Notes #30- 10 More Useful Motions to Know

Last Notes, we covered 10 basic motions everyone should know.  Now we have 10 “More Useful Motions to Know”, which are of several classes of motions, some are subsidiary and relate to the main motion, some are incidental and relate to the pending business in different ways, and some are motions which bring a question "again" before the assembly. Initially it is more important to focus on what is accomplished by the use of the motions listed.

1. CHANGE RULES OF DEBATE. Move to LIMIT or EXTEND LIMITS OF DEBATE. You can move to reduce (or increase) the number of speeches or the length of each speech or you can specify a time limit for debate on a pending main motion.  Be aware this will require a 2/3^rd vote!  Standard is speaking twice on the same motion for 10 minutes each.  You group can change that across the board, setting it as a Standing Rule.  This motion allows you to temporarily change this.

2. FORCE CONFORMITY TO AGENDA. Use the device, CALL FOR THE ORDERS OF THE DAY to require the return to the adopted program or order of business.  This can be used if your meeting is getting off track.

3. URGENT PRIVILEGE. Use the device, RAISE A QUESTION OF PRIVILEGE, to interrupt pending business to make a request affecting the rights or privileges of the assembly (i.e to point out that the speaker cannot be heard, it’s too hot or too cold, or the like.)

4. SET UP AN ADJOURNED MEETING. Move to FIX THE TIME TO WHICH TO ADJOURN. The adoption of this motion does NOT adjourn the meeting, it really says that when we “adjourn”, we are really “adjourning to meet again at a specified place or time/day”.   This is a very confusing motion!  Think of it as a really really long recess of the meeting (to the next day), so that the meeting continues and you can conclude business.  Usually only seen with organizations that have a multi-day legislative session at a convention. 

5. DISAGREE WITH CHAIR'S RULING. Move to APPEAL from the decision of the chair (must be made immediately after the chair's ruling on a POINT OF ORDER).

6. IN DOUBT ABOUT A VOTE? Call for a DIVISION OF THE ASSEMBLY (you can just call out "DIVISION!") when a voice vote seems inconclusive (and the chair doesn't do this); it is a demand for a rising vote (no vote is required on this call) .

7. TEMPORARILY CHANGE RULES. Move to SUSPEND THE RULES if something needs to be done and it’s not in accordance with the regular rules of procedure. (NOTE: Bylaws cannot be suspended!!!)

8. FIRE A COMMITTEE. Move to DISCHARGE A COMMITTEE when a committee has failed to carry out its duties or when it is desired to return a matter back to the assembly.   Typically only done with Special/Ad Hoc committees.

9. CANCEL OR REPEAL A PRIOR ACTION. Move to RESCIND if you want to strike out, change, cancel, or countermand a previous action or order adopted any time in the past.

10. REVERSE A VOTE OR CHANGE ADOPTED MOTION. Move to RECONSIDER the vote on the previously adopted motion. The purpose is to permit correction of an erroneous action or to take into account new information.

Again, see the prior Notes on motions for more info on resources.

[this note is based on work by the Plantation Unit of Parliamentarians]

Notes #29- 10 Basic Motions

As noted, the workhorse for introducing and handling business in your group (or a committee within it) is the MOTION.  In the first in this sub-series, we covered how to handle the basic “main motion”.  Each member has the right to participate according to their own judgment- to make motions, debate, and vote. The following summary will not tell you everything you need to know, but if you know how to accomplish what you want in meetings, you have made great strides in contributing to effective meetings.   So here we give 10 basic motions that most people will need to know.

1. BRING UP BUSINESS. If you want to propose that your group take an action (ie, make a purchase, plan a service event or social event or a camping trip) you must make a MAIN MOTION. You can only do this when no other business is pending.  (see the first in this sub-series on how to do this).

2. KILL A MAIN MOTION. Move to POSTPONE INDEFINITELY. This avoids a direct vote on the main motion and thereby "kills" it.

3. MAKE A MAIN MOTION BETTER. Move to AMEND the main motion. You may add or delete or change, even substitute one motion for another.  Don’t withhold a second because the motion isn't quite what you want, instead AMEND it.

4. GET MORE INFORMATION. Move to REFER the motion to a committee. You may even specify which committee or you may define the committee. (that is, assign it to an already existing Standing Committee or establish a short-lived Special Committee or Ad Hoc Committee with specific members just to look at this matter)  Very useful if you think the idea has merit, but needs more work by a small group of people.

5. PUT OFF THE VOTE ON A MAIN MOTION. Move to POSTPONE the main motion to a later time or another meeting. The time must be DEFINITELY specified.  If postponing it to another meeting, ideally it should be the next one.

6. PUT ASIDE TEMPORARILY. Move to LAY the pending motion ON THE TABLE. Can only be used if an urgent reason to do so. Consideration of the motion continues after adoption of the motion to TAKE FROM THE TABLE.

