Depending on the type of business, company bylaws may allow the board of directors to vote via email, but that does not mean it is a good idea. Email security features do not protect you in any way from account hacking, wiretapping, or data leakage. Voting by mail is also not the most convenient, and there are risks of misunderstood answers and decisions. In this article, we’ll look at why voting by email board of directors open meeting is dangerous.
Advantages and disadvantages of voting by email
Some modern or advanced organizations and boards of directors prefer to use technology solutions for voting, especially if they meet frequently. In doing so, they use telecommunications, videoconferencing, or e-mail. This way, the company saves not only time but also money. Also, in this format, meeting attendance will be much higher, and quorum norms are more likely to be met successfully since no one needs to especially gather and travel across the country to a meeting. Remote voting by email is good in that the board can decide urgent matters immediately. Many people find email to be a convenient and quick way to exchange messages for any purpose, even voting.
However, email is not a place where you would want to share personal and confidential information. It may be a platform suitable for correspondence with friends and family, but in no way for corporate business decisions. A board of directors can face big security threats. And while this type of voting is not allowed in many states right now, it is likely that it will soon be allowed in most cases. Also, a big question is whether electronic voting is an official document. The threat to email privacy is that hackers can easily pretend to be one of the board members, and trick you into getting the information you need, which could even lead to lawsuits. The best tools for board voting are board portals. All information is highly secure and the voting process is simplified to the touch of a button.
How does voting work at a board meeting
Voting at regular, physical board meetings occurs as follows. Participants follow the discussion of each agenda item in an order. For each item, one (or more) of the participants may put forward a proposal for a solution to the problem, and then a vote takes place to decide the pros and cons of that idea. The person who puts forward the proposal must succinctly formulate it so that the directors do not question the ambiguity of what you have said. If another proposal has been made to this question, they are all negotiable. During the discussion process, the original proposal may change to a clearer formulation. The member who presented his or her motion does not have to vote for it.
If a member of the board puts forward a proposal and a second member supports it, the other members may ask questions or express their opinions, after having requested permission to speak from the chairman of the board. In turn, the chairman must make sure that the speaker does not take up too much time and allow the other participants to express their views. The chairman ensures fairness and a fair turn during the speeches.
When the discussion has come to an end, it is time to vote again. There can be a variety of reasons for voting, and participants have several ways to express their vote that follow Robert’s Rules of Order.