Appendix 2 - Rules of Parliamentary Order

Excerpted from "Simplified Rules of Order"

Principles of Parliamentary Procedure

1. The purpose of parliamentary procedure is to make it easier for people to work together effectively and to help groups accomplish their purposes. Rules of procedure should assist a meeting, not inhibit it.
2. A meeting can deal with only one matter at a time. The various kinds of motions have therefore been assigned an order of precedence (see Table 1).
3. All members have equal rights, privileges and obligations. One of the chairperson's main responsibilities is to use the authority of the chair to ensure that all people attending a meeting are treated equally--for example, not to permit a vocal few to dominate the debates.
4. A majority vote decides an issue. In any group, each member agrees to be governed by the vote of the majority. Parliamentary rules enable a meeting to determine the will of the majority of those attending a meeting.
5. The rights of the minority must be protected at all times. Although the ultimate decision rests with a majority, all members have such basic rights as the right to be heard and the right to oppose. The rights of all members--majority and minority--should be the concern of every member, for a person may be in a majority on one question, but in minority the on the next.
6. Every matter presented for decision should be discussed fully. The right of every member to speak on any issue is as important as each member's right to vote.
7. Every member has the right to understand the meaning of any question presented to a meeting, and to know what effect a decision will have. A member always has the right to request information on any motion he or she does not thoroughly understand. Moreover, all meetings must be characterized by fairness and by good faith. Parliamentary strategy is the art of using procedure legitimately to support or defeat a proposal.

Procedures Used in Meetings

1. Quorum of Members

   Before a meeting can conduct business it requires a quorum--the minimum number of members who must be present at the meeting before business can be legally transacted. The requirement of a quorum is a protection against unrepresentative action in the name of the association by an unduly small number of people.
   

2. Agenda

The agenda consists of the items of business to be discussed by a meeting. Usually the chair or another designated person is charged with the responsibility for preparing the agenda. The person preparing the agenda can, of course, seek assistance with the task.

3. Debate on Motions

Business is accomplished in meetings by means of debating motions. The word "motion" refers to a formal proposal by two members (the mover and seconder) that the meeting take certain action.

Technically, a meeting should not consider any matter unless it has been placed before the meeting in the form of a motion. In practice, however, it is sometimes advantageous to permit limited discussion of a general topic before a motion is introduced. A preliminary discussion can sometimes indicate the precise type of action that is most advisable, whereas presentation of a motion first can result in a poorly worded motion, or a proposal for action that, in the light of subsequent discussion, seems inadvisable. This departure from strict parliamentary procedure must be used with caution, however. The chair must be careful not to let the meeting get out of control.

4. Determining Results of a Vote

Most motions are decided by a majority vote-more than half the votes actually cast, excluding blanks or abstentions. For example, if 29 votes are cast, a majority (more than 14½) is 15. If 30 votes are cast, a majority (more than 15) is 16. If 31 votes are cast, a majority (more than 15½) is 16.

Some motions require a two-thirds majority as a compromise between the rights of the individual and the rights of the meeting. To pass, such motions require that at least two-thirds of the votes actually cast (excluding blanks and abstentions) are in the affirmative. If 60 votes are cast, for example, a two-thirds vote is 40. If 61 votes are cast, a two-thirds vote is 41. If 62 votes are cast, a two-thirds vote is 42. If 63 votes are cast, a two-thirds vote is 42.

5. Voting Rights of the Chair

   Robert's rules state that if the presiding officer is a member of the group concerned, he or she has the same voting rights as any other member.

Simplified Rules of Order

1. How Motions are classified

For convenience, motions can be classified into five groups:

1. main motions
2. subsidiary motions
3. privileged motions
4. incidental motions
5. motions that bring a question again before a meeting

The motions in the second, third and fourth classes (subsidiary, privileged and incidental motions) are often called secondary motions, to distinguish them from main motions.

Secondary motions are ones that are in order when a main motion is being debated; ones that assist a meeting to deal with the main motion. When a secondary motion is placed before a meeting, it becomes the immediately pending question; the main motion remains pending while the secondary motion is dealt with.

a. The Main Motion

A main motion is a motion that brings business before a meeting. Because a meeting can consider only one subject at a time, a main motion can be made only when no other motion is pending. A main motion ranks lowest in the order of precedence.

