The topic of obtaining a quorum at meetings to be able to vote on club business has recently arisen since our attendance during the pandemic has been erratic.

Rather than lowering the number of attending members to achieve a quorum, the consensus at our most recent in-person meeting was to remind members of an alternative way to participate.

Our Bylaws (Article 5: Section 3) specify: “Twelve (12) members constitute a quorum at the regular evening meetings of this club. Written proxy votes submitted to the president in advance of a meeting may be counted toward achieving a quorum.”

So, if you are unable to attend either our in-person or virtual club meetings — we currently are alternating them — you still can be counted toward a quorum and have your vote counted by following that simple procedure. Just email President Debbie Rodriguez at debannrod@yahoo.com in advance of the meeting date and give her permission to use your proxy. If you wish to have her cast your “yea” or “nay” on a particular vote, please be sure to specify; otherwise, she may cast your vote as she sees fit.

Using this procedure should alleviate our quorum problem without tinkering with the Bylaws or lowering standards. Considering that we currently stand at 33 paid members, a 36% attendance (12 members) — in person and/or by proxy — was deemed reasonable by the members at this week’s meeting.