By / Jessica Kirby
TIAC members attending the annual general meeting at the 64th annual conference in Quebec City will be the first to experience a new voting procedure the governance committee has put into place. One important factor of the change is, rather than a show of hands, voters will use paddles to indicate their votes.
Voting procedure
“The voting procedure is being simplified,” says Cassandra Mastromatteo, chairperson of the governance committee. “Before, it was just a show of hands, and having the voting paddles will make it easier to record the votes accurately.”
To conduct official business at the AGM, TIAC must meet quorum as required by the bylaws, which state that quorum must be met by member companies that do not have a board member.
“Your presence and participation ensure that the association can approve minutes, elect officers, and pass motions efficiently,” says a fact sheet distributed by the governance committee.
Understanding quorum
“At the last conference, there was some confusion about quorum and who could vote as a company representative, especially if they had a board member,” Mastromatteo says. “For the upcoming conference, members can expect the AGM to be more organized and the process much clearer.”
Essentially, voting and quorum comes down to one simple principle: one company = one vote.
Voting must be done by one designated representative of each member company, and if more than one representative from a company is present, one person should be chosen internally to cast the company’s vote.
“Only the designated representative may hold the voting paddle and cast votes on the floor,” says the fact sheet. “If you need to switch your designated representative during the meeting, please see the AGM Registration Desk first so TIAC’s records and paddle assignment remain accurate.”
Receiving a voting paddle
Once companies have chosen a designated voting representative, that person should visit the AGM Registration Desk to pick up the voting paddle. The designated representative should be prepared to confirm its company name and membership status. A conference badge may be requested for verification.
Voting members should keep the paddle visible during votes and return it at the end of the AGM.
Paddles can be picked up at the AGM registration desk (near the meeting room entrance) before the meeting begins and during the first 10 minutes of the AGM. ▪
