Metrowest Chess Club

Policies

&

Procedures

 

 


Table of contents

I.    Regular Meeting Night 2

II.        Membership. 2

III.       Special Introductory Offers. 2

IV.      Smoking Policy. 2

V.       Affiliation. 2

VI.      Rules Governing Play. 2

VII.     Player of the Year 4

VIII.     Officers. 4

IX.       Information. 5

X.       Club Championships. 5

XI.       Benefits of Membership. 5

XII.      Website. 5

XIII.     Rules of Order for Meetings: 7

XIV.    Motions by Email 13

XV.     Election Templates. 15

XVI.    Revision History. 18

Figures

Figure 1:   Quick Reference Procedure Diagram........................................................................................................... 12

 

I.                    Regular Meeting Night

1.         The Club shall regularly meet only once a week.

2.         Tuesday nights shall be when the club meets.

II.                  Membership

1.         Regular membership is $30 per year per individual. 

2.         Junior membership is available to those 18 years of age or younger at $15 per year.

3.         Dues for seniors, by definition, age 65 or older, are waived while the Club is located at a Senior Center.  (Note: this is part of our current agreement with the Natick Senior Center)

4.         Introductory memberships are available (to new members only) at $15 for six months. 

5.         Family memberships are available at $5 per year above the highest applicable single-member rate.  All members must reside at the same address for family membership to apply. 

6.         All memberships end in the next year, on 1st of the month in which the member has joined.

III.                Special Introductory Offers

1.         New to rated play.

a)    If a person joins the club when they join the USCF or have played 5 rated games or fewer, the club will give them free entry into the current tournament in progress as well as the next month's tournament.

b)    In progress is defined as round 1 having already been played.

IV.               Smoking Policy

1.         There is no smoking allowed at any time at any club event. 

V.                 Affiliation

1.         The MetroWest Chess Club is an affiliate of the United States Chess Federation (USCF) and the Massachusetts Chess Association (MACA). 

2.         The Club shall encourage membership in these organizations. 

3.         USCF membership is offered at a discount when paid through the Club, in accordance with USCF regulations.

VI.               Rules Governing Play

A.        Tournament Play

a)    Unless otherwise announced, event play starts at 7:30 PM. 

b)    Normal time controls are 40 moves in 90 minutes, followed by sudden death in 30 minutes.

c)    The Laws of Chess as presented in the most current edition of the USCF (Official Rules of Chess) govern play.

B.        Schedule of Events

a)    The scheduling of events for the year shall attempt to start as many events as possible on the 1st Tuesday of a month. 

b)    The Club will attempt to meet on every Tuesday night on which an event is scheduled. 

c)    If severe weather makes cancellation necessary, a message to that effect will be placed on the Club's information line.

C.        Pairing

a)    Pairing of MCC events shall be done by computer whenever possible.

b)    "Where questions arise in the accuracy and/or propriety of a computer-generated pairing, it is the policy of the MetroWest Chess Club to accept the program's pairings in the absence of an obvious or clearly understood violation of USCF rules."

c)    1/4 Accelerated-pairing rules shall be used for any section within an event that meets the recommended criteria for their use as set out by the most current rules of the USCF.  The "Adjusted Rating" option shall be used.  We further define the USCF phrase "far exceeds" used in its recommended criteria to mean that the number of players is greater than or equal to, the average of, two raised to the number of rounds and two raised to the number of rounds plus one.  Some examples are, 4 rounds = 24, 5 rounds = 48, 6 rounds = 96.

d)    If a player is paired out, they will receive a credit of $5 if they do not end up playing a rated game.

D.        Byes, Re-Entries, and Late Entries

a)    In Swiss-system event of any number of rounds, a maximum of two half-point byes for the event is allowed.

b)    Players entering an event after the first round will have their half-point byes applied starting with round 1 until all of the allowed half point byes are used.

c)    Once a player's half point byes are used, any other requested byes shall be zero point byes.

d)    A bye requested for the last round must be committed to before the start of the 2nd round and is irrevocable after the start of the 2nd round.

e)    A player entered in a tournament is always obligated to notify the club if they will miss any round for which they have not previously requested a bye. Failure to notify the club properly will result in the player being assessed a forfeit penalty.

f)      There are only two valid ways to request a bye.

(1)       By filling out the bye sheet at the club. 
(2)       By leaving a message on the Club answering machine before 7:00 PM of the night of play. 

g)    Email is NOT a valid means to request a bye.

h)    Players may re-enter an event by paying the full entry fee.  Half Point byes will be applied to any missed rounds.

i)      A player will be permitted to enter an event after round 3 has been played only if this does not result in an already-entered player being paired out.

(1)       A player entered on this basis will pay the entire member or non-member (as applicable) entry fee for the event and will remain in the section he enters for all subsequent rounds of the event.
(2)       The player will have the right to take byes on the same basis as every other player entered in the event, including the right to half-point byes for earlier rounds not played in accordance with the rules for the particular event.
(3)       The player will have the right to be paired and the risk of being paired out on the same basis as every other player entered in the event.