7. CLOSE DEBATE/STOP AMENDMENTS. Move the PREVIOUS QUESTION. (some groups allow for this to be called "STOP DEBATE"). This requires a 2/3 vote and if adopted the vote is taken immediately on the pending motion.   DON’T confuse the vote on the previous question with a vote on the motion itself!!  They are separate!   If you voted to stop the debate, you STILL have to vote on the motion itself.

8. TAKE A BREAK. Move to RECESS. A recess is short intermission (say, 15 minutes or so); the interrupted business is resumed after the recess.

9. CLOSE THE MEETING. Move to ADJOURN. Adjourn is in order even when business is pending and if adopted closes the meeting immediately.   (any pending business is lost, by the way).

10. NEED TO KNOW SOMETHING more about the pending motion? Use the device REQUEST FOR INFORMATION. For example, "Mr. President, Request for Information. How much did we give last year?"

For more resources on motions, see the previous Note.

[this note is based on work by the Plantation Unit of Parliamentarians]

Notes #26- More on Motions

When speaking of motions, there are some other things to be aware of.   There are, in fact, 23 different motions.  Do you need to memorize them all?  No.  In fact for most people and most situations, you need to be familiar with only a handful or so.  We will cover the most useful of these in the next 2 Notes. 

First off, every motion has certain characteristics. It’s important to be familiar with these characteristics. It can be difficult to memorize the characteristics of every motion, but thankfully there are various charts and cheat sheets you can get and use during your meetings.

The characteristics are:

1. Precedence
2. Application
3. If in order when another has the floor
4. Seconded
5. Debatable
6. Amendable
7. Vote needed
8. Reconsidered

What do these mean?

1. Precedence. For some motions (a dozen of them), there is an order of precedence. Thus, if a motion is being considered, you can put forth a motion of a higher precedence, without waiting for that motion to be finished. Main motions (those motions that bring forth new business to be considered, which was the main focus of the previous Note) have the lowest precedence. Some motions have no precedence, btw.

2. Application. What is the purpose of this motion? This is important, because some motions have somewhat confusing names and some motions seem to have identical purposes. You need to be sure you are using the right motion for the right reasons.

3. As noted, when someone has the floor, you have to wait your turn to make a motion. HOWEVER, there are some motions that you can use even if another member has the floor.

4. Does the motion require a second? Some don't.

5. Can the motion be debated (discussed)? Some don't allow it.

6. Can the motion be amended (changed)? Some can't.

7. What kind of vote is needed to pass the motion? Most motions need only a majority vote. Certain motions require a 2/3 vote (these are motions that affects member's “parliamentary rights” of debate). Some motions don't need a vote.  (refer to the Note on voting for more on this)

8. Can you reconsider the vote on a motion? Some allow it, some don't


In addition, motions are put into one of several groups: Main Motions, Subsidiary motions, Privileged Motions, Incidental Motions, "Bring Back" Motions.

What are these groups?

Main motions bring new business before the group as motions or resolutions.

Subsidiary motions are motions that apply to the main motion, by changing them, setting them aside, and the like.

Privileged motions are important because they have precedence over other motions and are not debatable. All deal with the business of running the meeting.

Incidental motions are related to the main motion, but in such a way that they need to be dealt with NOW.

"Bring Back" motions are a motions that bring back issues for consideration to the group. These can be motions that were set aside and the like.

As noted, one need not memorize motions, but you need to be familiar with them, and using various charts during your meeting can help.  Here are some resources for these charts. 

You can download several free charts at Jim Slaughter’s website (http://www.jimslaughter.com/articles.htm).  He has a great chart of the parliamentary motions, and two others that are useful are “Preside Like a Pro” and “Presiding Phrases”, which can help the person chairing a meeting to move things along.

The National Association of Parliamentarians has several items for sale in their store that are useful.   They have several plastic cards with basic information on them, such as handling a motion, chair’s guide, vote calculator, ranking motions, and subsidiary motions.  Their basic information leaflet is one I get by the 100 and pass out at seminars I do.  This one has it all in one place.

Notes #25- Motions: How they work

In previous works in this series, we have eluded to the concept of "motions" in meetings to get things done. But what are they all about, and how do you deal with them?

In most cases, all the decisions an organization will make will be due to 'motions' being made by the members, discussed, and then decided upon. (in cases where you have MEMBERS making decisions vs just your officers) How this is done is really very easy, but can be confusing to those not familiar with them.

Motions are handled in this seven step process:

1. Obtain the floor
2. Make the motion
3. Have it seconded
4. Chair repeats it
5. Motion is discussed/debated
6. Vote is taken
7. Result is given

How is each step handled?

1. OBTAIN THE FLOOR. Before you can state your motion, you must 'obtain the floor'. And you can't do this unless there is nothing else pending. In other words, if the group is currently working on another matter, your motion will have to wait. Hopefully, your chair will say "Is there any other new business?" once other matters are finished, indicating it’s ok to put forth something new. This is your chance to make your motion. Obtain the chairs attention, by either raising your hand or standing (depending on the size of the group and its customs). Hopefully, the chair will recognize you and you can make your motion (The chair may say "the Chair recognizes...")

