Here are the Five Ways to Appoint Committee Members Under Robert’s Rules of Order
A committee, as understood in parliamentary law, is a body of one or more persons, elected or appointed by (or by direction of) an assembly or society, to consider, investigate, or take action on certain matters or subjects, or to do all of these things.
Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (12th ed.), §50:1
Imagine this– you find yourself in a meeting and someone presents a proposal that, while well-meaning, needs further research and refinement before the group as a whole is ready to vote on it. One of the most powerful tools you have under parliamentary procedure is to send that idea to a committee. A committee can investigate and do more research to come up with a recommended course of action. Afterwards, the committee presents its recommendation to the parent body for an up or down vote. Effectively using committees allows for the most interested stakeholders to hash out the finer details of a proposal in a way that does not drag out the meeting any longer than necessary.
But how are committee members appointed? Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised lists the following five methods of appointing members to a committee:
- Appointment by the Chair
- Nomination by the Chair and Election by Voice Vote
- Appointment by Motion
- Floor Nominations and Election by Voice Vote
- Election by Ballot
Each of the various methods of appointment have pros and cons, and the best method will depend on the group’s size and dynamic. If your bylaws dictate which method to use, you are stuck using that method. Otherwise, by unanimous consent or majority vote, your group can decide which of the five best suits the situation.
Appointment by the Chair
Under this method, the person presiding over the meeting (President, Chairman, Chairperson, Speaker, Moderator, etc.) is the one that appoints the members to a committee. Robert’s recognizes that this is one of the most methods of appointment: “In the absence of special conditions, appointment of committees by the chair…is usually the best method in large assemblies, and it is the ordinary procedure in many smaller societies as well” [RONR (12th. ed), §50:13d]. This method is fast because only one person has to make the decision. I highly recommend using appointment by the chair if your group has a lot of trust established with its leadership.
Nomination by the Chair and Election by Voice Vote
This method is similar to appointment by the chair, except in this instance the chair only nominates members to be on the committee. The body then votes on whether to approve the chair’s nominations. For this method, the Chair announces all of the nominees at once. Then, if the body does not want to appoint one of the nominees, the body can strike the nominee by a majority vote, and then the chair nominates someone else instead. Finally, the body takes a voice vote on the entire list of nominees.
Appointment by Motion
Under this method, a member of the body makes a motion to appoint committee members, naming each one. For example, after being recognized by the chair, a member could say, “I move that the special committee consist of Mr. A, Dr. B, and Mrs. C.” Then, after any other nominations or alterations to the list come through, the body takes a voice vote on the list of nominees.
Floor Nominations and Election by Voice Vote
Robert’s states, that this method “is a common method of appointing members to a committee when the assembly wishes to reserve the selection to itself without requiring secrecy in the voting” [RONR (12th. ed), §50:13b]. Under this method, the chair asks the meetings attendees for nominations. Then, voting on the nominees by voice vote depends on the size of the committee and the number of nominees received. If there are more nominees than there are seats on the committee, the chair conducts a voice vote election on each nominees one-by-one, going in the order in which they were nominated.
Election by Ballot
If not done properly, this method is probably the most time-consuming. Here, the membership votes by ballot to decide who should comprise the committee. Without appropriate nominations, the body will have to appoint tellers to carefully count and keep track of all the votes, including any protest votes and write-ins! Robert’s Rules of Order recommends that election by ballot should be used for “important standing committees having extensive powers” [RONR (12th. ed), §50:13a]. Ballot votes are generally secret so you must take appropriate care to see that a member’s vote is not revealed.
In conclusion, a wise member or leader of a group will be aware of these various methods of appointing committee members. Don’t allow them trip you up or confuse you! If you have any questions, leave a comment below or contact us. LastMinuteMeetings.net also offers consulting services for corporations, associations, and bodies of all sizes.
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Donald Garrett, MPA, PRP is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian based in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area (Northern Virginia). He received both his Bachelor of Arts (Government) and Master of Public Administration from George Mason University.
