The Basics of Robert's Rules of Order

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The Basics of Robert's Rules of Order Ed
Blackman Local Officer's College January 2009
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Why Learn Robert's Rules?

• Group decision making is hard, and it gets harder
  the more people there are in the group.
• Understanding Robert's Rules will help you
• Run local board meetings fairly and efficiently
• Understand what is going on at State board
  meetings
• Participate effectively

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The Purpose of Robert's Rules

• Facilitate the transaction of business
• Protect the rights of the absent
• Protect the rights of the minority
• Rule by the majority (not of the outspoken)?
• Allow all to be heard

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What We'll Cover

• Take Action Motions
• Change It Up Amendments
• Express Yourself Ways to Speak
• Save It For Later Putting Off Discussion
• Enough Already Calling the Question
• Early and Often Voting
• The Chair Is Wrong! Appeals

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Take Action Motions

• Required for any discussion
• States what action should be taken to make a
  motion, say I move that we ..., followed by the
  action you want the body to take.
• State just the action you want the board to take,
  not the reasons for it yet

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Take Action Motions

• Most motions require a second to start debate
  this prevents the board's time from being taken
  up by something that only one person wants to do
• A second only means that you think the topic
  should be discussed, not that you agree that the
  motion should be carried.

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Take Action Motions

• The chair will recognize the maker of the motion
  to speak first, then go in order.
• Speeches should only talk about why body should
  or should not take this action

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Change It Up Amendments

• Motion to amend asks the body to change what
  action to take.
• You should have a good idea of what you want to
  change
• Must be germane you can't completely change
  the focus of the original motion
• Speeches should only talk about the difference
  between the original and the proposed change

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Change It Up Amendments

• Friendly amendments not strictly correct, but
  used to keep discussion going in small societies
• Used to more correctly express the intent of the
  amendment
• Requires approval of mover and seconder
• Anyone can object

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Express Yourself Ways to Speak

• Speaking on motions two speech rule
• You are only allowed to speak twice on each
  motion
• Once unconditionally
• Once after everyone who hasn't spoken
• An amendment is a new motion
• If motion is successfully amended, it's a new
  motion, so limits reset

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Express Yourself Ways to Speak

• Two speech rule, continued
• After you have spoken twice, chair should still
  recognize you, but should ask why
• You are allowed to make amendments, call for the
  question, etc
• You are not allowed to speak again

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Express Yourself Ways to Speak

• Other ways to speak
• Point of order
• Asks the chair to enforce the rules, usually to
  bring us back to what we are supposed to be
  discussing
• Point of order aren't we supposed to be
  discussing the amendment?

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Express Yourself Ways to Speak

• Point of information
• Used to ask a clarifying question, or interject a
  fact, without waiting for speaking order
• Point of information how many lifetime members
  do we have now?
• Point of information we spent 400 on that
  project last year.
• Do NOT use to make speeches.

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Express Yourself Ways to Speak

• Point of parliamentary inquiry
• Ask the chair or parliamentarian a question
• Point of inquiry do we need a majority or
  2/3rds vote here?
• Use this if you want to do something, but aren't
  sure how

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Save It For Later Putting Off Discussion

• If you think that there is not enough information
  to decide yes or no right now, make a motion to
  postpone I move that we postpone this
  discussion until ...
• Requires 2/3rds majority
• 99 of the time, using table is wrong tabling
  postpones a discussion within a session, not
  until another session.

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Enough Already Calling for the Question

• If you think that everything has been said, you
  can ask the chair to call for the question
• I call for the question or I call the
  question
• Requires 2/3rds majority

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Early and Often Voting

• Ways to Vote
• Unanimous consent (without objection)?
• Ayes and nays
• Division of the assembly (raising of hands)?
• Ballot

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Early and Often Voting

• Unanimous Consent
• For matters where a member thinks that there's a
  strong possibility that no one would object to
  the course of action to be taken
• I'd like to ask for unanimous consent to ... or
  If there is no objection...
• If anyone objects, vote fails, but can move to
  another form of voting

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Early and Often Voting

• Ayes and nays
• Chair asks those in favor and those opposed to
  speak up in turn
• Chair makes a ruling on who he thinks carried the
  vote - the chair rules that the ayes have it
• Ruling may be appealed by calling for division

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Early and Often Voting

• Division of the assembly
• Can be done by standing, or raising hands
• Ballot

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Early and Often Voting

• Chair should announce what is being voted on
• There must be a majority (or 2/3rds) of members
  in favor abstentions count as nay
• If there are 16 members present, and the vote is
  7 to 5 in favor, the motion fails majority
  requires 9 votes in favor
• Chair votes when done by ballot, or to break or
  create a tie

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Early and Often Voting

• A failed vote means the default action occurs.
• Most of the time (approving a motion, changing
  policy), the default action is to do nothing.
• There are situations where bylaws or policies set
  up a different default action.
• In that case, if the motion was to do some
  different action. If it fails, the original
  action still occurs.

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The Chair is Wrong! Appeals

• The chair makes rulings to speed discussion, but
  the body has the ultimate authority
• If you think the chair is wrong, bring it up as
  soon as possible with a point of order
• If the chair disagrees, you can overrule the
  decision I appeal the decision of the chair
• The discussion turns to whether or not the
  chair's ruling is correct
• Chair may participate in discussion
• If a majority is in favor of the appeal, chair's
  decision is overruled.