Who Counts: Quorum Quandaries and Voting Thresholds
Democracy cannot exist without reliable vote counting. Understanding the rules of voting is essential for all members. We will delve into what vote is required to adopt a proposition or elect someone to office. We will address how to calculate majority and two-thirds correctly. We will share information about what proportion must agree and what is the significance of someone not voting. We will pay careful attention to who eligible voters are at different types of meetings.
Without secure and accurate voting methods and vote counting, the members will lose confidence in the Chair and in the organization. Have you considered what voting system the organization should use? Do you have a back-up plan if a vote is especially close? How do the logistics of tabulating the votes of a small body differ from that of a large body?
Parliamentarians know that quorum is necessary to conduct business. Clients and our own member organizations may apply “their interpretations” of what the quorum is and how to establish it. The quorum directly impacts who is counted, who counts, and the outcome of the vote.
Our Instructors
Alison Wallis, JD, PRP, CP-T
Curriculum Director
Alison Wallis JD, PRP, CP-T Alison Wallis is honored to be the curriculum director for the Dahms Memorial Foundation. She is the immediate past president of the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP). Since 2003, she has been active in parliamentary organizations.
Alison became a Professional Registered Parliamentarian in 2005 and since that time has served in NAP as president of the Metairie Unit and the Louisiana Association of Parliamentarians, a committee member, and as the District Six Director. In addition to participation in NAP, Alison is a Certified Parliamentarian-Teacher and served three terms as President of the American Institute of Parliamentarians. She is a past president of the American College of Parliamentary Lawyers.
In another vocation, Alison Wallis holds a law degree from Loyola University in New Orleans. After graduation, she was a prosecutor for 15 years and has since worked for appellate and district courts in Louisiana.
Alison has served a parliamentarian for a wide variety of clients. She has given many presentations to both parliamentary groups and to client. She loves to promote the use of parliamentary procedure to individuals and many types of boards, governmental bodies, and organizations, to show how fair and democratic decisions may be made in an efficient, participatory manner.
Alison is an enthusiastic cook, an avid reader, a classic film aficionado, and she plays classical piano. Not only does Alison like parliamentary procedure, she likes parliamentarians as well!
Dr. Ramona M. Hill, PRP
Instructor
Dr. Ramona M. Hill, PRP has expertise in meeting facilitation, process improvement, team building and parliamentary procedure. She served as Associate Provost of Graduate and Continuing Studies and adjunct faculty member at Spring Hill College. She has worked in various industrial engineering and management positions in the papermaking and ship building industries in Alabama, Florida, Maine, Mississippi, and Texas.
Ramona has served as a board member for the American Institute of Parliamentarians Board; Friends of the Burden Botanic Gardens (Baton Rouge); and the DTO Foundation Board of Directors. She currently serves as conference and regional parliamentarian for national organizations, board member for the National Association of Parliamentarians Educational Foundation and Director at Large for the National Association of Parliamentarians Board of Directors.
Gregory Carlson, PRP
Instructor
Gregory Carlson, PRP, Gregory Carlson lives in Florence, Colorado, and has a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education and three Bachelor’s Degrees in Mathematics, Political Science, and Economics. He earned his RP Credential in 2017 and his PRP Credential in 2019. He is the former President of the Colorado Association of Parliamentarians, and has served as the presiding officer and parliamentarian for many organizations including a local Property Owner’s Association, an international Sister City, and an international sports organization. He has served as the Chairman of the Convention Committee on Standing Rules and currently serves on the Bylaws Committee of the National Association of Parliamentarians. He recently served as a member of the National Rules Committee of one of the two major political parties.
He has served as a parliamentarian for city council meetings with as few as 5 members as well as state political conventions with over 3,700 delegates.
Gregory is an Adjunct Mathematics Instructor at Pueblo Community College, and is the founder of a technology startup named Blickel, an interactive online education platform. His hobbies include playing classical guitar, writing code, hiking, and chess.