Reconsideration of Warrant Articles at Lexington Town Meeting
Notice of reconsideration (intention to ask for a second vote on a specific article) may be given by any member. The notice of reconsideration must be given within 30 minutes of the vote on the question, at the same session of the meeting. The member says, "Madam/Mr. Moderator, I serve notice of reconsideration of Article ...", and the Clerk records that fact and the time.
Although the Moderator usually first allows the server of notice of reconsideration to make the actual motion if he or she chooses, any member who believes that new information might change the vote may make the motion. It has been a long-standing tradition that those who serve notice of reconsideration give advance notice at least one session before they plan to bring an article back for reconsideration.
Debate on a motion to reconsider is limited to 30 minutes, and no one may speak more than five minutes at one time or more than once without permission of the meeting. Once a motion to reconsider is decided, that decision cannot be reconsidered. The vote on the following motions may not be reconsidered: to adjourn, for the previous question, to lay upon the table, to take from the table, and to close debate at a specified time. No question may be reconsidered more than once except that an article may be reopened with a 2/3 vote. Traditionally, this procedure has been used only to correct a technical error in the motion.
TODO: implied notice of reconsideration for financial articles. TODO: Glossary, lay upon the table, take from the table