If you haven’t been involved with the National Education Association (NEA) or a state affiliate, the title of this article might seem odd. But for decades, there’s been a practice where delegates at the national Representative Assembly or state conventions move to “reconsider all new business items” or “reconsider all items voted on until now.”
This motion doesn’t actually intend to reopen every past decision. Instead, it takes advantage of a feature of the motion to Reconsider in Robert’s Rules of Order (12th Edition). That motion allows an assembly to revisit a single motion if someone believes a mistake was made earlier in the same meeting (or until the following day at a multi-day meeting). But if the motion to Reconsider is made and then defeated, it has the effect of locking in all previous decisions, as the motion to Reconsider can’t be made twice on the same motion. In parliamentary terms, the earlier items are “clinched,” meaning they can’t be brought up again.
For decades this motion has been a tradition at many NEA meetings. Someone moves to reconsider everything previously voted upon, convention delegates cheer, and delegates loudly vote “NO!” to avoid reopening any past decisions. The process has been as much performance as procedure. The motion has diminished at the national RA in recent years, but is still raised at state meetings. That said, 15 delegates at the national RA this year ASKED about raising the motion to Reconsider everything previously voted upon.
As memorable as the motion may have been, the time has come to stop using it. Here are several reasons why:
- It’s Not a Real Motion. You won’t find mention in all 714 pages of Robert’s Rules of Order (12th Edition about reconsidering everything voted upon. There is a motion to Reconsider, but it only applies to a single prior item of business.
- The Motion Violates the Rules for Reconsidering. The motion to Reconsider must be made by someone who voted on the winning side, with the premise that someone on the prevailing side must have changed their mind since the vote. And the motion must be made on the same day or next following day in a multi-day meeting as the original vote. With the motion to reconsider ALL items, none of this happens. It is likely impossible for one person to have voted on the prevailing side of hundreds of business items, if they even remember. And such motions are often made near the end of days-long conventions, and not on the same or succeeding day.
- The Motion’s Usually Made When It Serves No Purpose. As mentioned above, these motions are often made at the end of a convention. Delegates are packing up and ready to leave. No one actually wants to reopen all previous items. It’s clear that the motion is being made for show and not a proper parliamentary purpose.
- The Voting Process is Backwards. When the motion to Reconsider everything is put to a vote, everyone votes “No.” Nothing was adopted. But somehow that defeated motion is supposed to have finalized all past actions. That’s confusing. A defeated motion shouldn’t result in locking in everything the group has done, as that turns procedure on its head.
- It Can Lead to Real Problems. At one convention, the motion was defeated (as always), and the Chair declared all past items closed. Staff later realized there was a mistake in the adopted budget. In theory, that couldn’t be fixed. The body (with the assistance of the Parliamentarian) came up with a workaround that the delegates approved almost unanimously. But the situation shows the risks of using a made-up motion to try and make earlier decisions unchangeable.
- It’s Not a Motion to Suspend the Rules Either. Some will argue that the motion to Reconsider everything is really a motion to suspend the rules. But that doesn’t work either. A motion to Suspend the Rules requires a two-thirds vote for adoption. In contrast, the motion to Reconsider everything is defeated, not passed, so it’s hard to argue it meets the requirements for suspending the rules.
The National Education Association has over 3 million members, somewhere around 7,000 national RA delegates, and a tremendous amount of work to complete. NEA state affiliates also have an overwhelming workload to cover in a short amount of time. While past practices can be meaningful, this one no longer serves a useful purpose. The motion to “Reconsider all items voted on” doesn’t follow parliamentary rules, doesn’t improve decision-making, and should be left to memory.