Guest Rita Posted October 10, 2014 at 04:35 PM Report Share Posted October 10, 2014 at 04:35 PM We are working under a tight deadline. Our meeting date is just at the last day that the submission may be made. We have a calling tree to contact all members. Would it be appropriate to do a vote to approve the recommendation from the Education committee? It would require 2/3rds majority. We want to submit a grant application for a student.Thank You Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar Guest Posted October 10, 2014 at 04:36 PM Report Share Posted October 10, 2014 at 04:36 PM Absentee voting (i.e. by telephone) is prohibited unless your bylaws (or some higher rule or law) permits it. In RONR-Land all voting takes place at (in-person) meetings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted October 10, 2014 at 04:39 PM Report Share Posted October 10, 2014 at 04:39 PM We are working under a tight deadline. Our meeting date is just at the last day that the submission may be made. We have a calling tree to contact all members. Would it be appropriate to do a vote to approve the recommendation from the Education committee? It would require 2/3rds majority. We want to submit a grant application for a student.Thank You No, it would not be appropriate, and such a vote would be null and void, unless your bylaws have provisions for doing it that way. And they shouldn't, because voting by a phone tree is not a deliberative assembly. You cannot "debate" on a phone tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted October 10, 2014 at 04:48 PM Report Share Posted October 10, 2014 at 04:48 PM You might have a couple of other options. If there is time to call a special meeting, you can have a special meeting for the purpose. If not, and if you are EXTREMELY confident that the vast majority of the members are in favor of the resolution, some bold officers (or board or executive committee) can approve it anyway (albeit improperly) and then, hopefully, have the membership ratify the action at the next meeting. However, the approval is not official unless and until the society properly ratifies it at a meeting. If the membership refuses to ratify it, then the officers (or body) that did so improperly are on the hook for any financial implications and might even face disciplinary action. As others have said, without a bylaw provision authorizing it, the "telephone vote" is not permissible as an act of the society. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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