Doubting or Disputing the Vote
The chair announces the vote, and if no one doubts or disputes the result, then the vote stands, and it is recorded in the minutes. If, however, a member has a doubt about the accuracy of the results, that's a different matter. In this case, the member should say, “Division” or “I doubt the result of the vote.” Division, an incidental motion, is a procedural question that relates to a pending motion or business, in this case, the vote. It doesn't need a second and it can't be debated.
You've Got the Power
Any member can request that the vote be retaken, and it must be done in a different way. For example, if the vote was taken by voice, it should now be taken by members rising or by a raising of hands or a roll call vote. The chair then announces the vote.
ESSENTIAL
Requesting a recount is a serious matter. The request should never be made as a spoilsport tactic or to delay proceedings. Unless something really looks wrong, accept the outcome of the vote and move on.
Hopefully this ends it, but if there is continued doubt, a member should ask for a counted vote. This requires a second, is not debatable, and must have a majority vote. To take a counting vote, each member in favor stands and counts off; then each member opposed stands and counts off. Each sits down after he or she counts off. The final vote is then recorded in the minutes.
Doubting the Ballots or Roll Calls
The 2000 presidential election was controversial because of a problem in reading ballots in Florida. In your group or organization, a similar problem could occur with elections for the following reasons: the ballots are unreadable, a candidate didn't meet eligibility requirements, two written ballots were found folded together, or a member voted for two candidates for the same office.
An illegal vote might also have been cast by a noneligible member. And in every group or organization, there always seems to be some jokester who votes for a nonmember. If a member doubts votes by ballot or roll call, he must make a motion to have the tellers' committee recount the vote. The motion must have a majority vote for a recount. The recount stands and the result is recorded in the minutes.
FACT
An illegal ballot vote doesn't get counted as for or against a candidate. Instead, it's factored into the number that makes up the majority and listed on the teller's report as an illegal ballot. So it's possible that, given unreadable votes and votes for a nonmember, there might not be a candidate who receives a majority vote.
Nothing is more important than voting in furthering the goals of your group or organization. Knowing the rules for voting and keeping elections fair and impartial will help protect the rights of your members. Integrity in all voting matters helps your group maintain its standing and makes you proud to be a member. Under the leadership of Robert's Rules, groups can be minimodels of American democracy.
