Board roll call vote-Recording how board members vote in minutes on a motion with a roll call vote. Can you per Roberts Rules?

[Guest Stacy M]

Can it be recorded how board members vote in their minutes with a roll call vote on a zoom meeting? Does doing so violate Roberts Rules in any way?

The votes were recorded in a clear manor with a 7 member board. 

The motion was published on the agenda. It was made at the meeting with a second. Then a roll call vote done. 

It has been requested that it be recorded in the organization's minutes of that meeting that it be recorded as to who voted yea and who voted no.  

It has been recorded how board members have voted in person in a board meeting by roll call previously. 

There is now a debate saying we can not record how a board member votes via roll call in a zoom meeting due to Roberts rules. 

Can we record how board members vote with a roll call vote in a zoom meeting? Example  John - yes  Susan -No  Bill - Yes ....

[Gary Novosielski]

If the vote was held by roll call, then the names and votes must be recorded in the minutes.  That's the whole point of a roll-call vote.

But Robert's Rules prohibits Zoom meetings entirely unless they're authorized in your bylaws, so in that case there would be no minutes and no valid votes, since there would have been no meeting.

But if your bylaws permit Zoom meetings, then roll call votes would definitely be included in the minutes.

[Joshua Katz]

What RONR says about Zoom is that electronic meetings are prohibited unless permitted by your bylaws, and that if your bylaws allow them, they should give the rules for their use (or authorize other rules to do so). It does not say that roll call votes are prohibited in an otherwise legitimate online meeting. Of course, the usual rules apply, requiring the body to order a vote by roll call.

[Gary Novosielski]

On 9/19/2024 at 8:26 PM, Joshua Katz said:

Of course, the usual rules apply, requiring the body to order a vote by roll call.

Yes, we're not told whether the body properly voted to hold a roll call vote, or whether by rule or custom such votes are the norm.

But I believe that even if a roll-call vote was held by mistake, that any Point of Order against it would no longer be timely at this point.

[Joshua Katz]

On 9/19/2024 at 5:32 PM, Gary Novosielski said:

But I believe that even if a roll-call vote was held by mistake, that any Point of Order against it would no longer be timely at this point.

I agree.

[Josh Martin]

On 9/19/2024 at 7:20 PM, Guest Stacy M said:

Can it be recorded how board members vote in their minutes with a roll call vote on a zoom meeting? Does doing so violate Roberts Rules in any way?

The votes were recorded in a clear manor with a 7 member board. 

The motion was published on the agenda. It was made at the meeting with a second. Then a roll call vote done. 

It has been requested that it be recorded in the organization's minutes of that meeting that it be recorded as to who voted yea and who voted no.  

It has been recorded how board members have voted in person in a board meeting by roll call previously. 

There is now a debate saying we can not record how a board member votes via roll call in a zoom meeting due to Roberts rules. 

Can we record how board members vote with a roll call vote in a zoom meeting? Example  John - yes  Susan -No  Bill - Yes ....

It is certainly not correct that the board cannot record this information. A roll call vote is permissible under Robert's Rules, and when a roll call vote is taken, the minutes record how each individual member voted.

RONR notes that in meetings held by remote means, a roll call vote is occasionally taken simply for the sake of getting an accurate count, not necessarily for the purpose of getting each member on record (although the assembly certain may order a roll call for that purpose, if desired). (This is, however, more common in teleconferences, since there just aren't a lot of other ways to take a vote in such a case. Zoom has other methods of voting, so it's typically not necessary to use a roll call vote in Zoom unless the intent is an actual roll call.)

Ultimately, an assembly which meets via Zoom should adopt its own rules on voting procedures.

See RONR (12th ed.) Appendix: Sample Rules for Electronic Meetings for more information.

Edited September 20, 2024 at 04:50 PM by Josh Martin