E.        Withdrawals

a)    Players may withdraw from a tournament at any time by the same method used for requesting byes. 

b)    If a player's score at the time of withdrawal is sufficient to qualify for a prize, the player retains eligibility for that prize. 

c)    Players who forfeit out or who are expelled from an event lose eligibility for prizes.

F.         Forfeits and Penalties

a)    A player forfeits a game when he or she

(1)       does not have a valid bye request on record  AND
(2)       fails to begin playing their game, due to either absence or tardiness, within the time permitted by the applicable rules.

b)    Any player incurring a forfeit loss will be fined for each incidence occurring within a rolling twelve-month period according to the following schedule: First incidence: $10.00.  Second incidence: $20.00.  Third incidence: $40.00.  The amount of the fine will double with each additional incidence within any twelve-month period.  Once a twelve-month period expires with no forfeits, the player's forfeit history is wiped clean.

c)    The forfeiting player must pay all assessed fines before they are permitted to play any subsequent games at the club.

d)    Any player to whom another player forfeits a game will be awarded a $10.00 credit toward the entry fee for any subsequent MCC tournament.

e)    The MCC Board reserves the right to take additional or alternative measures as may be deemed appropriate on a case-by-case basis.

G.        Entry Fees and Prizes

a)    Most Club events shall charge an entry fee and pay prizes. 

b)    The Club will not pro-rate entry fees for any tournament event.

c)    Tournament directors will be given free entry for an MCC event for each event they work as a TD.

d)    The prize fund shall normally be projected to be 50~60% of the expected entry pool, and prize funds may be modified based on actual entries.

e)    The prize fund may meet its return goal over an extended range of events to allow for flexibility in meeting promotional and other goals.

f)      Class prizes may be offered.

g)    Any Club event with a prize fund equal to or greater than $1,000 shall be advertised in Chess Life.

H.        Other Rated Games

a)    Any game between current USCF members can be rated. 

b)    The decision to play a rated game must be agreed between players before play starts. 

c)    If two players not in a current event wish to play a rated game, there will be a $1 rating fee collected by the Club. 

d)    The Club, pursuant to USCF rules, can oversee multi-game matches between players.

VII.        Player of the Year

1.         Currently, no policy is in place regarding the determination of a Player of the Year.

VIII.      Officers

1.         The Board of Directors is elected in November of each year.

2.         The Board determines the specific procedures for the annual election as required. These procedures incorporate the following provisions:

a)    Only current members of the Club may nominate and vote for candidates for the Board of Directors. Any Club member who satisfies the requirements for candidacy may nominate himself or herself as a candidate for the Board.

b)    To stand as a candidate for the Board, a person must (i) be a current member of the Club, (ii) be 18 years of age or older, and (iii) have routine access to email.

c)    Nominations to Board positions will be solicited during October, and voting, if required, will be conducted during November.

d)    If no positions are contested, there will be no voting. In this event the election of the new Directors will be confirmed by acclamation at the next Regular Annual Meeting of the general membership.

e)    With respect to each person nominated, the Club President will (i) verify that the person submitting the nomination is a current member of the Club, (ii) verify that the nominee satisfies the requirements for candidacy, and (iii) confirm that the nominee is willing to serve on the Board if elected. If all these conditions are met, that nominee will be included on the election ballot.

f)      The Board will adopt reasonable procedures to ensure that every Club member has the opportunity to nominate and vote for candidates, for example, by enabling members to submit nominations and votes in person, by mail, or by email.

g)    The Board will adopt reasonable procedures to ensure that only those votes are tallied that were cast by members eligible to vote. With respect to votes cast by email, the Board will assume definitively that if the vote was sent from an email address that the Club’s records show as belonging to a Club member, then the vote was cast by that member.

h)    The Board will take reasonable measures to preserve the anonymity of each ballot received in person or by mail; however, the Board does not and cannot guarantee the anonymity of votes cast by email. Members choosing to vote by email acknowledge thereby that votes cannot practically be cast anonymously by email.

i)      The Board will appoint a person, to be overseer of the election. This overseer may be a member of the Board and preferably will not be a candidate in the election. This person will validate all ballots received against criteria established by the Board and will make necessary and appropriate arrangements for counting them. Ballots determined to be invalid will not be included in the vote tally.

3.         Terms of Office are for one year and start on the third Tuesday in January.

4.         Physical Board meetings are held on an as-needed basis. 

5.         Board meetings are open to the membership.

6.         Minutes of Board meetings shall be available to the membership. 

7.         The annual Business Meeting of the Club is held on the third Tuesday in January.  At that time, officers are installed and general business from the membership may be considered.

IX.          Information

A.        The club shall maintain an answering machine to facilitate its operation.

B.        The club shall maintain a Post Office Box so that it can receive mail.

X.                 Club Championships

A.        Currently, no policy is in place regarding the determination of a club champion or the holding of a club championship event.

XI.               Benefits of Membership

A.        Entry fees for Club members shall in general be set lower than those of non-members.

B.        Library

1.         Members shall have free access to the books and videos that comprise the club library.

2.         Members shall be permitted to borrow from the library on an honor system whereby the member will be responsible for the materials to be signed out upon removal and then signed back in upon return.

3.         Members shall be permitted to have up to 2 items signed out at any time.

C.        Study Group.

1.         Members shall have free access to attend and participate in any study group activity sponsored by the club.

D.        Only Club members may participate in matches against other clubs or hold titles associated with Club Championship events.

