Purpose: This document is a Standing Rule of the 21st LD Dems, covering electronic meetings. 

Zoom is the tool used by 21st LD Dems Org to run electronic meetings, as of March 2019, until further notice. The 21st LD is using the ‘Full-Featured Internet Meeting Services’, as described in the Robert’s Rules of Order (RRONR).  

1. The host of the meeting is 21 LD Chair. 
2. The Co-Hosts of the meeting are first and second vice chairs. Please contact the Vice Chairs for Zoom assistance during the meeting.
3. Attendees can join the meeting simply by clicking the link provided in the meeting call or other communication from the chair.
4. Everyone’s microphone will start off on UNMUTE. Attendees are asked to stay muted unless you have been recognized to speak by the chair, or have an urgent need that has not been quickly remedied by a direct chat to the Host or Co-Host, and you must interrupt the meeting verbally by unmuting yourself 
5. Everyone’s video will start ON, but you can turn it off to be off camera;
   Note – ‘video on’ is preferred, to enhance identification of who is speaking.
6. The Host and all participants can see the names of all Participants that are attending.
7. Attendees will display their FULL NAME and membership ROLE or officer title (examples – ‘PCO Jane Doe, ‘Member Joe Smith’, ‘Chair, Guest, etc.). The membership committee will assist members to ‘Rename’ & admit to meeting.
8. Attendees can raise their Virtual ‘HAND’ to request to speak (located in the PARTICIPANT window).
9. The Host can UNMUTE an Attendee so that they can speak, and members can also unmute themselves, too.
10. The Host may MUTE ALL in order to bring order during disruption (similar to gaveling to bring meeting to order)
11. Members of the meeting are encouraged to open the Zoom application on Phone or PC, in order to use the helpful meeting tools such as the Chat and Participant windows. Using only the phone audio is possible, but not recommended, since the tools are visual.
12. Everyone can Chat one on one, to type questions and topic relevant comments to hosts or secretary at any time during the presentation, as long as the text / information is pertinent to the meeting business at hand (not personal interests which distract from the meeting). The Secretary will post the motions on the floor for visibility, and anything relevant received from a private chat.  Only the Host, Co-hosts, and Secretary will have access to the post to the Group Chat for Everyone to see.

13. The Host will answer non-urgent chat questions as time allows, or at end.
14. Voting methods may include one or more of the following, depending on the situation:
    1. Yes & No voting buttons (located in PARTICIPANT window)
    2. Type Yes or No in the Chat response window (privately to the Host).
    3. Roll Call – verbal – Each Name called, and audio response.
    4. Respond to a POLL; the Chair may send a Poll to the attendees during the meeting, in which case a pop up window may become visible, which asks a question(s) to which the attendee may answer by clicking response buttons.
    5. To allow for voting by Host and Co-hosts, additional Zoom user accounts may be utilized in the following way – Host and Co-Hosts login to administer the meeting using their main device (usually a PC), and in addition, using their mobile device, they login to the meeting again, as regular members of the meeting, to cast their votes as members of the organization. (Zoom does not allow voting by Host or Co-Hosts, so this is one way to more formally capture their vote in the tally)
15. All meeting participants, including guests, must REGISTER in the Zoom application in order to be admitted to the meeting.  This is a security measure, to avoid being ‘hacked’ by unwanted guests. 
16. Attendees that are attempting to join the meeting are first placed in a waiting room, as a security measure, and are admitted by the Host or Co-Host only after being successfully authenticated as members or welcome guests.  Meetings of the21st LD Dems are considered ‘Public’ meetings.
17. Attendees without voting rights may be temporarily removed from the meeting and placed in a waiting room until the vote is completed.  Afterwards, they will be invited to rejoin the main meeting.
18. At the discretion of the chair, disruptive members may be called out of order, and may also be removed from the meeting, depending on the severity of the disruption.
19. URGENT Interruptions (such as to OBJECT TO A MOTION, or POINT OF ORDER, etc.) that have not otherwise been immediately managed by raising your hand and being recognized by the chair may be accomplished in the following way – private message to the designated Meeting Hosts and Co-Hosts.
20. Any special accommodations requests, such as Closed Captioning must be communicated to the Chair 24 hours prior to the meeting.