What is true about the timing of voting on a group of motions when a Previous Question is ordered on them?

• A. Votes are taken in the order the motions were made
• B. Votes are taken in reverse order of introduction
• C. Votes are taken in random order
• D. The chair selects the order on the spot

Answer: (B)

When a Previous Question is ordered on a group of motions, debate ends on that group and the assembly moves straight to voting on the motions within the group. The votes are taken in reverse order of introduction—the most recently introduced motion is voted on first, then the next-most-recent, and so on, ending with the first motion that was introduced.

This reverse order (last in, first out) keeps the process orderly and predictable: the chair disposes of the motions in the sequence that minimizes the chance that later motions would be influenced by earlier ones, and it provides a clear, standard method for handling multiple motions together. It’s not done in the order the motions were made, nor randomly, and the chair doesn’t pick the order on the spot—the reverse-chronological rule governs it.