Can the reading of the minutes be dispensed with by a majority vote?

The ability to dispense with the reading of the minutes by a majority vote is a practice that can be observed in some parliamentary procedures, such as Robert’s Rules of Order. Dispensing with the reading means that members agree not to go through the minutes of the last meeting in detail. However, this does require that the previous minutes were distributed to the members in advance or that members had the opportunity to review them.

If the majority of members present vote to dispense with the reading of the minutes, that action is valid, but it is customary to ensure that the approval or acceptance of the minutes is still recorded later in the agenda. This ensures that there is an official acknowledgment of the previous meeting's events without halting the current meeting’s flow. Hence, the reading can be dispensed with, but the minutes must still be formally approved by the members afterward. This helps maintain transparency and accountability within the organization.

In this context, it is clear why this option properly reflects the rules governing the reading of minutes; it balances efficiency in meetings with the necessary procedural safeguard of ensuring that minutes are reviewed and approved.