Quorum and odd numbers

[Guest One Half]

We have a body of 11 members. Our constitution defines quorum as "one more than one-half of the total." Half of 11 is 5.5. One more than half of 11 is 6.5. What is our quorum?  Since you cannot have half a person, must we round up to 7?

 

 

[Richard Brown]

Your bylaws use non-standard language for defining a quorum and a majority, so the members of your organization will have to interpret that provision for themselves.    RONR defines a majority as "more than half".  That would be 6 in your case.... if you were using the RONR definition.  But, you're not.

 

However, using the definition of a majority in RONR as a starting point, I would say "one more than one-half of the total" would be 7 if you have 11 members.  Just as with the RONR definition  of a majority, you can't have half a person, so you round up.  Since one more than half of 11 is 6 1/2, but you can't have half a person, you round up.  6 people would not be one more than half.  it would be one-half  more than half.  You must have AT LEAST one more than half using using the definition in your bylaws.... in my opinion.  Since it is outside the RONR definition of majority, what I think doesn't really matter.  What matters is what the majority of your membership thinks.  Or "one more than one half of the total" membership.  You get to sort that one out. 

[Tom Coronite]

We have a body of 11 members. Our constitution defines quorum as "one more than one-half of the total." Half of 11 is 5.5. One more than half of 11 is 6.5. What is our quorum?  Since you cannot have half a person, must we round up to 7?

 

well, if you round down to 6, you won't meet your threshold of 6.5, so......

[DanielEHayes]

See  FAQ #5:   http://www.robertsrules.com/faq.html#5




Edit: I had it like that which Mr Brown posted and I was trying to imbed the link in some text..it didnt work apparently and my internet Went out about then, so I wasn't able to check. Thanks to him for covering my back.

[Richard Brown]

We have a body of 11 members. Our constitution defines quorum as "one more than one-half of the total." Half of 11 is 5.5. One more than half of 11 is 6.5. What is our quorum?  Since you cannot have half a person, must we round up to 7?

 

See  FAQ #5

Try this link instead for FAQ # 5:  http://www.robertsrules.com/faq.html#5

 

Edited to add:  The same principle will apply to calculating your quorum requirement.

[Edgar Guest]

Your bylaws use non-standard language for defining a quorum and a majority . . . 

 

The cited bylaws make no mention of a majority.

[Richard Brown]

The cited bylaws make no mention of a majority.

And that's part of the problem.  I'm willing to bet that whoever drafted that provision was trying to define a majority (or to require a majority of members for a quorum), but didn't know how to go about it or how to say it and didn't know that the word "majority" has a clearly defined meaning in parliamentary procedure.   I'm also quite confident that the math and process involved in calculating a majority is the same as the math and process used in calculating "one more than one-half of the total", the key being that you do the math and then round up... which is what Guest One Half was wondering about.

[Edgar Guest]

I'm willing to bet that whoever drafted that provision was trying to define a majority (or to require a majority of members for a quorum), but didn't know how to go about it or how to say it and didn't know that the word "majority" has a clearly defined meaning in parliamentary procedure. 

 

Well, whatever they were trying to do, they ended up with a quorum requirement that is not at all ambiguous and doesn't rely on the proper meaning of "majority".