Motion to Divide the House

A Motion to Divide the House is a procedural device used in many Model UN committees when the outcome of a substantive vote appears very close and a delegate wishes to verify the count. Instead of accepting the chair's visual tally of raised placards, the committee is "divided" — each delegation's vote is counted individually, typically by the dais going through the roll or by asking delegates in favor, then against, then abstaining to stand or raise placards in sequence.

The motion is generally non-debatable and requires only a simple majority, though some conference rulebooks (e.g., certain North American collegiate circuits using THIMUN-derived or Harvard-style rules) treat it as a request to the chair that may be granted at the dais's discretion rather than as a formally voted motion. It is usually entertained immediately after the initial vote on a substantive matter such as a draft resolution, amendment, or — where permitted — a key procedural question.

Practical points delegates should know:

• It applies to substantive votes, not to most procedural motions, which are generally decided by placard count without recount.
• Abstentions remain permitted only if the underlying vote allowed them; division does not change voting rights such as the "yes or no" obligation of P5 members or signatories to a treaty being voted on.
• In committees operating under a roll-call vote, a division is typically unnecessary because every delegation's position is already recorded; the motion is most useful where the chair initially called for a placard or voice vote.
• The motion does not reopen debate, allow speeches, or permit changes of vote unless the rules specifically provide for passing, with rights, or similar mechanisms during the recount.

Because Model UN rules vary significantly between circuits — NMUN, WorldMUN, THIMUN, Harvard WorldMUN, and college-circuit Robert's Rules variants all handle division differently — delegates should always check the specific Rules of Procedure for their conference before raising the motion.