Can spouses or couples serve on an elected board together?

[Guest Junay Gardner]

Is it against Robert's Rules of Order for a married or unmarried couple to serve on a 13 member Board together? I am referring to a yacht club board of directors.

Thank you.

[George Mervosh]

Is it against Robert's Rules of Order for a married or unmarried couple to serve on a 13 member Board together?

There is no prohibition against in RONR. The voters decide who will serve.

[David A Foulkes]

Your rules (bylaws etc, or other governing documents) may not allow it, but RONR has no rule against it.

[Guest Edgar]

There is no prohibition against in RONR. The voters decide who will serve.

Your rules (bylaws etc, or other governing documents) may not allow it, but RONR has no rule against it.

Wait! This is a yacht club. With a 13-member board. And the couples might not even be married. Are you sure there's no rule?

[David A Foulkes]

Wait! This is a yacht club. With a 13-member board. And the couples might not even be married. Are you sure there's no rule?

Oh sure, introduce doubt into it now.

[sMargaret]

You may wish your bylaws to prohibit couples from serving together, which is just fine, if that is what your membership wishes. The RONR method is simply to have your members decide, on a case by case basis, who to elect and who not to elect.

If you do have bylaws that prohibit couples from serving, be careful to be specific. For example, does only marriage count? What about living together? Long time special friendship? You'll want to be clear on how you define things in your bylaws.

[Gary Novosielski]

And the answer may hinge on the definition of "yacht".

[George Mervosh]

And the answer may hinge on the definition of "yacht".

That definition has been discussed here a time or two, if I recall correctly.