requirement to notify all members entitled to vote

[Guest netgnat]

Our bylaws are silent regarding any requirement to notify all members of an important upcoming vote.  Do RR require that an attempt be made to contact all members (and if so individually?), or is an announcement at a previous meeting of the upcoming vote sufficient notice?

[Gary Novosielski]

A requirement for previous notice can be met by including it in the call of the meeting, or it can be made by an announcement at the meeting before.

 

The question of whether previous notice is required or not is a different question.  In RONR certain motions require previous notice, but most main motions do not.  Simply because you or I regard an issue as "important" doesn't give it special status, unless there is a rule that a particular type of motion requires previous notice.  That is essentially saying that it may be important enough --to enough members--that they would want to attend because this matter is being considered, when they otherwise might not.

 

In RONR, previous notice even when not required can sometimes reduce the voting requirement necessary.  For example to Rescind a previous action, which requires only a majority vote if previous notice was given, but a 2/3 vote if not. (A majority of the entire membership is a third option.)

 

So if your bylaws are silent, and RONR does not require previous notice, then it's not required.  Even so, there is nothing preventing someone from giving previous notice even if it's not required, especially if he believes that a larger turnout would help to get the outcome he wants.

[Guest Guest]

Thanks Gary for such a great answer.  It is an extremely important vote as it involves a personnel change of our top official, but our bylaws don't require us to contact everyone except that we make an announcement at a previous meeting which we did.  So I think we're okay.  Thanks again!

[David A Foulkes]

Thanks Gary for such a great answer.  It is an extremely important vote as it involves a personnel change of our top official, but our bylaws don't require us to contact everyone except that we make an announcement at a previous meeting which we did.  So I think we're okay.  Thanks again!

 

While an announcement at the previous meeting might satisfy the parliamentary requirement for previous notice, it may be worth considering that anyone who was not at that previous meeting might also not be aware of this "extremely important vote" coming up.  It could be worth the extra effort to let the membership know so as to avoid any future disgruntlement, lack of bylaw requirement notwithstanding.  (my two cents, keep the change)