Abstention
To not cast a vote for clearly stated reasons such as conflict of interest or ignorance of the matter at hand. Abstentions are counted as absences. A majority of votes cast decides the issue.
Ad hoc committee
A special, temporary committee created for a specific purpose.
Address the chair
To speak to the presiding officer, using the appropriate title, and asking to be recognized by the Chair to make a motion or to speak in debate.
Adjourn
Adoption of this motion officially closes a meeting.
Adjourn sine die
To adjourn without providing for another meeting at a later date.
Adjourned meeting
A continuation of a regular or special meeting at a later date.
Administrative resolution
A formal motion to carry out policies of internal structure and operation of the association. Deals primarily with implementation, such as setting assessment rates and making committee appointments.
Adopt
A motion is adopted when the affirmative vote prevails. A motion is lost when the negative note prevails.
Agenda
Program. List of items of business to come before the assembly. A list of things to do. Order of business which includes call to order and adjournment.
Alternate
A member appointed or elected to take the place of another.
Amend
To change the wording of a motion.
Amendment
A motion which alters a pending motion. (Only two amendments may be pending at one time, a primary amendment and a secondary amendment.
Announcing the vote
A statement by the chairperson giving the result of a vote. Action is not complete on a motion until the chairpertson has announced the result of the vote.
Articles of Incorporation
A certificate issued by the state under authority of law creating an entity which may own and sell property, sue and be sued etc. The individual members of the corporation are not liable for the debts of the corporation. There are business corporations and not for profit corporations, each with statutes for governing them.
Assembly
Members present at a meeting.
Aye vote
The affirmative vote.
Ballot
Usually a written and secret vote.
Board
Board of Directors, Trustees, Managers. A group of members elected to act for the organization as specified in the Bylaws.
Bylaws
A document, adopted by the organization, containing the basic rules for governing the group.
Call to order
The official opening of a meeting.
Adopted
The same as carried.
Chair
The presiding officer, or the station from which he presides. Referred to as Mr. Chairman or Madam Chairman.
Debatable
May be discussed. Some motions, such as adjourn or end debate, are not debatable.
Committee
One or more persons, appointed or elected, to investigate, report, or take action on particular subjects and questions. There are ad hoc or special and standing committees.
Consideration
Discussion, debate or vote.
Consideration by committee
Discussion, debate or examination of the referred matter.
Debate
Discussion following the chairperson’s stating a debatable motion.
Decorum
Appropriateness of conduct in meetings. Courtesy and decency towards other members during debate and conduct of business.
Division of the assembly
Call for a rising vote to visually verify a voice vote. This is not a motion for a count of the votes. If a count is desired, a motion to count the vote must be adopted.
Division of the question
A motion consisting of more than one part, each part capable of standing alone, may be divided, so each may be debated and voted on separately.
En gros
(In gross) Consideration as a whole. Opposite of seriatim.
Ex officio
By virtue of the office. The president is not a member ex officio of any committee unless such privilege has been granted in special rules or by the bylaws. Temporary officers do not assume ex officio duties.
Fix
In parliamentary terminology: to place definitely.
Floor, Obtaining the
A member us recognized by the chairperson and granted the privilege of speaking.
General consent
May be called for by the chairperson when there does not appear to be opposition to the question, or when there is no objection. Also called unanimous consent.
General orders
Questions postponed to a certain day or meeting. Bylaw amendments are General Orders as well.
General resolution
A formal, one-time, non-precedent-setting motion to specify or carry out a routine duty. Deals with such things as entering into contracts, hiring employees and filling vacancies
on the board.
Germane
Closely related, pertinent. All remarks must be germane to the subject being discussed.
A primary amendment must be germane to the pending motion and a secondary amendment must be germane to the primary amendment.
Honorary
The title Honorary Member of Honorary Officer may be conferred upon a person only when the bylaws permit such a title.
Immediately pending question
The most recent motion introduced upon which no action has been taken.
Lost motion
A motion rejected by vote. A tie vote defeats a motion when a majority vote is required.
Main motion
A motion which brings a matter before the assembly for consideration and action.
Majority
More than half of the votes cast.
