Two-Thirds Majority

A two-thirds majority is a supermajority voting threshold used in Model UN and in the actual United Nations to pass motions considered more consequential than those requiring a simple majority. Under most MUN rules of procedure, a motion needs the support of at least two-thirds of the delegates voting "yes" or "no" (abstentions typically do not count toward the total) in order to carry.

In committee, the two-thirds threshold most commonly applies to:

• Closure of debate (motion to move into voting procedure)
• Suspension or adjournment of the meeting in some rulesets
• Reconsideration of a resolution or amendment already voted upon
• Important questions in General Assembly simulations, mirroring real UN practice
• Overruling a chair's decision in certain procedural frameworks

The real-world basis comes from Article 18(2) of the UN Charter, which states that decisions of the General Assembly on "important questions" — including recommendations on international peace and security, election of non-permanent Security Council members, admission of new Members, and budgetary questions — shall be made by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting. Other questions are decided by simple majority under Article 18(3).

The phrase "present and voting" is critical: it refers only to delegates casting an affirmative or negative vote. A delegation that abstains is counted as "present" for quorum purposes but is excluded from the denominator when calculating the two-thirds threshold. This distinction frequently affects vote math in close committee sessions.

Different MUN circuits apply the threshold differently. THIMUN-style procedure uses two-thirds for closure of debate on a resolution, while Harvard/NMUN-style rules often apply it to closure, reconsideration, and overruling the chair. Delegates should always check the specific rules of procedure circulated by the conference secretariat before assuming which motions require a supermajority versus a simple majority.