Guest Bonnie Posted July 22, 2021 at 03:57 AM Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 at 03:57 AM Can appointed board members make motions during a meeting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted July 22, 2021 at 05:29 AM Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 at 05:29 AM If they are actual board members, yes. How they got on the board is irrelevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bonnie Posted July 22, 2021 at 04:39 PM Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 at 04:39 PM Richard Brown, So even though they are not allowed to vote in our organization since they are not elected officials, they can still make a motion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted July 22, 2021 at 04:49 PM Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 at 04:49 PM (edited) Maybe we need more information about your organization and its board. If these appointed board members are members of board, they have the same rights as all other board members to fully participate in board meetings unless your bylaws provide otherwise. I’m assuming you are talking about board meetings. If not, please tell us exactly what meetings you are referring to. Edited to add: What do your bylaws say about these appointed board members? Edited July 22, 2021 at 04:56 PM by Richard Brown Typographical correction and added last paragraph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted July 22, 2021 at 06:18 PM Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 at 06:18 PM 1 hour ago, Guest Bonnie said: So even though they are not allowed to vote in our organization since they are not elected officials, they can still make a motion? If they are not allowed to vote then they aren't what RONR calls members. So they must be a special class of member that is defined in your Bylaws or Special Rules of Order, and that's where any powers or restrictions would be listed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted July 22, 2021 at 06:48 PM Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 at 06:48 PM (edited) 32 minutes ago, Gary Novosielski said: If they are not allowed to vote then they aren't what RONR calls members. So they must be a special class of member that is defined in your Bylaws or Special Rules of Order, and that's where any powers or restrictions would be listed. But guest Bonnie has said these are “appointed board members“. They might well be members of the board and entitled to vote at board meetings, but not members of the general membership and therefore not entitled to vote at general membership meetings. That is what I’m trying to get clarified with Guest Bonnie. Edited to add We need to keep in mind that Guest Bonnie is not asking about voting rights, she’s asking about the right to make motions, which might be permissible even if they do not have the right to vote. That is why I am asking her for more information. Edited July 22, 2021 at 06:51 PM by Richard Brown Added last paragraph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bonnie Posted August 6, 2021 at 03:31 PM Report Share Posted August 6, 2021 at 03:31 PM We have elected officials, our Executive Board - President, Vice President, Secretary and Director of Finance. We also have eight elected regional directors who represent the eight regions in the country. They make up our Board of elected officials. They all have voting privileges. We then have appointed positions on our board - Historian, Newsletter Editor, Education Chairperson. They are invited to our Board meetings. They have a voice, but no vote. So the question is: if they cannot vote at our meetings, can they still make a motion. I’m thinking if making a motion is part of the voting process, the answer would be no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted August 6, 2021 at 03:45 PM Report Share Posted August 6, 2021 at 03:45 PM 8 minutes ago, Guest Bonnie said: We then have appointed positions on our board - Historian, Newsletter Editor, Education Chairperson. They are invited to our Board meetings. They have a voice, but no vote. So the question is: if they cannot vote at our meetings, can they still make a motion. I’m thinking if making a motion is part of the voting process, the answer would be no. Please quote verbatim the bylaw provisions regarding these appointed members and whatever authority and powers they have or do not have. The answer to your question depends primarily on what your bylaws say about these members/positions and whether they are or are not officially members of the board. In addition, even if they do not have the right to vote, the rules may probably be suspended to permit them to make motions and to speak in debate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted August 7, 2021 at 12:10 AM Report Share Posted August 7, 2021 at 12:10 AM On 7/22/2021 at 12:39 PM, Guest Bonnie said: Richard Brown, So even though they are not allowed to vote in our organization since they are not elected officials, they can still make a motion? These questions are going nowhere until we know, verbatim, what your bylaws say about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted August 7, 2021 at 01:54 PM Report Share Posted August 7, 2021 at 01:54 PM 22 hours ago, Guest Bonnie said: We have elected officials, our Executive Board - President, Vice President, Secretary and Director of Finance. We also have eight elected regional directors who represent the eight regions in the country. They make up our Board of elected officials. They all have voting privileges. We then have appointed positions on our board - Historian, Newsletter Editor, Education Chairperson. They are invited to our Board meetings. They have a voice, but no vote. So the question is: if they cannot vote at our meetings, can they still make a motion. I’m thinking if making a motion is part of the voting process, the answer would be no. I concur with my colleagues that the answer to this question ultimately depends on the wording in the organization's rules regarding these "voice, but no vote" rules. I will say, however, that making a motion is not "part of the voting process." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bonnie Posted August 9, 2021 at 03:37 PM Report Share Posted August 9, 2021 at 03:37 PM We have elected officials, our Executive Board - President, Vice President, Secretary and Director of Finance. We also have eight elected regional directors who represent the eight regions in the country. They make up our Board of elected officials. They all have voting privileges. We then have appointed positions on our board - Historian, Newsletter Editor, Education Chairperson. They are invited to our Board meetings. They have a voice, but no vote. So the question is: if they cannot vote at our meetings, can they still make a motion. I’m thinking if making a motion is part of the voting process, the answer would be no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted August 9, 2021 at 04:48 PM Report Share Posted August 9, 2021 at 04:48 PM Guest Bonnie, as three of us have already said, we need to know EXACTLY, VERBATIM, what your BYLAWS say about the makeup of your board and in particular these "appointed positions". Without knowing exactly what your bylaws say about that, we really can't help you. Please quote the relevant provisions exactly, don't paraphrase. You can disguise the name of the organization if necessary, but we need to know exactly what your bylaws say about the makeup of the board and these appointed positions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted August 9, 2021 at 11:01 PM Report Share Posted August 9, 2021 at 11:01 PM Agreeing with those (one of whom is me) who need to see the language in your bylaws, I can offer two general observations: Making a motion, unless it is in writing, is usually done by "voice". Making a motion is not part of the voting procedure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts