A parliamentary procedure chart is a reference table that ranks the thirteen motions used under Robert’s Rules of Order from highest to lowest priority and, for each motion, shows whether it needs a second, whether it can be debated, whether it can be amended, and what vote is required to pass it. Read the chart top to bottom and you have the order in which motions interrupt one another; read it left to right and you have the procedural rules that apply the moment a motion hits the floor.
What the Chart Shows
Every standard chart lists motions down the left side and attributes across the top. Four columns do most of the work.
Second required. Most motions need one other member to signal that the question is worth bringing before the group. A second is not agreement; it only means the matter deserves discussion. All main and subsidiary motions require a second. A Point of Order, a Division of the Assembly, and a Parliamentary Inquiry do not.
Debatable. This column tells you whether members may discuss the motion before voting. Main motions, amendments, referrals to committee, postponements to a certain time, and motions to postpone indefinitely are all fully debatable. Motions designed to speed things up or handle urgent logistics are not: Lay on the Table, Previous Question, and Limit or Extend Debate skip discussion. Recess is non-debatable when raised as a privileged motion while other business is pending, but becomes debatable if introduced as a main motion when nothing else is on the floor.
Amendable. This column shows whether the wording can be changed before the vote. Main motions are always amendable. So are Recess, Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn, Limit Debate, Postpone to a Certain Time, Commit, and Amend itself (you can amend an amendment). Postpone Indefinitely cannot be amended; its only purpose is to kill the main motion, so there is nothing to refine.
Vote required. Most entries read “M” for majority or “2/3” for two-thirds. The threshold depends on what the motion does to members’ rights, which is covered in detail below.
The Order of Precedence
The core of the chart is a numbered ranking of thirteen motions. The rule it encodes is short: a higher-ranked motion may be introduced while a lower-ranked one is pending, but not the reverse. If someone has moved to Amend (rank 4) and another member wants to Postpone to a Certain Time (rank 5), the postponement is in order because it outranks the amendment. A new main motion offered while an amendment is pending would be ruled out of order.
The thirteen motions divide into three groups on the chart.
Privileged Motions (Ranks 9–13)
These sit at the top because they handle the immediate welfare of the assembly and can interrupt almost anything else.
- 13 — Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn. Sets a date and time for a continuation of the current meeting.
- 12 — Adjourn. Ends the meeting.
- 11 — Recess. Takes a short break.
- 10 — Raise a Question of Privilege. Brings up an urgent matter affecting the assembly’s comfort or rights, such as excessive noise, temperature, or inability to hear a speaker.
- 9 — Call for the Orders of the Day. Forces the group back to the adopted agenda when it has drifted.
Subsidiary Motions (Ranks 2–8)
These act on whatever main motion is pending, giving the group tools to shape, delay, or dispose of a proposal before the final vote.
- 8 — Lay on the Table. Temporarily sets the pending question aside to address something more urgent.
- 7 — Previous Question. Immediately ends debate and forces a vote on whatever is pending.
- 6 — Limit or Extend Limits of Debate. Changes how long members may speak or how long total debate lasts.
- 5 — Postpone to a Certain Time. Delays consideration to a specific date or agenda point.
- 4 — Commit or Refer. Sends the question to a committee for study.
- 3 — Amend. Changes the wording of the pending motion.
- 2 — Postpone Indefinitely. Kills the main motion without a direct vote on its merits.
The Main Motion (Rank 1)
The main motion sits at the bottom and proposes a specific action for the group to take. It can only be introduced when nothing else is on the floor, which is why it anchors the chart: every other ranked motion can be stacked on top of it. That stacking is deliberate. It lets the group refine, delay, or dispose of a proposal through orderly steps instead of crosstalk.
Incidental Motions
A fourth category appears on most charts without a numeric rank. Incidental motions arise from whatever is happening on the floor and must be resolved before business continues. A Point of Order (challenging a rule violation) and a Division of the Assembly (requesting a counted standing vote) are the common examples. They enforce the rules without touching the substance of the main motion, which is why ranking them against the ordered thirteen would not make sense. They are handled whenever they come up.
