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:

1. Appointment by the Chair
2. Nomination by the Chair and Election by Voice Vote
3. Appointment by Motion
4. Floor Nominations and Election by Voice Vote
5. 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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