Robert’s Rules

IN 1863, Henry M. Robert had been an engineer in the Civil War, shoring up the defenses of ports in Washington, Philadelphia, and throughout New England. He had improved rivers in Oregon, developed the harbors of Green Bay and Oswego, and constructed dams and locks on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. But his greatest challenge came when he was asked to preside over a church meeting. With no knowledge of how a meeting should be run, he bravely attempted to take charge, only to end up embarrassed and thoroughly humbled by the proceedings. He resolved never to attend another meeting until he knew something about parliamentary procedure—the set of rules of conduct at meetings that allows for decisions to be made fairly and without confusion. His Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies, first published in 1876 and known today as Robert’s Rules of Order, is the result. You and your friends can use these rules to run your own clubs and meetings.

THE BASIC RULES OF PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE:

The rights of the organization supersede the rights of individual members

All members are equal and their rights (to attend meetings, make motions, speak in debate, nominate, vote, hold office) are equal

A quorum must be present to do business

The majority rules

Silence is consent

One question at a time and one speaker at a time

Debatable motions must receive full debate

Once a question is decided, it is not in order to bring up the same motion or one essentially like it at the same meeting

Slurs, comments, and personal remarks in debate are always out of order

RUNNING A MEETING

BEING THE CHAIRPERSON

The chairperson is in charge of the meeting and has a gavel, like a judge. She should prepare an agenda, an outline of a meeting that lists the items to be discussed or acted upon. Here is a typical example, with a basic script to follow:

1. Roll call of members present

This is done to determine a quorum—making sure there are enough members present to run the meeting. The secretary reads member’s names from a list and members respond.

2. Call to order

“Welcome. A quorum being present, the meeting will come to order.” (Bang your gavel once, for good effect.)

3. Read the minutes of last meeting

“The first business in order is the approval of the minutes of the previous meeting. Will [the secretary who keeps the minutes] please read the minutes of the last meeting? Are there any corrections to the minutes? There being no corrections, the minutes are approved as read.” (If there are corrections, they should be noted and recorded by the secretary.)

4. Officers’ reports

“The next business in order will be the reports of the officers.” (Call on those officers you know to have reports.)

5. Treasurer’s report

“The treasurer, [call by name], will give her report.” After the report is read: “Are there any questions? There being no questions, the report will be filed for audit.”

6. Committee reports

“The next business in order will be the reports of committees.” After reports have been made: “Thank you. The report will be filed with the minutes of this meeting.”

7. Special orders

This is any business previously designated for consideration at this meeting.

8. Unfinished business

Only announce this if there is business that has been postponed from the last meeting to the current meeting. “The next business in order will be the [whatever the unfinished business is] that was postponed to this meeting.”

9. New business

“The next business in order will be new business. Is there any new business to come before the group?”

10. Announcements or program

If there are announcements to be made but no program at the meeting: “If there is no further new business to come before the group, the secretary will read the announcements.”

If there is a program at the meeting: “If there is no further business to come before the group, [the program chair] will introduce today’s speaker.”

11. Adjournment

“If there is no further business and there is no objection, the meeting will be adjourned. There being no objection, the meeting is adjourned.”

BEING THE SECRETARY

The secretary of your group is responsible for several things: sending out notices of upcoming meetings; maintaining the organization’s records, including the membership list, lists of all committees and their members, and an up-to-date version of the group’s bylaws; and, most importantly, writing the minutes of the organization. The minutes should be written as concisely and precisely as possible, as they constitute the official record of everything that takes place within your group.

The format for writing the minutes is as follows:

FIRST PARAGRAPH

    Include the kind of meeting (whether it’s regular or a special meeting), the name of your organization, date and place of meeting, presence of the president and secretary or the names of substitutes, presence of a quorum, time the meeting was called to order, and whether the minutes of the previous meeting were approved or corrected.

BODY

    List the reports given, including the name of the reporter and any action taken; all motions; all points of order or appeal; important announcements; if there is a program, the name of the speaker and the topic of the program.

FINAL PARAGRAPH

    Record the adjournment and the time of adjournment, and sign and date the document.

When writing minutes, be sure to record all adopted and defeated motions, the name of the person who makes any motion, names of all members who report, names of anyone elected or appointed, and the number of votes on each side in a ballot or counted vote. Do not write down your personal opinion of any discussion, motions that are withdrawn, or entire reports that are given at a meeting. (Instead of transcribing the report, write: “[Person’s name and title] reported on [topic]. The report is attached to the original of these minutes.”)

After writing the minutes (which you should do as promptly as possible), sign and date them and send a copy to the president of your organization, making sure to alert her to any items of unfinished business. When making corrections, do not erase or obliterate the original. Instead, make any corrections in red ink and note the date of the correction.

BEING THE TREASURER

The treasurer is the person responsible for the money of an organization. Her job is to receive and disburse monies according to the organization’s rules, and to bill for and collect any annual dues. She maintains a permanent record of all money received and paid out; any corrections made are clearly indicated in red, just as in the secretary’s minutes. The treasurer gives a brief report at each meeting summarizing any collections or expenditures and bringing up any unusual items. Once a year, the treasurer’s books are audited, meaning that they are verified and all the numbers checked, and an audit report is dated and signed by the auditing committee.

