---
title: "Deleting or withdrawing a proposal"
description: "Delete removes a draft for good. A proposal already in circulation cannot be deleted: the only way to stop it is Withdraw, which is permanent and cannot be resubmitted."
category: structure-governance
section: proposals-and-decisions
type: Tutorial
lastUpdated: 2026-08-05
locale: en
canonical: https://support.talkspirit.com/en/structure-governance/how-to-remove-or-delete-a-proposal
---

# Deleting or withdrawing a proposal


## Deleting or withdrawing a proposal
Talkspirit gives you two different actions, and they are not interchangeable. **Delete** applies to a proposal you have not submitted yet, and it erases it. **Withdraw** applies to a proposal already in circulation, and it stops it permanently. Neither action can be undone, and a withdrawn proposal cannot be resubmitted.

> **Warning:** Withdrawing is not a way to pull a proposal back for another try. The proposal ends in the **Withdrawn** status and stays there. The only route onward is to copy it into a brand-new draft, described at the end of this article.

## Which action you get, and when

| Status of the proposal | What the menu offers |
|---|---|
| Draft | **Delete** |
| Submitted, Clarifying, Reaction | **Withdraw** |
| Consent round, Amending, Integration | Neither |
| Adopted, Rejected | Neither |
| Withdrawn | **Delete** |

Both actions live in the same place: the ⋯ menu, either at the end of the proposal's row in **Structure** > **Proposals**, or in the header of the proposal itself. In the interface, **Delete** is offered to the person who created the proposal and to administrators; **Withdraw** is offered to the initiator, the facilitator and administrators.

> **Note:** The row menu only exists in **List** view. The **Cards** view has no per-proposal menu, so switch back to List if you cannot find the ⋯.

## Delete a draft

1. Open **Structure** > **Proposals** and make sure you are in **List** view.
2. Find the proposal under the **Draft** group and click the ⋯ at the end of its row. You can also open the proposal and use the ⋯ in its header.
3. Click **Delete**.

![Proposals list in List view, scrolled to the Draft group; the row menu is open and shows Copy URL, Edit and, under an Admin heading, Delete](/images/structure-governance/how-to-remove-or-delete-a-proposal/01-draft-row-menu.png)

4. Read the confirmation and click **Delete**.

![Confirmation dialog titled Delete proposal, quoting the proposal name and warning that the action cannot be undone, with Cancel and Delete buttons](/images/structure-governance/how-to-remove-or-delete-a-proposal/02-delete-confirmation.png)

The proposal is gone: it disappears from the list and from everyone's search results, and its evolutions go with it. If it was an election proposal, the election is deleted too.

If you are an administrator, the menu is split into an **Actions** group and an **Admin** group, and **Delete** sits under **Admin**. Everyone else sees a single list with **Delete** at the bottom.

**The server rule.** The proposal's initiator, or an administrator holding structure management rights, may delete it. Anyone else is refused. The status rule is enforced too: only drafts, withdrawn and rejected proposals can be deleted.

## Withdraw a proposal already in circulation

Once a proposal is submitted there is no delete. Open it and you will find a **Withdraw** button in the header instead, and the ⋯ menu offers **Withdraw** with no **Delete** beside it.

![Header of a submitted proposal showing the Withdraw button and the open ⋯ menu with Copy URL, Bring to a meeting and Withdraw, and no Delete option](/images/structure-governance/how-to-remove-or-delete-a-proposal/03-submitted-proposal-menu.png)

1. Open the proposal from **Structure** > **Proposals**.
2. Click **Withdraw** in the header, or **Withdraw** in the ⋯ menu.
3. Read the dialog. It says *This action cannot be undone. The proposal will be permanently withdrawn and cannot be resubmitted.* That is accurate.
4. Click **Withdraw proposal** to go ahead, or **Keep proposal** to back out.

![Confirmation dialog titled Withdraw this proposal, stating that the action cannot be undone and that the proposal cannot be resubmitted, with Keep proposal and Withdraw proposal buttons](/images/structure-governance/how-to-remove-or-delete-a-proposal/04-withdraw-confirmation.png)

The proposal moves to the **Withdrawn** group in the list. Any votes already cast are not returned to you and the proposal cannot go back to draft. If the proposal came from a tension, that tension reopens so someone can pick the subject up again.

> **Warning:** Withdrawing from the row menu in the list does **not** ask you to confirm. One click on **Withdraw** there and the proposal is withdrawn. The confirmation dialog above only appears on the proposal's own page. Use the proposal page if you want the safety net.

**The server rule.** Withdrawal is currently open to any signed-in member of your organisation who has the proposal's address, whatever their role. The restriction described above is applied by the interface only, so treat a proposal's link as something you share deliberately. The one rule the server does enforce is the status: an adopted, rejected or already-withdrawn proposal cannot be withdrawn.

## Deleting or withdrawing several at once

In **List** view, tick the checkboxes on the rows and a bar appears at the bottom with **Delete** and **Withdraw**. Proposals that do not qualify are skipped, and the bar tells you how many.

> **Warning:** The bulk withdraw confirmation says the proposals will be moved back to draft. They will not. Bulk withdraw does exactly what the single action does, and the result is permanent. We have reported the wording.

## Start again from a withdrawn proposal

Open the withdrawn proposal. If you are the person who created it, the grey **Proposal withdrawn** banner carries a **Copy to a new Draft** button. It creates a new proposal with the same title, description, circle and type, copies the evolutions across, and links it to the same tension. The withdrawn original stays untouched in the list as a record.

Copying creates a proposal, so the usual rule applies: you need to be a decision maker in that circle.

## What's Next?

- [How do I submit and track a proposal?](/structure-governance/how-to-submit-and-track-a-proposal)
- [How do I create a proposal?](/structure-governance/how-to-create-a-proposal)
- [How do I vote on a proposal?](/structure-governance/how-to-vote-on-a-proposal)
- [What is the proposals overview?](/structure-governance/proposals-overview)