General Consent or Unanimous Vote. By general, or unanimous, or silent, consent the assembly can do business with little regard for the rules of procedure, as they are made for the protection of the minority, and when there is no minority to protect, there is little use for the restraint of the rules, except such as protect the rights of absent members, or the right to a secret vote. In the former case the consent of the absentees cannot be given, and in the latter case the consent cannot be withheld by the minority without exposing their votes, which they cannot be compelled to do. When the election is not by ballot and there are several candidates one of whom receives a majority vote, sometimes a motion is made to make the vote unanimous. It should never be made except by the candidate with the largest number of votes after the successful one, or his representative, and even then its propriety is doubtful. One negative vote defeats a motion to make a vote unanimous, as a single objection defeats a request for general consent.
By the legitimate use of the principle that the rules are designed for the protection of the minority, and generally need not be strictly enforced when there is no minority to protect, business may be greatly expedited. When there is evidently no opposition, the formality of voting can be avoided by the chair's asking if there is any objection to the proposed action, and if there is none, announcing the result. The action thus taken is said to be done by general consent, or unanimous or silent consent. Thus, after an order has been adopted limiting the speeches to two minutes each, if a speaker is so interesting that when his time has expired there is a general demand for him to go on, the chair, instead of waiting for a motion and taking a vote, could accept it as the will of the assembly that the speaker's time be extended, and would direct him to proceed. Or, he might say that if there is no objection the member's time will be extended two minutes, or some other time. [See also 46:16]
Two-thirds Vote. A two-thirds vote means two-thirds of the votes cast, ignoring blanks which should never be counted. This must not be confused with a vote of two-thirds of the members present, or two-thirds of the members, terms sometimes used in by-laws. To illustrate the difference:
| Motion | § |
|---|---|
| Amend (Annul, Repeal, or Rescind) any part of the Constitution, By-laws, or Rules of Order, previously adopted; it also requires previous notice | 68 |
| Amend or Rescind a Standing Rule, a Program or Order of Business, or a Resolution, previously adopted, without notice being given at a previous meeting or in the call for the meeting | 37 |
| Take up a Question out of its Proper Order | 22 |
| Suspend the Rules | 22 |
| Make a Special Order | 20 |
| Discharge an Order of the Day before it is pending | 20 |
| Refuse to Proceed to the Orders of the Day | 20 |
| Sustain an Objection to the Consideration of a Question | 23 |
| Previous Question | 29 |
| Limit, or Extend the Limits, of Debate | 30 |
| Extend the Time Appointed for Adjournment or for Taking a Recess | 20 |
| Close Nominations [26] or the Polls | 25 |
| Limit the Names to be Voted for | |
| Expel from Membership: it also requires previous notice and trial | 75 |
| Depose from Office: it also requires previous notice | |
| Discharge a Committee when previous notice has not been given | 32 |
| Reconsider in Committee when a member of the majority is absent and has not been notified of the proposed reconsideration | 36 |