A treasurer’s report should list:

The date of meeting

Balance on hand at the date of last meeting

Receipts (money received)

Disbursements (money paid out)

Reserve funds (if any)

Balance on hand at the date of report (the original balance on hand, plus receipts, minus disbursements, plus reserve fund)

The treasurer should sign the report at the bottom.

BEING A MEMBER

The point of parliamentary procedure is that everyone has a chance for her voice to be heard—even members who aren’t officers or chairpeople. A member makes herself and her ideas known through something called a motion. A motion is a method of introducing business in a meeting, and there are two kinds of motions: main motions and secondary motions.

A main motion is a proposal that action be taken (or an opinion expressed) by the group. This kind of motion cannot be made when any other motion is on the floor (that is, being discussed), and always yields to secondary motions. Main motions require a “second” (a second person who supports the motion) unless they are made by a committee. Main motions can be debated and amended, and they always require a majority vote.

A secondary motion is one that can be made while a main motion is on the floor, even before it has been decided. There are three kinds of secondary motions: subsidiary motions, privileged motions, and incidental motions. Subsidiary motions pertain to the main motion on the floor, and their purpose is to change or affect how a main motion is handled. They are voted on before a main motion. Privileged motions are urgent motions, such as recess or adjournment, that do not relate to pending business. Incidental motions deal with process and procedure—correcting errors, verifying votes—and must be considered before the other motion.

Making a motion

First, request the floor by standing and addressing the chairperson: “Madam President.” Once you are recognized by the chairperson, introduce your motion by saying, “I move that…” and then stating your proposal. Another member (who does not need to stand or be recognized by the chairperson) supports your motion by saying, “I second the motion.” If your motion is not seconded, the chairperson can dismiss it, saying “Since there is no second, the motion is not before this meeting.” If your motion is seconded, the chairperson announces and restates your motion, saying “It has been moved and seconded that [your proposal here].” Now the motion is “pending,” that is, awaiting debate before it can be voted on and finalized. The chairperson asks, “Is there any discussion?” The chairperson recognizes members who wish to debate the motion. After the discussion is over, she puts the question to a vote, saying, “The question is on the motion that [your proposal here]. All in favor of the motion say ‘aye’; all opposed say ‘no’.” The chair then announces the results of the vote.

You can modify or withdraw your motion before it has been stated by the chairperson. After it has been stated by the chairperson, if you wish to change the motion, you may offer an amendment; if you wish to withdraw it, you must ask permission of the group to do so. Keep in mind that your motion may be ruled “out of order” (inappropriate or incorrect) if it: goes against your group’s bylaws, repeats a question asked or motion made on the same day, conflicts with another already adopted motion, or is frivolous or rude.

Voting on a Motion

How your group votes depends on the policy of your organization, but in general there are five voting methods most often used: voting by voice, by roll call, by general consent, by division, and by ballot voting. The chairperson counts the vote.

In a voice vote, the chairperson asks those in favor to say “aye,” those opposed to say “no.” In a roll call, each member answers “yes” or “no” as her name is called. In a vote by general consent, when a motion is likely to be agreeable, the chairperson says, “if there is no objection…” and the members demonstrate agreement by remaining silent (but if even one member says “I object,” the item must be put to a vote). In a vote by division, a voice vote is clarified by members raising their hands or standing to indicate their vote. And in a vote by ballot, members write their vote on a piece of paper.

Your group can also make a motion instead of voting: you can make a motion to “table,” which means to set aside the motion under consideration until a later date. (A “tabled” motion can always be put back on the table.) Or you can make a motion to “postpone indefinitely.”

WRITING THE BYLAWS

Bylaws are the fundamental principles and rules governing an organization. They should be clear and concise, as their goal is to help a group by defining and protecting its purpose. A group doesn’t officially exist until its bylaws are written. Here is a typical format for constructing your group’s bylaws.

ARTICLE I: Your group’s name

ARTICLE II: Purpose of your group

ARTICLE III: Members

1. Classes of membership (active, honorary, etc.)

2. Eligibility or qualifications for membership

3. Membership fees or dues

4. Rights of membership

5. Resignations and disciplinary action

ARTICLE IV: Officers

1. List in order of rank (president, vice president, etc.)

2. Duties (what each officer does)

3. Term of office (how long they get to be an officer)

4. Nominations and elections (how new officers are nominated and elected)

ARTICLE V: Meetings

1. Regular meetings

2. Annual meetings

3. Special meetings

4. Quorum (how many members need to be present for a meeting to take place)

ARTICLE VI: Board of Directors

1. Composition (who is on the board)

2. Powers (what can the board do)

3. Meetings (how often does it meet)

4. Quorum

ARTICLE VII: Executive Committee

A board within the board of directors

ARTICLE VIII: Committees

List all committees, including the committee name, number of members, manner of selection, and duties. Then list “special committees,” permitting the establishment “of such special committees as necessary to carry on the work of the organization.”

ARTICLE IX: Parliamentary Authority

ARTICLE X: Amendment of the Bylaws

Outlines the procedure for amending the bylaws (usually a two-thirds vote is required)

ARTICLE XI: Dissolution

States what will happen to the assets if the organization should be dissolved

Further Reading on Robert’s Rules

Robert’s Rules in Plain English (second edition), by Doris P. Zimmerman