Ability of Chairman to vote on matter

[Guest evansplanning@sympatico.ca]

In a Committee setting, can the Chairman of a Committee vote on an item to approve or deny, or can he/she only vote to break a tie.

[Gary Novosielski]

No, this "only to break a tie" business is an urban myth.

In committees, the Chair participates like any member, including taking part in debate and voting.

[Richard Brown]

Agreeing with Mr. Novosielski, the same rule applies to small boards of no more than about a dozen members.  The chair can vote and participate just like all the other members.  It's called the "Small Board Rules" in RONR and can be found in sections 4:56, 49:21, and 50:25 of RONR (12th ed.).  The rule applies to all committees, regardless of size.

[Weldon Merritt]

And to add my two cents worth,. even in a large assembly, the chair may vote whenever the vote is by ballot, or whenever the chair's vote would make a difference in the result (e.g., to make or break a tie, or to achieve or block a two-thirds vote).