How can you change a quorum, if you dont have one?

[Guest Matt]

For the past several months my organization has failed to reach a quorum of 25 members at our meetings. The time has come for us to consider lowering our quorum. My question is if we do not have an existing quorum of 25, then how can we have a motion and vote to lower it?

[Josh Martin]

My question is if we do not have an existing quorum of 25, then how can we have a motion and vote to lower it?

 

You can't.

[Guest Edgar]

For the past several months my organization has failed to reach a quorum of 25 members at our meetings. 

 

It's time to think outside the box. Notify all the members that the next meeting will consider nothing else but a change to the quorum. Tell them they'll be in and out in ten minutes. Tell them there'll be free beer. 

[Guest Guest]

Josh, what would you recommend we do?

[Guest Guest]

You can't.

what would you recommend we do? notify all members via mail that the next meeting will address this specific topic? hope that a quorum appears and vote on it then? what if we still dont have the minimum necessary?

[Bruce Lages]

I'm not Josh, but I think Edgar's suggestion is as good as any.

[TheAdvocate]

You can't.

So the quorum rule could never, ever be changed in any way whatsoever? If a body can determine their own quorum, why couldn't they ever change it?

[Dan Honemann]

If you want suggestions as to what might be done, you will need to provide more information, such as what your bylaws say about what constitutes a quorum and what your bylaws say about how they can be amended.

[David A Foulkes]

So the quorum rule could never, ever be changed in any way whatsoever? If a body can determine their own quorum, why couldn't they ever change it?

 

In answer to your questions, yes of course it can be changed.

 

The default quorum by RONR is a majority (more than half) of the membership.  To change that higher or lower, the bylaws can be amended to include a different number, percentage, etc.  To change again what the bylaws set as the quorum can only be done by amending the bylaws, not simply by a regular old everyday motion at a meeting, especially one at which a quorum is not present.

 

To change the quorum, you will need a) a quorum at a meeting, and b ) to follow the amendment procedures as set forth in the bylaws.  If the bylaws include no amendment procedures.......

 

"The bylaws should always prescribe the procedure for their amendment, and such provision should always require at least that advance notice be given in a specified manner, and that the amendment be approved by a two thirds vote. If the bylaws contain no provision for their amendment, they can be amended by a two-thirds vote if previous notice (in the sense defined on page 121) has been given, or they can be amended by the vote of a majority of the entire membership." (RONR 11th Ed, p. 580 ll. 25 - p. 581 l. 7)

"A requirement of previous notice means that announcement that the motion will be introduced—indicating its exact content as described below—must be included in the call of the meeting (p. 4) at which the motion will be brought up, or, as a permissible alternative, if no more than a quarterly time interval (see pp. 89–90) will have elapsed since the preceding meeting, the announcement must be made at the preceding meeting. The call of a meeting is generally sent to all members a reasonable time in advance, which may be prescribed in the bylaws." (RONR, 11th ed., p. 121, ll 23-32)

RONR does not specify what constitutes a "reasonable time in advance."

 

Note that any change to the bylaws, such as adding a new provision (for example, quorum definition) to the existing bylaws is also an amendment to the bylaws.

[Josh Martin]

what would you recommend we do? notify all members via mail that the next meeting will address this specific topic?

 

Sounds like a good start to me, and be sure to follow the requirements in your bylaws for amending them. I also like Edgar's suggestion. As noted, some additional facts may be helpful.

 

hope that a quorum appears and vote on it then? what if we still dont have the minimum necessary?

 

Then you still can't vote on it and you'll need to try again another time.

 

So the quorum rule could never, ever be changed in any way whatsoever? If a body can determine their own quorum, why couldn't they ever change it?

 

All I'm saying is that an assembly can't change its quorum when it doesn't have a quorum. If it could, that would kind of defeat the purpose of having a quorum, wouldn't it?

 

(There is a rare exception to this rule that an assembly can suspend the rules requiring a quorum if the assembly can determine its own quorum and all members of the assembly are present, but that doesn't seem to be the situation here.)

[Gary Novosielski]

So the quorum rule could never, ever be changed in any way whatsoever? If a body can determine their own quorum, why couldn't they ever change it?

No, that's not correct.  A quorum rule can be changed by amending the bylaws.  But you do need a quorum to do that.  Nobody said it could never be changed.