Periodically I hear from Republican Executive Committee (REC) members who are confused or upset that they have been dropped from the membership list in their county. Membership in your REC requires an attendance commitment. Knowing the logic behind that commitment often clears up many misunderstandings.
The key is the relationship between attendance requirements and quorum rules.
A quorum protects the integrity of the organization. Enforcing attendance rules helps ensure the quorum can be met.
I am a member of the Orange County Republican Executive Committee (OCREC). I was recently elected OCREC Secretary.
What is a Quorum?
According to Robert’s Rules of Order:
Minimum Composition of a Deliberative Assembly
3:3 Quorum of Members. The minimum number of members who must be present at the meetings of a deliberative assembly for business to be validly transacted is the quorum of the assembly. The requirement of a quorum is a protection against totally unrepresentative action in the name of the body by an unduly small number of persons.
Robert’s Rules of Order12th Edition - Chapter II – 3:3
What Is the OCREC Quorum Rule?
The Orange County Republican Executive Committee (OCREC) Constitution requires 40% of the membership be present to constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE VI: Quorum
Section 1 - Forty percent of the members of the Orange County Republican Executive Committee shall be present to constitute a quorum. At no time shall less than 40 percent of the members constitute a quorum.
We currently have 160 members, so that means at our next meeting (February) we will need to have at least 64 members present (always round up) in order to conduct business.
40% x 160 = 64
64 Members needed for Quorum
If your REC is using the RPOF Model Constitution the 40% rule also applies.
True Republican Representation
A quorum is a key component in our republican (small r) form of government. Instead of a majority rules system, where the minority can be bullied and have no voice, there are built-in safeguards to prevent that from happening. A quorum also protects the majority from being out maneuvered by a minority or faction.
Imagine the damage that could be done if a small group were able to vote and pass laws and rules or spend money without a significant number of members present. A small group with little or no opposition could radically change an organization in one meeting. This small group could be members of the overall majority in the organization, or a minority – all they would need is enough votes to move their agenda at a lightly attended meeting.
This is why leadership is required to provide notice of meetings at least ten days ahead of time. It allows all members the opportunity to manage their schedules so they can attend. Organizations without a sufficient notice requirement could schedule meetings so they could exclude members who would be unavailable.
There are scenarios where leadership could purposely call meetings at an inconvenient time and/or place in an attempt to prevent a quorum. Why would they want to do that? If they intend to block debate, or a vote on an issue, or delay a decision, this tactic could be applied.
How is Quorum Determined?
Before our meetings start, members are required to check in. Typically, this means a member must sign an attendance sheet. This provides evidence that they are present at the meeting.
A member designated by the Chair counts the number of present members by simply counting the signatures on the sign-in sheets. In OCREC, this is a duty assigned to the Membership Committee Chairman.
I have seen variations of this process. Some RECs give each attending member a sticker, or a badge to wear during the meeting. Other RECs have an official “Sergeant at Arms” or ask their secretary to handle this process.
Regardless of who is responsible, at meeting time the number of present members is compared to the number of total members. If the minimum number of present members is met, then the meeting can begin.
The Chairman typically asks, “Do we have a quorum?”, although any member can ask this question.
They can also ask for specifics, such as how many members are present and how many total members are in the organization. Members can ask for this information at this or any time as a “point of information: “
What Happens if there is no quorum?
If there are not enough members, there are a few actions that can happen, but business should not be conducted.
How Could a REC miss Quorum?
With many groups there is turnover in membership. OCREC is a volunteer organization, and volunteers have daily lives. People move away, take different jobs, or have commitments that make it difficult for them to attend. Often members have to take care of family members or themselves and cannot attend. Of course, some members stop attending for other reasons and become inactive. These absences can impact the group’s ability to reach a quorum.
This is a good reason why there are attendance requirements. If a member is not attending, they are inactive and removing them from the membership list helps maintain the group’s ability to reach a quorum.
What are OCREC’s Attendance Requirements?
The OCREC Constitution specifies attendance requirements:
ARTICLE V:
Section 3 - Every political party office of the county committee shall be deemed vacant in the following cases:
(g) by his or her failure to attend, without good and sufficient reason, three (3) consecutive regular meetings of the Orange County Republican Executive Committee or any four (4) regular meetings within the calendar year of which he or she is a member.
Missing three consecutive meetings, or four in a year will cause a seat to be vacated. Every member should know this.
Good and Sufficient Reason
If you noticed in ARTICLE V, there is a provision to miss a meeting with good and sufficient reason. That means a member can ask for an excused absence.
OCREC leadership, through the Membership Committee Chairman, provides a vehicle for a member to ask for an excused absence. It is OCREC leadership’s responsibility to provide a clear and fair process for a member to do this.
It is up to the member to ask for an excused absence.
It should be noted that an excused absence is still factored into the quorum calculation as “not present”.
A New Year, a Good Time to Review
I expect OCREC to grow this year, and it’s a good time to review attendance policies and procedures. I also think it is helpful to explain to all members the relationship between attendance policy and quorum.
Disclaimer: Although I am Secretary of OCREC, this is my opinion and is not necessarily the opinion or policy of OCREC.
Are there any rules that a county REC must offer opportunities for new membership? If so how frequently? There are precinct cmte seats open. Also are there any rules that the REC should not try to schedule meetings at inconvenient times where elected reps who are REC members cannot attend (and vote) or elected representatives at board meetings cannot apply for REC membership, such as during County Council, School Board, and city council meetings? These are all on Tuesday. Nothings going on Thursdays. This doesn’t make sense.