2. MAKE THE MOTION. Now that you have the floor, make your motion. Start it off by saying "I move that", and clearly state your motion. Do NOT say "I'd like to make a motion...", or "I make a motion that..." or "I so move..." or the like. Do NOT spend time explaining or justifying the motion (you'll get your chance later). Make it short and sweet, and sit down. IF the motion is a little complex, have it written down and give copies to the chair and secretary.

3. THE MOTION IS SECONDED. Now that you have stated the motion, it needs to be seconded. Seconding ONLY means that at least one person feels the group should consider the motion. The seconder is NOT obligated to vote for the motion or be in favor of it. (they may in fact be against it, and may be seconded it so that it can be considered and defeated!). All that is needed is someone to say "Second!" If no one does, the chair can prompt for a second ("Is there a second"). IF THERE IS NO SECOND, the motion is lost and that's it (Chair "Motion is lost due to lack of a second. Is there any new business?"). If there is a second, we move to the next step.

NOTE: in small committees (12 or less), you may dispense with the need for a second.

4. CHAIR REPEATS IT. The chair then says "It has been moved and seconded that..." This make sure everyone is clear on what we will be discussing.

5. MOTION IS DISCUSSED/DEBATED. At this point, members can now discuss the motion. As noted in previous points, we are discussing ONLY the motion. The old style is for the chair to say "Are you ready for the question?", but it is simpler to say "Is there any discussion?" THE MAKER OF THE MOTION gets to speak first, by the way. This is now their chance to expound on the motion, and convince people to vote for it. Afterwards, everyone else gets to speak. It is a good idea for people to make it clear where they stand by saying "I speak for the motion/I speak in favor of the motion" or "I speak against the motion/I speak in opposition to the motion" and then explain why. Should there be a lull in those obtaining the floor to speak about the motion; the chair may prompt for further debate by saying "Is there any further discussion?"

There ARE limits to how long you can speak and how often.  The standard rule is twice on the same motion for 10 minutes each.  The organization is free to change this for the organization all the time (thru a “Standing Rule” of the organization) or for that meeting or for just that motion.

6. VOTE IS TAKEN. Once it is clear everyone has had their say, OR someone has forced the matter by 'calling the question' and ending debate, the chair will put the motion to a vote. Before doing so, the chair should again repeat the motion so that everyone is clear as to what they are voting on (helpful if the motion was changed thru amendments). The chair should say "The question is on the adoption of the motion to...". And then put the matter to a vote (see the Note on Voting).

7. RESULT IS GIVEN. After the vote is taken, the chair needs to announce the results: "the ayes have it and the motion is adopted" or "The noes have it, and the motion is lost", or the like.  As noted on Voting, you do not give a count of the vote, just who prevailed.

FREQUENT QUESTIONS

SECOND- as noted, and which bears repeating: Seconding just means that at least one person feels the group should consider the motion. The seconder is NOT obligated to vote for the motion or be in favor of it. (they may in fact be against it, and may be seconded it so that it can be considered and defeated!). Seconding is not needed in small committees or groups less than 12. Also, once seconded, you can't withdraw your second. And, if debate begins before a second is formally given (which it shouldn’t), then the second is assumed.

MINUTES- what goes into the minutes? The motion as it was voted on, who made it (don't need who seconded it), and the outcome (adopted or lost). "It was moved by John Smith and seconded that we increase our dues to $100 a year. The motion passed."

AMENDMENTS- during discussions on the motions, the members CAN make changes to the motion (add, remove, reword, change). These are call amendments. This will be covered in a future Note.

Notes: #23 Voting

Voting is a big matter that all groups need to understand because as its how the organization expresses its will.  So let’s look at some basics.  First off, let’s handle some basic definitions of voting.

Definitions

• Majority- more than half
• 2/3rd majority- 2/3rd of the vote
• General consent- when everyone approves
• Quorum- minimum number of members needs to hold an official meeting
• Abstention- not voting

Let’s look a little further into these definitions.

Majority is “more than half”.  That’s its definition.  It’s NOT “50% plus one” or “half plus one” or 51% or the like.  If you go with definitions like that, you will have problems.  2/3rd majority (some call this a “supermajority”, but this is NOT a valid parliamentary term) is as it says, 2/3rds or 66% of the vote.  It’s needed in certain cases.

General consent (sometimes called unanimous consent) is used when it’s clear that everyone (or nearly everyone) is in agreement.  We cover this later in this Note.

Quorum is the number of people needed at a meeting to legally have a meeting.  This should be stated in the bylaws.  The default is half the membership.  But some groups may not be able to get even half their membership at a meeting, so a quorum needs to be set.  It should be set to the likely number of people who will be at the meeting.  It should be a specific number, NOT a percentage.  This is because if the membership number changes, you may not be able to meet this percentage.

