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Upholding the will of membership


Guest Stacy

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We recently had our annual September membership meeting. We had several board positions being voted on. Our recording secretary was running unopposed for her second term. The vote was 63 no and 39 yes. We took nominations to fill the position and that person won the majority of the votes. The next day that person resigned. So the board appointed a person to the position until our April meeting. The person they appointed was the same one that had 63 no votes two days prior. Is there anything in  Robert’s rules to prevent this??? 

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Well, there are things in RONR to prevent yes/no votes on elections, and if this person was running unopposed, then, unless your rules say otherwise, she should have been declared elected and should be in office in the first place. As to a person resigning and the board filling the vacancy, it depends on what your bylaws say about filling vacancies. So far as RONR is concerned, it would be up to the body that elected the officer to fill the vacancy, but if your bylaws give the boar the power to do so, then they have the power to do so. 

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7 minutes ago, Guest Stacy said:

 Is there anything in  Robert’s rules to prevent this??? 

Not really.  Coupla points, however...

1)  You didn't run your election for RecSec properly.   Office elections are not Yes/No contests, but are A vs. B (vs. C, &c) contests.  The way to vote "against" someone is nominate and vote for someone else.  (See page 430.)  From what you say it seems your did that, eventually.  If someone is running unopposed there is no need for a vote at all - just declare the person elected (unless the bylaws require a ballot vote).  See page 443.

2) Presumably -- but check your bylaws -- the Board has the authority to fill vacancies, which is what they did.    (It sounds a little like a set-up, but we can't do anything about that here.)

So your new RecSec is properly in office.

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Guest Who's Coming to Dinner

Presuming the board has the power to fill vacancies, either expressly, or through full power and authority to conduct the affairs of the society between membership meetings, it can appoint any qualified person of its choosing. Nothing in RONR requires it to honor the "will of the membership."

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If your bylaws require a ballot vote, then you must hold one even if only one person is nominated.  However, the ballots would not be a yes/no choice.  They would have the name of the single candidate and, like all ballots, a space for a write-in vote. If the rules in RONR apply, the only way to vote No on someone's candidacy is to vote for someone else.

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