General Meetings/Organizing AGM/all present may vote

From PCSAR

Can CRG members vote at the AGM?

The CRG and PCSAR are legally separate organizations and thus both have their own AGMs. One of the goals of the partnership between the PCSAR and CRG is to minimize the bureaucratic overhead for the CRG. For that reason a number of mechanisms are used to simplify these two AGMs.

1. Both AGMs are called for at the same time and place. This allows broader discussion between the members of PCSAR and the CRG that attend the meeting.

2. At the appointed start time, an explanation is given to all attending of the dual nature of the meetings and intended overlapping structure.

3. The first motion presented is that "All present may vote." Such a motion must be recorded as unanimous among everyone present. If passed, all present (whether CRG members, PCSAR members or others) may vote at the two meetings. If the motion does not pass (which has never happened), two separate counts would need to be taken for each vote coming up.

4. Both meetings agree by motion on a common chair (typically the PCSAR President). This allows the chair to coordinate the flow of the two meetings so it seems like one.

5. The common chair proceeds through the business of both AGMs. Most items (like reports) are in common. Some motions may apply to only one organization and should be noted in the motion. For instance, only PCSAR has money, so a motion might say "That PCSAR buy a drone."

6. Elections are held separately. I.e. the PCSAR President is a different position than the CRG President. Only members of the respective organizations may run for a position in either organization. But as all present may vote, everyone at the meeting is free to vote for both positions.

7. Separate minutes are produced for the PCSAR AGM and the CRG AGM. The motions that apply to only one meeting are not recorded (or only noted) in the minutes of the other. For example, the CRG minutes would record the motion adopting the minutes of the last CRG general meeting, but would only note (or not record at all) the adoption of the minutes of the last PCSAR general meeting.

(This also applies to General Meetings, which are other meetings of the membership other than the annual one.)