[H-GEN] Support to change Humbug's constitution.

[Raymond Smith]

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On Wed, 6 Dec 2000, Rob Unsworth wrote:
> As I don't have "Joske's" here at present, I will quote from "Mr
> Chairman" by Marjorie Puregger. Abstention from voting p70-71.
>
> "Members who abstain from voting do not escape all responsibility for
> decisions made by the meeting. They are still bound by majority decisions
> when subsequent action is taken. Although there is no legal compulsion to
> vote, if the Constitution states that a resolution must be passed by a
> certain percentage of those present, those who abstain from voting may
> prevent the motion from being passed, and their action - or inaction - is
> equivalent to a negative vote."

It would seem that I hit reply too soon on your last mail. Sorry.

The key point above is 'a certain percentage of those present'. We do not
vote on the acceptance of minutes or similiar, only on office bearers
which do not require a certain percentage as we work by simple competition
between candidates. In this way the problem describe above will not affect
us too greatly.

The long term solution may be to have the constitution allow members to
provide a 'not care proxy' which would be counted for the quorum but be
excluded from the count for the percentage votes. (Just like articles of a
company I would guess).

Or, perhaps, just perhaps, we could lower the quorum. No?

Raymond
---
raymond at humbug.org.au                     All that we see, or seem,
                                    Is but a dream, within a dream.
                                           -- Edgar Allen Poe


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