XII.             Website

A.        Mission Statement

1.         The primary purpose of our site is to enhance the enjoyment and experience of those who participate in the activities of the club.  For those who are not yet participating in our activities, it is our hope that this web site will provide you some measure of feel for what our club is like, and, if physical distance allows, that you will choose to join us as we pursue our love and knowledge of the game.

B.        Objectives of the web site

1.         To serve as a central repository for information that may be of interest to the club membership.

2.         To serve as a mechanism for organizational memory by archiving the documents of the organization.

3.         To enhance the ability of the organization to fulfill its mission statement

C.        Restrictions of content or usage

1.         Content or links to content, that is of an inflammatory nature or likely to offend the Chess community and in particular, the club's membership, shall not be permitted on the site.

D.        Advertising

1.         The MCC web site may contain links to web sites of other organizations (e.g. nearby Clubs, State Associations, private business, etc) that may be of interest to the Chess community.  These information links are provided as a reference service, and shall not be considered advertising.

2.         Simple listings of events of interest to MCC may be included on the web site, and shall not be considered advertising.

3.         Substantial event, product, service or organizational content from third parties shall be considered advertising.  Such advertisements will be accepted at the discretion of the web master.

4.         The Board shall set fees charged for advertising.

5.         Advertising for the web may not be accepted if it not in a "web ready" format.

E.        The role of the Web Team

1.         The web team is not responsible for the creation or collection of content.  Event sponsors and other information providers are responsible for ensuring that appropriate information is made available to the web team for them to publish on the web site. 

2.         The web team will make a reasonable effort to see that any content provided is presented on the site in a clear, concise and useful manner to the users of the site.

3.         The web team shall ensure that all links to both internal and external pages are regularly checked and repaired.

4.         The web team shall assist the Board of directors and it's subcommittees in establishing web-related policies and procedures and in providing guidance in the effective use of the web for the good of the organization.

5.         The web team shall be responsible for the maintenance and moderation of the automated email lists.

6.         The web team shall attempt to protect the organization by use of their judgement regarding the appropriateness of content and defer posting of the content until such time as the board or at least the President shall be consulted.

F.         Relationship of the Web site and Web team to the Board of Directors

1.         The organization retains all rights and ownership of the URL, the site and its contents.

2.         One Board member shall be designated as the administrative contact for the URL and the site and shall have full access to the web site (the password).

3.         One person shall be designated as the Web Master and shall be responsible for the functional operation of the web site and co-ordination among all the web team members.

4.         As long as the organization has a web site, the Board shall establish a standing committee called the Web Team with a chairman of the committee called "The Web Team Committee Chairman".  If the Chairman is also the Web Master then Web Master may be used in place of the chairman title. 

5.         If the Web Master is not a member of the Board of directors, the Web Master will be responsible to, and shall take direction from, the Web Team Committee Chairman or action taken by the board.

G.        Communication with the Web team

1.         Board members and committee members are permitted to provide content for posting to the web site.

2.         All requests for web related actions such as corrections or additions to pages or any other matters concerning either the web site or the lists shall be sent by email to the web team by way of the web masters address, mailto:WebMaster@MetroWestChess.org

3.         All members of the web team shall receive any email sent to the web master address.   This is done to relieve the sender from having any knowledge of who is responsible for the various aspects of the web site or who is available to do the work.  Note that when this policy is not followed, the other members of the web team are unaware of the requests and unable to ensure that the request is dealt with in a timely fashion.

4.         Requests for changes or corrections must include the specific URL of the page so that no confusion will arise regarding the proper page to edit.

H.        Providing Content

1.         Content providers shall, to the best of their ability or resources available to them (e.g. other people on the committee) format the content in such a way as to require little or no work by the web team to make its suitable for posting to the site.

2.         The preferred formats for submitting data are, in descending order of preference:

a)    Pre-formatted HTML ready for posting. (Note:  MS Word 97 generates this quite easily.)

b)    MS document.

c)    Text message or document.

3.         When providing content in MS Word Format the following techniques should be applied

a)    The entire document should consist of tables with columns used to provide horizontal spacing and alignment.  Tables when translated to HTML hold their formatting almost perfectly.

4.         When the number of columns needed to organize the data needs to be different than previously, a new table with the appropriate number of columns should be used as opposed to using the same table with the rows split into additional columns.

5.         The use of spaces and tabs for formatting should be avoided.  The use of columns should generally eliminate the need for spaces and tabs.


XIII.           Rules of Order for Meetings:

A.        General Information

1.         The object of rules of order is to facilitate the smooth functioning of the meeting and to provide a firm basis for resolving questions of procedure that may arise. 

2.         The President has the authority and duty to make necessary rulings on questions of procedure.  All references to the President regarding the Rules of Order may also be construed to be a reference to the Officer who is lawfully entitled to be and is serving as the Presiding officer of the meeting.  If the President decides that the correct procedures are not being followed he/she declares the action that is being pursued as "Out of Order" and directs the board as to what may be properly done at that time.