Abstention is NOT voting.  It’s the third choose for people, the ‘I don’t care’ choice, as by NOT voting, the decision will rest with those who DO vote.  The mistake people make it thinking that abstaining is the equivalent of either a YES or NO vote.  It is neither, as it does not affect the outcome.  Outcome is based on votes cased (YES or NO).  Further, the chair should NEVER ask for abstentions.  They are ignored, again, because they have no affect on the voting results.

HOW then is voting done?  There are actually several methods, and depending on the situation will determine which one is used.

Methods of Voting

• Voice
• Raising Vote
• Counted Vote
• Roll Call
• Ballot
• General/Unanimous Consent

What are these methods?

 

Voice vote. Most of your voting in your meetings will be by voice vote. If the vote needs a majority vote, you can use this. If it requires a 2/3rds vote, you'll have to do a raising vote (see next). How does it work? The chair asks "all those in favor, please signify by saying AYE". After they have done so, the chair asks "all those opposed, please signify by saying NAY(or NO)". The chair then gauges which side had more votes and announces the results ("The ayes have it, the motion carries" or "The nays have, the motion fails"). IF THERE IS DOUBT (i.e., it’s too close), the chair will need to go to a raising vote. If the chair doesn't and others feel it’s too close, they can protest and force one themselves.

 

Raising vote. As noted, MUST be used for 2/3rds voting instead of voice votes, and CAN be used if the outcome of voice vote was too close to tell. In a raising vote people STAND (raise) to signify which side they vote. As an alternate, especially with a small group, raised hands is ok. How does it work? The chair asks "all those in favor, please (stand or raise your hand)." Chair should quickly count the votes. The chair should then say "Thank you. Please (sit down/lower your hand). All those in favor, please (stand or raise your hand)". Chair should quickly count those votes, compare the two, and announce results. DO NOT GIVE TOTALS. Just announce which side prevailed.

 

Counted vote. As the name implies, this is the raising vote, BUT the vote outcome IS given and recorded. This is usually ONLY used if someone demands it. This should be the ONLY time the outcome of a vote should be given in your meeting minutes.  And again note that only votes (YES & NO) are given, never abstentions.

 

Roll call. I doubt most crews will use a roll call vote. This is usually only done in government bodies. Here the secretary reads thru the roll of the members, asking each on for their vote (Yes, no or 'present'). Present is the equivalent to abstention (see above for what this is). Usually the results of the vote (i.e., who voted which way) is recorded.

 

Ballot. Most probably understand this. This is your secret ballot, in which you write down your vote on a piece of paper, so no one knows who voted which way. While this is usually only used in elections, it can ALSO be used for motions if membership wish to do so. The group will have to select tellers to collect the ballots, count them, and announce the results. You will also need to make a motion to instruct the tellers to destroy these ballots afterwards (usually a good idea, as if you don’t, the ballots are kept as part of the records of the meetings, and available for members to review.).

 

Unanimous consent/general consent. This can be used by a chair to move the meeting along when they feel that everyone is in agreement with the motion. Sadly, too many don't understand this and mess it up.  How does it work? Well, the chair says that the crew will use unanimous consent to decide, unless someone objects. If someone objects, it doesn't mean the motion failed, only they you'll have to use voice vote or the like. The chair would say "if there are no objections, we'll decide the matter by unanimous consent". Chair should pause to give people a chance to object. If not, they would say "As there are no objections, the motion passes".

Resources

As always, I like to include some resources.  I haven’t found too many resources devoted to just voting, other than the National Association of Parliamentarians work called “Various Optional Techniques Explored: A Guide to Voting” which is part of their Pathways to Proficiency series.

Notes #22 Elections

An important part of any organization is the selection of its leaders.  This is ideally done thru elections, in which the will of the organization as to its leadership is made clear.  Elections are important, but an area with lots of misconceptions.  Hopefully, some of those misconceptions can be dispelled in this Note.

First off, an organization needs to set down certain facts regarding their officers and elections.  This information should be held in the organization’s bylaws, hence why it’s so critical that organizations HAVE bylaws, and that ALL members have access to these bylaws.  (we covered bylaws in a prior Notes).  What information needs to be set down? 

• What are the organization’s elected officers? 
• What are the duties/responsibilities of these officers? 
• What is the term of office of these officers? 
• When are elections held and when do the officers take office? (in some organizations, elections may be held days, weeks or even months before the new term of office, allowing for a transition period, while other organizations have elections with the new officers taking office that day). 
• What is the method of elections? 
• Does the organization use a nominating committee or just have open nominations? 
• Are ballots mandated? 

There are other matters about elections that also should be noted.  We will cover several of them in this Note.  The important thing to keep in mind is that if your organization DOESN’T specify certain items about your election, your group should follow what is set down in works like “Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised” (RONR).  And what I have found is that many don’t know what RONR says and assumes incorrectly as to what the default action should be.

Nominating Committees

Now, an important part of many election procedures for organizations, large or small, local or national, is the use of “nominating committees”.  These can be a very useful and powerful tool in elections, but I have found that it is something too often misunderstood and misused.  Note, that many organizations do NOT use a nominating committee, and that is fine.

