About Magic Gavel® Meeting Tools
With Magic Gavel® Meeting Tools you can quickly tell if a motion passed or failed – whether the vote required was a majority, two-thirds, or a percentage. Know if you have a quorum present. Find the latest date to send a meeting notice that complies with your bylaws. Manage debate times, with an audible signal when time expires.
Vote Calculator:
Calculating whether a motion has passed or failed is now an easy task with the Magic Gavel® Vote Calculator.
All votes consist of two parts: the number or proportion that must be achieved and the base to which that number or proportion applies. For example, a majority is “more than half,” but half of what? If you need more than half of the votes cast, just select the “votes cast” button and the Magic Gavel® Vote Calculator will do the rest, because the default basis is the number of votes cast. If your governing documents require a percentage or a fraction, enter those numbers.
As for the base, suppose your bylaws require a majority of directors present (which many states do). You’ll need to select “other” and enter the number of directors in the room at the time the vote is taken. Or, it could be a percentage of delegates registered. Enter the number of delegates registered and the correct percentage.
Enter the number of votes cast for and against, and press “calculate.”
You will receive immediate results, including the minimum number of affirmative votes necessary to adopt and an icon that signals whether the motion has been adopted or not for a majority vote, a two-thirds vote, or the entered percentage or fraction.
Notice Calculator:
The Magic Gavel® Notice Calculator will tell the last day on which you can send notice in accordance with your governance documents. If notice is not sent when required, actions taken may be null and void.
Enter the date of the meeting, then enter the number of days notice required. Touch “calculate” and it will display the last date on which the notice may be sent.
To reset the values on the Magic Gavel® Notice Calculator, press the “clear” button.
Quorum Calculator:
The quorum is usually defined in the organization’s bylaws; otherwise it is a majority of all of the members. There are two components: the number or percentage required, and the number to which it applies. For example, the quorum might be a majority of delegates registered for the meeting. To calculate:
1. Select the button that describes the number required: a majority, percentage, or fraction.
2. Enter the number on which the quorum is based.
3. Press “calculate.” The required number will be displayed.
4. To reset, press “clear.”
Speaker Timer:
Many organizations have rules establishing time limits for speakers or for the time to debate a motion. The Magic Gavel® Speaker Timer can be used to monitor the speaking time and to sound an alert for the speaker and the audience to hear.
Select a time limit as short as 30 seconds or as long as five minutes from ten preset time buttons. The time selection can be changed until the start button is pressed.
To set an audible alarm, set the switch to the “on” position. To keep the timer silent, set the switch to the “off” position.
To test the audible alarm, for demonstration purposes or for a microphone sound check, press and hold the Test button. Upon releasing the button, the audible alarm will quit sounding. Volume is controlled by the mobile device you are using.
Begin the countdown by choosing the time and pressing the start button. Once pressed, the start button turns into a pause button, allowing you to suspend timing. Press the start button again to resume timing.
Reset by pressing the reset button.