Allowing incoming officers to vote

[Guest Christina]

Aloha! I'm the student council advisor at a private high school in Honolulu. My officers for the coming school year will be elected in early April, but their terms will not begin until July 1. Our current council has one more business meeting before the school year ends, and I'd like my incoming officers to participate in the meeting to help prepare them for the coming school year. Would it be possible for them to participate in any voting that takes place at this meeting? The current officers will be voting on the venues for next year's winter ball and prom, but I'd also like the incoming officers to have a say. Unfortunately, our constitution does not have any guidelines about this. Thank you for your input.

[Weldon Merritt]

If the incoming officers are not yet board members (which seems to be the case(, the short answer is no. Under no circumstances may non-members be allowed to vote.  If they did note and their votes affected, or could have affected, the resets, the vote is null and void.

The incoming officers may be allowed to participate as fully as the current members are willing to allow, short of actual voting. But if they are to participate in teh debate on a motion, that requires suspension of the rules by a two-thirds vote.