by the non-member had the same weight as a nomination by the geranium on the windowsill. Same with any other action by a non-member.

... Except that, once the meeting moved on, then the opportunity to raise a point of order, pointing out the violation of the requirement of a second, is gone. Once you've moved on, such a violation is of no consequence.

[Gary c Tesser]

Ahh, Novosielski don't type enough.

[Guest Guest]

Great, I understand. We follow Robert's Rules of Order, so this helps. Thank you for the quick replies!

[Gary c Tesser]

You're welcome, as far as I'm concerned (I can't speak for Novosielski, he might want $4.50 an hour or something), but please remember, you're not Guest_Guest. I used to think I knew who that was, but now there are too many to count. And look at their pictures, they all look like me.

[Gary Novosielski]

Guest Guest always reminds me of such notables as Zsa Zsa, Major Major, Sirhan Sirhan, and almost reminds me of Galileo Galilei, but ultimately fails to do so.

[Guest Edgar]

Guest Guest always reminds me of such notables as Zsa Zsa, Major Major, Sirhan Sirhan, and almost reminds me of Galileo Galilei, but ultimately fails to do so.

Not to mention Yo-Yo Ma and Boutros Boutros-Ghali (both forever memorialized in

).