Can members request an annual meeting, held for voting, be postponed?

[Guest Kathy]

We have very vague Bylaws for our POA. Our election committee is one person, who is the spouse of the secretary, and did not seek out or recommend any members to fill positions. Our bylaws state the BOD positions shall be 2 years beginning in January following the election and ends in December of 2nd year in office. Most of these BOD members have been on the Board for 8+ years and most of the members did not have an understanding of the election procedures. Ballots are sent out listing the current officers and directors as Declared Candidates with a write in option. Members would like to postpone the election and start the process over and conduct it the correct way. Can members request to postpone this meeting? Is there anything members can do?

Thank you in advance for your help.

[Bruce Lages]

Yes, the members can do what you want, but they will need to be present at the already-scheduled annual meeting in order to do it. At that meeting a member would move to fix the time to which to adjourn (RONR, p.242) to establish a date and time for an adjourned meeting. This requires a second and a majority vote. If you can do that, you can then move to adjourn (RONR, p.233), which will also require a second a a majority vote if any business (such as the election) still remains to be dealt with. Adopting the motion to adjourn will immediately end the meeting, and all business that was to be taken up will come up again at the adjourned meeting.

[Atul Kapur]

It sounds like it will be a little more complicated than that, because ballots are stated as already having been sent out. This implies that the election is done outside of the meeting.

I agree, though, that the members are going to need to take action at a meeting in order to affect this process. If the results are going to be announced at the annual meeting, then members may need to call for a special meeting before the annual meeting, assuming that the bylaws allow for special meetings.