A motion to reorder draft resolutions changes the sequence in which draft resolutions are voted on during voting procedure. By default, most committees vote on draft resolutions in the order they were introduced or approved by the dais. This motion lets the body override that default and decide a different order — for example, voting first on the draft with the broadest sponsorship, or on a substantively narrower proposal before a sweeping one.
The motion is generally raised once the committee has closed debate and entered voting procedure, but before voting on the substance of the drafts begins. Procedure varies by conference:
- In committees using THIMUN-style rules, reordering is less common because resolutions are typically debated and voted on sequentially.
- In Harvard / NMUN / UNA-USA-style rules, the motion is explicit. A delegate proposes a specific order; the motion usually requires a second, is debatable in a limited fashion (often two speakers for and two against, or no debate at all depending on the rules of procedure), and passes by a simple majority.
- Some conferences instead handle reordering through a motion to divide the question or by unanimous consent of the dais.
Strategically, reordering matters because under most MUN rules, once a draft resolution passes, remaining drafts on the same topic may fall (be discarded) or only competing operative clauses may be voted on. Bloc leaders therefore push to have their preferred draft voted on first to maximize its chance of adoption before delegate fatigue or vote-trading erodes support. Conversely, opponents of a strong draft may try to reorder so weaker compromise drafts are voted first, hoping one passes and knocks the stronger one out.
Chairs typically rule the motion out of order if voting has already begun on a specific draft, or if reordering would prejudice a vote already taken on amendments.
Always check the specific rules of procedure distributed by the conference, as the threshold, debatability, and timing differ.
Example
At Harvard WorldMUN 2023, a delegate in the DISEC committee moved to reorder the three draft resolutions so that the draft with the broadest cross-regional sponsorship would be voted on first.