Even numbered board choosing a chairperson @ the organization meeting.

[Guest Mary M.]

A local school board consists of 6 members. The only way a vote is passed is by a 4-2 vote. What happens in the organization meeting (first meeting of the year) when competing nominees for chair do not obtain 4 votes? How long can nomination process go back and forth?  What happens if none of the 6 board members obtain 4 votes? Also, not the board past chair was not re-elected, so they are no longer on the board.

[Gary Novosielski]

It can go on as long as necessary.

[Atul Kapur]

They keep going until someone gets a majority. 

The candidates may informally discuss amongst themselves to see if they can reach an agreement on who will withdraw. 

[Doesn't bode well for the rest of the term, but I wouldn't blame that on the fact that there's an even number of members]

 

[Weldon Merritt]

On 12/5/2022 at 9:15 PM, Atul Kapur said:

[Doesn't bode well for the rest of the term, but I wouldn't blame that on the fact that there's an even number of members]

I agree. There seems to be a widespread assumption that having an odd number of members will preclude a tie. But that's not necessarily so. Even with an odd number of members, a tie could result if a member is absent or abstains.

[Richard Brown]

The candidates can agree to flip a coin and that the loser will ask that his name be withdrawn from consideration.  The assembly can also vote to suspend the rules so that the nominee with the fewest votes is dropped from the list of nominees on succeeding ballots, but the members may still write in the name of the dropped nominee if they want to.  RONR (12th ed.) §46:32, footnote 1.

[Josh Martin]

On 12/5/2022 at 9:37 PM, Guest Mary M. said:

The only way a vote is passed is by a 4-2 vote.

I would note that this is not necessarily correct, at least so far as RONR is concerned. This assumes that all members are present and no members abstain.

(Although this is a school board, so it may well be there is something in the organization's rules or applicable law on this subject.)

On 12/5/2022 at 9:37 PM, Guest Mary M. said:

What happens in the organization meeting (first meeting of the year) when competing nominees for chair do not obtain 4 votes?

You vote again.

On 12/5/2022 at 9:37 PM, Guest Mary M. said:

How long can nomination process go back and forth?

Indefinitely.

On 12/5/2022 at 9:37 PM, Guest Mary M. said:

What happens if none of the 6 board members obtain 4 votes?

Until a board chair is elected, it will be necessary to elect a Chair Pro Tempore at each meeting.

[Joshua Katz]

On 12/5/2022 at 9:37 PM, Guest Mary M. said:

The only way a vote is passed is by a 4-2 vote.

Why?

[Alicia Percell, PRP]

On 12/6/2022 at 6:06 PM, Joshua Katz said:

Why?

Yeah, I had the same thought on first read.  I decided it likely was just the OP's way of expressing that because there are 6, and if all 6 of them vote, at least 4 votes are required to reach majority.  But it's likely not the "only way" as it could be 6-0, or it could be 5-1, or there could be absences/abstentions/etc.

[Gary Novosielski]

On 12/5/2022 at 10:37 PM, Guest Mary M. said:

The only way a vote is passed is by a 4-2 vote.

Actually, presuming a quorum is present, the ways that a motion can be passed include:

• 6-0
• 5-1
• 4-2
• 5-0
• 4-1
• 3-2
• 4-0
• 3-1
• 3-0
• 2-1
• 2-0
• 1-0