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Roberts Rules Reduced

A few basic rules need to be in place to carry out the making and passing of a motion. Robert's rules of order are so complex that they're of little actual use, but the basic ideas are sound.

A motion can be made by any member at any time, having been recognized by the chair. Any time there isn't already a motion on the floor that is. If there's a motion on the floor, that motion must be dealt with before another motion can be made. Exceptions are a motion to table or the suggestion of an amendment. Once a motion is on the floor anything that doesn't pertain directly to that motion is out of order, and should be cut off promptly before the whole shooting match is sidetracked and fuddled. You can come back to it later.

If an amendment is suggested it must be accepted by the maker of the motion before it can be acted upon. Otherwise the original motion has to be voted on before another motion, even an amended version of the previous, can be made. Otherwise you get the situation where some people are speaking to the original motion, some to the amendment, and maybe some to a second or third possible amendment. The result is modification of the sense of the meeting.

A 'point of order' is always in order. In other words it can be made at any time. You just say "point of order" and then make your point. It should be either for clarification of the motion at hand or clarification of the process. Use it to point out that the speaker is not addressing the business at hand, that the chair has overlooked some part of the process, that people can't hear what's going on, something directly related to the process, not the content, of the meeting. "call the question" is a common point of order. This means that the discussion is going on too long, the ground has been covered , people a repeating themselves, and let's vote on it now.

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