Appeal
Raising an appeal means that a member's disagreement with the chair's decision on any motion on the floor becomes a matter for the membership to decide. An appeal should never be proposed for trivial, frivolous, or malicious reasons, because this could diminish its effect when raised at other times — kind of like crying wolf.
However, appealing the chair's decision on a matter is a wonderful checks-and-balances feature of parliamentary procedure. It can prevent an abuse of the power that the position of chair holds. An additional check is that another member must second the motion to appeal. This way, if there is a member who is always disgruntled with what's going on at a meeting, he alone cannot prevent any business from being accomplished.
The Appeal Motion
To appeal the decision of the chair, a motion must be made immediately, not later on in the meeting as an afterthought. The chair gets first right to speak after the motion is made and the motion is debatable unless it's about a rule of speaking, a ruling on a motion that was not debatable, or the order of business. The motion isn't amendable but it can be reconsidered.
To make an appeal, a member should say, “I appeal the decision of the chair.” If another member seconds the motion, the chair may speak about why he made the decision (ruling). The maker of the motion to appeal should listen carefully to the explanation because it may be that it makes sense and the motion should be withdrawn. Other members may also speak once.
ESSENTIAL
Has a member asked the chair a parliamentary question? Perhaps a member wants to know if it's correct to make a motion. An appeal can't be made to the chair because she has given an opinion, not a decision. The member can still make the motion.
Now What?
After everyone who wants to speak has done so, the chair gets another opportunity, and then a vote should be taken. The chair should say, “The question is, shall the decision of the chair be sustained? All who are in favor say ‘aye.’ Those opposed should say ‘no.’;” Then the chair announces the vote. A majority (not two-thirds) is necessary for the decision to be sustained. If the chair's decision is sustained, the chair will say, “The ayes have it and the decision of the chair is sustained.” If the vote is in the negative, the chair should say, “The no's have it and the decision of the chair is reversed.”