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IF you don’t want to be on the committee the council president signed you can you step down from said committee or are there steps you need to take
Yes, a member can decline the President’s appointment, or can even resign from the committee if they joined but no longer wish to serve. To decline the appointment, politely inform the President so he/she can appoint a new person instead. For resignations, follow the typical process for your organization.
Can a council president appoint themselves as chairs of committees? Is there anything in RONR that guards against the risk of a council president doing that in order to influence the work of that committee?
Unless your bylaws or special rules of order have a prohibition, Robert’s Rules of Order does not have a prohibition against a President also serving as the chair of a committee. I’d have to see your organization’s bylaws to give a more specific answer.
Can an officer be appointed by the President?
That is something that would need to be authorized in your bylaws. Typically the members elect their officers, so any deviations should be spelled out in the Bylaws for how you want to govern yourselves.
A committee has been appointed by a Board to research a project. After several months of work, the Chairman of the Board has decided progress is too slow and would like to add additional members to the committee. Is this proper under Robert’s Rules of Order?
Unless your Bylaws or rules set a cap on members, the appointing authority can add additional members. However, be careful because if you add more people to the committee, the number for quorum may also go up. Another option the Board can do is to take the matter out of the committee by a motion to discharge the committee, or the Board can send specific instructions or deadlines to the committee.
Can (according to Roberts Rules of Order) appoint a committee outside the regular business meeting?
Yes, but the assembly must be okay with it: “If the assembly orders the appointment of a special committee and it is desired to let the chair select the committee members after adjournment, this delay must be authorized by the assembly; the names of the committee members must then be announced at the next meeting and recorded in the minutes” [RONR (12th ed), 50:13d].
How do you ensure that a committee member has broad support if there is a vote of one aye and the rest abstentions?
Is it permissable to set a minimum threshold of aye votes?
The general principle is: those who choose to not vote (i.e., abstain) are giving the decision-making power to those who do vote on a matter. Having a minimum threshold of yes votes would essentially transform abstentions to no votes. It is unwise, but the group is within its power to adopt special rules of order governing how it wishes to operate.
Can a committee chair go outside the committee and solicit votes from non committee members?
Only committee members can vote during committee meetings. If it is a general membership meeting, all of the members’ votes are fair game for convincing.
Can a board member vote for themselves to be on a committee, or is that a conflict of interest?
A board member is allowed to vote for themselves to be on a committee. “The rule on abstaining from voting on a question of direct personal interest does not mean that a member should not vote for himself for an office or other position to which members generally are eligible, or should not vote when other members are included with him in a motion. If a member never voted on a question affecting himself, it would be impossible for a society to vote to hold a banquet [for example]” [RONR (12th ed.), 45:5].
What title is given to a committee person who was appointed solely because of his position that relates to the committee’s work?
In parliamentary law, we use the term ex-officio to refer to people who are members of bodies by virtue of a position that they hold.
What is the proper procedure for an organizational meeting? I am talking about the meeting that immediately follows the annual election. This is the meeting where the officers are seated. In my organization the officers think that they can retain their offices (positions) as long as their term lasts. For example, our president believes he can be president for his entire three year term. He believes that is his right and he can not be elected out (by the board) at the annual organizational meeting.
I believe otherwise. I believe that all positions/offices on the board are determined (elected) by the board at the organizational meeting.
Our bylaws only say that an organizational meeting will be held after the election.
Who is right?
It depends on how the bylaws are written! Please sign up for a Free Consultation and I will help you sort through this.
A question I have is that should the parliamentarian serve on the executive board if the group are making decisions for the group. We are a group with a total of 6 officers. Someone in the group says the executive board consists of the Pres, VP, Secretary, and Treasurer. These 4 seem to have no knowledge of parliamentary rules
I would need to see a copy of the organization’s bylaws to see who comprises the executive board. Different organizations have different structures that work for them, so I would need to know more about your group to see if a parliamentarian should be a voting member of the board. Please sign up for a free consultation so we can go over your situation in depth.
Can a president appoint him/her self to participate on a committee? Our board consists of 5-10 directors. Our bylaws stipulate that “Committees may be appointed by the President to further the purposes and goals of the corporation. Such committees may have a written charge at the President’s discretion. All committees must be chaired by a director.”
