Guest YORAM Posted May 6, 2018 at 12:42 AM Report Share Posted May 6, 2018 at 12:42 AM Our organization has 85 Active members. When voting to accept or reject applicants for membership, our Bylaws say: ."...Prior to the next meeting active members shall decide by secret ballot and by a majority vote whether to accept the applicant as a member." In a recent vote, the results were 41 YES, 34 NO. Did our Bylaws set the bar at 43? Should the applicant be accepted with the 41 YES votes? Thank you. Yoram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hieu H. Huynh Posted May 6, 2018 at 12:49 AM Report Share Posted May 6, 2018 at 12:49 AM It was a majority vote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted May 6, 2018 at 12:54 AM Report Share Posted May 6, 2018 at 12:54 AM And "Active member" is not defined in RONR, just "member". Do your bylaws make some sort of distinction between "members" and "Active members". If not, then it, most likely, just means "members". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Zev Posted May 6, 2018 at 01:04 AM Report Share Posted May 6, 2018 at 01:04 AM This could be a bylaws interpretation question, that is, whether there is a difference or not between all "active members" and all members present and voting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted May 6, 2018 at 01:19 AM Report Share Posted May 6, 2018 at 01:19 AM I agree with the foregoing answers. It seems to me, unless the bylaws provide otherwise someplace else, that the approval of new members requires an ordinary majority vote of those members present and voting. That seems to be what occurred. This vote did achieve a majority vote. In my opinion, based on what we have been shown, I do not believe the bylaws require 43 votes to approve as new member. That would be a majority of the entire membership. I do not see this bylaw provision as requiring the vote of a majority of the entire membership. I read it as requiring an ordinary majority vote, which would be more yes votes than no votes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted May 6, 2018 at 03:19 PM Report Share Posted May 6, 2018 at 03:19 PM There's nothing that suggests to me that anything other than an ordinary majority vote is required which, when not further qualified, means a majority of those present and voting. So, any time the Yes votes outnumber the No votes, a majority vote has been satisfied, as is the case in the example provided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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