Declare the chair vacant

The motion to declare the chair vacant is a disciplinary procedure used as a remedy to misconduct or dereliction of duty by the chair of a deliberative assembly, when the rules allow it. It is usually combined with a motion to elect a new chair.

Explanation and Use

Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised allows this motion to be used if the offending occupant of the chair is not the regular presiding officer of a society, in which case it is a question of privilege affecting the assembly. Otherwise, the proper action is to rescind the election of the officer.^[1] Demeter's Manual states that the procedure is to either bring charges against him for neglect of duty as presiding officer or abolish his term of office by amending the bylaws with due notice to all members; either of these methods requires a two-thirds vote.^[2] Mason's Manual provides, "A presiding officer who has been elected by the house may be removed by the house upon a majority vote of all the members elected, and a new presiding officer pro tempore elected and qualified. When there is no fixed term of office, an officer holds office at the pleasure of the body, or until a successor is elected and qualified."^[3]

Examples

An attempt was made to depose Joseph Gurney Cannon as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1910 using this motion.^[4] A similar motion was introduced in the Texas legislature to remove Tom Craddick.^[5]^[6]

References

^ Robert, Henry M. (2000). Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 10th ed., p. 642
^ Demeter, George (1969). Demeter's Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure, Blue Book, p. 264
^ National Conference of State Legislatures (2000). Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure, 2000 ed., p. 423
^
^ Power Derived, Power Assumed | The Texas Blue
^ Ken Zornes: They Forgot the Alamo! | Texas Weekly

Parliamentary procedure

Major concepts	Deliberative assembly Motions Main motion Quorum Session Chair Committee Committee of the whole Dilatory motions and tactics Minutes Second History of parliamentary procedure Principles of parliamentary procedure Voting methods in deliberative assemblies Floor

Subsidiary motions	Postpone indefinitely Amend Commit Postpone to a certain time Limit or extend limits of debate Previous question Cloture Lay upon the table Place upon the table

Privileged motions	Call for the orders of the day Raise a question of privilege Recess Adjourn Fix the time to which to adjourn

Incidental motions	Point of order Appeal Suspend the rules Objection to the consideration of a question Division of a question Consideration by paragraph or seriatim Division of the assembly Motions relating to methods of voting and the polls Motions relating to nominations

Incidental motions (Requests and inquiries)	Parliamentary inquiry Request for information Request for permission to withdraw or modify a motion Request to read papers Request to be excused from a duty Request for any other privilege

Motions that bring a question again before the assembly	Take from the table Rescind, repeal, annul or amend something previously adopted Discharge a committee Reconsider

Legislative procedure	Call of the house Hoist Motion to pass on

Disciplinary procedures	Censure Declare the chair vacant Impeach Naming

Parliamentary authorities	Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR) The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (TSC or Sturgis) Demeter's Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure Riddick's Rules of Procedure Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice Bourinot's Rules of Order Beauchesne's Parliamentary Rules and Forms Morin code

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Declare the chair vacant