Before making any decision that affects all members of the group, or all members present at a meeting, the leader should ask for a group conscience.
Tradition Two states that
For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants – they do not govern.
The first of our Twelve Concepts for World Service expands on Tradition Two:
Final responsibility and ultimate authority for GSA World Services should always reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.
Before making any decision that affects all members of the group, or all members present at a meeting, the leader should ask for a group conscience.
What Is a Group Conscience?
Concept Twelve explains that the World Service Conference determine the group conscience “by discussion, vote, and, whenever possible, by substantial unanimity.” For practical purposes, “substantial unanimity” means that 2/3 of the delegates vote in favor the motion.
In an informal situation, the meeting leader may simply ask for a show of hands. Examples might be "Should we close the meeting early since everyone has shared?" or "Do we want to extend the business meeting by 5 minutes so we can finish this item?" Since the decision affects only the members present and lasts no longer than the meeting, there's no need to announce it in advance or record the result.
In matters that affect the group as a whole, including members who may not be present, it's best to schedule a group conscience meeting and inform the members ahead of time about the agenda. Examples might be electing group officers, changing the meeting time or venue, or choosing to hold a special event or make a special contribution to a service body.
Many groups hold regular business meetings once a month or once a quarter. A secretary records the results of any motions so that members can refer back to them.
Other service bodies, such as Intergroups and Conference Committees, operate the same way as groups. At the World Service Conference itself, delegates may be asked for written ballots when anonymity is especially desirable, but otherwise vote by voice or show of hands. The secretary records the number of votes for and against the motion in the official minutes.