Parliamentary

Procedures
Parliamentary procedure

 Parliamentary procedure is the body of

rules, ethics, and customs governing
meetings and other operations of clubs,
organizations, legislative bodies, and other
deliberative assemblies. General principles
of parliamentary procedure include rule of
the majority with respect for the minority.
Purpose
The purpose of parliamentary
procedure is for the assembly to
conduct its business in the most
efficient way possible while
considering the rights of its
members.
Majority rule

 The basic principle of decision is majority

vote.
 Majority rule is a decision rule that selects
alternatives which have a majority, that is,
more than half the votes. It is the binary
decision rule used most often in influential
decision-making bodies, including
the legislatures of democratic nations.
Minority rights

 The minority have certain rights that only a

supermajority, such as a two-thirds vote, can rule
over. Such rights include introducing new business and
speaking in debate.
 A supermajority or supra-majority or a qualified
majority, is a requirement for a proposal to gain a
specified level of support which is greater than the
threshold of more than one-half used for majority.
 Related concepts regarding alternatives to the majority
vote requirement include a majority of the entire
membership and a majority of the fixed membership.
 A supermajority can also be specified based on the entire
membership or fixed membership rather than on those
present and voting.
 Parliamentary procedure requires that any action of
a deliberative assembly that may alter the rights of a
minority has a supermajority requirement, such as a two-
thirds vote.
 Changes to constitutions, especially those
with entrenched clauses, commonly require supermajority
support in a legislature.
Member rights

 Members have the right to attend meetings, speak in

debate, and vote. A member cannot be individually
deprived of those rights except through disciplinary
procedures. On the other hand, nonmembers have none of
these rights and the assembly can exclude any or all of
them from the proceedings.
 Members have the right to know what they are deciding
on. The assembly acts on fairness and good faith. All
members are treated equally. Members are expected to
be of honorable character.
Absentee rights

 Certainactions require previous notice,

which protects the rights of absentees. This
includes notice of the meetings. There also
needs to be a quorum, or the minimum
number of members to be present at a
meeting.
One question at a time
 Only one motion can be pending at a
time. According to Robert's Rules of Order Newly
Revised (RONR), this rule is considered to be a
"fundamental principle of parliamentary law"
One person, one vote
 Each member has a vote and each vote is
weighted equally. According to RONR, this rule is
considered to be a "fundamental principle of
parliamentary law“. Exceptions to this rule, such
as cumulative voting, must be expressly provided
for in the organization's rules.
Only members present can vote
 The decisions made by members present at
a meeting are the official acts in the name
of the organization. According to RONR,
this rule is considered to be a "fundamental
principle of parliamentary law". Exceptions
for absentee voting would have to be
expressly provided for in the organization's
rules. Nonmembers are not allowed to
vote.
Changing action previously decided on
 Under RONR, the requirements for changing a
previous action are greater than those for taking
the action in the first place. A motion to rescind,
repeal or annul or amend something already
adopted, for instance, requires a two-thirds vote,
a majority with previous notice, or a majority of
the entire membership.
 However, under The Standard Code of
Parliamentary Procedure, a repeal or amendment
of something already adopted requires only the
same vote (usually a majority) and notice that
was needed to adopt it in the first place.
Following own specific rules
 The group must have the authority to take
the actions it purports to take. To be valid,
any action or decision of a body must not
violate any applicable law or constitutional
provision. Also, actions cannot be in
conflict with a decision previously made
unless that action is rescinded or
amended. The body can change the rules it
wants to follow as long as it follows the
rules for making such changes