Board rules

[Guest Nixon]

As a Board member I asked to put a proposed agreement up for a vote. The Chairperson immediately said, we're not taking a vote. Is the chairperson required to see if someone seconds the motion or tables it. Can Chairperson unilaterally decide no vote will be taken?

[Robert B Fish]

As a Board member I asked to put a proposed agreement up for a vote. The Chairperson immediately said, we're not taking a vote. Is the chairperson required to see if someone seconds the motion or tables it. Can Chairperson unilaterally decide no vote will be taken?

In smaller meetings of less than about a dozen, more relaxed rules are observed and seconding of motions is not required. Your board might operate differently.

You should have informed the chairman that, absent a ruling from the chair that your motion was not in order (and such a ruling can be appealed), he/she was required to put you motion to a vote. If your group requires that motions be seconded, he could have rules that your motion died for lack of a sec0ond. That doesn't sound like what happened.

If he persists, ask him to show you where he has that authority.

However, if you let him get away with it, then he DID have that authority...at least for that day.

-Bob

[Kim Goldsworthy]

Q. Is the chairperson required to see if someone seconds the motion or tables it.

Regarding seconding:

• If the motion is in order, then yes.

• If the motion is not in order, then no.

Regarding tabling:

No. - It is incorrect technique to await a motion to Lay on the Table.

Q. Can Chairperson unilaterally decide no vote will be taken?

If the motion is not in order, then yes.

If the motion is in order, then no.

If the chair errs, then you are to raise a point of order, calling attention to the error.