Jump to content
The Official RONR Q & A Forums

Count of members for a quorum


Guest Sonya

Recommended Posts

Our organization has some international members.  The Bylaws state that these members "cannot be counted in determining a quorum, cannot hold office, and cannot vote on (a specified matter)".  The Bylaws also state that the quorum "10% of the members in good standing".

 

If we have 200 members, 10 of whom are international members, is the quorum 20 (10% of 200 members) or 19 (10% of 200 members -10 international)?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our organization has some international members.  The Bylaws state that these members "cannot be counted in determining a quorum, cannot hold office, and cannot vote on (a specified matter)".  The Bylaws also state that the quorum "10% of the members in good standing".

 

If we have 200 members, 10 of whom are international members, is the quorum 20 (10% of 200 members) or 19 (10% of 200 members -10 international)?

 

It is ultimately up to your organization to interpret its own bylaws. See RONR, 11th ed., pgs. 588-591 for some Principles of Interpretation.

 

For a comparable situation in RONR, see FAQ #2. Certain ex-officio members are "not counted in determining the number required for a quorum or in determining whether or not a quorum is present." If this is what the drafters of the bylaws meant to say when they wrote "cannot be counted in determining a quorum," then the quorum would be 19 in the circumstances you've described.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your quorum requirements are determined by your bylaws. You'll have to interpret what they mean for yourselves.

However, I would say that in general, persons who cannot be counted in establishing the presence of a quorum are not counted in determining the size of the quorum either.
__________

Darn that Josh; I gotta type faster.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...