Request to withdraw a suggestion for filling a blank

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Recently my club decided on having a holiday party. So the question was "That __________ be the location of our holiday party." Members started shouting out "The North Pole" and "Santa's Sleigh", so these silly suggestions were thrown out. Then a member said, "Mr. Huynh's place." I politely declined. Other reasonable suggestions were made, we voted on them and made plans for the party.

 

I know it's not such a big deal in my club, but I want to get a little more technical about it now (especially since I'm spending all this time in this forum). I noticed in RONR that there isn't any mention of withdrawing suggestions for filling a blank. I think they can be ruled out of order by the chair like the silly ones that were thrown out.

 

Then there's my case - I think that technically I could have made a "request to withdraw a suggestion for filling a blank". I think it would work like a request to withdraw a motion that another member made and could be granted by unanimous consent. This way, the suggestion of "Mr. Huynh's place" would not be voted on. Does this sound reasonable within the limits of RONR?

[Edgar Guest]

Wouldn't it be analogous to "declining" a nomination? You could still be elected but you could refuse to serve. Similarly, your house could be selected as the site of the party but you could refuse to let anyone in (and let everyone know that in advance).

[Dan Honemann]

Recently my club decided on having a holiday party. So the question was "That __________ be the location of our holiday party." Members started shouting out "The North Pole" and "Santa's Sleigh", so these silly suggestions were thrown out. Then a member said, "Mr. Huynh's place." I politely declined. Other reasonable suggestions were made, we voted on them and made plans for the party.

 

I know it's not such a big deal in my club, but I want to get a little more technical about it now (especially since I'm spending all this time in this forum). I noticed in RONR that there isn't any mention of withdrawing suggestions for filling a blank. I think they can be ruled out of order by the chair like the silly ones that were thrown out.

 

Then there's my case - I think that technically I could have made a "request to withdraw a suggestion for filling a blank". I think it would work like a request to withdraw a motion that another member made and could be granted by unanimous consent. This way, the suggestion of "Mr. Huynh's place" would not be voted on. Does this sound reasonable within the limits of RONR?

 

I think the way this was handled was fine, since politely declining seems to have worked well. 

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Wouldn't it be analogous to "declining" a nomination? You could still be elected but you could refuse to serve. Similarly, your house could be selected as the site of the party but you could refuse to let anyone in (and let everyone know that in advance).

 

I see the parallels to "declining" a nomination...

 

I'm just wondering about the mechanism for withdrawing suggestions for filling a blank. It seems to me that it could be done as a unanimous consent request.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

And of course it all worked well. Maybe it's just me spending too much time on this website thinking about this stuff.

[Edgar Guest]

I'm just wondering about the mechanism for withdrawing suggestions for filling a blank.

 

I guess that remains to be answered. Perhaps, just as in "declining" a nomination, there is no mechanism.

 

Of course the analogy to nominations isn't perfect (analogies never are) since in the case of nominations, it's you who someone filled the blank with while, in the current scenario, it's "just" your house. But in both instances, it's not you who suggested the fill so I don't see how you can withdraw it.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

That's why I think it could be withdrawn through a unanimous consent request, like the withdrawal of a motion. If suggestions for filling a blank could not be withdrawn, then we would have been voting to hold our holiday party at the North Pole.

[Edgar Guest]

If suggestions for filling a blank could not be withdrawn, then we would have been voting to hold our holiday party at the North Pole.

 

Presumably most members would only vote for "reasonable suggestions" (e.g. not your house if you won't allow the party to be held there). If a majority votes for the North Pole the problem is not with the rules.

[Richard Brown]

I'm just wondering about the mechanism for withdrawing suggestions for filling a blank.

I'm wondering about it too.  It worked out well enough and easily enough in the example Mr. Huynh used, but I'm curios as to the procedure to be used when, say, someone objects to having a suggestion removed.

[Josh Martin]

I guess that remains to be answered. Perhaps, just as in "declining" a nomination, there is no mechanism.

 

Of course the analogy to nominations isn't perfect (analogies never are) since in the case of nominations, it's you who someone filled the blank with while, in the current scenario, it's "just" your house. But in both instances, it's not you who suggested the fill so I don't see how you can withdraw it.

Okay, but surely the member who made the nomination or suggestion could request to withdraw it, and the assembly could grant such a request?

If suggestions for filling a blank could not be withdrawn, then we would have been voting to hold our holiday party at the North Pole.

No, the chair could still rule suggestions out of order as dilatory.

[Gary c Tesser]

I'm wondering about it too.  It worked out well enough and easily enough in the example Mr. Huynh used, but I'm curious [typo fixed] as to the procedure to be used when, say, someone objects to having a suggestion removed.

 

I was afraid Mr Brown, so typoindefacibablitory after all these years of unconscionable absence, though despite its unconscionableness I will forgive it, though he better not try it again, or I might bite his legs like a crocodile (Reg. U.S.Pat. Off.), would bring this up, because it looked like something that would irresistibly hook him, evidentially.

[Edgar Guest]

Okay, but surely the member who made the nomination or suggestion could request to withdraw it, and the assembly could grant such a request?

 

Well sure. But that's a different question.