| What is it? | How do you phrase it? | What does it mean? | Does it need a second? | Can it be amended? | Is it debatable? | Is a vote needed for it to pass? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Motion | “I move that…” | We should do this. | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% + 1 (majority) |
| Amendment | “I move to amend the motion by…” | I have an idea to make this motion better. | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% + 1 (majority) |
| Close Debate | “I move the question…” | I think that we should vote. | Yes | No | No | 2/3 |
| Unanimously Close Debate | “I call the question…” | Let’s vote – we’ve all had enough discussion. | No | No | No | 100% (consensus) |
| Correction | “Point of information…” | There’s something we should all know about. | No | No | No | No Vote |
| Complaint | “I raise a point of personal privilege.” | We need to resolve the following problem. | No | No | No | No Vote |
| Confusion | “Point of clarification…” | I’m confused…explain this situation more clearly! | No | No | No | No Vote |
| Rules Suspension | “I move to suspend the rule(s) in order to…” | To make things easier, let’s forget about the rules for a moment. | Yes | No | No | 2/3 |
| Table | “I move to table this motion until…” | We need more time to think about this. | Yes | No | No | 50% + 1 (majority) |
| Order (!) | “I raise a point of order.” | I protest that we’re doing something wrong here. | No | No | No | No Vote |
| Remove from the Table | “I move to take up from the table…” | Let’s talk about this again. | Yes | No | No | 50% + 1 (majority) |
| Refer to a Committee | “I move to refer this issue to a committee.” | This needs some detailed study outside of general body. | Yes | Yes | Yes | 50% + 1 (majority) |
(provided by Jim Jones, PRP, Parliamentary Associates)