Reading the Ranking in a Live Meeting
In practice, the ranking column tells you what you are allowed to say next. When a main motion is pending alone, any of the other twelve ranked motions is in order. Once an amendment (rank 3) is added, the field narrows: only motions ranked 4 through 13 are available until the amendment is disposed of. Add a motion to Postpone to a Certain Time (rank 5) on top of that, and only motions ranked 6 through 13 remain in order.
When the group finishes with the highest-ranked pending motion, the next-highest returns to the floor, and so on down the stack. The chart does not just list motions. It tells you the order the assembly will unwind them.
Vote Thresholds
The vote column on the chart splits almost everything into “majority” or “two-thirds,” and the split is not arbitrary.
A majority means more than half of the votes actually cast by members present and voting, not more than half the total membership. If 17 people vote and 9 vote in favor, the motion passes.1Robert’s Rules of Order. FAQs Routine business runs on majority votes: adopting main motions, amending proposals, referring to committee, postponing to a definite time, and adjourning.
A two-thirds vote is required whenever a motion would restrict a member’s rights or override previously established rules. Cutting off a member’s ability to speak, suspending the group’s own procedures, or reversing a prior decision should take more than a bare majority. Motions on the chart that carry a two-thirds requirement include:
- Previous Question, which ends debate and forces an immediate vote.
- Limit or Extend Limits of Debate, which changes how long members may speak.
- Suspend the Rules, which temporarily sets aside the group’s standing procedures.
- Object to the Consideration of a Question, which prevents a main motion from being discussed at all.
- Rescind a previous action without prior notice, which reverses something the group already adopted.
A rising or counted vote is appropriate whenever a two-thirds threshold applies, because judging a two-thirds margin by the volume of “ayes” and “noes” is unreliable.
Majority of the Entire Membership
Some bylaws require a majority of the entire membership for certain actions, which is a higher bar than a majority vote. This threshold counts every member of the body, not just those present and voting. If a board has 12 members, 7 must vote in favor regardless of how many attend the meeting. Organizations often apply this threshold to actions like amending bylaws or removing officers.
Proxy Voting
Robert’s Rules does not permit proxy voting in ordinary deliberative assemblies unless the organization’s bylaws specifically authorize it or applicable law requires it.1Robert’s Rules of Order. FAQs The reasoning is that deliberation is the point. A proxy holder cannot participate in discussion, hear the arguments, or change position in response to debate the way an attending member can.
Quorum: Nothing on the Chart Matters Without It
The chart assumes a valid meeting. A quorum is the minimum number of members who must be present for the group to take any valid action. For boards and committees, the default under Robert’s Rules is a majority of the body’s total membership.2The Official RONR Q and A Forums. Do the Bylaws Need to Specify a Majority Vote Is Needed Membership organizations typically set their quorum in the bylaws, and many set it well below a majority because gathering hundreds of members in one room is impractical.
Substantive business cannot be conducted without a quorum.1Robert’s Rules of Order. FAQs If a quorum is lost during a meeting because members leave early, the only motions in order are to adjourn, recess, fix the time for a continuation meeting, or take steps to get enough members back in the room.
When the Chart Doesn’t Govern
Robert’s Rules is the default parliamentary authority for thousands of organizations, published in 1876 by Henry Martyn Robert and still maintained by his successors.3Robert’s Rules of Order. Our History It does not override everything, though. Applicable law, the corporate charter, and the organization’s bylaws all sit above the parliamentary authority. If the bylaws set a different quorum, a different vote threshold, or a different process for nominations, the bylaws control. Check them before assuming the chart’s numbers apply.
Small Boards
The chart also loosens in small bodies. Boards and committees of about twelve or fewer members operate under relaxed procedural rules:
- Motions do not need a second.
- Members may speak and make motions while seated rather than standing to be recognized.
- There is no cap on how many times a member may speak to the same question, and motions to close debate are generally not appropriate.
- Members may discuss a topic before anyone has made a formal motion.
- The chair may speak in discussion without leaving the chair, may make motions, and usually votes on all questions.
- When a proposal is clear to everyone, the group may vote without a formal motion.
The underlying principles the chart encodes still apply: one question at a time, majority rule, and protection of the minority. The formality is what relaxes, not the structure.