3.         If at any time someone feels that the rules are not being properly followed he/she may "Rise to a point of Order" by saying "I rise to a Point of Order" or "Point of Order". This requires the President to immediately make a ruling as to whether the rules have been breached or not and if so to immediately correct the matter.  If the President is not sure of how to rule or does not wish to rule on the issue, he/she may put it to a vote.  A motion to appeal a ruling by the President may be made at this time and a vote taken.  During the debate of the appeal, people may speak only once with the exception of the President who may speak first and last.  An appeal must have a Majority in order to reverse the decision of the President.

4.         The President is always allowed to vote even if his/her vote may break or cause a tie or cause or block the attainment of a necessary two-thirds vote.

5.         A "Quick Reference Procedure Diagram" is provided as a guide to these procedures and is subordinated to these procedures.

B.        How to proceed

1.         During the course of a meeting a general discussion on some topic may occur.  Generally, after some time discussing the topic at hand, the President may suggest that the board move onto some other topic or that someone offer a motion pertaining to the topic just discussed.  If no motion is made the President will proceed to a new topic for discussion.  If a motion is made, the procedures that follow are used.

2.         When someone wishes the Board to take official action, they must make a "motion" that the board take some specific action.

3.         Once a motion has been made and seconded it is considered to be question before the Board for consideration and is said to be "pending" or "on the floor".

4.         When no motions are pending ( on the floor ) a person may make motions to do the following:

a.   To Take some kind of action

b.   To Follow the order of events on the Agenda.

c.   To Rescind or Amend something previously adopted.

d.   To Reconsider

e.   To Make a motion to Adjourn.

5.         All motions must be seconded unless explicitly stated in these Rules of Order.  A second is required to ensure that at least two people consider the motion worthy of consideration.  It does not mean to imply that the person seconding necessarily favors the motion.

6.         When a motion is made, it must be seconded by someone saying, "I second the motion", "I second" or "second".  If no one seconds the motion within a short period of time the President should ask, "Is there a second".  If there is still no second the president declares, "There is no motion on the floor" and shall proceed to the next topic of discussion.

7.         After a motion has been seconded BUT before debate has begun, the following things are allowed to occur.

f.    A short and concise suggestion may be made to the maker of a motion to modify his/her motion.  The maker of the motion may agree to or reject the suggestion.  If the maker agrees to modify their motion, the person who seconded the motion must at this time confirm or withdraw their second of the modified motion.  If the second is withdrawn, go back to STEP 5.

g.   A suggestion to withdraw a motion, with short and concise reason, may be made to the maker of a motion.  The maker may withdraw his/her motion or reject the suggestion.  No debate is allowed.

h.   The maker of a motion may withdraw his/her motion, providing a short and concise reason for doing so in the process.  No debate is allowed.

8.         The President shall restate or have restated the motion to begin debate of the motion.

9.         After debate has begun on the motion that is on the floor, any of the following motions may be made to change the nature of the motion.

i.    To Amend the motion

j.    To Consider item by item

k.   To Divide the question

10.      The only ways to finish dealing with a motion that is on the floor is by the following means:

m.  Debate appears to have ended and the President asks "Is there any further debate".  If no-one has anything further to say the President will follow the procedure on taking a vote.

n.   Motion to call the question. When seconded, the President is required to immediately end all debate and follow the procedure on taking a vote for the question or amendment to the question that was being debated.  This requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present.

o.   Motion to Refer the question to a committee.

p.   Motion to Postpone until ( a particular date, time or event )

11.      To take a vote, the President shall restate or have restated the motion about to be voted on to signal that a vote is about to be taken and that nothing else is in order.  The vote is taken by counting the number of board members responding to the following questions: "All those in favor", then "All those opposed" and then "Abstentions".  The President then declares the result of the vote.  Once the results of the vote are declared, the vote is considered closed and no-one may change their vote.  When the board decides to do what a motion proposes, it is said to adopt the motion or carry the motion.  When the board votes against the motion, the motion is said to be lost or rejected.

12.      Since the vote is now closed, the President will proceed to the next topic for discussion.

C.        Rules of Debate 

1.         The presiding officer moderates debate and assigns who has the "floor" or the right to speak.

2.         The originator of the motion has the right to speak first during debate.

3.         Whoever has the floor is entitled to speak without interruption.

4.         Questions may be asked of the person speaking if the speaker wishes to allow it.  Questions are not allowed to turn into private debate.  Questions should be to solicit the speakers opinion or to clarify information.

5.         Debate must be confined to the merits of the pending question.

6.         Speakers must maintain a courteous tone, and, especially in reference to any divergence of opinion, should avoid injecting a personal note into debate.  To this end, they must never attack or make any allusion to the motives of members.  The measure, not the person is the subject of debate.

7.         The presiding officer should assign someone to moderate if he/she intends to participate very actively in the debate.

 

D.        Definitions Pertaining to the Rules of Order

1.         ADJOURN

To adjourn means to close the meeting.

a)    Must be seconded

b)    Is not debatable

c)    Is not amendable

d)    Requires a majority vote

e)    Cannot be reconsidered

2.         AMEND

This motion is used to modify the wording of a pending motion before the pending motion itself is acted upon.

The adoption of the motion to amend does not adopt the motion thereby amended; that motion remains pending in its modified form.  Rejection of a motion to amend leave the pending motion worded as it was before the amendment was offered.

