Suspending rules

[robert conway]

Lack of Quorum continues to cancel Annual Meeting.

Can the majority that attend in person, call to suspend the rules and open this meeting?.

Also, is there a rule that states after so many attempts the majority can suspend these rules?

Bylaws allow absentee voting in the form of proxies.

So the combination of in person Voting Members and Proxy voting we still can't get a quorum! Hummm.

[David A Foulkes]

Lack of Quorum continues to cancel Annual Meeting.

Can the majority that attend in person, call to suspend the rules and open this meeting?.

Also, is there a rule that states after so many attempts the majority can suspend these rules?

Bylaws allow absentee voting in the form of proxies.

So the combination of in person Voting Members and Proxy voting we still can't get a quorum! Hummm.

A quorum is the number of members present at the meeting. If you don't meet that number, it doesn't matter how many absentee votes or proxie votes you have collected. It's people in the room.

[Tim Wynn]

Lack of Quorum continues to cancel Annual Meeting.

Not quite. You still hold the annual meeting. You just can't transact any business.

Can the majority that attend in person, call to suspend the rules and open this meeting?.

Well, not even a unanimous vote could suspend the rules at a meeting without a quorum. However, it doesn't take any suspension of the rules to "open" the meeting; the meeting would be called to order the same as if there were a quorum. You just can't transact business. This may seem like a technical point, but there's more to it than that. Once the meeting is called to order, another meeting can be scheduled, through a motion to Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn (RONR 10th ed., p. 234). This gives you the opportunity to alert members to the fact that their presence is gravely needed at the next meeting (which you just created).

Also, is there a rule that states after so many attempts the majority can suspend these rules?

Yes, after 187 attempts... no, wait... that's not a rule. There is no such rule. Never mind.

Bylaws allow absentee voting in the form of proxies.

This has no effect on the quorum. Although, if you didn't allow people to vote without showing up, maybe they would show up.

So the combination of in person Voting Members and Proxy voting we still can't get a quorum! Hummm.

As mentioned, the proxies won't affect the lack of quorum, though it seems like you're saying that a quorum's worth of members isn't even interesting in the meeting. In this case, the best bet is to find a way to motivate members to attend. Find out why they aren't attending. Have they been notified of the meeting? Do they realize that without their attendance it's likely there won't be a quorum? Ask them why they're not attending, and figure out a way to talk them into the meeting hall.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

Can the majority that attend in person, call to suspend the rules and open this meeting?

No. You cannot suspend the rules FOR THE PURPOSE OF opening a meeting.

You don't even need a quorum to open a meeting, or to adjourn a meeting.

It's all that pesky in-between stuff which you cannot do without a quorum. - i.e., transacting business.

RONR lists four things which an assembly can do without a quorum. All ancillary stuff. - Recess; Adjourn; take steps to obtain a quorum; vote to continue the meeting later.

Also, is there a rule that states after so many attempts the majority can suspend these rules?

No. Not FOR THE PURPOSE of transacting official business without a quorum.

[David A Foulkes]

Lack of Quorum continues to cancel Annual Meeting.

Hopefully uour bylaws allow special meetings. According to your bylaw amendment bylaw requirements (notice and all that), put together a bylaw amendment to change the quorum figure to one that will work within the figure of your show-up members . Call a special meeting to amend the quorum bylaw. Then do everything you can (offer door prizes, free food, stock options, trip to Cabo, babysitting for a year, house cleaning services, plead for mercy) and get enough no-show members to attend the special meeting (tell them it's the last meeting they'll ever need to attend, unless of course they'd actually like to participate) to have a quorum, and fix the quorum bylaw.

Just a suggestion......

[Rob Elsman]

The rule requiring that there be a quorum to transact business validly is unsuspendable. RONR (10th ed.), p. 255, ll. 15-18.

[Guest Nancy N.]

Charming how these redundant magisterial stand-alone posts trickle in over the hours.