When a main motion has been stated by one member, seconded by another member, and repeated for the meeting by the chair, the meeting cannot consider any other business until that motion has been disposed of, or until some other motion of higher precedence has been proposed, seconded and accepted by the chair.

b. Subsidiary motions

Subsidiary motions assist a meeting in treating or disposing of a main motion (and sometimes other motions). The subsidiary motions are listed below in ascending order of rank. Each of the motions takes precedence over the main motion and any or all of the motions listed before it.

The seven subsidiary motions are:

1. postpone indefinitely (to suppress or kill a pending main motion)
2. amend (to change, to add or omit words from original motion.
3. refer (to move to committee)
4. postpone to a certain time (to move to a later time or subsequent mtg)
5. limit or extend limits of debate (to change rules of debate times, time per speaker, etc)
6. previous question (to close debate on a question, to vote immediately)
7. table (to lay main motion aside temporarily)

c. Privileged Motions

Unlike either subsidiary or incidental motions, privileged motions do not relate to the pending business, but have to do with special matters of immediate and overriding importance that, without debate, should be allowed to interrupt the consideration of anything else.

The privileged motions are listed below in ascending order of rank. Each of the succeeding motions takes precedence over the main motion, any subsidiary motions, and any or all of the privileged motions listed before it.

The five privileged motions are:

1. orders of the day (require the order of business to be followed)
2. question (point) of privilege (to interrupt pending business to make an urgent statement, request or motion)
3. recess (to propose a short intermission)
4. adjourn (to close the meeting entirely)
5. fix time to which to adjourn. (to fix a date, an hour, or place, for another meeting)

d. Incidental Motions

These motions are incidental to the motions or matters out of which they arise. Because they arise incidentally out of the immediately pending business, they must be decided immediately, before business can proceed. Most incidental motions are not debatable.

Because incidental motions must be decided immediately, they do not have an order or precedence. An incidental motion is in order only when it is legitimately incidental to another pending motion or when it is legitimately incidental in some other way to business at hand. It then takes precedence over any other motions that are pending--that is, it must be decided immediately.

The eight most common incidental motions are:

1. point of order (to point out an error in procedure or lack of decorum)
2. suspension of the rules (to permit action on events that are hampered by rules)
3. objection to consideration (to prevent discussion on a motion deemed harmful)
4. consideration seriatim (to consider by parts, if a motion is long and detailed)
5. division of the meeting (to demand a standing vote)
6. motions related to methods of voting
7. motions related to nominations
8. requests and inquiries (parliamentary inquiry, point of information, withdraw or modify a motion)

e. Motions That Bring a Question Again Before the Assembly

There are four motions that can bring business back to a meeting. The four are:

1. Take from the Table
2. Rescind (to cancel or annul an earlier decision)
3. Reconsider (to bring back for further consideration a motion that has already been put to a vote)
4. Discharge a Committee

Sample Order of Business

This section details a sample order of business for a regular business meeting and indicates how the chair should handle each item. The order is not intended to be prescriptive; each chairperson should follow an order that is satisfactory to him/her and to the association.

The Order of Business:

1. Call to Order
2. Adoption of the Agenda
3. Minutes
4. Executive Minutes
5. Treasurer's Report
6. Correspondence (listed)
7. Unfinished Business (listed)
8. Committee Reports (listed)
9. New Business (listed)
10. Announcements (listed)
11. Program (An alternative is to have a guest speaker make his/her comments before the business meeting begins so that he/she does not have to sit through the meeting.)
12. Adjournment

Table 1. Order of Precedence of Motions

Table Notes

1. If a formal motion is made.
2. Must be enforced on the demand of any member unless the orders of the day (agenda) are set aside by two-thirds vote. If chair's ruling is challenged, majority vote required.
3. Can be reconsidered but only before the previous question has been put.
4. Only as to propriety or advisability of postponing and of postponing to a certain time.
5. Requires two-thirds majority if postponed to a later time in the same meeting (amends the agenda). If postponed to a subsequent meeting, then only a simple majority required.
6. Only as to propriety or advisability of referral.
7. Can be reconsidered if the group to which the matter has been referred has not started work on the matter.
8. An amendment to an amendment is not itself amendable.
9. A motion to amend the agenda requires a two-thirds majority.
10. Can be reconsidered only if the motion is passed.

Proceed to Appendix 3

Return to Area Studies Council homepage