Non Voting members Making motions

[Guest Gus]

Can a non voting member (no voice or vote) on a committee make a motion?

[Rob Elsman]

I do not exactly know what is a "non voting member (no voice or vote) on a committee". Is this just a guest and spectator?

Edited October 26, 2023 at 12:01 AM by Rob Elsman

[Gary Novosielski]

On 10/25/2023 at 4:47 PM, Guest Gus said:

Can a non voting member (no voice or vote) on a committee make a motion?

When RONR speaks of a member it means "a person entitled to full participation in its
proceedings, that is, ... the right to attend meetings, to make motions, to speak in
debate, and to vote."

So non-voting members are a different animal--one whose rights must be defined in your rules.  The quaint phrase "voice or vote" sounds cool and parliamentary-ish, but it's not clear what things this person is allowed to do, except that voting isn't one.   If making a motion is considered to be using your "voice" then the argument could be made that it's not something they can do.  But each society must ultimately interpret its own bylaws for itself.

But speaking for myself, If I was a member of a body but could not make motions, speak in debate, or vote, I'd have to have a good think about what the point was of showing up. 

 

[Guest Gus]

On 10/25/2023 at 7:39 PM, Gary Novosielski said:

When RONR speaks of a member it means "a person entitled to full participation in its
proceedings, that is, ... the right to attend meetings, to make motions, to speak in
debate, and to vote."

So non-voting members are a different animal--one whose rights must be defined in your rules.  The quaint phrase "voice or vote" sounds cool and parliamentary-ish, but it's not clear what things this person is allowed to do, except that voting isn't one.   If making a motion is considered to be using your "voice" then the argument could be made that it's not something they can do.  But each society must ultimately interpret its own bylaws for itself.

But speaking for myself, If I was a member of a body but could not make motions, speak in debate, or vote, I'd have to have a good think about what the point was of showing up. 

 

Some times it 's a position like a secretary or treasurer.

[Rob Elsman]

So, why is it thought that such an invitee is a member of the committee? 

[Gary Novosielski]

On 10/25/2023 at 10:47 PM, Guest Gus said:

Some times it 's a position like a secretary or treasurer.

Fair enough, but if they cannot speak or vote, why are they considered to be a member?  Quite often committee chairs or other persons attend for reporting or other purposes, and of course they do not vote or make motions, unless they are also members of the board itself.

In the vast majority of ordinary societies, the secretary and treasurer are members, but there are certainly many where this is not the case.  You are free to arrange matters to suit the special requirements of your organization, but since these rules are not in RONR, we can't interpret them here.  If they are ambiguous, they should be amended to make their intent clear.