Quorum

[Guest Tom Egan]

Our club requires a set number of members be present to have a meeting or a quorum. The constitution or by laws do not specify what class of members constitute a quorum. There are three classes of members only one has the right to vote. Several members feel that non voting members should not be counted to achieve a quorum. What would be an interpretation under Roberts Rules.

[George Mervosh]

10 minutes ago, Guest Tom Egan said:

Our club requires a set number of members be present to have a meeting or a quorum. The constitution or by laws do not specify what class of members constitute a quorum. There are three classes of members only one has the right to vote. Several members feel that non voting members should not be counted to achieve a quorum. What would be an interpretation under Roberts Rules.

Here is what RONR says -  "As indicated on page 21, a quorum in an assembly is the number of members (see definition, p. 3) who must be present in order that business can be validly transacted. The quorum refers to the number of members present, not to the number actually voting on a particular question. "  RONR (11th ed.), p. 345

Here is the definition on page 3 - "A member of an assembly, in the parliamentary sense, as mentioned above, is a person entitled to full participation in its proceedings, that is, as explained in 3 and 4, the right to attend meetings, to make motions, to speak in debate, and to vote."

[Rob Elsman]

The conclusion to be drawn from Mr. Mervosh's citations is that only voting members are counted toward a quorum.

[Gary Novosielski]

And the inference to be drawn from Mr. Elsman's conclusion is that voting members refers to those with the right to vote, whether they actually vote or not.