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Silence when vote is called for


Guest Holli

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Greetings! Can anyone point me to the specific pages in RROO, 11th Edition, where it states that 'silence means consent' and how the vote should be recorded properly? My research online reveals that when a member remains silent, they are consenting. Those who do not vote allow the decision to be made by those who do vote.

I have a board member who says RROO states silence means abstention and I can't find that in the book either.

Any help is appreciated!

Thank you!

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7 minutes ago, Guest Holli said:

Greetings! Can anyone point me to the specific pages in RROO, 11th Edition, where it states that 'silence means consent' and how the vote should be recorded properly? My research online reveals that when a member remains silent, they are consenting. Those who do not vote allow the decision to be made by those who do vote.

 

 

7 minutes ago, Guest Holli said:

I have a board member who says RROO states silence means abstention and I can't find that in the book either.

 

It doesn't say either, in so many words, as far as I know.  However, it's rather clear that being silent when voting is taking place is not voting, and abstaining simply means not voting.  I have no idea what your online research has uncovered, but it could be about unanimous consent - when unanimous consent is sought, failing to object (by being silent) is, in some sense, consent.  Or it could be about some unrelated legal concepts.  But that has nothing to do with what it seems your question is.  In fact, neither does the effect of remaining silent when a vote is called for, since, absent a counted vote or roll call vote, the minutes should not record the number voting on each side, just whether or not the motion is adopted.  If a counted vote is ordered, and a person does not vote, then their non-vote is not counted.

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3 hours ago, Joshua Katz said:

 

It doesn't say either, in so many words, as far as I know.  However, it's rather clear that being silent when voting is taking place is not voting, and abstaining simply means not voting.  I have no idea what your online research has uncovered, but it could be about unanimous consent - when unanimous consent is sought, failing to object (by being silent) is, in some sense, consent.  Or it could be about some unrelated legal concepts.  But that has nothing to do with what it seems your question is.  In fact, neither does the effect of remaining silent when a vote is called for, since, absent a counted vote or roll call vote, the minutes should not record the number voting on each side, just whether or not the motion is adopted.  If a counted vote is ordered, and a person does not vote, then their non-vote is not counted.

Agreeing, the  chair may ask if there are objections to a motion and, if none are voiced, the chair declares the motion adopted(pp. 54-6)

There is a Latin  phrase "Qui tacet consentit, " which means "Silence assumes consent."  However, that phrase does not appear the 4th through 11th editions, Parliamentary Law and Parliamentary Practice, so far as I can tell.

 

 

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Guest Who's Coming to Dinner
7 hours ago, Guest Holli said:

Those who do not vote allow the decision to be made by those who do vote.

That's true when the decision is by ordinary majority vote. Nonvoters consent to other members making the decision; they are not consenting to the motion itself. When the vote is by a majority of members present, or all members, then nonvoters effectively vote against the proposition.

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