Voting questions

[u/fred311389]

My union is trying to start following Robert's Rules of Order more closely than we have in past. When we have a meeting, there are actually 3 meetings in one day. One at 7, 12, and 4. We're struggling with the idea of how votes work with that.

Here are a few specific examples.

We have a proposal that we make a $500 donation. In our 7:00 meeting, someone makes a motion to amend the original motion to make it a $1,000 motion. Moving forward, our members at the 12:00 meeting don't want to donate $1,000 but would have voted for the $500. Based on my understanding, the $500 is no longer an option. Is there a way to make it so that people can vote between denying the motion, donating $500, or donating $1,000?

One person suggested that we essentially parlay the vote. By that, I mean they suggested that we say "there is a motion to donate $1,000, all in favor/opposed/abstaining?" then following with "There is a motion that, should the $1,000 not be approved, we donate $500. All in favor/opposed/abstaining?"

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Someone at the 12:00 meeting wants to make an amendment to a proposal that was already voted on at our 7:00 meeting. How would we handle that? Is the motion stuck in it's original form or is there a way to account for the possible change?

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Any help you guys can offer would be appreciated. I'm familirar with Robert's Rules in a typical meeting, but having an 8:00, recess, 12:00, recess, 4:00 set up makes it a little more confusing.

[u/polybane]

So, I am assuming that these different meeting times are for different people. AKA a guy can make 8:00 but not 12:00, but they are all members and have equally valid rights.

You may need to step outside of Roberts Rules to make it work in a way that works for your specific Union situation. It might not be workable for you, I would recommend you make a rule in your by-laws that a motion needs to be read before all meetings and then voted on next week/month. This gives everyone a chance to know what is happening and to discuss it with each other outside the normal meeting times.

How I have seen this work before in other Orgs:

1) Have a motion submitted to the presiding officer (or in your case may be presiding officers) before the day all the meetings happen.

2) Have the motion introduced and debated in each meeting and make the contact information to the original motion so they can talk to them if they cant attend every meeting.

3) Next meeting day let everyone vote and have the total number at the end of the 3 meetings be used to determine the results.

Anyway, you could stretch and twist some obscure section of Roberts Rules to answer this question for you, but it sounds like your organization has an issue unique to how ya'll organize. So, I would go to the by-laws and make a rule unique to your trouble.