[robert conway]

Hopefully uour bylaws allow special meetings. According to your bylaw amendment bylaw requirements (notice and all that), put together a bylaw amendment to change the quorum figure to one that will work within the figure of your show-up members . Call a special meeting to amend the quorum bylaw. Then do everything you can (offer door prizes, free food, stock options, trip to Cabo, babysitting for a year, house cleaning services, plead for mercy) and get enough no-show members to attend the special meeting (tell them it's the last meeting they'll ever need to attend, unless of course they'd actually like to participate) to have a quorum, and fix the quorum bylaw.

Just a suggestion......

Quorum needs 51% Voting Members. To amend bylaws we need 67%, usual boiler plate stuff. Only thing we have going for this association is the Default; Roberts rule of order current edition. Should folks use these rules is another ball game. (they like their rules)

marly

[hmtcastle]

Quorum needs 51% Voting Members. To amend bylaws we need 67%, usual boiler plate stuff.

Well, the usual boiler-plate stuff is a majority (not 51%) and two-thirds (not 67%) but that's another story.

[Gary c Tesser]

Well, the usual boiler-plate stuff is a majority (not 51%) and two-thirds (not 67%) but that's another story.

marly, a 67% vote, or 67% of the entire membership? (Possibly a swapping-deck-chairs-on-the-Titanic kind of quibble.)

[robert conway]

marly, a 67% vote, or 67% of the entire membership? (Possibly a swapping-deck-chairs-on-the-Titanic kind of quibble.)

I agree. However, I have seen quibbles turn to some facinating squabbles.

Just reading the bylaws folks. "51% of the total vote of the association" Suppose someone can turn this around too.

67% of the of total voting membership (by the affirmative vote.)for bylaws amendments.

a side...where is the spell check icon...marly

[David A Foulkes]

a side...where is the spell check icon...marly

You'll find it at the far top-right of the post editing screen. It is the letters ABC with a blue check mark just oh so slightly beneath.

If your Emoticons display is popped up, it is just to the left of that. Or you can X out of the Emoticons display and it's back at the far top-right.

However, if you click it, you may be prompted to go to the download page to download ieSpell, whatever that is.

Alternatively, you can write your posts in another editing program (Word, etc) which has a spell check, and then cut'n'paste into the forum post window, with certain odd results occasionally.

[hmtcastle]

a side...where is the spell check icon

Your browser should spell-check for you.

In Firefox choose Tools/Options/Advanced/General and check "Check my spelling as I type".

[hmtcastle]

You'll find it at the far top-right of the post editing screen. It is the letters ABC with a blue check mark just oh so slightly beneath.

I have no such icon and don't see any place in the "settings" to change that. As noted, Firefox checks my spelling but still I wonder . . .

[David A Foulkes]

I have no such icon and don't see any place in the "settings" to change that. As noted, Firefox checks my spelling but still I wonder . . .

Reply to this post. Top right corner, "curly arrows" for redo and undo, help, increase/decrease editor size, and spell check. Should be up there /\

Below those, outdent and indent, and left/center/right justify icons. |

NOTE: when you hit Reply, this post will make more sense, with a little arrow over on this side pointing up.

[Josh Martin]

Reply to this post. Top right corner, "curly arrows" for redo and undo, help, increase/decrease editor size, and spell check. Should be up there /\

Below those, outdent and indent, and left/center/right justify icons. |

NOTE: when you hit Reply, this post will make more sense, with a little arrow over on this side pointing up.

There is no such icon on my screen. I suspect it's limited to certain browsers.

[David A Foulkes]

There is no such icon on my screen. I suspect it's limited to certain browsers.

Very strange. IE 7 has it. Firefox doesn't.

In the words of Emily Litella.......

[robert conway]

Very strange. IE 7 has it. Firefox doesn't.

In the words of Emily Litella.......

Thank you all on spell check.

Early Americana (History peroid) my favorite subject. Did not have it and spelling was aknowleged as knowlegeble people wrote it.

Since I can not see "SC"it here, and have not been corrected for mis spelling at age 72, (I was in advertising business many years ago". let's move on.