Robert’s Rules of Order

1. Robert’s Rules of Order How to Run an Effective Meeting

2. Parliamentary Procedure • Intended to keep meetings running smoothly and efficiently. • Based on protecting the rights of several groups: • Majority • Minority • Individual Members • Absentee Members • Most of the rules can be understood by remembering these basic principles.

3. General Practices and Procedures • Procedures • A member makes a motion which must be seconded by another member (with some exceptions). • The motion is stated by the chair and the floor is open to debate (when the motion is debatable). • The chair puts the motion to a vote, and the motion is either adopted or lost. • Other motions may be made which take precedence over the original motion – these must be dealt with first. • Formalities • Avoid referring to members by name and be respectful. • All questions are guided through the chair. • Chair speaks in the third person.

4. Other Rules of Debate and Voting • Debate • Two speeches of ten minutes each on each motion. • Must be germane to the immediately pending motion. • Must not attack the motives of another member. • May not speak on a prior action not pending. • May not speak against own motion. • May not read from papers without permission. • Voting • Always round up to the next whole number. • Majority vote – more than half. • Abstentions generally do not affect the result.

5. Types of Motions • Main Motion – Brings business before the assembly. • Subsidiary Motions – Affects the pending motion. • Amend, Postpone, etc. • Privileged Motions – Motions of special importance. • Adjourn, Recess, etc. • Incidental Motions – Relates to specific instances. • Point of Order, Suspend the Rules, etc. • Motions that Bring a Question Again Before the Assembly • Reconsider, Rescind, etc.

6. The Main Motion • The most basic type of motion. • Brings business before the assembly. • Can be anything from spending money to taking a stance on an issue. • Debatable, majority vote required. • Example: “Move to allocate $50 from the Refreshments line item to buy pizza and pop for the Student Senate Retreat.” • Try to make main motions specific to avoid confusion. “Move to buy pizza and pop” leaves too many unanswered questions – how much money? Where is the money coming from? What is the pizza for?

7. Subsidiary MotionsAmend • Modifies the language of a motion in some way. • Must be germane to the motion. • Is debatable and amendable (amendments to amendments are not amendable for everyone’s sanity). Not debatable if it is amending something undebatable. Majority vote. • Three main forms of amendment. • Insert or Add • Strike • Strike and Insert (Substitute) • Filling blanks • Used when there are many different proposals for a variable, such as amounts of money • Proposals are taken and voted on in order until one receives a majority vote (or you can vote by ballot)

8. Postpone Indefinitely • Disposes of the motion when you don’t want to take a direct vote on it • Useful to make way for a better motion, or to dispose of a highly political issue • Debate may extend into the merits of the main motion. • Debatable, not amendable, majority vote.

9. Commit or Refer • Sends the motion to a committee to report back at a later meeting. • Can be a standing committee (called for in the Constitution or Bylaws) or a special/ad-hoc committee (created for a specific purpose) • Useful when you need a small group to study a complex issue. • Debatable, amendable, majority vote.

10. Postpone Definitely • Postpones the motion to the next meeting or to a specific time later in the same meeting • Cannot be postponed to the next meeting if it’s more than a quarterly interval away, or beyond the next meeting • Cannot postpone a motion if it would effectively kill it • Useful if you need more time to think about an issue • Amendable and debatable, majority vote

11. Limit/Extend Limits of DebatePrevious Question • Limit/Extend Limits of Debate • Can change the debate rules in any number of ways – number of speeches, time of speeches, number of speakers, etc. • Useful if you have limited time • Amendable, not debatable, 2/3 vote. • Previous Question (Call to Question) • Immediately proceed to a vote on pending motion(s) • Useful if debate is lengthy and not making progress • Not amendable, not debatable, 2/3 vote

12. Lay on the Table • Lays a motion aside until later in the same meeting or the next meeting (if within a quarterly interval) until it is taken from the table • Useful for putting a question aside to take up an issue of pressing importance • Not amendable, not debatable, majority vote • Should NOT be confused with Postpone Definitely or Postpone Indefinitely

13. Privileged MotionsCall for the Orders of the Day • Brings the meeting back to the topic called for in the agenda or order of business • Useful if the meeting has become distracted on a tangent • Not debatable, not amendable, does not require a second, does not require a vote – only the demand of a single member • Setting aside the topic called for in the agenda or order of business requires a 2/3 vote

14. Raise a Question of Privilege • Brings the assembly’s attention to an issue that affects either an individual (point of personal privilege) or the assembly (point of privilege of the assembly) in relation to the society or the meeting • Generally useful in dealing with uncomfortable or inconvenient conditions (ex. room is too hot) • Not amendable, not debatable, does not require a second, no vote taken • Chair either directs the situation to be remedied or calls for a member to make a main motion • Some specialized uses, such as executive session

15. Recess • Takes a brief break from the meeting, either for a period of time or to the call of the chair • Useful to discuss the details of a motion or just to take a break • Amendable, not debatable, majority vote

