Rules governing voting

32. Division of the Question: After debate on a Topic Area or amendment has been closed, a delegate may move to divide the question on any item which is about to be voted on. Division of the question means that a specified set of operative clauses may be voted on separately from the rest. Preambulatory clauses may not be removed by division of the question. The motion may be debated to the extent of two speakers for and two speakers against. This motion requires a simple majority to pass:
• If the motion passes, the Moderator will accept proposals on how to divide the question. Such proposals may divide the question into two or more parts. After all proposals have been accepted, the Moderator will arrange them from most severe to least, and each will be voted on, in that order. If no division passes, the resolution remains intact.
• If any proposal passes, all other proposals are discarded and the resolution or amendment is divided accordingly. A substantive vote must then be taken on each divided part to determine whether or not it is included in the final draft. A simple majority is required for inclusion of each part. After all divided parts have been voted on, those that were voted to be included are recombined into the final draft resolution, which must then be voted upon under regular rules of procedure. If all of the operative parts of the substantive proposal are rejected, the proposal will be considered to have been rejected as a whole.

33. Reordering Resolutions: The default order in which resolutions are voted on is the order in which they were introduced. After debate on a topic has been closed, a delegate may motion to change the order in which resolutions on the Committee floor will be voted on. Such a motion must specify a desired order. Once such a motion has been made, the Moderator will accept alternative proposals for ordering. This motion takes precedence over a motion to divide the question on a resolution. Proposals will be voted on in the order in which they were received and require a simple majority to pass; once a proposal has been passed, all others are discarded and resolutions will be voted on in that order.

34. Voting: Once Committee is in voting procedure and all relevant motions have been entertained, the committee will vote on the resolutions on the floor. Voting occurs on each resolution in succession; once a resolution has been passed, no further resolutions will be voted on. In all matters, both substantive and procedural, each country will have one vote. Each vote may be a “Yes, ” “No, ” or “Abstain.” All matters will be voted upon by placards, except in the case of a roll call vote. After the Moderator has announced the beginning of voting, no delegate will interrupt the voting except on a Point of Personal Privilege or on a Point of Order in connection with the actual conduct of the voting. A simple majority requires more “Yes” votes than “No” votes; abstentions are not counted toward either total. A 2/3 majority vote requires at least twice as many “Yes” votes as “No” votes. A procedural vote is a vote on any matter besides an amendment or resolution, and requires every country to vote either “Yes” or “No” on the question.

35. Roll Call Voting: After debate is closed on any Topic Area or amendment, any delegate may request a roll call vote. A motion for a roll call vote is in order only for substantive motions. The Moderator’s decision whether to accept the motion for a roll call vote may not be appealed. Such a motion may be made from the floor and must be seconded by 25 members in General Assembly committees and 8 members in Economic and Social Council committees and Regional Bodies. All substantive votes are roll call votes in the Security Council and Historical Security Council. Voting will be at the discretion of the Director in all other Committees.
• In a roll call vote, the Moderator will call all countries noted by the dais to be in attendance in
alphabetical order starting with a randomly selected member.
• In the first sequence, delegates may vote “Yes, ” “No, ” “Abstain, ” “Pass, ” “Yes with rights, ” or “No
with rights.”
• A delegate who passes during the first sequence of the roll call must vote “Yes” or “No” during the second sequence. The same delegate may not request the right of explanation.
• A delegate may only vote with rights if he or she votes “Yes” or “No” in the first round of voting and if his or her vote appears to constitute a divergence from his or her country’s policy. After all delegates have voted, delegates who had requested the right of explanation will be granted 30 seconds each to explain their votes.
• The Moderator will then announce the outcome of the vote.

Precedence of Motions

36. Precedence: Motions will be considered in the following order of preference. If a point or motion is on the floor, points or motions lower on this list are out of order.

1. Parliamentary Points
a. Points that may interrupt a speaker:
i. Points of Personal Privilege (Rule 25)
ii. Points of Order (Rule 26)
b. Points in order only when the floor is open, i.e. Points of Parliamentary Inquiry (Rule 27)
2. Procedural motions that are not debatable:
a. Adjournment of the Meeting (Rule 17)
b. Suspension of the Meeting (Rule 17)
c. Unmoderated Caucus (Rule 14)
d Moderated Caucus (Rule 15)
e. Motion to change the speaking time (Rule 21)
f. Introduction of a draft resolution g. Introduction of an amendment
3. Procedural motions that are applicable to a resolution or amendment under consideration:
a. Closure of Debate (Rule 16)
b. Postponement of Debate (Rule 18) c. Division of the Question (Rule 32) d. Reordering Resolutions (Rule 33)
4. Substantive motions:
a. Amendments (Rule 31)
b. Resolution (Rules 29-30)
5. Other procedural motions, e.g. Resumption of Debate (Rule 18)