Non-voting member participation in debate

[Guest Maria]

We are a small club that, per by-laws, recognizes length of membership through a separate membership status.  This voluntary status does not require dues or assessments, permits such members full access to the club and its grounds, but removes that member's right to vote.  The by-laws also provide that such. members can revert to regular membership at any time by paying dues for the year.  

Question is whether such members have the right to participate in debate on motions before the club. under the Robert's Rules?  Thank you in advance for any insights

 

[Rob Elsman]

When a society authorizes multiple classes of membership, the society is responsible for defining the rights and responsibilities of each class in its bylaws. Robert's Rules does not do this for the society.

[Atul Kapur]

RONR specifies four particular rights of a member in "1:4 A member of an assembly, in the parliamentary sense, as mentioned above, is a person entitled to full participation in its proceedings, that is, as explained in 3 and 4, the right to attend meetings, to make motions, to speak in debate, and to vote.

...

Some organized societies define additional classes of “membership” that do not entail all of these rights."

Your organization has specified only one of these rights for this class (non-voting). Your organization should consider and decide on the others and amend your rules to state them explicitly. 

FWIW, some here apply Principle of Interpretation 6 (56:68) to say that since you've only stated that this class does not have the right to vote, it does have the other rights. But your organization can and should decide for itself.

[Richard Brown]

I concur with my colleagues.  Although it is ultimately up to your organization to interpret its own bylaws, I am personally inclined to interpret the information you have provided to mean that the members in this "voluntary class" have all of the rights of membership except the right to vote.  So, in my opinion, they do have the right to engage in debate on motions.  It is the opinion of your own members that counts, however.... not mine.

BTW, I do encourage you to amend your bylaws to make clear just what rights these "voluntary" members do and do not have. A simple sentence that says something to the effect that "These members retain all rights of membership except the right to vote" would suffice if that is in fact the case.

[Christina Peters]

Thank you all