Guest Big red Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:55 PM Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:55 PM According to my group’s procedures an abstention is interpreted as a yes vote. I am having a hard to understanding the logic of that and would appreciate any thoughts, Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hieu H. Huynh Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:58 PM Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 at 11:58 PM FAQ #6 may be of use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shmuel Gerber Posted July 18, 2019 at 12:10 AM Report Share Posted July 18, 2019 at 12:10 AM 14 minutes ago, Guest Big red said: According to my group’s procedures an abstention is interpreted as a yes vote. I am having a hard to understanding the logic of that and would appreciate any thoughts, Thanks, It's simple: they're doing it wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atul Kapur Posted July 18, 2019 at 06:38 AM Report Share Posted July 18, 2019 at 06:38 AM 6 hours ago, Guest Big red said: I am having a hard to understanding the logic of that Well there's your problem: You're assuming that there is logic involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Zev Posted July 18, 2019 at 08:35 AM Report Share Posted July 18, 2019 at 08:35 AM Quote Qui tacet consentit; "Silence gives consent." — Roman proverb If we confuse a weak form of consensus with proper parliamentary procedure I can see why some people might think that there is logic associated with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted July 19, 2019 at 01:50 AM Report Share Posted July 19, 2019 at 01:50 AM (edited) On 7/17/2019 at 7:55 PM, Guest Big red said: According to my group’s procedures an abstention is interpreted as a yes vote. I am having a hard to understanding the logic of that and would appreciate any thoughts, Thanks, There is no logic to it and it violates the rules in RONR. A fairly rare but remarkably persistent misconception exists in some organizations that since since abstentions are deemed to acquiesce in the outcome of the vote, that they are somehow an approval of the motion. They are not. They are merely an acceptance of the decision of those who vote, which may be approval or rejection. On the other hand a few organizations claim that since they are not Yes votes, they must be No votes. In fact, abstentions are not votes at all, and should never be called for, counted, or included in deciding the results of a vote. They are simply ignored. Edited July 19, 2019 at 01:52 AM by Gary Novosielski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Katz Posted July 19, 2019 at 11:05 AM Report Share Posted July 19, 2019 at 11:05 AM On 7/17/2019 at 7:55 PM, Guest Big red said: According to my group’s procedures an abstention is interpreted as a yes vote. While I agree with the above responses, where do these procedures appear? If in the bylaws or special rules of order, it is immaterial that RONR says something different since those rules supersede those in RONR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. J. Posted July 19, 2019 at 12:44 PM Report Share Posted July 19, 2019 at 12:44 PM 1 hour ago, Joshua Katz said: While I agree with the above responses, where do these procedures appear? If in the bylaws or special rules of order, it is immaterial that RONR says something different since those rules supersede those in RONR. Concur. A society may establish a rule that we find illogical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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