The ‘default’ way to conduct elections is to have open nominations, in which people are asked to nominate themselves or others at a meeting either before the elections or on the day of elections.  The only problem is that too often not many people may step forward.  Using nominating committees can help.  It’s important to keep in mind that the purpose of nominating committees is simply to ensure that a full slate of candidates are put forth for consideration.  Nothing more.  Further nominations from the organization should be allowed and encouraged.  The nominating committee is not omniscient, and they are not putting forth the next group of leaders, but putting forth possible candidates (hopefully the best possible ones, but there are never guarantees).  The organization STILL must decide on who their leaders will be.

Nominating committees (nomcomm) are selected by the organization, or by the leadership (as set forth in the bylaws).  The selection and membership of the nomcomm should not be secret, nor their activities.  The nomcomm should then put out to the membership that they are soliciting nominations for candidates (as the positions to be held and their duties/responsibilities should be set forth in the bylaws, this information should also not be secret).  In addition, the nomcomm can ALSO seek out candidates, especially if they feel the nominations received aren’t the best.   Seeking out candidates should be in ADDITION to submitted nominations, not instead of.

The nomcomm should then met and interview all candidates, focusing on their understanding of these duties and their abilities to meet them.  Ideally, this should be done face to face, but could be done via a conference call.  Once completed, the nomcomm should make their selection known.  As noted, in most cases the nomcomm should just select the single candidate for each position whom they feel are the best for the organization.  A nomcomm CAN put forth more than one candidate, if allowed by the bylaws.  There is nothing wrong with this, and I know of at least one organization’s nomcomm that does this routinely, as they feel the nomcomm is intended to review all candidates, weed out the unworthy, and put forth ALL worthy candidates.

Once a nominating committee has put forth its slate of candidates (again, this should be made public knowledge to the organization), nomination from the floor (i.e. from the organization at large) should still be allowed.  Again, a nominating committee is NOT omniscient.  There may be candidates who should still be considered (and perhaps have been passed over by the nomcomm).  The organization is the one who is selecting the future leaders, NOT the nomcomm.  I have seen elections in which those who were nominated from the floor won the election, and did a great job.

Once nominations from the floor are obtained, you now have a set of candidates and may now move forward with elections.

I should also point out that in my opinion, it’s a sign of a healthy organization (in terms of membership numbers and enthusiastic members) when there are several people who want to run for each position.  If you have an organization in which you basically have to beg and plead with people (someone, anyone) to run for any office, something is not right.

Candidate Forms/Nominations Forms/Commitment Forms

At this point, I should point out something I see some organizations do that tie in with nominations.  These are not a parliamentary matter, but just good management practices.  Some organizations expect officer candidates to read and sign a “candidate form” that covers the positions' duties and responsibilities, usually with an agreement that they agree to met the expectations of the position or be removed from office.  This is usually used by organizations which don’t use a nominating committee or the like, as this is a main job of such a group (see above).  Similar forms are often used by some organizations with appointed officers/leaders or even committee members, to ensure they have committed to carrying out their duties or to achieve some goal, or be removed.

Conducting elections

Ok, so you have nominations.  How, then, do you conduct elections?  There are basically two ways.

The first is used when you have obtained all your nominations up front (either with a nominating committee and then open nominations, or with just open nominations), usually at a separate meeting from the elections.  The secretary should create a ballot with all nominations listed for each office, as well as space for write-in candidates (if the bylaws allow, and they should).   The ballots are distributed on the day of elections, and then gathered by the tellers and the results given (more on this below).  Apart from having candidates speak, this makes elections go fairly smoothly.

The second is usually done when nominations and elections are done on the same meeting.  Often, nominations and elections are handled for each office separately.  Usually the chair re-iterates the duties of the position, and then asks for nominations.  When it’s clear all possible nominations are obtained, nominations for that position is closed and the election is done, ideally with secret ballots (members can write the person they are voting for on it).  These are then collected by the tellers and the results given, and then you move on to the next officer election.  When you add in having candidates speak, this process can be very time consuming compared to the first and, depending on the number of positions to be held and possible candidates, can be very tiring.

Now, some other matters and questions about elections.

Tellers

You need to have 2-3 people appointed as tellers.  These are the people who will gather the ballots and announce the results.  With youth groups, I would recommend your adult advisors do this, as they should ideally be neutral.  They should report the results of elections by stating how many votes each person received (including write-ins!).  These should be recorded in the minutes, and the tellers’ report is actually kept in the organizations records.  A good practice is to have a motion to destroy the ballots, else you are forced to keep those as part of your records.

Run for more than one position?

Yup.  Nothing wrong with that.  Why loose the valuable work of someone because they only ran for one office and lost?  Even in the first case, you can have people running for several offices.  The highest position they win an election for is the position they win, which will automatically remove them from the other elections.

No clear winner?