A member's vote on an amendment does not obligate him to vote in a particular way on the motion to which the amendment applies; he is free to vote as he pleases on the main motion, whether it is amended or not.

Majority Vote required to pass, even in cases where the question to be amended takes a two-thirds vote.

a)    Must be seconded

b)    Is debatable

c)    Is not amendable

d)    Requires a majority vote

e)    Can be reconsidered.

3.         APPEAL

An appeal is a motion used to overrule the President when he/she has made a ruling on how to properly proceed in carrying out the intent of the Policies & Procedures.  By electing a presiding officer, the board delegates to him/her the authority and duty to make necessary rulings on question of procedures.

Is only in order when a Point of Order has been raised

a)    Must be seconded

b)    Is debatable

c)    Is not amendable

d)    Majority Vote is required

e)    Can be reconsidered

4.         CALL THE QUESTION

This motion is used to cause an immediate vote on one or more pending questions.

No other motions are allowed until this motion has been dealt with.

Can be applied to any immediately pending debatable or amendable motion; to an entire series of pending debatable or amendable motions and to any consecutive part of such a series, beginning with the immediately pending question.

a)    Must be seconded.

b)    Is not debatable.

c)    Is not amendable.

d)    Requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present.

e)    Can not be reconsidered.

5.         CALL FOR THE AGENDA

A motion by which a member can require the board to conform to an agenda that has been published as the course of business for a meeting.  The content and ordering of items on the agenda is left to the discretion of the President under advisement of the board and is not binding unless this motion passes.

Is Out of Order if the published agenda is being followed.

a)    Does not require a second.

b)    Is not debatable.

c)    Is not amendable.

d)    Requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present.  The motion that was in progress is considered Out of Order and the next topic on the agenda is discussed.

e)    Can not be reconsidered.

6.         CONSIDER ITEM BY ITEM

A report or long motion consisting of a series of resolutions, paragraphs, articles, or sections that are not totally separate questions can be considered by opening the different parts to debate and amendment separately, without a division of the question.  Only one vote is taken on the motion as a whole when debate has ended.

a)    Must be seconded.

b)    Is not debatable.

c)    Is amendable.

d)    Majority Vote required to pass.

e)    Can be reconsidered.

7.         DIVIDE THE QUESTION

When a motion relating to a single subject contains several parts, each of which is capable of standing as a complete proposition if the others are removed, the parts can be separated to be considered and voted on as if they were distinct questions.

This motion would generally be made when it would appear that the debate on the merits of the overall motion might easily be settled if it were broken into separate pieces.

The motion must clearly state the manner in which the question is to be divided.

a)    Must be seconded.

b)    Is not debatable.

c)    Is amendable.

d)    Requires a majority vote.

e)    Cannot be reconsidered.

8.         MOTION

A Motion is a recommendation or suggestion for action or decision.

9.         OPEN VOTE

The use of the phrase “Open Vote” in the stating of a motion is used to proscribe the manner in which the vote on the motion shall be taken.

A motion using this phrase is made to allow a reasonable effort to be made to contact members of the board who are not currently present to vote.

The motion is Out of Order if not at a meeting of the board of directors.

The motion is Out of Order for items on the published agenda.

If an “Open Vote” motion is passed, the President shall start the tally of the vote with those present at the meeting and complete the vote by following the procedure of a  phone vote.

Other than the manner in which the vote is tallied, all the other rules that would otherwise apply to the motion if it were not an “Open Vote”, apply.

10.      PHONE VOTE

This motion is made to allow action to be taken by the board between meetings of the board.

Is Out of Order when a Board meeting is in session.

May be Ruled out of Order by the President if the President feels the motion should wait until the next meeting of the Board.

The President shall make a reasonable effort to contact all members of the board concerning the vote.

The President shall present a report of who voted and their vote to the Secretary at the next meeting of the board for inclusion into the minutes.

When enough votes have been cast to determine the result of the vote the President may then declare the vote closed and no longer accept any change of votes.

Board members should abstain if they do not know which way they wish to vote yet and wish to debate the merits of the motion with other members.  It is expected that board members shall return a vote within a reasonable time to the President.

Board members may change their votes until the President has declared the vote closed.  It is possible and allowable that the vote could close before the member has cast their vote. 

All phone votes shall expire as failed if not passed by the start of the next meeting of the board.  This reason for failing shall be noted in the minutes with the Presidents report on the vote.

a)    Must be seconded

b)    Is debatable.

c)    Is amendable.

d)    Requires the normal Majority or two-thirds (2/3) appropriate for the motion.  For Majority votes, the vote must be of All members of the Board.

e)    Can be reconsidered.

11.      POINT OF ORDER

When a board member thinks that the rules of the Policy and Procedures are being violated, he/she can make a Point of Order, thereby calling upon the President for a ruling and an enforcement of the regular rules.

A Point of Order is always in order

a)    Does not require a second

b)    Is not debatable

c)    Is not amendable.

d)    Does not require a vote.  The Point of Order is normally ruled upon by the President.  No vote is taken unless the chair is in doubt or his/her ruling is appealed.

e)    Cannot be reconsidered.

