You are here

Does dual officer get two votes?

Your Legal Questions Answered

Does dual officer get two votes?

According to our bylaws, the Executive Committee shall consist of "a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer". Grammatically, isn't that four people? Can one person have more than one job? We have no VP, so when the present people meet for an Executive meeting, there will be 2 people there. Does the person with two positions get to vote twice?

Unless otherwise prohibited by the bylaws, a person can usually hold more than one office in a nonprofit organization.  It is not unusual in a small organization for the same person to serve as both secretary and treasurer, for example.  It is also not unusual to have vacancies in officers, particularly for a vice president who does not have much to do.  I have never heard of a dual officer asserting a right to two votes because of the dual office.  Unless the bylaws clearly state that each officer will have one vote on the Executive Committee, I would rely on the more general principle that each person has one vote (without regard to the number of positions such person holds).  If it becomes contentious, it may be appropriate to spell out clearly in the bylaws what you intend.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Add new comment

Sign-up for our weekly Q&A; get a free report on electioneering