What if you have 3 or more people running, and none get a majority vote (which is required to win an election)?  Well, the mistake here is that too many people assume the default action is the drop the person with the least votes and hold the election again.  NOT SO.  IF this is what your bylaws state, that is fine, but the default action is the hold the election again with ALL the same candidates.  And to keep doing so until you have a majority.  What will occur is that some people will shift their vote, and what can occur is the person who originally had the least votes wins the election (this is known as the “dark horse”), due it being the ‘second choice’ of most people.

Preferential voting

We stated above that people can run for multiple positions.  Now, if you handle elections for each office separately, that’s not a problem, but it can be a problem if you hold one election for all positions at once.  A person may actually obtain a majority vote for two positions.  They can only hold one, which eliminates them from having the second.  But with the second you now don’t have a clear majority.  What do you do?  You can have a run off, but what you could have also done is allowed for ‘preferential voting’, where people give their second (or even third) choice.  If their first choice is eliminated (say by winning another elections), then their vote for their second choice would go into effect.  I rarely see this method used when elections are held at a face to face meeting, due to the ease of doing a run-off vote, but usually done with ballots by mail where doing a runoff can be costly and time consuming.  But it is there.

Resources

As always, I like to include some resources.  I haven’t found too many resources devoted to just elections within organizations that I liked, other than the NationalAssociation of Parliamentarians work called Navigating Through Nominations: A Handbook for the Nominating Process, which costs $10.  There is also their Leadership Spotlights booklet on Nominations and Elections, which costs $3. 

[this Note was reviewed by Patricia McDougle, Professional Registered Parliamentarian.]

Notes #21 Bylaws

Bylaws (one word, no hyphen) are one of the most important documents for many organizations. Bylaws define the organization and how it functions. Without them, a lot of information about how the organization operates is unknown (in several prior Notes, I pointed out some of this information).  Sadly, I have found that among too many leaders there is a shocking (to me) ignorance and misunderstanding about bylaws.  This I find problematic, as they will often misinform the people they lead or advise.

One common one I get, especially with groups that are part of a larger national organization, is thinking they don't need bylaws because all that information in contained in some "national documents".  Actually, most such organizations usually expect the local groups to create their own bylaws and define how that particular group operates.  These national organization ideally will provide templates, and hopefully ask for (better yet require) the group to provide their bylaws to the parent organization.

Bylaws are actually but one of several documents an organization may have, but one of the most important for most members.  This Note is a very high-level overview on bylaws.

So let’s start off with some basics.  Formerly, it was common practice to separate the rules governing an organization into two separate documents--a "constitution" and "bylaws." Later on, it became the recommended practice to combine these two documents into ONE known formerly as a "constitution and bylaws" and now simply as the "bylaws." (been so since the 1960s or so) However, some organizations (and individuals) haven’t “gotten the message” and you still see groups that create separate constitutions and bylaws.  There is no advantage to do so, so please don’t.

Bylaws can vary in size from one to fifty pages. Like clothes, bylaws should be made to fit the organization they are meant to serve. No one set of bylaws is appropriate for all organizations.  As noted, many national organizations does provide a very basic template for their local level organization's bylaws, which is a decent starting point. 

Another document that many organizations have as well is their “Standing Rules” (these may be called “policies and procedures” or the like). This gives additional, procedural rules of the organization which don’t really belong in their bylaws. An important feature of standing rules is they are easier to adopt and change, so some information is really more appropriate for them. Such information can be dues amount, meeting time/location, and the like.   So, for instance, your bylaws may state that you have meetings at least twice a month.  But in your Standing Rules would be the details of your meeting, giving day (maybe the second and fourth Monday or perhaps every Monday), the time (7:30-9pm), and location (St Andrews Catholic Church, Room 101).  If something were to occur such that you would need to change your meeting location, it would be easy to change the Standing Rules, as it just takes a 2/3^rd majority vote at a meeting, whereas with bylaws, it typically requires prior notice to do so (say 10 days before a meeting with email sent out).  Hence, having this in your Standing Rules would be better.

The following tips are applicable to most bylaws:

• Language should be clear and concise. (if it’s not clear, it can lead to confusion and differing opinions as to what it says)
• Sentences should be structured so that it is impossible to quote provisions out of context.
• A standard format (as seen below) can help in avoiding repetition and in locating provisions.
• Do not include requirements from state law or higher governing authorities (this gives the appearance that these rules can be changed).   More appropriate is to cite that you must follow these higher governing authorities.
• If the bylaws state that elections are to be by ballot, this provision cannot be suspended (even if there is only one candidate for office). (We covered elections in a prior Notes, and noted that election rules are one of the most important purposes of your bylaws. When they occur and how they are run is very important, so be sure you have this covered.)
• Make provisions for calling special meetings. (including who can call them)
• Clearly define the duties and powers of any executive board or committee. (and who is on it)
• List a book as a parliamentary authority to be followed at meetings. (whether its “Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised” or what have you. These works will also tell you the appropriate text to include.)
• Describe the method (including any notice requirements) for amending the bylaws. (nothing is worse than having to change your bylaws and having no idea how to do it)
• Be careful not to set a quorum for meetings that is too high and may be difficult to obtain. (we also noted the important of setting quorum in a prior Notes)
• Do not place purely procedural rules, such as the order of business for meetings, in the bylaws. (these go in your “standing rules” and the like)

The standard set of Bylaw sections are as follows. You can add additional sections as your organization sees fit:

I. Name
II. Object
III. Members
IV. Officers
V. Meetings
VI. Executive Committee/Board
VII. Committees
VIII. Parliamentary Authority
IX. Amendment

A brief explanation:

Name. What is the name of your group? “The Happy Wanderers” would be fine.