12.      POSTPONE

This motion is used to put off action on a pending question, with some limit, to a definite day, meeting, hour, phone vote or until after a certain event.

a)    Must be seconded.

b)    Is debatable; but debate is limited in that it must not go into the merits of the main question any more than is necessary to enable the assembly to decide whether the main question should be postponed and to what time

c)    Is amendable as to the time to which the main question is to be postponed.

d)    Majority Vote required to pass.

e)    Can be reconsidered.

13.      REFER TO COMMITTEE

This motion is used to send a pending question to a relatively small group of selected persons, a committee, so that the question may be carefully investigated and put into better condition for the assembly to consider.

a)    Must be seconded

b)    Debate can extend only to the desirability of referring the main question and to the appropriate details of the motion to refer and not to the merits of the main question.

c)    Is amendable as to the committee or composition of the committee to which it is being referred.

d)    Majority Vote required to pass

e)    Can be reconsidered.

14.      RECESS

A recess is a short intermission in the meeting which does not close the meeting, and after which business will immediately be resumed at exactly the point where it was interrupted.

a)    Must be seconded.

b)    Is not debatable.

c)    Is amendable as to the length of the recess; any such amendment is not debatable.

d)    Majority Vote required to pass.

e)    Cannot be reconsidered.

15.      RECONSIDER

This motion enables a majority in an assembly, within a limited time and without notice, to bring back for further consideration a motion which has already been voted on.  The purpose of reconsidering a vote is to permit correction of hasty, ill-advised, or erroneous action, or to take into account added information or a changed situation that has developed since the taking of the vote.

Can be made only by a member who voted with the prevailing side.

The making of this motion is subject to time limits.  The time limit shall be the duration of meeting in which the vote was taken or the following meeting in the case of a phone vote.

a)    Requires a 2nd by any member regardless of how they voted on the motion to be reconsidered.

b)    Is debatable in all cases in which the motion proposed to be reconsidered is debatable, and when debatable, opens to debate the merits of the question whose reconsideration is proposed.

c)    Is not amendable.

d)    Requires only a majority vote, regardless of the vote necessary to adopt the motion to be reconsidered.  The original motion still requires the appropriate number of votes.

e)    Cannot be reconsidered.

16.      RESCIND or AMEND something previously adopted

The motion to RESCIND, also known as Repeal or Annul is the motion by which a previous action or order can be canceled or countermanded.  The effect of rescind is to strike out an entire main motion, resolution, rule, bylaw, section, or paragraph that has been adopted at some previous time.

AMEND SOMETHING PREVIOUSLY ADOPTED is the motion that can be used if it is desired to change only a part of the text or to substitute a different version.

A motion to RESCIND or AMEND provisions of the bylaws is subject to the requirements for amendment as contained in the bylaws.

a)    Must be seconded.

b)    Is debatable.

c)    Is amendable.

d)    Requires the same voting conditions to Rescind or Amend as it took to pass the original motion.

e)    A negative vote on this motion can be reconsidered, but not an affirmative vote.

  


Figure 1:   Quick Reference Procedure Diagram

XIV.         Motions by Email

A.        Description:

1.         The purpose of this section of the Policies and Procedures is to provide procedural accommodation to the existing Rules of Order so that the Board of Directors may conduct business by way of E-mail.

2.         These procedures do not currently accommodate the situation of one or more board members being unable to participate due to not having email.

B.        Starting the process

1.         Unless otherwise noted within this section, the existing rules of order for the conducting of business shall be applied to the conducting of business by way of E-mail.

2.         Matters for the Board’s consideration may be brought to the attention of any Board member by any MCC member.  Any Board member receiving such a request for consideration shall communicate it to the President.

3.         The President, consulting with other Board members at his discretion, will determine the appropriateness of each matter for Board consideration.

4.         If the President determines that the Board should consider a matter, he or she will officially designate the matter as a Topic.

C.        The "Discussion" Phase

1.         The President will frame the wording of the Topic for consideration by the Board, and distribute it via e-mail to the Board members.  This constitutes notice of the topic and initiates the discussion period.

2.         Discussion will be open for a period not less than fourteen (14) days from the date of the notice, expiring at midnight of the fourteenth (14th) day.

3.         Board members shall acknowledge the motion as soon as possible after having received it.  Participating in the debate of the motion serves as acknowledgement.

4.         In the event the President has not received an acknowledgement of a Topic from a Board member within fourteen (14) days, he or she will make a reasonable effort to contact such Board member by means other than e-mail to determine whether the member received the e-mail notice.

5.         Discussion may include discussion of how a motion might be crafted; such discussion does not in itself constitute the making of a motion.

6.         Discussion may continue for more than fourteen days after notice of the Topic upon the carrying of a motion to continue the discussion.

7.         Discussion ends when the Board agrees that a motion may be entertained, but in the event an acknowledgement of the Topic has not been received by the President from one or more Board members, discussion shall not end sooner than fourteen (14) days after notice of the Topic.

D.        Motions and the Debate phase

1.         Motions by Board members shall be submitted to all Board members.

2.         In the event that multiple motions are made pertinent to a single Topic, the President will determine which motion merits being first to be put forward for a second.

