I have done a little work on formalizing a friendly amendment process similar to what TalkBoard has done informally a few times to correct minor flaws discovered during the voting process. I am posting the draft here in case one of you readers discovers a flaw in the proposal to handle flaws. If you don't give a rip, I very much understand!


Summary: If the originator, the seconder and all Yes voters agree to a minor revision of any proposal, the TB President shall revise the proposal before or during the vote. The TB President shall then allow any No or Abstain voters to manually change their vote(s) if they wish to.

Rationale: Allowing No voters to object to the amendment would allow them to block improved wording in order to defeat an otherwise popular proposal, forcing a second vote.


The TalkBoard Guidelines shall be revised as follows:

Add item 4.B.v. Any member may propose a minor friendly amendment to a motion before or during voting. If the originator of a motion, the seconder, and all Yes voters as of the time the friendly amendment was proposed agree, the TalkBoard President shall revise the motion and ensure that public notices of the motion are also updated. The TalkBoard President shall decide whether a proposed amendment is sufficiently minor to be eligible for this treatment.

Modify item 4.C.v.
v. Once a TalkBoard member registers a selection that selection is final, except that a member voting No or Abstain may change that vote within 48 hours after a motion has been modified by friendly amendment. The TalkBoard President shall manually adjust the original vote count as necessary. If the possibility of changed votes exists due to a proposed friendly amendment, the TalkBoard President shall decide whether to defer public announcement of a "shall not pass" outcome until the end of the 48-hour period after the motion is modified.