16. AdjournFix the Time to Which to Adjourn • Adjourn • Ends the meeting • Not amendable, not debatable, majority vote • Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn • Sets up an adjourned meeting which is a continuation of the current meeting • Amendable, not debatable, majority vote

17. Incidental MotionsPoint of Order & Appeal • Point of Order • Calls the chair’s attention to a violation of the rules • Not debatable, not amendable, no second required, not voted upon • Ruled on by the chair as “well taken” or “not well taken” • Must be made at the time of the violation (with a few exceptions) • Appeal • Used to overturn a ruling of the chair • Chair speaks in debate to explain his reasoning • Question put as “Shall the decision of the chair be sustained?” • Debatable (with a few exceptions), not amendable, majority vote in the negative overturns ruling

18. Suspend the Rules • Used to do something normally not allowed by the rules • The motion should state the specific purpose for suspending the rules • Not amendable, not debatable, 2/3 vote • Some rules cannot be suspended • Constitution/Bylaws (unless they say otherwise or in nature of rule of order) • Fundamental principles of parliamentary law • Rules protecting absentees or individual members

19. Objection to the Consideration of a Question • Prevents a question from being considered at all • Must be made before debate has begun • Useful when a motion would damage relationships in the assembly even to discuss it • Not amendable, not debatable, no second required, 2/3 vote against consideration needed

20. Division of a QuestionConsideration by Paragraph • Division of a Question • Separates a motion into two separate motions, debated and voted on individually • Can only be used if each motion can stand on its own • Amendable, not debatable, majority vote • Motions containing unrelated topics can be divided by the demand of a single member • Consideration by Paragraph or Seriatim • Keeps the motion intact, but debate each paragraph/section/article one at a time • Useful to keep on track for lengthy documents such as a Constitution • Amendable, not debatable, majority vote

21. Division of the Assembly • Forces a rising vote after a voice vote is inconclusive • Not debatable, not amendable, no second required, no vote taken – demand of a single member • If it is still inconclusive, the vote may be counted • Not debatable, not amendable, majority vote • Either of these should rarely be necessary - the chair should do it on his own initiative

22. Motions Relating to Methods ofVoting and the Polls; Nominations • Motions Relating to Methods of Voting and the Polls • Used to take the vote by a different method than the standard voice vote or to close or reopen the polls for a ballot vote • Show of hands, rising vote, ballot vote, roll call vote • Amendable, not debatable, majority vote (2/3 vote to close the polls) • Motions Relating to Nominations • Change the method of nominations • By the chair, from the floor, by a committee, by ballot, by mail • Close or reopen nominations • Amendable, not debatable, majority vote (2/3 vote to close nominations)

23. Request to be Excused from a DutyRequests and Inquiries • Request to be Excused from a Duty • Used to be excused from duties imposed on members by the Constitution/Bylaws or to resign from office • Amendable, debatable, majority vote • Requests and Inquiries • Parliamentary Inquiry – question about parli-pro • Request for Information – question about something else • Request to Withdraw/Modify Motion • Request to Read Papers • Request for Other Privilege – ex. Make a presentation • Questions not debatable, not amendable, no second, no vote • Other requests are not debatable, not amendable, majority vote

24. Motions that Bring a Question Again Before the Assembly • Take from the Table • For a question laid on the table, brings it back for discussion • Must be done by the next regular meeting (or by end of same meeting if next meeting is not within a quarterly interval) • Not amendable, not debatable, majority vote • Discharge a Committee • Takes a motion out of the hands of a committee and brings it up for debate or forces a committee to report • Debate can go into merits of the main motion • Debatable, amendable, 2/3 vote, majority of the membership, or majority vote with prior notice • Majority vote without notice is sufficient if committee fails to report when instructed

25. Rescind/Amend Something Previously Adopted • Revoke or modify a motion already adopted. • Can be made by any member. • Cannot undo something that is already completed – if you spent money, you can’t unspend it. • Debatable, amendable, 2/3 vote, majority of the membership, or a majority vote with prior notice • Rescind and Expunge from the Minutes • Rescinds the action and it is noted as expunged • Used to express extreme disapproval • Requires a majority of the membership

26. Reconsider • Brings a topic back up for consideration • Must be done at the same meeting • Must be made by a member who voted on the prevailing side • Debatable, not amendable, majority vote • Reconsider and Enter on the Minutes • The motion to reconsider is made but cannot be brought up until the next meeting. • Useful when a bare quorum is present that is unrepresentative of the full assembly.

27. Quorum • Quorum is the number of members that must be physically present to conduct business • Designed to protect against an unrepresentative minority taking action in the name of the organization • Should be set at how many people can be reasonably expected to show up except in extreme circumstances (weather) • Without quorum, only certain procedural motions are in order • Members who abstain still count toward quorum so long as they remain in the meeting room