General information

How often does the Council on Resolutions meet?
The Council on Resolutions (COR) meets online once each year.

When does the Council take place?
Rotarians can typically read resolutions and urgent enactments on the COR voting site in October each year.  Council representatives and governors will be notified of the exact publication, commenting, and voting dates ahead of the Council on Resolutions.

What is a resolution?
A resolution is a request to the RI Board or The Rotary Foundation Trustees to take an action that is outside the scope of the constitutional documents. Ideally, a resolution should affect the broad Rotary world rather than address local or administrative issues.

What is an urgent enactment?
An urgent enactment is a change to the constitutional documents, proposed by the RI Board, that the Board has determined cannot wait until the next Council on Legislation (COL) and is limited to situations that have occurred since the most recent COL, which is held every three years.

How can I tell the difference between a resolution and an urgent enactment?
An urgent enactment is designated as such in the item's title. Also, resolutions have an "R" in their item numbers and urgent enactments have an "E."

Who votes on the resolutions and urgent enactments?
Representatives from all Rotary districts vote on resolutions that have been proposed by clubs, districts, the RI Board, and the general council or conference of RIBI and on urgent enactments from the RI Board.

Representatives are chosen for three-year terms, so the 2023-26 Council representatives will vote in the 2023, 2024, and 2025 CORs.

What happens if my district doesn't have a representative?
The 2023-26 representative selections are due to Rotary by 30 June 2023. If your district has not selected its representative, please do so as soon as possible. If a representative is not selected by 1 October, the previous representative will continue to serve until the end of the Council on Resolutions voting period.

If your Council representative changes, notify Council Services as soon as possible.

Can Council representatives delegate their role to another Rotarian?
No, the Council does not permit proxy votes, so representatives cannot delegate their role to another Rotarian.

Who can view the Council resolutions, urgent enactments, and results?
All Rotarians can see the resolutions, urgent enactments,  and results on the Council voting site. However, only Council members can comment, and only a district's Council representative can vote.

How can I see the resolutions and urgent enactments?
Select View detailed item (PDF) below the titles of the resolutions and urgent enactments to view the text for each one.

What languages are resolutions, urgent enactments, and comments published in?
Items and comments are published in English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Can resolutions and urgent enactments be withdrawn?
Yes, resolutions and urgent enactments can be withdrawn until the last day of voting. If you see an item marked as withdrawn, this means that the person who proposed it removed it from consideration and it can no longer be voted on. The Council results will not include the vote totals for withdrawn items.

Can my resolution be amended?
No. If you want to change your resolution, you can withdraw it and submit an updated version. Updated resolutions submitted after 30 June will be reviewed at a future Council.

What happens after the Council to the resolutions and urgent enactments that were adopted?
The Board or Trustees will consider the adopted resolutions. Urgent enactments that have been adopted will amend the constitutional documents, and will take effect one month after the Council on Resolutions report has been sent.

How long will the results be posted?
The results are available until the next COR begins.

How do I print pages from the COR voting site?
You can print pages by using the print function on your browser. 

Commenting

Who can comment?
Both voting and nonvoting members of the Council can submit comments on the COR site about both resolutions and urgent enactments. This group includes representatives, the Council Operations Committee, the RI president, the RI president-elect, members of the RI Board, and one member of The Rotary Foundation Trustees.

When can I comment?
The commenting period typically begins when resolutions and urgent enactments are published. Council members will be notified of the exact dates.

How do I comment?
During the commenting period:

  1. Go to the Council on Resolutions voting site.
  2. Under a resolution or urgent enactment, open the comment section just below the View detailed item (PDF) option.
  3. Type your comment in the box and select your position (you need to complete both parts).
  4. Click Submit.

Comments must be submitted through the COR page during the commenting period. Any comments that are incomplete, sent by email, or sent after the deadline will not be published.

What happens after I submit my comment?
Each comment is reviewed and translated. All comments will be published before voting begins.

How do I see my comments?
Once submitted, your comment will be viewable only to you on your "Your comments" list, which is linked in the comment sections. When the comment is published, you'll also be able to see it under the item it relates to. Comments are posted only until the voting results are published.

Are there limits on comments?
Council members may submit up to three comments of 500 characters each. Commenters must explain why they are supporting, opposing, or making a general statement about the item. If you are commenting, write clearly and use complete sentences. If you don't explain your position or if the comment is found to be offensive, it will not be published and will be marked as deleted on your "Your comments" list. For example, the comment, "I support this item" would not be published, because it does not give a reason. The decision on whether a comment is incomplete or offensive is made by the Council chair. Deleted comments count toward your submission limit.

Can I comment more than once on an item?
No, you can comment only once per item. If you submit more than one comment on an item, only the last submission will be published. However, each submission counts toward your limit.

Who else can see the comments?
Council members, the Board and Trustees, and Council staff members can see published comments. General Rotarians, including district governors and alternate representatives, cannot see the comments.

Can I delete my comment?
You can delete a comment at any time. It will be marked as deleted in your "Your comments" list, and only you will see it. Deleted comments count toward your submission limit.

Voting

Where do I access the COR voting site?
You can find the voting site on My Rotary.

When do I vote?
Representatives will be notified by email of the exact voting dates, but the voting period typically takes place in October. You have until 23:59 Chicago time (UTC-6) on the final day of voting to submit your votes.

You'll need a My Rotary account to vote. If you don't have one, go to the site and select Register. Need help? See How to Create a My Rotary Account.

Is training mandatory for the COR?

Training is not required. However, we encourage you to review the following materials before the Council begins:

Do I have to vote or can I abstain?
You are not required to vote, but we encourage you to voice your district's opinion on each item. You may abstain from voting on any item by leaving the dashes in the voting drop-down menu. However, you must vote yes or no on at least one item to submit your votes.

Do all Council representatives need to be online at the same time to vote?
No. Council representatives can read and vote on resolutions at their own pace during the voting period.

I'm a representative, but the COR site isn't giving me the option to vote — what do I do?
First, check that the Council is in an active voting period. The voting dates are listed after the Council title. Second, confirm that you are signed in to your My Rotary account. If you still are unable to vote, contact Council Services.

How long will it take me to vote?
Voting shouldn't take long to complete. However, please allow enough time to read each resolution, urgent enactment, and the comments. The total amount of time will depend on the number of items being considered.

Can I save my votes?
Yes, if you're not ready to submit your votes, you can click or tap Save for Later at the bottom of the page. For your votes to count, you need to submit them before the voting period ends.

How do I submit my votes?
When you're ready to submit your votes, scroll to the bottom of the voting page, check the box confirming you understand that once you submit your votes, they cannot be changed, and click Submit.

Can I change my votes after I have submitted them?
No. Once your votes are submitted, they are final and cannot be changed.

Is there a record of my votes?
Your voting record will be available from when you submit your votes until next year's voting period begins — about 11 months. A link at the top of the page will access your voting record. After the next year's voting period begins, your voting record for the previous year will no longer be available.

Are my votes private?
Yes, your votes are anonymous and your voting record is confidential. Because of this, Rotary staff members are unable to view or retrieve your voting record.

What happens in a tie vote?
The Council chair will break a tie vote. The result will reflect the chair's decision, but the vote total won't include the additional vote.

Still have questions?
Review the Council on Resolutions resources found in the FAQ & Help sidebar or email us at council_services@rotary.org