During the special order of business at the 135th Continental Congress, members were told by the presiding officer that leaving the hall would be a forfeiture of their right to vote. Yes, they were free to leave, but could not return during debate. If a member needed to leave to use the restroom, well, she had a decision to make. It is unclear if this was part of the Standing Rules which said: “Doors shall be opened as indicated in the Program or by direction of the Presiding Officer.” Since the 135th Continental Congress, dozens of testimonials have been given by members who experienced having to make this difficult decision. We will link to some of their stories presented in the media below (see link to the blog post). To gain clarity on this question, we consulted with Tim Wynn, PRP of Perfect Rules, Inc. asking: “Are Members Free to Come & Go During a Business Session?” Mr. Wynn weighs in: Members of an assembly are free to enter and exit as they please, though there is one notable exception that is based completely in practicality and accuracy (which will be addressed five paragraphs below). “It is a fundamental principle of parliamentary law that the right to vote is limited to the members of an organization who are actually present at the time the vote is taken in a regular or properly called meeting, although it should be noted that a member need not be present when the question is put. Exceptions to this rule must be expressly stated in the bylaws.” – RONR (12th ed.) 45:56 This rule is essentially saying that when the vote is taken—that is, in the case of a ballot vote, when the ballots are collected—any member present can vote, whether or not that member was present earlier. However, there is no requirement that the member be present when the motion is actually put by the chair—that is, when the chair officially announces the exact question that is to be voted upon and instructs the assembly regarding the vote. In a ballot vote, the vote itself can take considerable time after the chair puts the question. The rule clearly prescribes that one need not be present for the putting of the question, but may enter (or re-enter) afterward and still vote on the question. “… the motion to close the polls requires a two-thirds vote. “If members enter afterward and it is desired to reopen the polls, this can be done by a majority vote.” – RONR (12th ed.) 30:9-10 The provisions immediately above speak to a case where the polls have officially been closed. In such a case, the polls can be reopened to accommodate a member who enters after the polls have been closed. If the member enters while the polls are still open, there is no impediment to his casting a vote. For comparison, there is a rule regarding the taking of a Counted Rising Vote, which, of course, does not apply to the taking of a vote by ballot. See the following: “In all but small assemblies, the doors should be closed and no one should enter or leave the hall while a count is being taken.” – RONR (12th ed.) 45:15 This applies only to the taking of a counted rising vote. When a counted rising vote is taken, the chair instructs those in favor of the motion to rise, then the chair (or tellers) count those who are standing for the affirmative vote. This process is then repeated for the negative vote. So, standing is the method each member uses to indicate his vote. Normally, one enters and exits a room also by standing. So, allowing entry and exit provides confusion, especially in larger assemblies, during the counting process, since anyone standing should be counted as casting a vote. This rule does NOT apply to voting by ballot, where standing does not equate to casting a vote. The inclusion of this rule here—for a specific practical purpose—and its omission elsewhere, supports the conclusion that this very specific rule does not apply to the taking of a ballot vote. Also, it should be understood that the assembly cannot create a rule that would prevent voting delegates from attending the meeting, even by a unanimous vote. Delegates have a right to attend and to vote. “Rules protecting a basic right of the individual member cannot be suspended. Thus, while generally applicable limits on debate and the making of motions may be imposed by motions such as the Previous Question, the rules may not be suspended so as to deny any particular member the right to attend meetings, make motions or nominations, speak in debate, give previous notice, or vote. These basic rights may be curtailed only through disciplinary proceedings.” – RONR (12th ed.) 25:11 daughtersadvocatingrestorati… *Images are AI generated. All text is original to Tim Wynn, PRP or me. daughtersadvocatingrestorati…

