Reconsidering a Passed Vote

[Guest Holli]

Motion was to approve a personnel report

Defeated 7-2

Chair wanted to know if there could be another motion that would approve the report minus two positions on the list.

Could someone on the prevailing side vote to reconsider after the vote was final?

Could someone on the prevailing side vote to rescind the vote and make a new vote approving the personnel report with someone else amending the report by deleting two positions?

 

 

[Benjamin Geiger]

10 minutes ago, Guest Holli said:

Could someone on the prevailing side vote to reconsider after the vote was final?

That's basically the point of the motion to Reconsider.

10 minutes ago, Guest Holli said:

Could someone on the prevailing side vote to rescind the vote and make a new vote approving the personnel report with someone else amending the report by deleting two positions?

As I'm reading it, yes:

Quote

The effect of the adoption of the motion to Reconsider is immediately to place before the assembly again the question on which the vote is to be reconsidered---in the exact position it occupied the moment before it was voted on originally. (p. 324, ll. 23-27)

So, as I understand it, someone who voted on the prevailing side could move to Reconsider. If that motion passes, a member can move to amend the motion being reconsidered.

Of course, this is subject to several assumptions, including that the motion to Reconsider is still in order (i.e. it's the same session), and that the Previous Question wasn't moved. I'm not 100% certain how the Previous Question interacts with Reconsider, but as I'm reading the standard characteristics for Reconsider (specifically p. 320, ll. 17-21), it seems to me as though a motion that was subject to the Previous Question during its original passage wouldn't be amendable during its reconsideration.

[Benjamin Geiger]

Also, what do you mean by "approve a personnel report"? As a general rule, reports aren't "approved" except in rare circumstances.

Were you voting on a motion recommended in a committee report?

For more information, you may wish to read pages 507-508.

Edited March 27, 2019 at 05:09 PM by Benjamin Geiger

[Josh Martin]

35 minutes ago, Guest Holli said:

Motion was to approve a personnel report

Defeated 7-2

I should first note that (with very few exceptions) a motion generally should not be made to approve a report in its entirety. This is done if it is intended to make the report an official document of the organization, such as when it is to be published in the organization’s name. The other exceptions I can think of are the annual report of the auditors and the credentials report for a convention.

Generally, if the report contains recommendations, one or more motions are made to adopt the recommendations within the report. If the report contains only information, no action is taken on the report at all.

It is not entirely clear what the nature of this report is, so I don’t know what the proper course of action is.

Setting all of that aside for the moment, however...

35 minutes ago, Guest Holli said:

Could someone on the prevailing side vote to reconsider after the vote was final?

This could be done at the same meeting. At a later meeting, anyone may simply make the motion anew, whether or not the member voted on the prevailing side.

35 minutes ago, Guest Holli said:

Could someone on the prevailing side vote to rescind the vote and make a new vote approving the personnel report with someone else amending the report by deleting two positions?

Since the motion was defeated, there is nothing to rescind. The motion to rescind is used when a motion has been adopted.

At the same meeting, the appropriate course of action is for a member who voted on the prevailing side to make a motion to Reconsider. If this motion is adopted, the original motion is now before the assembly in the same state it was in before the final vote. Any member may then make a motion to amend it by striking the two positions.

At a later meeting, any member (whether or not they voted on the prevailing side) can simply make a new motion and omit the two positions to begin with.

16 minutes ago, Benjamin Geiger said:

Of course, this is subject to several assumptions, including that the motion to Reconsider is still in order (i.e. it's the same session), and that the Previous Question wasn't moved. I'm not 100% certain how the Previous Question interacts with Reconsider, but as I'm reading the standard characteristics for Reconsider (specifically p. 320, ll. 17-21), it seems to me as though a motion that was subject to the Previous Question during its original passage wouldn't be amendable during its reconsideration.

Any order for the Previous Question regarding this motion has certainly been exhausted at this time, since this is concerning a final vote on a main motion, which means that all questions subject to the order have been finally disposed of.

”The Previous Question is said to be exhausted (in reference to a particular order for it) when all of the motions on which it was ordered have been finally disposed of, or when any motions not yet finally disposed of are no longer affected by the order.” (RONR, 11th ed., pg. 204)

”If a vote ordered by adopting a motion for the Previous Question is reconsidered before the Previous Question is exhausted, the motion to Reconsider is undebatable and the motion reconsidered cannot be debated or amended. But if the reconsideration occurs after the Previous Question is exhausted, the motion to Reconsider and the question to be reconsidered are no longer affected by the Previous Question.” (RONR, 11th ed., pg. 206)

It is, however, very likely that the time limits for Reconsider have passed, in which event the motion may simply be made anew (without the two disputed positions, if desired).

Edited March 27, 2019 at 05:23 PM by Josh Martin

[Benjamin Geiger]

19 minutes ago, Josh Martin said:

It is, however, very likely that the time limits for Reconsider have passed, in which event the motion may simply be made anew (without the two disputed positions, if desired).

I interpreted the question as one of  "what do we do next time"/"what should we have done".

And I should've thought to look up further information under the Previous Question's entry.