Dividing a motion according to Roberts Rules

[Guest Christa Mancini]

My Board was approached by an organization requesting our official endorsement of that group's proposed ammendment. In addition, our own membership requested that we reject supporting a particular international treaty. Both documents purport to protect children's rights. Our Board's decision was to consider these two documents together at our next BOD meeting. Our Vice President researched the treaty and the amendment. She presented her findings along with her conclusion based on her research that the BOD should not support either one as written for the same reason: both contain language that is open to interpretation such that each could be misused against children's best interests. One of our members made the following motion "I motion that the BOD oppose Treaty X and Amendment Y as written." This of course left open the possibility that either group could re-write & re-approach us in the future. Two other board members requested an amendment to the motion that there be a separate vote on the Treaty and the Amendment, but they were voted down. A majority on the Board then went on and voted to reject both documents as written.

Question: Was the failure to divide the motion a violation of Robert's Rules of Order? Some of our members have argued that since the Treaty and the Amendment are 2 separate documents and the request was made by 2 members that the division of the vote was an undebatable matter.

I greatly appreciate any guidance you can offer.

Sincerely,

Christa

[JohnR]

The motion to Divide the Question is not debatable but does require a majority vote for adoption. However, if the two matters were truly separate and independent of each other, then the motion should have been divided at the demand of any single member.