Can the president make a motion and can the president vote on the motion?

[Guest Phill]

Can the president make a motion and can the president vote on the motion?

[George Mervosh]

16 minutes ago, Guest Phill said:

Can the president make a motion and can the president vote on the motion?

See FAQ#1 here https://robertsrules.com/frequently-asked-questions/#faqs

[Richard Brown]

That depends. In an ordinary meeting of an assembly that is not a committee or a small board, the president should not make motions, speak in debate or vote except when the vote is by secret ballot. However, if he is a member of the assembly, he does have the right to do those things if he insists  upon it, but he risks receiving the ire, censure or even removal from office from the membership if he persists with such conduct.

However, if he is presiding over a meeting of a committee or of a small board of no more than about a dozen members, then, under the small board rules of RONR, the president can participate just like all of the members, including making motions, debating, and voting.

[Wild Dunes]

Mr. Brown, can you cite the support for president can vote if a member of the assembly please. I have been reading RONR but so far have not found that. I will also be trying to find rule on president seconding a motion - haven't started the search on this one yet. Thank you.

Edited October 14, 2021 at 06:23 AM by Wild Dunes
correct error in the question

[Josh Martin]

On 10/14/2021 at 12:56 AM, Wild Dunes said:

Mr. Brown, can you cite the support for president can vote if a member of the assembly please. I have been reading RONR but so far have not found that. I will also be trying to find rule on president seconding a motion - haven't started the search on this one yet. Thank you.

In regard to the President voting, the rules for which Mr. Brown has explained, see FAQ #1. In addition, see RONR (12th ed.) 44:12, 49:21.

In regard to the President seconding a motion, the President should not second a motion while presiding, for the following reasons:

1) The purpose of a second is to act as a guide for the chair in whether to state a motion. The chair also has the option to state the question on a motion without a second if needed to facilitate the assembly's business. See RONR (12th ed.) 4:9-14.

2) Conversely, in order to maintain the chair's appearance of impartiality, the chair should not second a motion if the only reason to do so is due to the chair's own opinions of the motion. This is for the same reasons that the chair of a large assembly does not make motions, speak in debate, or vote (with exceptions for the last one).

3) The relaxed rules for a committee or small board do not require the chair to maintain the appearance of impartiality, however, those rules also do not require motions to be seconded.

Edited October 14, 2021 at 12:26 PM by Josh Martin

[Wild Dunes]

On 10/14/2021 at 5:25 AM, Josh Martin said:

In regard to the President voting, the rules for which Mr. Brown has explained, see FAQ #1. In addition, see RONR (12th ed.) 44:12, 49:21.

 

I apologize, but I meant to ask if the President can make a motion. Would appreciate a response on that, with statute cited. Thank you for your help.

[Josh Martin]

On 10/14/2021 at 10:51 AM, Wild Dunes said:

I apologize, but I meant to ask if the President can make a motion. Would appreciate a response on that, with statute cited. Thank you for your help.

Okay. The President, if a member, has a right to make motions, but refrains from doing so while presiding in order to preserve the appearance of impartiality. As noted previously, the committee and small board rules are more relaxed on this matter. Those rules permit the chair to make motions.

See FAQ #1. I am unable to find a citation explicitly stating that the chair does not make motions while presiding (although I may have missed it), but it seems a reasonable conclusion to draw from RONR (12th ed.) 47:55 (which says the parliamentarian follows the same rules of impartiality as the chair, including not making motions), the small board rules in 49:21 (which provide that the chair may make motions while presiding under the small board rules, implying that this is ordinarily not an option), and the general principles and rules relating to the chair's requirement to maintain the appearance of impartiality.

There is also the fact that RONR elaborates on a procedure for the chair to "assume" a motion when needed to facilitate the business of the assembly (referred to in several cases throughout RONR), and it would seem unnecessary to create such a procedure if the chair was able to simply make motions.

[Wild Dunes]

Josh Martin. Thank you for this last explanation.  I appreciate your time.

[Richard Brown]

@Wild DunesI trust that Mr. Martin’s responses have satisfactorily answered your questions. I do concur with his answers.

[Wild Dunes]

Mr. Brown, thanks to both you and Mr. Martin, I have my answers.