Discussion of moved and seconded motion.

[Guest Edwin R. Carbonel]

Question:  Can a presiding officer (chairman or president) of a regular organization (Organization of

senior citizens, 60 years old and older) participate on discussion on seconded motion, subject for

discussion and vote)?

[Chris Harrison]

See FAQ #1.

[Transpower]

RONR (11th ed.), p. 394, ll.30-31:  "Normally, especially in a large body, he [the chair] should have nothing to say on the merits of pending questions."

[Gary Novosielski]

Question:  Can a presiding officer (chairman or president) of a regular organization (Organization of

senior citizens, 60 years old and older) participate on discussion on seconded motion, subject for

discussion and vote)?

 

Probably not.  How big is this meeting?

[Edgar Guest]

Can a presiding officer . . . of a regular organization . . . participate on discussion on seconded motion, subject for discussion and vote?

 

Probably not. 

 

He probably can. He probably shouldn't.

[Richard Brown]

He probably can. He probably shouldn't.

I agree.  According to RONR, he technically does not lose the right to make motions, debate or vote by virtue of being president, but he should refrain from exercising those rights except in meetings of boards and committees consisting of less than about a dozen members.

 

Edited to add:  This is the text of RONR on page 394 on the subject of the chair participating in debate:

 

"Rule Against the Chair's Participation in Debate

If the presiding officer is a member of the society, he has—as an individual—the same rights in debate as any other member; but the impartiality required of the chair in an assembly precludes his exercising these rights while he is presiding. Normally, especially in a large body, he should have nothing to say on the merits of pending questions. On certain occasions—which should be extremely rare—the presiding officer may believe that a crucial factor relating to such a question has been overlooked and that his obligation as a member to call attention to the point outweighs his duty to preside at [page 395] that time. To participate in debate, he must relinquish the chair. . . ."

 

And the following from page 43:

 

"Except in committees and small boards, the presiding officer should not enter into discussion of the merits of pending questions (unless, in rare instances, he leaves the chair until the pending business has been disposed of, as described on pp. 394–95)."