Secretary

[Guest Linda R]

If a voting member is absent from the meeting but has sent in an absentee ballot, can he/she be realized as part of the quorum to allow the meeting to take place?

[Richard Brown]

Not unless you have a provision in your bylaws allowing it or a controlling state law that requires.   Otherwise, only members who are physically present count towards the quorum.  

Edited to add:  If your organization has a bylaw provision permitting proxies, or if they are required by state law, it is possible that a member being present by way of proxy might count toward the quorum, that that is something that is outside the scope of RONR and must be determined based on your own rules and any controlling state law.  If RONR is your guide, a member must be physically present to count toward the quorum.

Edited February 26, 2017 at 09:02 PM by Richard Brown
Added last paragraph

[Rev Ed]

I concur with Richard, but add that in my experiences with proxies, the proxy would count towards quorum in order to count as a vote.  For example, how do you have 11 total votes if only 10 members are present?  But I agree that the By-law, or applicable statute, should make that clear.  And if there is any question about a By-law, the organization must decide for itself what the By-law means.