When a motion does not get enough votes to pass, it is called lost. You will also hear it called defeated, failed, or not carried. All four mean the same thing: the proposal did not gain the support it needed, so the assembly takes no action on it and moves on to the next item of business.1Robert’s Rules of Order Online. Robert’s Rules of Order Revised – Voting Procedures and Voting
How the Chair Announces the Result
The presiding officer announces the outcome immediately after the vote, following a three-part script. First, the chair states whether the motion carried or was lost. Second, the chair explains the practical effect. Third, the chair identifies what comes next. A typical announcement sounds like this: “The noes have it and the motion is lost. The question is now on [the next pending matter].” If the vote was counted, the chair reports the numbers: “There are 40 votes in the affirmative and 55 in the negative, so the motion is lost.”1Robert’s Rules of Order Online. Robert’s Rules of Order Revised – Voting Procedures and Voting
That announcement is more than a formality. It creates the official record of what happened and signals to every member that the proposal is disposed of. If the chair is uncertain about the result, the chair may say “the noes seem to have it,” pause briefly, and confirm if no one challenges it. Any member who doubts the count can call for a division, which forces a re-vote by a more visible method such as standing or a show of hands.
Lost Is Not the Same as “Died for Lack of a Second”
A motion that receives no second is not technically lost. It simply dies. The distinction matters. A lost motion was formally before the assembly, eligible for debate, voted on, and rejected. A motion that dies for lack of a second was never formally before the assembly at all, because no one signaled interest in discussing it.
The practical difference shows up in the minutes. A lost motion is recorded along with the vote result. A motion that died for lack of a second typically does not appear in the minutes, because the assembly never considered it. The chair handles the moment by saying something like “the motion is not before you at this time” and moving on. It is a quiet procedural death rather than a formal rejection.
Lost, Tabled, Withdrawn, and Postponed
People often use “tabled,” “lost,” and “withdrawn” interchangeably, but they describe different outcomes with different consequences for whether the motion can come back.
- Lost (defeated, failed, not carried). The assembly voted and the motion failed. It cannot come up again during the same session unless someone moves to reconsider. It can be reintroduced at a future session as a new motion.
- Tabled. The assembly voted to set the motion aside temporarily. A tabled motion can be brought back by a motion to “take from the table” after at least one item of business has been handled. If no one brings it back by the end of the next meeting, it dies.
- Postponed indefinitely. This effectively kills the motion for the current session without a direct up-or-down vote on its merits. It cannot be renewed at the same session.
- Withdrawn. The maker pulls the motion back. Before the chair has formally stated the question, the maker can withdraw without anyone’s permission. After the chair has stated it, withdrawal requires a majority vote or unanimous consent. A withdrawn motion does not appear in the minutes.
Tabling is the one most often confused with defeating. When someone says “we tabled that motion,” they sometimes mean it was voted down, but in parliamentary terms the two are quite different. A tabled motion is alive and waiting; a lost motion is finished for the session.2Robert’s Rules of Order Online. Robert’s Rules of Order Revised – Some Main and Unclassified Motions
Can a Lost Motion Come Back?
A motion that has been lost cannot simply be reintroduced at the same session. The assembly already spoke on it. Two paths exist to revisit the question.
Motion to Reconsider
The motion to reconsider is the only way to reopen a lost motion during the same meeting. It comes with strict guardrails. Only a member who voted on the prevailing side (the side that won) can move to reconsider, and it must be made on the same day the vote occurred or the next business day.3Robert’s Rules of Order Online. Robert’s Rules of Order Revised – Some Main and Unclassified Motions – Section: 36. Reconsider Any member can second it, regardless of how they voted. If the motion to reconsider passes by majority vote, the original question is back on the floor as if the earlier vote never happened.
The prevailing-side requirement exists for a reason: it prevents the losing side from forcing a do-over just because they are unhappy with the outcome. Reconsideration is meant to reflect genuine second thoughts, often prompted by new information, not sore feelings about the count.4MRSC. Changing Course: Using Robert’s Rules to Alter a Prior Action
Reintroduction at a Future Session
At any future session, any member can introduce the same motion fresh, as if it had never been proposed. There is no limit on how many successive sessions the same motion can be brought up in. For most organizations where one meeting equals one session, the same proposal can come back at the next regular meeting. The chair does keep the power to declare repeated reintroductions dilatory if there is no reasonable chance of passage and the motion is just wasting the assembly’s time.5Robert’s Rules of Order Online. Robert’s Rules of Order Revised – Some Main and Unclassified Motions – Section: 38. Renewal of a Motion
How a Lost Motion Is Recorded
A lost main motion still appears in the official minutes. The minutes should include the text of the motion (or a clear summary), who moved it, and the result of the vote. The minutes are the assembly’s permanent record, and members who were absent need to know what was proposed and rejected, not only what passed.
Withdrawn motions are not recorded. Motions that died for lack of a second typically are not recorded either, because the assembly never formally took them up. The line between what goes in the record and what does not tracks a simple principle: if the assembly acted on it, even by voting it down, it goes in the minutes.