Simone Lawson
A quorum refers to the minimum number of members of a group or organization that must be present for official business to be carried out. The quorum is necessary to conduct the business of the group and to allow a vote to take place. While there is no strict number that constitutes a quorum, it is often considered to be a simple majority of members within an organization. In a group of 3, a quorum would therefore be constituted by at least 2 members, as this would be a majority.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | The minimum number of members of a group necessary to constitute the group at a meeting. |
| Purpose | To allow a vote to take place. |
| Determination | The number of people in an organization with decision-making powers. |
| Calculation | The number of people in that group needed to agree to have a majority, which is equal to the quorum. |
| Example | If an organization has a board of 8 members, 5 members are needed to agree to have a majority, so the quorum would be 5. |
| Variation | A quorum could be a simple majority (51%) or a super-majority (two-thirds). |
| Flexibility | Attendance options may be flexible, with bylaws stating that calling in via phone or video conference counts as eligible attendance. |
| Quorum-busting | A tactic to prevent a quorum from being attained, used by minority groups seeking to block the adoption of a measure they oppose. |
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What You'll Learn
Quorum-busting
The concept of a quorum is the minimum number of members of a group necessary to constitute the group at a meeting. In a deliberative assembly, a quorum is needed to conduct the business of that group. A quorum is usually set by the organization's bylaws and is often required by traditional handbooks of parliamentary procedure such as Robert's Rules of Order. There is no strict number that constitutes a quorum, but it is usually a simple majority of members within an organization. It is important that the quorum number is representative of the members in a decision-making role.
There are several ways to ensure that a quorum is met, including providing enough notice to attendees, choosing times and days that work for members, setting recurring meeting times, and sending personal reminders.
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Quorum requirements in bylaws
A quorum refers to the minimum number of members of a group or organization that must be present for official business to be carried out. The quorum is necessary to conduct the business of the group, and the minimum number is usually set by the organization’s bylaws.
The bylaws will state the rules for a quorum, including the percentage needed to reach a quorum or the number of voting members. This percentage can be anything the voting members decide on, as long as it is a majority of the members. For instance, a quorum could be defined as one-third of the Board of Directors, or a majority of the members of the Executive Committee.
The quorum is an important part of board governance, as it ensures that decisions are made with the input of a sufficient number of members, and that no one individual or small group has too much decision-making power. If a quorum is not present, the meeting may be adjourned until a quorum is reached, or the existing attendees may be permitted to conduct a limited number of actions on behalf of the company.
It is important to note that quorum requirements can be flexible, and bylaws may state that calling in via phone or video conferencing constitutes eligible attendance.
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How to determine a quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group required to be present to conduct official business. The quorum ensures that financial and legal decisions are reviewed and voted on by a good percentage of the members.
To determine a quorum, you must first establish the number of people in your organisation with decision-making powers. Then, calculate how many people in that group you need to agree to have a majority, which is equal to the quorum. For example, if your organisation has a board of 8 members, you would need 5 members to agree to have a majority, so the quorum would be 5. This is the most common way of determining a quorum.
However, the quorum can be defined according to the needs of the organisation and is often written in the organisational bylaws. For example, the quorum may be a simple 51% majority, or a super-majority of two-thirds. In the UK, the House of Commons has a quorum of 40 MPs out of 650 members, while in the US, the Constitution requires at least 51 senators to be present to do business.
If your organisation does not have a specific rule for determining a quorum, it is decided by a majority.
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The function of a quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group necessary to constitute the group at a meeting. In a deliberative assembly, a quorum is needed to conduct official business. The quorum number should be representative of members in a decision-making role.
The quorum is usually set by the organisation's bylaws, which are outlined in the corporate charter. In the absence of a stated definition, it constitutes a simple majority. A nonprofit, for example, could define a simple majority as 51% of the board. A quorum is also often required by traditional handbooks of parliamentary procedure such as Robert's Rules of Order. According to Robert's Rules, the quorum is defined as a number large enough to be depended on to be present at all meetings, except in very bad weather or other extremely unfavorable conditions.
In legislatures and other assemblies with the power to compel member attendance, the call of the house procedure may be used to obtain a quorum. This involves the clerk calling the roll of members and then the names of absentees. Members without an excused absence are arrested and brought in, and may be charged a fee.
Quorum-busting, or walkouts, can be used by a minority group to block the adoption of a measure they oppose. This is generally only possible when the quorum is a supermajority. Rules have been adopted to discourage quorum-busting, such as the call of the house procedure.
There are several ways a governing body can ensure a quorum is met, including providing enough notice to attendees, choosing suitable times and days, setting recurring meeting times, and sending personal reminders.
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Quorum in a group of three
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group required to be present to conduct official business. In a group of three, a quorum would be reached with two members, a majority of the group.
Quorum requirements vary depending on the organisation and its bylaws. For example, the quorum for the UK's House of Commons is 40 MPs out of 650, while the House of Lords requires just three peers out of 753 to be present for a debate. In the US, the Constitution mandates that at least 51 senators must be present to conduct business.
The quorum is important as it ensures that financial and legal decisions are reviewed and voted on by a good percentage of members. It also prevents a small group of members from becoming too powerful and making decisions that do not benefit the whole organisation.
Quorum-busting is a tactic used to prevent a quorum from being reached, often by minority groups seeking to block a measure they oppose. This is more common when a super-majority quorum is required, as a majority quorum can be reached with the support of a simple majority of members.
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Frequently asked questions
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a group required to be present to conduct official business.
The quorum is usually decided by the organisation and is often written in the organisational bylaws. The quorum is often a majority of the group, but it can be a simple majority or a super-majority.
A quorum is required to allow a vote to take place. It ensures that financial and legal decisions are reviewed and voted on by a good percentage of the members.
The number of people required for a quorum varies depending on the organisation and the context. For example, the UK Parliament's House of Commons has a quorum of 40 MPs out of 650 members, while the House of Lords requires just three peers out of 753 to be present for a debate.
