Conducting business during COVID

[Chuck]

Some months ago, Parliamentarian John Martin responded to my question on this forum regarding how we might conduct important business when COVID restrictions prevent in-person meetings and our bylaws make no provision to vote on important business except in-person meetings.  We explained the important business to our constituency via mail and received an overwhelming approval for the board to proceed and take the important action.  Now we are able to meet  in-person and need to ratify the decision of the board.  Since the bylaws for this particular kind of decision require a ballot vote with 75% of the votes cast in favor of proceeding, should those stipulations be required for ratification of the board action?  Is a majority of the votes cast sufficient to ratify the board's action?

Also, we want to amend our bylaws to allow for decision-making should in-person meetings not be possible at some point in the future.  I see some potential problems with just about every kind of remote voting.  Can you suggest a fair and reasonable a small organization can conduct business when unable to meet in person?

Thank you.

[Josh Martin]

7 minutes ago, Chuck said:

Some months ago, Parliamentarian John Martin responded to my question on this forum regarding how we might conduct important business when COVID restrictions prevent in-person meetings and our bylaws make no provision to vote on important business except in-person meetings.

For the benefit of others, this appears to be the thread the OP is referring to.

11 minutes ago, Chuck said:

Since the bylaws for this particular kind of decision require a ballot vote with 75% of the votes cast in favor of proceeding, should those stipulations be required for ratification of the board action?  Is a majority of the votes cast sufficient to ratify the board's action?

In my view, a motion to Ratify would have the same requirements as the action being ratified. So if the bylaws "require a ballot vote with 75% of the votes cast in favor," then this would be required for ratification as well.

12 minutes ago, Chuck said:

Also, we want to amend our bylaws to allow for decision-making should in-person meetings not be possible at some point in the future.  I see some potential problems with just about every kind of remote voting.  Can you suggest a fair and reasonable a small organization can conduct business when unable to meet in person?

The RONR Authorship Team recently released a document entitled Sample Rules for Electronic Meetings, which may be of assistance in developing rules for electronic meetings. It includes sample rules for several different options.

[J. J.]

I agree that ratification does require the same vote and notice requirement as it would be initially to adopt the proposal.