What term refers to the number of memberships established in the bylaws and used to determine majorities when vacancies exist?

• A. Fixed Membership
• B. Quorum
• C. Voting Membership
• D. Total Membership

Answer: (A)

In Roberts Rules, fixed membership is the number of members established by the bylaws as the body’s size and the standard used to determine majorities when vacancies exist. This keeps the decision threshold stable, so votes must still meet a majority of that fixed number even if some seats are empty or unfilled. For example, if the fixed membership is 50, a majority is more than half of 50, so 26 votes are required, regardless of how many members are actually present. Quorum, on the other hand, is simply the minimum number of members who must be present to conduct business and is about whether the meeting can proceed, not about what constitutes a majority. Other terms like total membership or voting membership refer to related ideas but do not describe the specific, stable majority threshold used when vacancies exist.