Civic · 6 pages · 12 min

Why a public comment period is not a vote

Public comment lets people speak into the record, while only the members who hold seats cast the deciding votes.

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From the opening

A public comment period is a portion of a meeting or hearing in which people who are not members of the body are allowed to speak. It is not a vote, because the decision is made by the members who hold the legal authority to move and to decide, under the quorum and majority rules that apply to them. The opening covers speakers do not cast the vote, the member roll call decides, and a required hearing still is not a ballot.

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Inside

Speakers do not cast the vote
The member roll call decides
A required hearing still is not a ballot
Initiatives use a different instrument
Where the idea stops applying
A distinction worth keeping

Sources

Public comment in open meetings
Legislative vote of a public body

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Why a public comment period is not a vote

From the opening

Inside

Sources

Also on the desk