Yesterday the Executive Committee sent an email to members with a statement concerning chapter identity and members acting in multiple capacities. This statement represents a monumental shift in tone from the national officers. The statement makes it clear and affirms what daughters advocating for restoration have been saying for years – that members are within their rights to advocate for change. We will not publish the statement here. If you are a member, you can access the statement by logging in to the members website. In 2023, members learned that the DAR recognizes men with amended birth certificates to be eligible for membership in the DAR. For years, members have been told that communicating with each other, using their member directories, making motions or even discussing this issue would be a violation of the Circularization Policy (updated to the Circularization and Communication Policy in July 2025) and a violation of their oath taken as members and/or officers. But today, and we believe because of members’ relentless pursuit of truth, the Executive Committee sent a notification to members. In essence, the statement affirms that members are indeed free to disagree with national policies, organize with each other, participate in advocacy groups and communicate with each other, exercise their rights as members and that chapters are free and able to work through the DAR governance processes. The statement goes on to say that members are not allowed to use DAR directories and resources for the use of an outside organization. Members who are part of the Restoration Coalition can rest easy knowing that every contact made and/or shared with another regarding advocacy for Restoration is a contact that has been made organically. Member directories have not and will not be used for this. The statement also says that chapters are not allowed to officially represent themselves as part of an outside organization. We can infer that this is referring to the term “Resolute Chapter.” As indicated in previous posts, the term “Resolute Chapter” is not an official DAR title. The term is not recognized by the DAR. It is a term that came about organically. With the increasing number of chapters duly adopting a resolution requesting the President General call as special meeting pursuant to Article VIII, Section 7 of the National Bylaws, the term “Resolute Chapter” was coined. The term also has meaning in that chapters are “resolute” in their desire to see the DAR restored to founding principles as a women's only organization. While the DAR does not officially recognize the term or title of “Resolute Chapter,” the National Board of Management certainly does, and must, recognize these duly adopted resolutions. In summary, members can now rely on this official statement from the Executive Committee to move forward to act within our National Bylaws and Robert’s Rules of Order. Our sincere hope is that state officers and chapter regents who have participated in and continue to participate in silencing members will read this official statement from the Executive Committee and that this kind of behavior will stop.

📣📣📣 DAUGHTERS!! The October date does *NOT* invalidate the Resolution or erase a chapter’s request for a Special Meeting! The obligation cannot simply be made to disappear by refusing to honor it until the requested date passes. The Parliamentarian has been clear: chapters should continue adopting the Resolution as written and should not voluntarily forgo their right to request a Special Meeting. The date may pass - the unresolved requirement does not.

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 129TH RESOLUTE CHAPTER!! DESPITE THE PRESIDENT GENERAL'S ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THERE WILL BE NO SPECIAL MEETING, CHAPTERS ARE STILL MEETING TO EXERCISE THE AUTHORITY GRANTED TO THEM UNDER THE NSDAR NATIONAL BYLAWS TO REQUEST A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY. A NEW CHAPTER from the state of TENNESSEE- voted to adopt the resolution requesting the President General call a Special Meeting to be held on October 11, 2026 for the sole purpose of discussing and voting on the issue of allowing men with amended birth certificates into the DAR. 34 CHAPTERS IN 14 STATES HAVE ADOPTED A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY TO BE HELD ON OCTOBER 11, 2026 - POST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS. THIS BRINGS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CHAPTERS REQUESTING A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY TO 129 IN 35 STATES! WE DO NOT AND HAVE NEVER CONCEDED THAT THE SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS HELD AT THE 135TH CONTINENTAL CONGRESS SATISFIED THE NSDAR BYLAWS, ARTICLE VIII, SECTION 7 WHICH SAYS: “A special meeting also shall be called by the President General upon the written request of thirty or more chapters in at least ten states. Not less than thirty days’ notice of a special meeting shall be given and only that business specified in the call may be transacted.” Robert’s Rules of Order 9:13 specifically states that “A special meeting (or a called meeting) is a separate session of a society held at a time different from that of any regular meeting, and convened only to consider one or more items of business specified in the call of the meeting. Notice of the time, place, and purpose of the meeting, clearly and specifically describing the subject matter of the motions or items of business to be brought up, must be sent to all members a reasonable number of days in advance.” WE HAVE EXCEEDED THE BYLAW REQUIREMENT that states, “A special meeting also shall be called by the President General upon the written request of thirty or more chapters in at least ten states. Not less than thirty days’ notice of a special meeting shall be given and only that business specified in the call may be transacted.” Article VIII, Section 7. TO DATE 129 CHAPTERS IN 35 DIFFERENT STATES HAVE ADOPTED THE RESOLUTION TO CALL FOR A SPECIAL MEETING! THIS BRINGS THE TOTAL CHAPTERS (OPENLY) SUPPORTING RESTORATION TO 160 IN 37 STATES! Please take a minute to thank God for answered prayers and to ask Him for His continued blessing and provision as we seek to RESTORE THE DAR to being a women’s only organization, as founded. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 #darspecialmeeting @everyone daughtersadvocatingrestorati… daughtersadvocatingrestorati…

What is a Resolute Chapter?