Object. What is the purpose of your group? Here would be a good place to define what your group is all about.

Members. What kind/level of members do you have (active, associate, honorary, etc)? What are their rights? How does one become a member? How can one be dropped as a member? Etc.

Officers. Who are your officers, their duties, what happens if an officer steps down, how do you remove an officer, how are they elected (do you use a nominating committee, candidate forms, candidate forum and such), what is their term of office?

Meetings. What kind of meetings do you have (regular, special, annual), how often, who calls them? What is quorum?

Executive Committee/Board. Who is on it, what are its purposes/duties, etc.

Committees. What are the standing committees (permanent committees) within your organization, their duties, how are the chairs and members selected, etc.  How can special (ad hoc, as needed if your will) committees be formed and by whom.

Parliamentary Authority. What is it?

Amendment. How do you amend your bylaws?

You can have more, but these cover the basics.

Once you have a set of bylaws, what do you do with them?  Well, all members should be provided with a copy.  Any new members should be provided with a copy as well.    Your parent organization may require that you submit your bylaws to them.  Putting the most recent version of your bylaws on your website is a good idea, both for members who might need access to them, as well as new members considering joining.  At meetings, it’s a good idea that at least the president and secretary have copies of the current bylaws in their officer notebooks. There is nothing secret or sinister about bylaws.  In fact, some organizations I am part of provide a regular “Members Guidebook” which contains all the current operating documents, the current officers, members list, and other information on the organization.  This is provided to all new members, and the guide is revised and republished when a new group of officers are elected.  (the cost of producing this work is part of the membership fees).

So, any resources for Bylaws?  Yes, a few.  The late Joyce Stephens has a nice work “Bylaws: Writing, Amending, Revising” (2^nd edition, 2000) that you might come across.  The National Association of Parliamentarians has a great work called “What Does it Say in the Bylaws: Writing, Amending, and Interpreting Bylaws” which is part of their Pathways to Proficiency series.

(based on Jim Slaughter’s on-line document Bylaws Tips http://www.jimslaughter.com/bylaws.htm)

Notes #17 Debate

(part of the parliamentary procedure subseries)

Debate is the discussion on the merits of a pending question [motion] in a deliberative assembly [your organization]. "It is the essential element in the making of rational decisions of consequence by intelligent people." RONR (11th ed).

 

Debate is NOT a dirty word. Debate in itself is not something to be avoided. It’s our chance to voice our views, for or against, the pending matter at hand.

 

 

RULES OF DEBATE

• A motion must be proposed before a matter can be debated. [ie discussed]
• The maker of a motion has the right to speak first in debate. [this is their time to expand upon their motion and explain why others should vote for it]
• A member must be recognized by the chair before speaking in debate.
• Debate is closed and the vote taken when no member rises to claim the floor. [this can be clear if the chair asks for further discussion, and no one steps forward]. The chair may not cut off debate without the permission of the assembly.
• Debate may be closed by the adoption of the motion Previous Question which requires a two-third vote.
• A member may speak for 2 times for a maximum of ten minutes on each pending question.  [this is the default]
• The rules of debate may be modified by adopting a special rule of order [such a rule would apply only in the crew, for however long the rule exists], by changing the limits for a single session [ie this particular meeting], or by changing the limits on the pending question only.
• The requirement that the presiding officer [the officer serving as chair] remain impartial precludes their exercising their right to debate while presiding.

DECORUM in Debate

• Remarks must be confined to the merit of the pending question.
• When speaking in debate, a member must refrain from attacking a member's motives and avoid name calling. The motion, not the member, is the subject of debate.
• All remarks should be addressed thru the chair. Members do not address one another directly.
• Avoid the use of member's names. Instead say, "the member who made the motion" or the like.
• Do not speak adversely about some prior action of the organization which is not pending.
• The maker of a motion is not permitted to speak against their own motion.
• Permission of the assembly is required to read from any paper or book as part of a speech in debate.
• During debate, during remarks by the presiding officer, during voting, no member should be permitted to disturb the assembly by whispering or any other way.

Complied by the Plantation Unit of Parliamentarians, with minor edited by MRB.

 

Notes #15 Rights & Responsibilities of Members

[originally by Lydia Croft, PRP with minor editing by Michael Brown]

 

(part of the parliamentary procedure subseries)

[[NOTE: please keep in mind that we are speaking of "rights" in terms of "parliamentary rights of members", which by and large means the “right of voice” (make motions, speak in debate of said motions) and “right of vote” (to vote on motions), sometimes referred to as the “right of voice and vote”.  We are mainly speaking here of the rights of members within membership organizations.]]

