No confidence vote

[Guest Jacob S]

Minor Hockey

With a no confidence vote, do the members of the association get a vote or does the only the board get a vote?

 

[Gary Novosielski]

The term “vote of no confidence” is not used or defined anywhere in RONR, and there is no mention of any motion for such a vote. However, this does not mean that an assembly cannot adopt a motion, if it wishes, expressing either its confidence or lack of confidence in any of its officers or subordinate boards or committees. Any such motion would simply be a main motion, and would have no effect other than to express the assembly’s views concerning the matter. A vote of “no confidence” does not—as it would in the British Parliament—remove an officer from office.

So to answer your question, the members of the body in which it is moved get to vote on it--as with any other main motion.  There's nothing special about it.

[Joshua Katz]

RONR has no "no confidence" vote, which is apparently borrowed from parliamentary government structures. But for any motion, the question is where the motion is made. At a board meeting, board members vote; at a membership meeting, all the members get to vote.

[Rob Elsman]

A vote of no confidence in the United Kingdom's House of Commons does not remove a prime minister. Only the sovereign can accept the prime minister's resignation, and, even then, it is likely that the prime minister will remain in office until a successor is chosen.

[Josh Martin]

On 5/17/2023 at 10:44 AM, Guest Jacob S said:

With a no confidence vote, do the members of the association get a vote or does the only the board get a vote?

I concur with my colleagues, and I would that to the extent the organization actually wishes to remove a person from office, the organization should first check its own bylaws (and if those rules are silent, see FAQ #20).

Such a motion would ultimately be voted on by the same body which elected the officer in the first place, unless the bylaws provide otherwise, but there may be more to it than simply making a motion on the subject.

[Gary Novosielski]

On 5/17/2023 at 1:23 PM, Rob Elsman said:

A vote of no confidence in the United Kingdom's House of Commons does not remove a prime minister. Only the sovereign can accept the prime minister's resignation, and, even then, it is likely that the prime minister will remain in office until a successor is chosen.

I wouldn't know.  That was a quote of FAQ #7, which makes the claim.

[Richard Brown]

On 5/17/2023 at 10:44 AM, Guest Jacob S said:

Minor Hockey

With a no confidence vote, do the members of the association get a vote or does the only the board get a vote?

 

In the United States the motion of Censure is generally used in lieu of the motion of no confidence, but nothing in RONR prohibits such a motion.  Regardless of whether you are using a motion of censure or a motion of no confidence, the members of the assembly (or body) which is considering the motion are the ones who get to vote on it.  If it is at a general membership meeting, then the general members get to vote on it.  If it is being considered by the Board of Directors, then only board members get to vote on it.  The person who is the subject of the motion of no confidence or censure should not vote on it, but if he or she is a member of the body which is considering the motion he or she cannot be prohibited from voting on the principle that no member can be prevented from voting except through certain disciplinary processes.  An ordinary motion of censure or no confidence is not considered such a process.

[J. J.]

On 5/17/2023 at 3:44 PM, Richard Brown said:

In the United States the motion of Censure is generally used in lieu of the motion of no confidence, but nothing in RONR prohibits such a motion.  Regardless of whether you are using a motion of censure or a motion of no confidence, the members of the assembly (or body) which is considering the motion are the ones who get to vote on it.  If it is at a general membership meeting, then the general members get to vote on it.  If it is being considered by the Board of Directors, then only board members get to vote on it.  The person who is the subject of the motion of no confidence or censure should not vote on it, but if he or she is a member of the body which is considering the motion he or she cannot be prohibited from voting on the principle that no member can be prevented from voting except through certain disciplinary processes.  An ordinary motion of censure or no confidence is not considered such a process.

I will disagree with the "censure" analogy.  Censure may be a punishment while, barring some rules the society may adopt, a vote of no confidence is not. 

In addition, I would likely find a motion "that we have no confidence in Mr. A" to be dilatory, unless Mr. A holds some position.  A motion to "that Mr. A be censured" would not be dilatory, even if Mr. A held no officer. 

Edited May 19, 2023 at 05:25 PM by J. J.