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Not enough information for a vote


Guest Tazz

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If the chair feels that the board is being asked to vote on something when it is not clear that the board knows what they are voting for can the chair prevent the call for a vote until more information is provided?

In this instance the chair is also a member of the board.

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The presiding officer (chair), if a member of the board as in this case, has no more power to delay action then anyone else.  If any member (including the presiding officer if this is a small board, see RONR page 487) feels there is not enough information to vote intelligently, that member can make a motion to postpone the main motion to a future meeting. (RONR p 179) or the motion to commit (p 168) could be used to refer the motion to a committee to investigate further.  There are other options but those are the most obvious.

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The chair has a duty to ensure that the assembly is clear what it is voting on, to the extent that the exact wording of the motion is stated clearly to everyone, and what the effect of a Yes vote would be.

 

But the chair is not responsible for making sure that everyone understands the long-term implications and consequences of passing the motion.  In fact, those matters may very well be the subject of some substantial debate.

 

And that is what debate is for.

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