RIGHTS

1. To attend meetings
2. To be notified of meetings
3. To make and second motions
4. To debate the questions (discuss the motion/business at hand)
5. To vote on all motions
6. To appear before the club/organization or committee to state your case
7. To serve on committees
8. To serve as an officer
9. To object to the consideration of disagreeable motions
10. To help elect officers
11. To help decide how the money is to be spent
12. To promote all the projects of the organization
13. To appeal the decision of the chair
14. To invite qualified people to join
15. To defend the purpose of the organization

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. To attend and remain to the end of the meetings
2. To pay all dues & fees without complaining
3. To obey all rules & customs of the organization
4. To read and understand all the bylaws and rules of the organization
5. To take your turn in serving on committees
6. To support with money and service and time the activities of your organization
7. To know how to use the rights given to you by the bylaws and adopted parliamentary authority
8. To learn the correct way to make motion to carry on business
9. To express opinions on questions while IN the meetings and while the motions are on the floor
10. To amend motions if they don't express the need of the majority
11. To know and observe the rules of DEBATE and COURTESY of debate
12. To know when some motions should be sent to a committee for further information
13. To call a "point of order" when you see a rule has been broken. Must be called to attention immediately.
14. To appeal the decision of the chair on a point of order if you disagree with a decision
15. To know the difference between the use of "To Lay on the Table" and "Postpone to the Next Meeting"
16. To realize when discussion has gone on too long and CALL FOR THE PREVIOUS QUESTION (ie, end debate/discussion)
17. To know that motions that limit or take away a privilege require a 2/3 vote.

REMEMBER

• Members have more rights than the president!
• Express your opinions while in the meeting, and do NOT criticize to others AFTER the meeting.
• If you want better officers, be more careful whom you elect.
• If you can do better, offer your services; don't criticize unless you are willing to do the job yourself. (RUN for office! Get on a committee! Make a difference!)

 

BE LOYAL TO YOUR ORGANIZATION *OR* LEAVE. DON'T TEAR IT UP.

Postscript- if some of the terms aren't clear to you, then you need to learn more about parliamentary procedure. Please read up on it, or see past and future entries in this series.

Notes #12 The Committee Structure: Getting Everyone Involved

(part of the parliamentary procedure subseries)

One problem facing many organizations is that most people think there are two types of within their group: the officers and everyone else. The officers are usually expected to do all the work of the organization (planning and organizing stuff), and everyone else just participates.

Usually this results in burnout and frustration on the part of the officers, as they have to shoulder all the work of keeping the organization running; and everyone else slowly drifting away because they don’t feel fully involved in the group.

How do you solve this problem?

Simple. Use the “Committee Structure”, as I call it.

But what is that and how does it work? (and does it work?)

Notes #10 Meeting Minutes

(part of the parliamentary procedure subseries)  

Meeting minutes are too often an overlooked part of group meetings. Few understand their importance; fewer still know how to handle them. This is a mistake, because minutes are an important part of your organization’s records. They are the information on the decisions your group makes. In fact, with many organizations, the minutes of their national boards are important enough that they are put on-line or provided in their national magazines so that all members are aware of them.  

Notes #8 Effective Meetings

(part of the parliamentary procedure subseries)

How can you have effective meetings?  By having and following an agenda and an Order of Business.  The “Order of Business” is the standard blueprint for your meetings. Most groups follow these standard sections (tho some may add a few additional ones). This is then put down on their meeting agenda, which everyone is given a copy of when the meeting begins. This allows everyone to understand what they will be dealing with at each stage of the meeting.  

Standard Order of Business has the following sections, in this order:

• Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes
• Reports of Officers, Boards, and Standing Committees
• Reports of Special Committees
• Special Orders
• Unfinished Business & General Orders
• New Business
• Adjournment

What happens during each of these sections?

 

Notes #5 Basics of Parliamentary Procedure

(First of the parliamentary procedure sub-series)

 

For leaders, there are many skills that can serve them well.  In addition to developing a better understanding of leadership, for instance, being able to communicate their vision thru spoken and written word is important.  Being about to plan things is good.  And a working knowledge of parliamentary procedure can also be useful.  But what is “parliamentary procedure”?  Too often many, especially young people, have a poor understanding of what it is.  And this is not helped by others who have misinformed them.
 

It’s important to realize that when people come together to make decisions, they need a method of doing so.  Our ancestors understood this, in their gatherings in villages and small communities.  How do you put forth your idea or proposal?  How do you handle the discussion or debate about it?  How do you handle any changes to the proposal?  How do you handle making a decision?   Over time an agreed upon set of rules were developed, which came to be referred to as “parliamentary procedure”.  And over time, parliamentary procedure has come to mean more regarding the running of meetings and organizations (such as agendas, meeting minutes, and even basic officer duties).  Not surprising that term is used.  A parliament is a legislative body, one which makes laws.  It comes from the word ‘parley’, to speak or discuss.