Establishing a quorum

[Guest Vermont]

Our Executive Committee consists of a Chair, Vice Chair, Clerk, Treasurer and five member at large seats. The Chair is not allowed a vote. What would constitute a quorum for this Committee and would the Chair be included or excluded from the needed count?

[Guest Who's Coming to Dinner]

If not otherwise specified in your bylaws, the quorum is a majority of members. The Chair is not a member in the parliamentary sense because (s)he doesn't have a vote.

[Richard Brown]

I think we need more information in order to answer the question. Specifically, we need to know exactly what the bylaws say about the makeup of the executive committee, the duties of the chair, and provision regarding the chair not voting. 

I'm not at all convinced that the chair 'is not a member" and should not be counted for quorum purposes.

I think ultimately this is a question of bylaws interpretation, something only the organization itself can do.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

3 hours ago, Guest Vermont said:

Our Executive Committee consists of a Chair, Vice Chair, Clerk, Treasurer and five member at large seats.

The Chair is not allowed a vote.

What would constitute a quorum for this Committee and would the Chair be included or excluded from the needed count?

In general, non-voting members of a body do not count toward the quorum.

So, if Robert's Rules applies, and you have 3 voting officers and 5 voting at-large members. = 8 voting members of the E.C.

A quorum is "more than half" of the membership. -- "More than half of eight" would be five for your quorum.

***

I would re-question your statement that the chair cannot vote. -- Often it is the case that this is assumed, and that there is no customized rule actually taking away the right to vote.

So I'd like you to cite your rule, which defines you chair as  a member of your E.C. and as a non-voting party inside the E.C.

For example: Maybe your chair cannot vote during a general membership meeting, but can vote otherwise.

 

[Gary Novosielski]

On 1/24/2017 at 10:50 PM, Richard Brown said:

I think we need more information in order to answer the question. Specifically, we need to know exactly what the bylaws say about the makeup of the executive committee, the duties of the chair, and provision regarding the chair not voting. 

I'm not at all convinced that the chair 'is not a member" and should not be counted for quorum purposes.

I think ultimately this is a question of bylaws interpretation, something only the organization itself can do.

The quorum is five in either case.