Motion to close nominations

[Guest Guest_Janet]

If a motion to close nominations is made by a member recognized by the chair and seconded, can the next member recognized to speak make a nomination since the motion had not yet been voted on? The chair called for the vote immediately after the nomination made after the motion and second. The motion to close nominations passed at that time. Should the chair have not accepted the motion to close nominations? Since the motion wasn't declared out of order, is the nomination made after the motion valid or not?

[Matt Schafer]

Normally a motion to close nominations is not necessary. When it looks like there are no more nominations, the chair should ask if there are any more, and if no one makes a nomination, the chair declares nominations closed without a motion (RONR, 11th ed., p. 288-89). In addition, a motion to close nominations is not in order when any member is seeking to make a nomination.

So in your case, the chair should have waited a reasonable time for members to make nominations and should have ruled the motion out of order if others were trying to make one. So the nomination seems to be in order. In addition, since the chair allowed the nomination and no point of order was raised at the time, that decision stands.

[jstackpo]

And don't forget, G_G_J, that the un-nominated person, any un-nominated person, can be voted for via a write-in vote (unless your bylaws have an explicit rule forbidding that to happen).

[Gary Novosielski]

If a motion to close nominations is made by a member recognized by the chair and seconded, can the next member recognized to speak make a nomination since the motion had not yet been voted on? The chair called for the vote immediately after the nomination made after the motion and second. The motion to close nominations passed at that time. Should the chair have not accepted the motion to close nominations? Since the motion wasn't declared out of order, is the nomination made after the motion valid or not?

Well, the chair achieved the right result but it was sloppily executed.

The motion to close nominations is not in order while members are still seeking to make additional nominations, and so the chair should have ruled, before accepting the next nomination. When there are no further nominations the chair may declare nominations to be closed without the need for any motion.

It should also be noted that where it is the custom to make motions regarding nominations, it takes a 2/3 vote to close them, but only a majority vote to (re)open them.