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PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
(RONR stands for Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 10th edition.)
QUESTION 1: The organization’s bylaws state that dues must be paid in order for the member to vote at the annual meeting. The dues are due in January and by custom the members usually pay at or before the annual meeting in September. Membership is terminated after the dues are in arrears for a full year. A Board of Directors meeting was held in May with a vacancy to be filled in the office of Treasurer. There was a hotly contested election between two members. A majority elected and the vote was 17-16. The member with the 16 votes asked that the election be rescinded because five directors who had voted had not paid dues. Was this a legal election?
ANSWER: Yes. Membership is not terminated until the dues are in arrears for a full year, therefore the election was legal since the five members who had not paid dues were still eligible to vote. See p. 554, l 20-35, p. 565, l 1-2.
QUESTION 2: When you have a motion on the floor and someone calls the question, but the vote on calling the question is 3 to 3, how is that reflected in the meeting minutes and does the issue just die if no further discussion is held on the motion and there is no vote taken on the motion?
ANSWER: The previous question failed. (If a motion for the Previous Question fails to gain the necessary two-thirds vote, debate continues as if this motion had not been made.) p 192, l 24-27. Since the chair did not continue the debate and take the vote on the motion and no one raised a Point of Order, no action was taken on the motion, the minutes could reflect the making of the motion and the fact that no action was taken, or the motion could be left out entirely. P. 452, l 24-26. P. 453, l 1-6.
Q UESTION 3: What is the difference in the expressions “to agree to,” “to adopt,” and “to accept” a committee report?
ANSWER: There is no difference. p 490, l 23-31 p. 491, l 1-15. It is dangerous to move after a report has been read that it be “accepted” when the actual intent is to “receive” the report which is unnecessary since the report has already been read. If the motion to “accept” is adopted, it implies that the assembly has endorsed the complete report.
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