A motion in a meeting is a formal proposal that a member puts before the assembly for a decision, and under Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised it moves through a set sequence: a member states the motion, another seconds it, the chair places it before the group, members debate, and the assembly votes. Every substantive decision a group makes begins this way. The rules exist so the majority can decide while the minority still gets heard, and they keep meetings from drifting into informal conversation that leads nowhere binding.
The Five Categories of Motions
Robert’s Rules sorts motions into five groups. Each group has its own purpose and its own rules about when it can be introduced, whether it can be debated, and what vote it takes to pass.
- Main motions introduce new business. A main motion can only be made when nothing else is pending, which puts it at the bottom of the priority ladder. Most of the real work in a meeting runs through main motions.
- Subsidiary motions change how the assembly handles a pending main motion. Common examples: amending the wording, referring the matter to a committee, postponing it to a specific time, or closing debate. They must be resolved before the main motion can be voted on.
- Privileged motions deal with urgent matters unrelated to the business on the floor, such as calling a recess or raising a question about members’ rights or comfort. They outrank subsidiary and main motions because the concern is immediate.
- Incidental motions handle procedural questions that come up during discussion, like a point of order or an appeal of the chair’s ruling. They don’t have a fixed rank; they are handled when they arise.
- Motions that bring a question again before the assembly let the group revisit business it has already acted on. The main ones are reconsider, rescind or amend something previously adopted, take from the table, and discharge a committee.
How to Make a Motion
Write out the exact wording before the meeting. Vague proposals create confusion during debate and often get reworded on the fly, which wastes time and can shift the intent. Check the organization’s bylaws too, since some types of business carry specific requirements.
The formal process has six steps.
- Obtain the floor. Stand or raise a hand depending on the group’s custom, address the presiding officer, and wait to be recognized before speaking.
- State the motion. Say “I move that…” followed by the specific action proposed.
- Second the motion. Another member says “I second the motion” or simply “Second.” Seconding does not signal agreement with the proposal. It signals that at least two members think the matter is worth the assembly’s time.
- Chair states the question. The presiding officer repeats the motion, which formally places it before the assembly. Until that happens, the motion is not officially pending, and the maker can still withdraw or modify it freely.
- Debate. Members speak for and against, following the group’s rules on speaking time and number of turns. The maker of the motion has the right to speak first.
- Vote and announce the result. The chair puts the question, announces whether the motion is adopted or defeated, and states the effect of the vote.
Order of Precedence
Privileged and subsidiary motions follow a strict ranking. When a lower-ranking motion is pending, a higher-ranking motion is in order, but a lower-ranking one cannot be introduced. It works like a stack: higher-priority items get placed on top and must be resolved before the assembly returns to what sits beneath them.
Privileged motions rank from highest to lowest as: fix the time to adjourn, adjourn, recess, raise a question of privilege, and call for the orders of the day. Subsidiary motions rank from highest to lowest as: lay on the table, previous question (close debate), limit or extend debate, postpone to a definite time, refer to a committee, amend, and postpone indefinitely. A main motion sits below all of these.
The practical effect: if the group is debating a main motion and someone moves to amend it, the amendment is handled first. If someone then moves to refer the whole matter to a committee, the referral outranks the amendment and gets handled before it. A motion to recess would outrank everything already on the floor.
Amendments
Amendments are the subsidiary motion people run into most often, and the rules trip up even experienced members. An amendment changes the wording of a pending motion by inserting new language, striking out existing language, or substituting different text. The constraint is that any amendment must be germane: it has to relate directly to the subject of the motion being amended. You cannot bolt an unrelated proposal onto a pending motion through an amendment.
Robert’s Rules allows two layers of amendments. A primary amendment modifies the original motion. A secondary amendment modifies the primary amendment. No amendment to a secondary amendment is permitted. When both are pending, the assembly votes on the secondary first, then on the primary as modified, then on the main motion.
One detail catches people off guard: an amendment needs only a majority vote to pass, even when the underlying motion will require a two-thirds vote. Adopting the amendment only changes the proposal’s wording, not whether the proposal itself passes. When the language of a motion is tangled enough that it would take several amendments to fix, groups often find it cleaner to propose a substitute motion that replaces the original text entirely.
What Vote It Takes to Pass
Majority Vote
Most motions pass by a majority vote, which Robert’s Rules defines as more than half of the votes actually cast by members entitled to vote. That is not more than half of the members present, and it is not 51 percent. If 20 members vote and 11 vote yes, the motion passes. Abstentions and blank ballots are not counted as votes cast, so they have no effect on whether the threshold is met.
Two-Thirds Vote
Some motions require a two-thirds supermajority because they restrict the rights of members. The general principle is that two-thirds is needed to close or limit debate, suspend the rules, close nominations or polls, prevent a matter from being considered, or remove a member from office. Common examples include the motion for the previous question (which ends debate immediately) and the motion to limit debate to a set time.
The chair usually takes a two-thirds vote by a rising vote rather than a voice vote, because voice votes make it almost impossible to judge a supermajority accurately.
Quorum Comes First
None of these vote thresholds matter if the group lacks a quorum. The default under Robert’s Rules is a majority of the entire membership, though most organizations set a different number in their bylaws. Once a quorum is established at the start of a meeting, it is presumed to continue unless a member raises a point of order noting that members have left.
Business conducted without a quorum is invalid. If someone later produces clear and convincing proof that no quorum was present when a vote happened, that action can be struck down. The only motions in order without a quorum are to fix the time for another meeting, adjourn, recess, or take measures to obtain a quorum, such as contacting absent members.
Changing a Decision Already Made
Groups sometimes need to undo or modify an action they have already taken. Robert’s Rules offers four motions for this, and the right choice depends on timing and intent.
- Reconsider reopens a question that was already voted on during the same meeting, or the next day of a multi-day session. Only a member who voted on the prevailing side can move to reconsider. If adopted, the original motion returns to the floor as if the vote had not happened.
- Rescind or amend something previously adopted is the standard way to reverse or modify a decision made at any previous meeting. It takes either a two-thirds vote, a majority of the entire membership, or a majority vote with previous notice given in the call of the meeting.
- Take from the table brings back a motion that was laid on the table earlier. It must be taken up before the end of the next regular meeting or the tabled motion dies.
- Discharge a committee removes a matter from a committee that was supposed to handle it and returns the question to the full assembly.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Experienced parliamentarians see the same errors repeatedly. Knowing what to steer clear of is often more useful than memorizing every rule.
- Using “table” to kill a motion. Many groups say “I move to table this” when they want to defeat a proposal without further discussion. The motion to lay on the table is meant for temporarily setting business aside to handle something more urgent, not for disposing of motions permanently. The correct motion to kill a proposal is to postpone indefinitely.
- Shouting “question” from the audience. Yelling “question!” does not force an immediate vote. Ending debate takes a formal motion for the previous question, a second, and a two-thirds vote. Until that happens, any member who has not used up their speaking turns still has the right to debate.
- Debating before the chair states the question. Discussion is not in order until the presiding officer formally places the motion before the assembly by restating it. Jumping into debate before that point is a procedural violation.
- Ignoring quorum loss. Members drifting out mid-meeting can drop attendance below quorum. Any votes taken after that are open to challenge. If the room is thinning, the chair or any member should confirm a quorum still exists before calling for votes on important business.