Annual meeting elections

[Guest Jim H]

Our By-Law allows a committee to elect nominees to fill open seats for club officers and directors. It also allows for other nominees to run in opposition as independents. Voting is done at the yearly annual meeting. Our By-Law also states "In the event there are no nominations other than those recommended by the Nominating Committee, a single ballot shall be cast by the Secretary of the meeting for the nominees recommended by the Nominating Committee and they shall be deemed to have been duly elected."

My question is: If the Annual Membership Meeting does not have the required participants to obtain a Quorum and the transaction of business can the Secretary still cast the vote to

elect the nominees? If not can it be accomplished at a Board of Directors Meeting? Or do we have to keep rescheduling the meeting until we obtain a quorum and the seats remain open?

[Gary Novosielski]

Our By-Law allows a committee to elect nominees to fill open seats for club officers and directors. It also allows for other nominees to run in opposition as independents. Voting is done at the yearly annual meeting. Our By-Law also states "In the event there are no nominations other than those recommended by the Nominating Committee, a single ballot shall be cast by the Secretary of the meeting for the nominees recommended by the Nominating Committee and they shall be deemed to have been duly elected."

My question is: If the Annual Membership Meeting does not have the required participants to obtain a Quorum and the transaction of business can the Secretary still cast the vote to

elect the nominees? If not can it be accomplished at a Board of Directors Meeting? Or do we have to keep rescheduling the meeting until we obtain a quorum and the seats remain open?

No business (such as nominations from the floor or elections) may be conducted at a meeting if there is less than a quorum present.

You need to obtain a quorum. Free food works wonders.

[hmtcastle]

Our By-Law allows a committee to elect nominees to fill open seats for club officers and directors. It also allows for other nominees to run in opposition as independents.

Well, that may or may not be what your bylaws actually say but it would be helpful to think of the nominating committee as nominatating (not electing) candidates, and then additional nominations are made "from the floor". All candidates are created equal and none are "independent" or, for that matter, dependent.

Further, you should know that RONR does not support the "single vote by the secretary" method. If your bylaws do not require a ballot vote, and if there is only one nominee for a particular office (whether that nominee came from the nominating committee or form the floor), the chair can declare the sole nominee elected "by acclamation".

Of course you have to follow your bylaws as they are, but you might want to look into cleaning them up a little, once the elections are over. There's no need to re-invent the wheel.

[David A Foulkes]

Well, that may or may not be what your bylaws actually say but it would be helpful to think of the nominating committee as nominatating (not electing) candidates, and then additional nominations are made "from the floor". All candidates are created equal and none are "independent" or, for that matter, dependent.

Further, you should know that RONR does not support the "single vote by the secretary" method. If your bylaws do not require a ballot vote, and if there is only one nominee for a particular office (whether that nominee came from the nominating committee or form the floor), the chair can declare the sole nominee elected "by acclamation".

Of course you have to follow your bylaws as they are, but you might want to look into cleaning them up a little, once the elections are over. There's no need to re-invent the wheel.

Nominatating? Oh, that's a good one. <winky face inserted here>

[Gary Novosielski]

Nominatating? Oh, that's a good one. <winky face inserted here>

It should be clear that nominatating is what goes on just before the electition process begins.