Article V, Section 3 of the Constitution states: In furtherance of the purposes of the Institute, the Council shall determine the policies and supervise the affairs of the Institute in accordance with the Constitution and with any By-Laws the Institute may adopt.

Article II, of the By-Laws states:

• Section 3. a) The Council shall meet at least twice a year. b) Meetings shall be held on at least thirty days notice at the call of the President, or the call of any eight members of the Council. c) Any member of the Council unable to be present may appoint a Member as proxy by writing to the Executive Secretary. d) A quorum shall be a simple majority of the Council.
• Section 4. The Council shall elect the Administrative and Editorial Officers by majority vote.
• Section 5. Motions may be presented to the Council between regular meetings. Presentation of a motion shall be followed by a 7-day discussion period before the vote is called. After the vote is called, Council members have 10 days to vote. A motion passes once affirmative votes are received from a majority of the Council. If sufficient affirmative votes are not received within the 10 voting days, the motion is defeated. After the 10-day voting period, the vote tally (number of votes for, against and abstaining) will be reported to the Council.

In September 2010, the IMS Council passed the following motion regarding meetings:

PREAMBLE: In recent times the attendance at IMS Council Meetings, on the occasion of IMS Annual Meetings, has declined, sometimes to the extent where a quorum is not present. This was a particular problem at the IMS Annual Meeting in Gothenburg in August, and led to the second Council Meeting being cancelled. Although IMS Council meetings held during the Joint Statistical Meetings are better attended, representation there often does not necessarily reflect the probability community or Council membership outside North America. Bearing this in mind, stressing the interest of ensuring that all IMS Council members have equal opportunities to vote, and wishing to ensure adequate time for considered and thoughtful discussion of motions, it is proposed to make changes to the guidelines for IMS Council meetings, as indicated in the motion below. Of course, motions, discussion of motions, and voting will take place using the current electronic system

MOTION: IMS Council Meetings on the occasions of IMS Annual Meetings will not involve formal voting, and no new motions will be put at those meetings, although potential motions can be discussed. Council members who are able to attend Council meetings at IMS Annual Meetings are encouraged to do so.