Under Robert’s Rules of Order, the motions that are debatable are the ones that ask the assembly to decide something substantive: the main motion, four of the seven subsidiary motions, an appeal from a ruling of the chair, and the motions to reconsider or to rescind a prior decision. Motions that only control how the meeting runs skip debate and move straight to a vote.
The Test: Substance Versus Procedure
The rule in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR), 12th Edition, turns on what the motion is asking members to do. If it asks the assembly to weigh the merits of a proposal — adopting a policy, changing a rule, sending a question to committee — it gets debate. If it only governs the mechanics of the meeting, like calling a recess or raising a point of order, it does not.
The reason is practical. Substantive decisions commit the organization to a course of action and benefit from open discussion. Procedural steps happen constantly, and allowing argument on each one would stall the meeting.
Main Motions Are Always Debatable
The main motion introduces new business or proposes a change in policy, and it is always open to debate. Once the chair states the motion, any member who gains the floor may speak for or against it. This applies to original main motions as well as incidental main motions dealing with the organization’s internal business, such as adopting a budget or accepting a report.
Every remark must be germane. Debate on a motion to fund a marketing campaign cannot slide into complaints about the parking lot. The chair may rule a speaker out of order if remarks wander from the question on the floor. Without this rule, any motion could become an open forum on every grievance in the room.
Subsidiary Motions That Allow Debate
Subsidiary motions modify or dispose of the main motion. Four of them allow debate, and each limits what members may actually discuss.
Postpone Indefinitely (RONR §11). This motion kills the main motion without a direct up-or-down vote on it. Debate here can range into the full merits of the main motion, which makes it a useful way to test support for an unpopular proposal without forcing a recorded vote on the proposal itself.
Amend (RONR §12). Debate must stay focused on whether the proposed change in wording improves the pending motion. Amendment debate is not a backdoor to argue the main motion’s overall merits. If someone moves to change “May” to “September” in a resolution scheduling a fundraiser, the discussion addresses timing, not whether the fundraiser is a good idea.
Commit or Refer (RONR §13). This sends a motion to a committee for further work. Debate covers whether referral makes sense, which committee should handle it, and what instructions to give. Arguments about the underlying proposal are out of order.
Postpone to a Certain Time (RONR §14). Debate focuses on whether delay is wise and whether the proposed date works. Members cannot relitigate the substance of the main motion.
The pattern is consistent. Postpone Indefinitely opens debate wide because it effectively decides the main question’s fate. The other three keep debate narrow because they address a procedural step, not the ultimate decision.
Subsidiary Motions That Skip Debate
Three subsidiary motions are undebatable, and confusing them with their debatable counterparts is one of the most common mistakes in meetings.
Lay on the Table (RONR §17). This temporarily sets the main motion aside so the assembly can take up something more urgent. It needs a simple majority and cannot be debated. Members sometimes try to use it to kill a motion they dislike without discussion, but that misuse violates its purpose. The proper tool for killing a motion is Postpone Indefinitely.
Previous Question (RONR §16). This is the formal way to end debate and force an immediate vote. It requires a second and a two-thirds vote, and the motion itself cannot be debated or amended. Shouting “Question!” from your seat does not invoke it; you must be recognized and formally move the Previous Question.1Robert’s Rules of Order. Frequently Asked Questions
Limit or Extend Limits of Debate (RONR §15). This changes the number of speakers, the length of speeches, or the total time for debate. It takes a two-thirds vote and is itself undebatable. The higher threshold exists because these motions restrict the minority’s right to be heard.
Appeals From the Chair
Incidental motions handle procedural questions that come up during a meeting: points of order, requests for information, parliamentary inquiries. Nearly all are undebatable. The major exception is the Appeal.
When a member believes the chair made an incorrect ruling, an Appeal lets the full assembly decide. The member says “I appeal from the decision of the chair,” another member seconds it, and debate opens. An appeal becomes undebatable in only three situations: when it relates to a breach of decorum, when it involves the priority of business, or when it arises while an undebatable motion is already pending.
Debate on an appeal has an unusual shape. The chair speaks first to explain the ruling, each other member gets one chance to speak, and the chair may then speak a second time to close. No other member has that second opportunity. The vote is framed as “Shall the decision of the chair be sustained?” A majority or a tie sustains the ruling.
Reconsider, Rescind, and Amend Something Previously Adopted
Two paths let an assembly revisit a decision it has already made. Both are debatable, and both allow debate to reach the merits of the original question.
The motion to Reconsider reopens a previously decided question as though the vote never happened. Only a member who voted on the prevailing side may make it. If a resolution passed and you voted against it, you cannot move to reconsider, though you may ask a colleague who voted in favor to do so. When the original vote was taken by voice in a large group and individual votes cannot be determined, Robert’s Rules advises accepting the motion to reconsider regardless. Debate goes into the full merits of the original motion, because the assembly is deciding whether it got the answer right the first time.
To undo or change a decision from a prior meeting, members use Rescind (to cancel entirely) or Amend Something Previously Adopted (to modify). Both are debatable, and debate naturally reaches the merits of the original action. The vote threshold depends on notice. With previous notice, a simple majority is enough. Without previous notice, the motion needs either a two-thirds vote or a majority of the entire membership.
How Members Actually Debate
Gaining the floor comes first. You stand or raise your hand, address the chair, and wait to be recognized by name or gesture before you begin speaking.
Under standard RONR rules, each member may speak twice on the same motion on the same day, with each speech limited to ten minutes. Organizations often modify these defaults through standing rules. The two-speech limit has an important caveat: a member who has already spoken once cannot claim the floor again as long as any member who has not yet spoken wishes to be heard. The second speech is a right held in reserve, not one you can exercise immediately after your first.
All remarks go through the chair, never directly to another member. The formality has a purpose. It keeps debate from collapsing into a back-and-forth between two people while the rest of the assembly watches. Attacking another member’s motives is always out of order, however strongly you disagree with their position.
Requests for information and parliamentary inquiries are not debate. They do not count against your speaking turns, and they can interrupt a speaker who has the floor. A member who is confused about the pending motion can ask the chair to clarify without being recognized first.
Debate in Electronic and Hybrid Meetings
The 12th Edition of RONR addresses electronic meetings but leaves many specifics to each organization’s own rules. The core principles still apply: you must be recognized before speaking, remarks must be germane, and the chair maintains order. How those principles work changes with the platform.
For internet-based meetings, organizations should specify how members seek recognition — a virtual hand-raise, a chat command, or another designated method. For telephone meetings, the standard approach is to address the chair and state your own name. A member who wants to make a motion that would normally interrupt a speaker, like a point of order, should use the designated feature and wait for the chair before speaking over anyone.
The chair may mute or disconnect a member whose connection is interfering with the meeting. That action is subject to appeal, but an appeal of a disconnection is undebatable. The disconnection and any appeal are recorded in the minutes.