Quote:
Posted By BruceF1 on 06/11/2008 7:25 AM
Mary,
Subsection b is not meaningless at all. Explanation below.
First, the question does not refer to bylaws. It refers to a Nevada statute, section NRS116.31306. Read the title and the first sentence of the question. Actually, WH1 was dyslexic in his typing. It should have been NRS116.31036. You can look it up.
Where in the section quoted does it say anything about a quorum? If you check the statute, a quorum is defined in section NRS116.3109 which specifically covers that topic. There, it defines a quorum as 20%, unless the governing documents specify otherwise. In the same statute, the quorum cannot be both 20% and 35%. One has to be careful not to insert words that are not there. A quorum is a specific requirement and is generally referred to as such. In other words, the word “quorum” will usually appear in the section when that is the intention.
Subsection b only comes into play when there are more than 186 members that are eligible to vote present and voting (in person or by proxy – that is covered elsewhere in the statute). Otherwise, only subsection a applies. Suppose, for example, that there are 200 members present and voting. Suppose only 99 (or even 100) vote for removal. Clearly, 99 (or 100) is more than 35% of the total voting membership (more than 35% of 264 or 93), so the conditions of part a have been met. However, 99 (or 100, a tie) is NOT a majority of the total votes cast (200), so the requirement of part b (a majority needed for removal) has NOT been met.
So you see, both parts a and parts b are relevant. Which subsection applies depends on how many votes are cast. If there are fewer than 93 votes cast, there is no way for the requirement of part a to be met. Between 93 and 186 votes cast, as long as there are at least 93 votes for removal, the conditions of part a will be met and the conditions of part b will simultaneously be met because 93 is more than half of any number between 93 and 185. When the number of votes cast is 186 or more, the condition stated in part a is automatically met for any number that is more than half of the total votes cast. Pick any number higher than 186. More than half of that number will always be greater than 93, so only subsection b applies.
Just pick several examples and do the arithmetic. How the two subsections come into play will become much clearer.
Quote:
Posted By BruceF1 on 06/11/2008 7:25 AM
Mary,
Subsection b is not meaningless at all. Explanation below.
First, the question does not refer to bylaws. It refers to a Nevada statute, section NRS116.31306. Read the title and the first sentence of the question. Actually, WH1 was dyslexic in his typing. It should have been NRS116.31036. You can look it up.
Where in the section quoted does it say anything about a quorum? If you check the statute, a quorum is defined in section NRS116.3109 which specifically covers that topic. There, it defines a quorum as 20%, unless the governing documents specify otherwise. In the same statute, the quorum cannot be both 20% and 35%. One has to be careful not to insert words that are not there. A quorum is a specific requirement and is generally referred to as such. In other words, the word “quorum” will usually appear in the section when that is the intention.
Subsection b only comes into play when there are more than 186 members that are eligible to vote present and voting (in person or by proxy – that is covered elsewhere in the statute). Otherwise, only subsection a applies. Suppose, for example, that there are 200 members present and voting. Suppose only 99 (or even 100) vote for removal. Clearly, 99 (or 100) is more than 35% of the total voting membership (more than 35% of 264 or 93), so the conditions of part a have been met. However, 99 (or 100, a tie) is NOT a majority of the total votes cast (200), so the requirement of part b (a majority needed for removal) has NOT been met.
So you see, both parts a and parts b are relevant. Which subsection applies depends on how many votes are cast. If there are fewer than 93 votes cast, there is no way for the requirement of part a to be met. Between 93 and 186 votes cast, as long as there are at least 93 votes for removal, the conditions of part a will be met and the conditions of part b will simultaneously be met because 93 is more than half of any number between 93 and 185. When the number of votes cast is 186 or more, the condition stated in part a is automatically met for any number that is more than half of the total votes cast. Pick any number higher than 186. More than half of that number will always be greater than 93, so only subsection b applies.
Just pick several examples and do the arithmetic. How the two subsections come into play will become much clearer.
Bruce,
I had not taken a look at the state statute so I was not aware that the quorum requirements were contained in a different statute. I wasn't inserting something that wasn't there; just trying to make sense of what "was" there!
I can understand most of what you're saying, but I don't understand where 186 votes come into play. This figure represents 70% of the 264 total members. I don't see that % referenced anywhere.
The statute says 35%, of the total voting membership must vote, which equates to 93 members. Then the statute says: "AND" each candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast", which means each candidate must recieve 48 votes to remove if only 35% of the total membership voted. If more than 35% of the members voted then the majority would be based on the total number who voted to remove. If less than 35% of the members voted the election would be null and void.
To my way of thinking both (a) and (b) must always apply because the statutes says "and" not "or". If (a) isn't met (the % requirement) the vote is null and void. Likewise if (b) isn't met (the majority of vote cast requirement) the vote is null and void. Frankly, I cannot see any other way to interpret the statute.
The only thing I can think of that would cause the attorney to say none of the board members were recalled is that the figures Daryl posted only represented the number of votes cast but not the number of votes cast to remove. I think the key to the whole thing is the number of votes to remove which in all likelyhood is different than the number of votes cast.