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Minority able to call for a roll call vote?


MadamMember

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The maker of this bylaw years ago moved this bylaw to allow for a minority to call for a roll call vote. The parliamentarian now says that this vote must have the 25% in order to even make the motion,  and then that requires a majority to call for the roll call vote. This in effect makes it require more than one person (25%) to second a motion, and then go for a majority vote. 

Does that seem correct to require 25% to second a motion with this language instead of allowing the minority to call for the roll call vote? 

image.png.f6dd8722bf51afb6a8242987456171e4.png

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Correct?  No.  Your parliamentarian has it wrong.  The "request" (a poor choice of words, to be sure) is equivalent to the vote to adopt the motion for a roll-call vote.

But if the membership (not the parliamentarian alone) wishes to interpret the bylaw as requiring a "25% second" (whatever that means), so be it.  See page 588.

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On 1/22/2019 at 8:09 AM, MadamMember said:

The maker of this bylaw years ago moved this bylaw to allow for a minority to call for a roll call vote. The parliamentarian now says that this vote must have the 25% in order to even make the motion,  and then that requires a majority to call for the roll call vote. This in effect makes it require more than one person (25%) to second a motion, and then go for a majority vote. 

Does that seem correct to require 25% to second a motion with this language instead of allowing the minority to call for the roll call vote? 

image.png.f6dd8722bf51afb6a8242987456171e4.png

I'm not a member of your organization, and so my opinion is not worth the electrons it's printed with, but it seems clear to me that a roll call vote is required upon the demand of 1/4 of the members present.  Only the threshold is specified here, so the motion itself would require only the normal mover and a seconder, and an affirmative vote of 25% or more of those members present.  There is nothing optional about it, and no mention of any majority requirement.  

For what it's worth, this is a fairly common parliamentary provision, where a minority of those present may demand a roll-call vote.  Thresholds of 1/4, or 1/5, or even less are not uncommon.

Edited by Gary Novosielski
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