membership election

[Guest mike wilkens]

is it legal to deny membership into an organization with only 3 negative votes.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Qualifications or eligibility for membership, with application and acceptance procedures including the method of reviewing and voting on applications, will have to be described in your bylaws. What does "only 3 negative votes" have to do with it?

[Gary Novosielski]

is it legal to deny membership into an organization with only 3 negative votes.

Legal?  Probably, but RONR is not a law book.  What it says is that the requirements for membership are those set forth in your bylaws.  So that's where you have to check to see what vote, if any, is required for membership.

 

There are many organizations in which a single negative vote is sufficient to deny membership.  Each society decides for itself.

[Edgar Guest]

There are many organizations in which a single negative vote is sufficient to deny membership. 

 

Indeed. Hence the term, "blackball" (and, indirectly, the term "ballot").

[Rev Ed]

is it legal to deny membership into an organization with only 3 negative votes.

 

It all depends on what the By-laws state about membership.  Do the By-laws require unanimous approve a new member?  A majority vote?  A two-thirds vote?  That will be where the answer is found.

 

However, unless the requirement is for a unanimous vote, a two-thirds vote where 3 negative votes is equal to more than 1/3 of the vote, or where 3 negative votes is a majority vote, the new member would be welcomed into the organization.

 

As for legality - we are not lawyers and cannot help you.

 

But can you give us some more information on the situation?

[Edgar Guest]

 . . . or where 3 negative votes is a majority vote . . . 

 

No need for a negative majority to deny approval. A tie will do.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

is it legal to deny membership into an organization

with only 3 negative votes.

The answer won't be found in Robert's Rules of Order, since the method of how one becomes a member will always be a 100% customized process.

(There is no default method of "joining" or "recuiting" or "paying of dues" within Robert's Rules of Order.)

 

Where voting is involved, and where Robert's Rules of Order applies, then the vote necessary for adoption of main motions, under most circumstances, is a majority vote.

There is no magical "three" number within Robert's Rules of Order with regard to any parliamentary rule applicable to voting.

 

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EXAMPLE:

If Robert's Rules of Order applies, and

If a majority vote is required to admit members,

Then

a vote of 0-3, or 1-3, or 2-3, or 3-3, (affirmative to negative) represent rejection of a main motion.

 

So, there are at least 4 scenarios where three negative votes would prevent a prospect from joining an organization.

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