3.         If the motion selected to be put forward is not seconded, the President will proceed with other motions, again deciding the merit of the order to seek seconds.

4.         If the motion selected to be put forward is seconded, all other motions pertinent to the Topic are dismissed as though never made.

5.         When a motion has been seconded, a notice of the motion shall be distributed to the members of the Board to begin debate of the motion.

6.         Board members will acknowledge the motion as soon as possible after having received it.  Participating in the debate of the motion serves as acknowledgement.

7.         In the event the President has not received an acknowledgement of the motion from a Board member within fourteen (14) days, he or she will make a reasonable effort to contact such Board member by means other than e-mail to determine whether the member received the motion.

8.         Debate ends when:
(a)  the Board generally agrees that debate has ended, or
(b)  the President determines that a vote would settle the debate, or
(c)  a motion to call the vote is made and carried.

9.         A vote on a motion may be entertained as soon as debate has ended.  In the event an acknowledgement of the motion has not been received by the President from one or more Board members, a vote shall not be taken sooner than fourteen (14) days after notice of the motion.

E.        The Voting Phase

1.         The voting phase will continue until a majority (or the appropriate number dictated by the bylaws or existing Policy and Procedures ) is achieved in favor or opposed, but in no event for more then fourteen (14) days (expiring at midnight on the fourteenth day).

2.         In the event a question has been called and the President has not received a vote from a Board member within fourteen (14) days, he or she will make a reasonable effort to contact each such Board member by means other than e-mail to determine each member’s vote.

3.         Failure of a member to advise the President of his or her vote within fourteen (14) days of the calling of the question will be deemed an abstention.

4.         A motion fails if the requisite number of votes required for the type of motion to pass is not achieved within the voting period.

5.         Members’ votes must be communicated to the President, but they need not be communicated via e-mail.

6.         Members’ votes are to be made available to all board members.

7.         New motions on the topic may be entertained after the vote on a motion on the floor has been concluded.

F.         Other Considerations

1.         Membership on the Board implies an expectation that members’ participation be active and timely.  A Board member should advise the Board of any extended absence (two weeks or longer) that would impair the member’s ability to respond to Board business in a timely fashion.

2.         The time periods stipulated above for discussion, debate and voting may be shortened for compelling reason if the Topic requires an earlier resolution.

3.         If a Topic requires a resolution so quickly that the business cannot reasonably be conducted through e-mail, the President will determine the appropriate action, which may be any of the following:
a.   Calling for a phone vote as set out in the Rules of Order,
b.   Calling a meeting


XV.           Election Templates

A.        Notification of Annual Elections

 

NOTICE OF MCC ANNUAL ELECTIONS

The MetroWest Chess Club (“the Club”) is conducting the election of its Board of Directors for the term January [xxxx]– January [xxxx]. This involves a two-step process: first, soliciting nominations to Board positions, and second, voting to elect the new Board; however, if no positions are contested, there will be no voting. The transition to the new Board will be effected during the Regular Annual Meeting of the general membership to be held on the third Tuesday in January [xxxx] prior to the start of the tournament round scheduled for that evening.

Eligibility to Participate in This Election

Only current Club members may nominate or vote for candidates for Board positions. Former members whose membership has expired may participate upon renewing their membership. Non-members may participate upon joining the Club.

Only current Club members may be candidates for Board positions. Additionally, candidates must be 18 years of age or older, and have routine access to email.

Nominations for Board of Directors

If you are currently a member of the Club, you may nominate candidates for as many positions as you like. Write the name(s) of your nominee(s) next to the Board position(s) on the other side of this notice. If you satisfy the requirements for candidacy indicated above and would like to run for the Board, please list yourself as a nominee for the office of your choice. Sign the nomination form and return it to any current Board member or tournament director, or mail it to: MetroWest Chess Club, PO Box 1182, Framingham, MA 01701. Nominations may also be submitted by email; see the instructions pertaining to email below.

Whether returned in person, by mail, or by email, nominations must be received no later than the first Tuesday in November. Nominations received after November [x], [xxxx] will be disregarded. The Club President will confirm that each person nominated satisfies the requirements for candidacy and that he or she is willing to serve on the Board if elected. If so, that person’s name will be included on the election ballot.

Submitting Nominations by Email

Nominations may be submitted by email to Info@MetroWestChess.org. A simple statement in the form “I nominate x for President, y for Program Director, z for Treasurer, a, b, c, and d for Members-at-Large” is all that is required. (It is not required, of course, that you nominate a candidate for every position.)

With respect to nominations submitted by email, the Board will assume definitively that if the nomination was sent from an email address that the Club’s records show as belonging to a Club member, then the nomination was submitted by that member. Nominations sent from an address not associated with a member in the Club’s records will be disregarded. Members considering using email to nominate (or vote) for candidates should confirm their email address with the Club. If two or more Club members share a single email address and want to make different nominations, then the email note must clearly indicate the nominations of each: “Member A nominates x …Member B nominates z ….”

