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Making a Motion

Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th Edition · §§ 4, 10

A main motion proposes action by the assembly. Obtain recognition from the chair before making it.

A second is generally needed to show another member wishes to consider the proposal; in small boards some procedures are more informal.

The chair states the motion, after which it belongs to the assembly. Debate and votes follow the applicable rules.

The final decision and exact adopted wording belong in the minutes.

Example

A member says, “I move that the GCA establish a three-member committee to review the proposed garden project and report next month.”

Important distinction

A suggestion or discussion is not automatically an adopted decision. Record a decision only after appropriate action.

Source: Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, 12th ed., §§ 4, 10. Official reference · GCA Bylaws. This original explanatory guide is not a substitute for either governing source.