Recusal or to recuse oneself means to remove oneself from participation in a decision so as avoid a conflict of interest.

No member should vote on a question in which he has a direct personal or pecuniary interest not common to other members of the organization. For example, if a motion proposes that the organization enter into a contract with a commercial firm of which a member of the organization is an officer and from which contract he would derive personal pecuniary profit, the member should abstain from voting on the motion. (Robert's Rules, 10th ed., p. 394.)

QUESTION: If a board member recuses himself from a vote, must he leave the meeting? If he does not, can he be asked to leave an executive meeting?

ANSWER: Recusal normally occurs when a director has a conflict of interest or prejudice concerning a particular matter. A conflict of interest is any situation in which financial or other personal considerations may unduly influence the director's judgment. This includes matters such as a disciplinary action against the director for violating the CC&Rs or voting on a potential contract with a company owned by a close relative of the director.

Recusal. In each case, the director has a personal interest in the outcome of the vote--an interest not shared by the other directors. In such instances, the interested director should voluntarily recuse himself by leaving the meeting so the remaining directors can freely discuss and vote on the issue. If he were to stay, his presence could inhibit discussion and influence the vote.

Refuses to Leave. If the interested director does not leave voluntarily, the board can ask him to leave. If he refuses to leave, the board can adjourn the meeting to another location where they can hold the discussion and vote without interference by the interested director. Under those circumstances, the board might also consider a vote of censure against the interested director for his refusal to recuse himself. Once the vote is taken, the recused director may return to the meeting.