AGM

[Guest MATHEW]

A member in benefit was denied attendance at an AGM for no valid reason. He wants to table a motion to

nullify the AGM. Can he do it? If can, how should the motion read?

[Gary Novosielski]

I suspect you are using "table" in a sense not used in the U.S.

[Richard Brown]

Guest Matthew, agreeing with Mr. Novosielski’, we need more information and we need to know what you mean when you say the member wants to “table” the motion. 

[Alicia Percell, PRP]

Some of your terminology is making it difficult for us know whether we're addressing your core question.  We know what a member is but do not know what a "member in benefit" is, or whether that is some special category in your organization other than just being a member.  I would guess that when you say "AGM" you mean an annual general meeting, but we don't know your organization's acronyms.  Others have already pointed out that you seem to be using "table" in a way that doesn't match Robert's Rules usage. (To table a motion means to temporarily set aside an already pending motion in order to take up some other urgent matter instead.)

But presuming that he was actually entitled to attend a meeting under your rules and was improperly denied admission, and he just wants to know what to do about it, that doesn't necessarily nullify the entire meeting.  Raise a point of order at the next meeting that the person was improperly denied admission, and if the point of order is sustained, any motions that were adopted by a margin of one vote would be invalid.

From RONR 23:7, "Remedy for Violation of the Right to Vote. If one or more members have been denied the right to vote, or the right to attend all or part of a regular or properly called meeting during which a vote was taken while a quorum was present, a point of order concerning the action taken in denying the basic rights of the individual members can be raised so long as the decision arrived at as a result of the vote has continuing force and effect. If there is any possibility that the members’ vote(s) would have affected the outcome, then the results of the vote must be declared invalid if the point of order is sustained. If there is no such possibility, the results of the vote itself can be made invalid only if the point of order is raised immediately following the chair’s announcement of the vote. If the vote was such that the number of members excluded from participating would not have affected the outcome, a member may wish, in the appropriate circumstances, to move to Rescind or Amend Something Previously Adopted (35), to move to Reconsider (37), or to renew a motion (38), arguing that comments in debate by the excluded members could have led to a different result; but the action resulting from the vote is not invalidated by a ruling in response to a point of order raised at a later time."