What did Martha's Rules say to the bookshelf? "I'm binding to be read.

Martha's Rules is a simple parliamentary procedure which originated in the 1970s at a housing cooperative in Madison, Wisconsin.^[1] Martha's was at the time the name of a house for students and low-income people in the Madison Community Cooperative.

The initial version was a paper titled "Suggestions for Harmonious Meetings".^[1] The Madison Community Cooperative also has a more complicated recent published version for its own use.^[2]

Generally the process is:^[1]^[3]

Proposals are drafted before the meeting in a standard format, distributed to participants and read before the meeting.
Proponents introduce the proposal.
A sense of the group is taken with thumbs up as "like", thumbs down representing "uncomfortable", and thumbs to the side representing "could live with".
The sense determines whether a formal vote happens immediately (mostly likes), the proposal is sent back to be reworked (uncomfortable), or if it's discussed for 10 minutes (some uncomfortable).
The majority can decide to overrule the objections of the minority.

References

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v t e Parliamentary procedure
Major concepts	History of parliamentary procedure Principles of parliamentary procedure Deliberative assembly Committee Chair Gridlock Filibuster Floor Recognition Motion Second Debate Majority Main motion Minutes Obstructionism Order of business Quorum Session Unanimous consent Voting methods in deliberative assemblies
Subsidiary motions	Postpone indefinitely Amend Commit Postpone to a certain time Limit or extend limits of debate Previous question Cloture Lay on the table
Privileged motions	Call for the orders of the day Raise a question of privilege Recess Adjourn Fix the time to which to adjourn
Incidental motions	Point of order Appeal Suspend the rules Objection to the consideration of a question Division of a question Consideration by paragraph or seriatim Division of the assembly Motions relating to methods of voting and the polls Motions relating to nominations Prayer motion Request to be excused from a duty Requests and inquiries (Parliamentary inquiry, Request for information, Request for permission to withdraw or modify a motion, Request to read papers, Request for any other privilege)
Motions that bring a question again before the assembly	Take from the table Rescind, repeal, annul or amend something previously adopted Discharge a committee Reconsider
Legislative procedures	Call of the house Hoist Motion to pass on Recall of Parliament
Disciplinary procedures	Censure Declare the chair vacant Impeach Naming
Parliamentary authorities	Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR) The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (TSC or Sturgis) Demeter's Manual of Parliamentary Law and Procedure Riddick's Rules of Procedure Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure Erskine May: Parliamentary Practice Jefferson's Manual Lex Parliamentaria Odgers' Australian Senate Practice House of Representatives Practice Bourinot's Rules of Order Beauchesne's Parliamentary Rules and Forms Morin code ABC of Chairmanship Martha's Rules Atwood's Rules for Meetings
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