Robert's Rules Minute is a new periodic feature of County Officials E-News. We plan to share more topic-specific procedural information related to Robert's Rules of Order in the future; stay tuned!
You’ve probably heard someone say, “I call the question!” and everyone immediately stops talking and votes.
But under Robert’s Rules, that’s not quite how it works.
What the member is really doing is asking the group to end debate by moving the Previous Question. Simply saying “I call the question” does not give one member the power to shut down discussion.
The motion to end debate generally:
- Requires a second
- Is not debatable
- Requires a two-thirds vote
The two-thirds requirement is important because ending debate limits the rights of other members who may still want to speak.
If the motion is adopted, debate ends and the body proceeds to vote on the pending question. If it does not receive a two-thirds vote, debate continues.
So when someone “calls the question,” the chair should not simply end discussion. The group itself must decide—by a two-thirds vote—whether it is ready to stop debating and move to a vote.
Learn more about parliamentary procedures in e-Li, our electronic library.