Meeting
An assembly of members of a deliberative body to transact business or participate in a program.
Minutes
The official record of business transacted by an organization at each regular, special or annual meeting.
Motion
A proposal or proposition that the assembly take certain action or express itself as holding certain opinions.
Null and void
Having no legal effect. Invalid
Order of business
The list of official business to come before the assembly, beginning with approval of the minutes and ending at the finish of new business.
Orders of the day
The regular order of business, when classes of subjects are taken up in a particular order.
Out of order
Not in order. In violation of the rules of the organization or of the parliamentary authority adopted by the members.
Pending
Undecided or unresolved.
Pending question
A motion which has been stated by the chairperson, and upon which no action has been taken.
Plurality
More votes than any other option receives.
Policy resolution
A formal motion that affects members’ obligations, members’ rights, equity of the association, or the board’s delegation of authority on these. Deals with rules, assessment collection, property use restrictions and committee charters.
Preamble
Introduction to a resolution. A preamble may be a brief statement of background.
Precedence
Established order of priority of motions. Rank.
Prevailing side
The side receiving the greatest number of votes. May be the affirmative side or the negative side.
Previous notice
As the bylaws or adopted rules of order specify. May be given at the previous meeting, by mail to all members, or in the call to meeting.
Pro tem
Pro tempore. Temporarily. For the time being. A member serving in the absence of the regular officer, chairman, or secretary is said to be serving pro tem.
Proxy
A power or attorney or written authorization for one member to act for another.
Putting the question
Taking the vote.
Question
The question is on adopting or rejecting the immediately pending motion.
Quorum
The minimum number of members who must be present in order that business may be legally transacted. If the bylaws do not specify otherwise, a quorum is a majority of the members.
Receive
Receive a report. The hearing of a report presented either in writing or orally. No action is required unless recommendations are included and moved. The reporting member moves the adoption of the recommended action. No motion is required to hear a report.
Resolution
A formal motion, which may include a preamble. A resolution should be in writing. There are administrative, policy, special and general resolutions. Use the term Resolved instead of move.
Rules of order
Written parliamentary rules adopted by the members. Usually the parliamentary authority is a manual such as Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.
Second
Indicates that a second member is willing to consider a motion.
Secondary motions
Subsidiary, privileged, and incidental motions.
Seriatim
One after another in a series. To consider seriatim is to consider section by section or paragraph by paragraph. After all sections have been considered, one vote is taken on the entire document.
Session
A meeting, or series of connected meetings such as a convention.
Sine die
Without day. Used at the end of convention.
Speaker
The person who has been assigned the floor.
Special Committee
An ad hoc, temporary committee created for a specific purpose.
Special Resolution.
A formal motion to address individual, one-time cases. Usually deals with violations of covenants, guidelines, rules, restrictions.
Standing Committee
A permanent committee as specified in the documents.
Special meeting
A meeting called between regular meetings for a special purpose. Notice must be given to all members of the date, time, place, and purpose of the special meeting. Only business specified in the notice may be transacted.
Special orders
A motion or subject assigned to a certain time, and make a special order by a two-thirds vote.
Special rules of order
Rules, adopted by a two-thirds vote after notice, that modify the parliamentary authority.
Standing rules
Administrative rules that are usually of a semi-permanent or temporary nature.
Statutes
Laws enacted by state and local governments.
Sustain
Uphold the ruling of the chairperson.
Tellers
Persons appointed or elected to count the votes and to report to the assembly.
The special order for the meeting
A question for which an entire meeting is reserved. Questions to be taken up at a Special meeting for which notice have been given are The Special Orders for the meeting.
Vive voce
Voice vote.
Vote
The expression of the will of the assembly.
Majority vote – more than half the votes cast.
Plurality – the largest number of votes cast.
Two-thirds – at lease two thirds of the votes cast.
Tie vote – the same number of negative and affirmative votes.
Unanimous consent – no objection. Also called General Consent.
Unanimous vote – no dissenting votes. This does not mean that everyone voted on the questions, but that those on the opposing side did not vote at all.
Yield
Accede to, relinquish. Motions yield to other motions of higher rank.
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