The problem is this: two members now have voting status for the Dec. meeting, so can they be allowed to vote? Or can it only be the people who voted in the last meeting? What the board has chosen to do is "pretend" that the meeting was not adjourned and to continue the election before the next meeting. Is this parliamentary procedure or just an abuse of power? Should these two members be allowed to vote?

The other question is that if there is another tie, what do we do from there? Is it really true that the incumbant stays in if there is a tie? - Cynthia Galvan, Dec. 14, 1999

A: The board can't pretend there was no adjournment, but, depending on the bylaws, it or the President or perhaps a certain number of members may call a special meeting (following all the rules for calling a special meeting) for the sole purpose of completing the election. Or, the organization can wait until your next regular meeting (if it's within a quarter year) to complete the election then. Normally an adjourned meeting would be called (a continuation of last month's meeting), but in emergencies, it's not necessary nor expected. See RONR p. 436 and p. 87. The abandoned motion to postpone the election drops to the ground.

The two new members are allowed to vote. Likewise, anyone who leaves the organization before the election is not allowed to vote, even though they were there at the first attempt.

Unless your bylaws state otherwise, in the case in which no member receives a majority of the votes, you continue to re-ballot until the tie is broken. See RONR p. 433.