Can officer be deposed?

Parliamentary Procedure Q&A

Q: The board of directors and the officers of our organization are all elected to four year terms. The constitution and bylaws specifies Robert's Rules of Order as their parliamentary authority. Some board members wish to remove an officer. The constitution and bylaws are silent on the question of removal from office for board members and officers. Can the officer be removed under Robert's Rules? - Tim Barnhart, Mar. 31, 1999

A: Possibly.

RONR addresses removal from office for cause; i.e., for dereliction of duty or for misconduct (RONR p. 657). I find no reference to removal without cause.

Assuming cause, the method of removal depends on the wording of your bylaws as to the term the officer is to serve.

If the bylaws state that the officer shall serve "for four years or until his successor is elected," the body that elected the officer may Rescind that election (see RONR Section 34). The vote required would be any of:

Two thirds of those present and voting.

A majority of those present and voting, given that previous notice had been previously made.

A majority of the entire membership.

If the bylaws state that the officer shall serve "for four years," or that he serve "for four years and until his successor is elected," he may be deposed only after an investigating committee prefers charges, a formal trial finds him guilty, and the penalty imposed is deposition. See RONR Section 60.

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