small boards

[Guest michael]

Our small board has always adopted Roberts rules for small boards, I'd like to clarify the "motion need not be second" rule. For years we have used a second even though I knew it was not required, now to some members having a second is an issue. This rule pertains to every motion however, how would certain motions be handled like Objection to the Consideration of a Question? Having to do it before a second. 

My other question around small boards is the 2/3 vote, boards of 7 or 10 end up being the same for 2/3rd as majority, should it be rounded up 1? 

[Shmuel Gerber]

On 4/24/2022 at 10:52 PM, Guest michael said:

Our small board has always adopted Roberts rules for small boards, I'd like to clarify the "motion need not be second" rule. For years we have used a second even though I knew it was not required, now to some members having a second is an issue. This rule pertains to every motion however, how would certain motions be handled like Objection to the Consideration of a Question? Having to do it before a second. 

The rule applying to small board meetings that "motions need not be seconded" means that the chair is supposed to state the question on all motions properly made, even if no one has seconded the motion, regardless of whether the motion is one that normally must be seconded. See RONR (12th ed.) 49:21, as well as footnote 7 of 4:9.

If a motion is one that normally does not even require a second, then of course it still does not require a second at a small board meeting.

On 4/24/2022 at 10:52 PM, Guest michael said:

My other question around small boards is the 2/3 vote, boards of 7 or 10 end up being the same for 2/3rd as majority, should it be rounded up 1? 

Majority means more than half; two-thirds means at least two-thirds. Assuming 7 members vote, a majority vote is 4 and a two-thirds vote is 5.

Assuming 10 members vote, a majority vote is 6 and a two-thirds vote is 7.

In any event, the requirement does not change even if a majority would be the same as two-thirds, such as when 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6 votes are cast.

[Gary Novosielski]

On 4/24/2022 at 10:52 PM, Guest michael said:

 This rule pertains to every motion however, how would certain motions be handled like Objection to the Consideration of a Question? Having to do it before a second. 

 

An Objection to Consideration does not have to be done before a second.  It has to be done before consideration (e.g. debate) has begun.

[Guest Micheal]

4:12 The requirement of a second is for the chair’s guidance whether to
state the question on the motion, thus placing it before the assembly.
Its purpose is to prevent time from being consumed by the assembly’s
having to dispose of a motion that only one person wants to see
introduced.

This kind of helps, I was also looking for something that I could use to keep the use of a second in our small boards.

Thanks

[Richard Brown]

On 4/25/2022 at 9:51 PM, Guest Micheal said:

This kind of helps, I was also looking for something that I could use to keep the use of a second in our small boards.

If you want to use the small board rules but still require a second, just adopt a special rule of order that seconds are required even when using the small board rules except in those cases in which your rules or your parliamentary authority state that a second is not required (such as a call for a division or the previous question or an objection to consideration of a motion).

Edited April 26, 2022 at 06:33 PM by Richard Brown
Corrected to remove “the previous question” from the list After my friend Weldon Merritt caught the mistake.

[Weldon Merritt]

On 4/26/2022 at 12:59 AM, Richard Brown said:

or the previous question

Since when does Previous Question not require a second (under the normal rules)?

[Richard Brown]

On 4/26/2022 at 11:22 AM, Weldon Merritt said:

Since when does Previous Question not require a second (under the normal rules)?

Duh. Since never. Don’t know what I was thinking. Thank you for pointing that out!

[Weldon Merritt]

On 4/26/2022 at 12:24 PM, Richard Brown said:

Duh. Since never. Don’t know what I was thinking. Thank you for pointing that out!

I suspect we've all made dumb mistakes at one time or another.