Board members

[Guest David]

At the annual meeting when do the new elected board members, actually have a vote?

[Gary Novosielski]

At an Annual General Meeting of the membership newly elected board members, presuming they are already members of the society, have the same voting rights as all members, whether they win, lose, or do not run for the board at all.

Newly elected board members would have to wait for a board meeting in order to cast a vote on the board.

Unless your bylaws or other election rules say otherwise, people are in office as soon as their election is complete and the results announced by the chair.

Quote

RONR 12th ed. 46:47

An officer-elect takes possession of his office immediately upon his election’s becoming final, unless the bylaws or other rules specify a later time (see 56:27). If a formal installation ceremony is prescribed, failure to hold it does not affect the time at which the new officers assume office.

 

[Richard Brown]

On 1/10/2023 at 7:51 PM, Guest David said:

At the annual meeting when do the new elected board members, actually have a vote?

As Mr. Novosielski explained in the last part of his answer, unless your bylaws provide otherwise, newly elected officers and board members assume office immediately upon election. By immediately, I mean instantaneously, as soon as the chair declares them elected.

It is common for bylaws to provide the newly elected officers take office upon adjournment of the annual meeting or at some of the time, but in the absence of such a provision, they assume their office immediately upon election based on the rules in RONR. That means they can start voting immediately at the next board meeting or even at the same board meeting if the election takes place during a board meeting.

unless the bylaws provide otherwise, an installation ceremony is simply ceremonial and has no bearing upon when the officers actually assume office.