Directors’ Responsibilities

The Directors are responsible for participating in discussions regarding the direction of the Club, issues of policies, and any other Club business that needs to be dealt with. They are expected to represent the interests of the general membership to the best of their abilities and to take more responsibility than the general membership for the health and maintenance of the Club. The Directors meet in person at least once during the year (and more often at their discretion), but as a matter of convenience, they conduct much Board business by email. As there are only seven positions on the Board, active participation by all Directors is essential. Bylaws, policies and procedures guide the Board’s deliberations. Directors must maintain their Club membership throughout their tenure.

Voting

Voting will be conducted only if at least one Board position is contested. If voting is necessary, ballots listing the full slate of candidates will be available to members by the second Tuesday in November. Complete instructions for voting will accompany the ballots.


B.        Election Nomination Form

 

 

 

MCC [xxxx] Election Nomination Form

For a Term in Office from January [xxxx] to January [xxxx]

 

MCC Board Position              Nominee

President                                _________________________________________

Program Director                   _________________________________________

Treasurer                                _________________________________________

Member at Large (1)              _________________________________________

Member at Large (2)              _________________________________________

Member at Large (3)              _________________________________________

Member at Large (4)              _________________________________________

 

 

Your name (please print):      _________________________________________

Your signature:                       _________________________________________

Remember: Only current members of the MetroWest Chess Club may nominate and vote for candidates for its Board of Directors. If your membership has expired, please renew it before submitting this nomination form. If you are not a Club member, we invite you to join and participate in this election.

 


C.        Voting Instructions

 

MetroWest Chess Club

ANNUAL ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
For the Term January [xxxx]–January [xxxx]

OFFICIAL VOTING INSTRUCTIONS

Voting by Paper Ballot Form

The Board positions to be elected and the candidates for each are listed on the other side of this notice. Please complete and return your ballot in accordance with the following instructions.

1.       You need not identify yourself on the ballot itself. The enclosed return envelope identifies you and lets us know that you have voted.

2.       Vote for a candidate by clearly marking the box next to his or her name in accordance with the instructions indicated for each office. Blank lines are provided to accommodate write-in votes.

3.       Fold the ballot, insert it into the return envelope provided, and seal the envelope.

4.       Return the sealed envelope in person to any current Board member or tournament director, or mail it to MetroWest Chess Club, PO Box 1182, Framingham, MA 01701.

Voting by Email

Votes may be submitted by email to Info@MetroWestChess.org. A simple statement in the form “I vote for x for President, y for Program Director, z for Treasurer, a, b, c, and d for Members-at-Large” is all that is required.

With respect to votes submitted by email, the Board will assume definitively that if the vote was sent from an email address that the Club’s records show as belonging to a Club member, then the vote was submitted by that member. Votes sent from an address not associated with a member in the Club’s records will be disregarded. Members considering using email to vote for candidates should confirm their email address with the Club. If two or more Club members share a single email address and want to vote by email, then the email note must clearly indicate the votes of each: “Member A votes for x …Member B votes for z ….”

Please be aware that votes cast by email will not be anonymous. If you want your vote to be anonymous, please vote by means of the paper ballot form according to the instructions above.

Deadline for Voting

Whether returned in person, by mail, or by email, votes must be received by a designated Club recipient no later than the first Tuesday in December prior to the beginning of the tournament round scheduled for that evening. The round begins when the Tournament Director announces that the players may start their clocks, whether or not all entered players are in attendance at that time.

Criteria for Invalidating Ballots

A ballot will be excluded from the vote tally if any of the following is true:

(a)  It is not returned in the return envelope provided.

(b)  It is returned in an envelope that is not sealed or has apparently been tampered with.

(c)  It was sent from an email address not associated with a member in the Club’s records.

(d)  It was received from someone who is not a member or whose membership in the Club has lapsed (i.e., has expired and has not yet been renewed) when the ballot was received.

(e)  It is received after the beginning of the round on the first Tuesday in December [xxxx].

(f)   Another valid ballot or email vote was previously received from the same member.

 

 


D.        Official Ballot

 

OFFICIAL BALLOT

MCC Board of Directors

For the Term January [xxxx]–January [xxxx]

President (Vote for no more than 1)

         Candidate 1                                          Write-in vote: __________________________

         Candidate 2

Program Director (Vote for no more than 1)

         Candidate 1                                          Write-in vote: __________________________

         Candidate 2

Treasurer (Vote for no more than 1)

         Candidate 1                                          Write-in vote: __________________________

         Candidate 2

Member at Large (Vote for no more than 4)

         Candidate 1                                          Write-in vote: __________________________

         Candidate 2                                          Write-in vote: __________________________

         Candidate 3                                          Write-in vote: __________________________

         Candidate 4                                          Write-in vote: __________________________

         Candidate 5

         Candidate 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Board use only below this line.                                   Ballot opened by ____           Ballot validated by ____

                                                            Ballot counted: first time by ____             second time by ____

XVI.         Revision History

A.        03-12-00

Defacto Policies and Procedures adopted 02-13-00 used as start of this document

Email Voting Policies and Procedures adopted 02-13-00 appended into this document.

Web Policies and Procedures adopted 01-19-99 appended into this document

Rules of Order adopted April of 1995 appended into this document.

B.        01-14-01

Various revisions from the Board Meeting of 01-14-2001

C.        05-04-01

1.         Incorporate board email votes that concluded on 05-04-01 that created a policy regarding refunds for being paired out.