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Nominations requiring second according to special rules


TheAdvocate

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At our annual gold medal meeting at my school, we have a special rule that says that in order for a student to be nominated for a gold medal, his nomination must be seconded. I realize that this is contrary to RR, but it is our special rule.

Anyway, during the nomination process, a teacher stood up and nominated a student. There was no second. So his nomination was dropped. A few minutes later, someone else nominated the very same student (after many teachers had returned from the restroom), and then someone seconded it. This was before nominations were officially closed.

Now, I realize that on the one hand, when a MOTION is defeated (including by not getting a second), it can't be reintroduced at the same meeting, but this is a nomination process, and according to the "spirit" of RR, in a democracy, cutting people off from nominating isn't easy, and reintroducing the nominations is fairly easily.

Anyway, when that same student was later nominated and it was seconded, a few people complained and asked if that was fair. The presiding officer looked at me as the appointed parliamentarian. I just told him that it's the chairman's ruling. He allowed it. (I also told the chairman that he should tell the assembly of their rights to appeal his ruling, which he did, but no one made a motion.)

Thoughts?

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In addition, a nomination under RONR's terms is not actually a motion, but a suggestion to fill the blank in the assumed motion "that _______ be elected". This is the basis for not requiring seconds for nominations, since no seconds are required for offering suggestions to fill a blank in general. I'm sure you understand that since this is your special rule, RONR is not going to provide a specific answer for this situation - personally, I think you (or the chair) did the right thing.

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I just figured if it couldn't be even seconded then it IS defeated.

A member may sometimes second a motion because he wants it to be defeated (i.e. he wants it on the record that the assembly was opposed). All that a second does is tell the chair that more than one members thinks the motion is worth considering. It's assumed that the maker of a motion wants it to be adopted but that's not always true of the seconder.

In any event, as Mr. Lages indicated, nominations are not your garden-variety motion.

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Now, I realize that on the one hand, when a MOTION is defeated (including by not getting a second), it can't be reintroduced at the same meeting...

 

This is not correct. A motion which dies for lack of a second has not been defeated, and can be reintroduced at the same meeting. Therefore, it seems to me that if an assembly's rules require seconds for nominations, a nomination which dies for lack of a second can likewise be reintroduced at the same meeting.

 

"The rules restricting renewal of motions also do not apply to any motion that dies for lack of a second. Although such a motion is not treated as if it had never been made, it too is a motion which the assembly was not called upon to decide, and thus it too may be renewed whenever it would originally be in order to make it." (RONR, 11th ed., pg. 337)

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