No mention is explicitly made whether the president or any officer (Vice president, secretary or treasurer) can or cannot be on a committee.
If there is no prohibition against who can serve on a committee, the President can appoint any eligible persons.
Our Residents Association at my senior living community has a 3-officer Executive Board responsible for jointly appointing Association committees and the committee chairpersons.
Are you saying that unless we expressly forbid it in our bylaws, they are allowed not only jointly to appoint any or all of themselves to any of the committees but also to appoint themselves chairpersons of those committees?
Yes, your Bylaws should contain any restrictions on the appointment authority if you wish to limit the Executive Board’s discretion.
If a President appoints officers in the case of no one wanting to serve or an officer passes away, how soon do u have a special election to vote by ballot or voice?
This depends on your organization’s norms and Bylaws. Set up a free consultation with me and let’s go over your needs!
I am in an association and I am the chair of our Finance Committee. Its members are defined by our Policies and Procedures manual but I want to expand the group of people for a special purpose of this committee to have more of our members participate than the 5 members on the committee. Do I have the right as chair to create a task force or workgroup and appoint whomever I want to as long as they are a member in good standing of our association?
You should amend the Policies and Procedures Manual to accomplish the goals you have for the committee!
Can a member of the Nominating Committee nominate himself?
Yes, that is permissible under Robert’s Rules of Order.
Why can’t a body determine the composition of a committee anyway it wants? For instance, suppose a multimember body, with each member representing a different jurisdiction. The body creates a committee. The body decides that each member should appoint one representative to the committee, the representative to come from that member’s jurisdiction.This is not “Appointment by the Chair,” or “Nomination by the Chair and Election by Voice Vote,” or “Appointment by Motion”–at least not one subjet to a vote–or “Floor Nominations and Election by Voice Vote,” or “Election by Ballot.” The body has delegated the right to name committee members to the body’s own members. How does that violate anything?
This post is not about determining the composition of a committee; it is about picking the members of a committee.
What if your bylaws read, “the president shall appoint all committees by approval of the executive committee?” Would that provision follow the “Nomination by the Chair and Election by Voice Vote?”
Your Bylaws are always going to trump what Robert’s says. So follow the procedures outlined in your Bylaws!
If a past President appointed a committee (that is not one of the two standing committees in our C&R’s) Does, the New incoming president have to carry this committee?
I would need to see the wording of your Bylaws to give you a specific answer. However, generally speaking, the power of appointment only gives the President the ability to select members, not create committees. The group as a whole would decide whether the committee should continue to exist.
“Whenever it is stated in the bylaws (with or without the proper exceptions just noted) that the president “shall appoint all committees,” this means that the president shall select the persons to serve on such committees as the bylaws prescribe to be established or the assembly may direct to be appointed; it does not mean that the president can himself decide to appoint and assign a task to a group and thereby give it the status of a committee of the society.” [RONR 50:13d].
Can the chairperson who has appointment power also make the decision to remove a person he had previously appointed citing Roberts Rules?
Yes. “Unless the bylaws or other governing rules provide otherwise (see 50:14, 62:16), the appointing authority has the power to remove or replace members of the committee: If a single person, such as the president, has the power of appointment, he has the power to remove or replace a member so appointed” [RONR section 13:23]
What does it mean to elect a committee? Should you vote for each person individually, or once for an entire slate?
Either is fine!
Does this apply to outside committees? Outside board requests a representative from our board to be on their committee. Is that board president appointed or can it follow any of the 5 ways? Nothing is stated in the bylaws.
Unless the Bylaws say otherwise, the Board can decide the method of appointment. Any of the five methods in the article would be sufficient.
Ec votes
we had 88 quorum
one owner got 102 votes
raj got 95
3rd got 63
4th got 67
the lowest with most proxy got 37
is that OK
I’m not sure what you are asking.
Is it permissible to make an appointment of a willing individual even though they were unable to attend the meeting where they were announced as appointed
Yes. RONR states, “An election to an office becomes final immediately if the candidate is present and does not decline, or if he is absent but has consented to his candidacy” [46:46]