Essentially, our Constitution requires Congress to vote on Bills by a “Yeas” or “Nays” vote, not “aye” and “nay”. This carries down to smaller and smaller branches of government, even to the local small city council.
The “yea” and “nay” goes back to voice voting in the English parliament, where those words were the equivalent of yes and no. And the Founders enshrined it in the constitution. Tradition. (And “Yea” ......pronounced 'yay'......also acceptable).
In voting by any of the first three methods, the affirmative answer aye, or raise the right hand, or rise, as the case may be: then the negative answer no, or raise the right hand, or rise. Robert’s is a good guideline, but “aye” vs. “yes” is not really part of it.
In such cases, voting present, being absent and even a seat being vacant, are all the functional equivalent of “no” votes. Is Bavaria culturally closer to Austria than it is to the rest of Germany?
A vote in which members usually respond "aye" or "no" (despite the official title of the vote) on a question when their names are called in alphabetical order.
In the House, there are four forms of votes: voice vote, division vote, yea and nay (or roll call) vote, and recorded vote. In the Committee of the Whole, the forms are voice vote, division vote, and recorded vote. Members may vote in the House.
The Senate also conducts voice votes. In a voice vote the presiding officer states the question, then asks those in favor to say "yea" in unison and those against to say "nay." The presiding officer announces the results according to his or her best judgment.
If the bill passes by simple majority (218 of 435), the bill moves to the Senate. In the Senate, the bill is assigned to another committee and, if released, debated and voted on. Again, a simple majority (51 of 100) passes the bill.
Types of electoral systemsPlurality systems.Majoritarian systems.Proportional systems.Mixed systems.Additional features.Primary elections.Indirect elections.Systems used outside politics.
In the United States House of Representatives and many other legislatures, members may vote "present" rather than for or against a bill or resolution, which has the effect of an abstention.
Explanation: Yea indicates a yes vote. Nay indicates a no vote. Yay is an affirmative exclamation, and is also used concurrently with a hand gesture to indicate size.
yes or no: They have the power to hire and fire managers and say yea or nay to big investment projects. Yes, no & not. affirmation.
U. unanimous consent – Agreement on any question or matter before the Senate that sets aside a rule of procedure to expedite proceedings. Many requests for unanimous consent (u.c.) are routine but if any senator objects, the request is rejected.
Established by Article I of the Constitution, the Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress.
To balance the interests of both the small and large states, the Framers of the Constitution divided the power of Congress between the two houses. Every state has an equal voice in the Senate, while representation in the House of Representatives is based on the size of each state's population.
Members of Congress in both houses are elected by direct popular vote. Senators are elected via a statewide vote and representatives by votes in each congressional district. Congressional districts are apportioned to the states, once every ten years, based on population figures from the most recent nationwide census.
Actions tab links to record floor votes from legislation, nominations, and treaties EXAMPLES – House bill (look for “Roll no.”); Senate bill (look for “Record Vote Number”)
Clerk of the House website provides information about Roll Call Votes, Consensus Calendar Motions and Discharge Petitions.
A good basic resource about congressional voting and the legislative process is How Our Laws Are Made. It is a brief explanation of the legislative process in the House written by the House Parliamentarian. For a basic understanding of Senate procedures, consult Enactment of a Law, written by the Senate Parliamentarian.
There are a number of print commercial publications that are indispensable in compiling voting records, including: Congressional Quarterly Almanac, Congressional Roll Call, and the Commerce Clearing House’s Congressional Index.
With the two electoral vote bump removed, Gore would have won 225-211.
For example, the 12 smallest states today—Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota , Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming together account for only 17 (of 435) representatives in the House, or 3.9% of the total. However, in the Electoral College, thanks to the “Senate bump,” the same states account for 41 electoral votes, or 7.6% of the total of 538.
However, Hayes carried 21 states to Tilden’s 17. Had it not been for the assignment of two additional electoral votes to each state, Tilden would have prevailed, the rulings of the Electoral Commission notwithstanding, 150-143.
One of the many unusual features of the Electoral College established by Article II, Section 1 , of the United States Constitution is the provision that specifies that each state shall have “a Number of Electors equal to the whole Number ...
It turns out that the answer to the last question is yes, although the results of only three of the fifty-six presidential elections have been effected. Not surprisingly, the three affected elections are also the three closest in American history. The first was the Hayes-Tilden Election of 1876.
The first was the Hayes-Tilden Election of 1876. Widespread voter intimidation and corruption in the South made it impossible to determine which of the conflicting returns from South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana were accurate, and Congress ended up establishing a special Election Commission composed of Senators, Representatives, and Supreme Court justices to sort out the mess. Apart from the merits of the Commission’s decision, the official count produced the closest finish in history, with Hayes edging Tilden by a single electoral vote, 185-184. However, Hayes carried 21 states to Tilden’s 17. Had it not been for the assignment of two additional electoral votes to each state, Tilden would have prevailed, the rulings of the Electoral Commission notwithstanding, 150-143.
This makes tracking committees difficult, since many committees were known by the date they were created or by a petition or other document that had been referred to them.
A select committee generally expires on completion of its designated duties, though it can be renewed. Several select committees are treated as standing committees by House and Senate rules and are permanent fixtures in both bodies, continuing from one Congress to the next. Examples include the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in ...
Prior to the advent of permanent standing committees in the early 19th century, the House of Representatives relied almost exclusively on select committees to carry out much of its legislative work. The committee system has grown and evolved over the years.
By the 3rd Congress (1793–95), Congress had three permanent standing committees, the House Committee on Elections, the House Committee on Claims, and the Joint Committee on Enrolled Bills, but more than three hundred fifty select committees.
Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities (Watergate Committee): chaired by Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina, this committee investigated misconduct during the 1972 presidential election, most famously the Watergate scandal. The committee disbanded after completing its investigation in June 1974.
A bill is the form used for most legislation, whether permanent or temporary, general or special, public or private. A bill originating in the House of Representatives is designated by the letters “H.R.”, signifying “House of Representatives”, followed by a number that it retains throughout all its parliamentary stages.
The work of Congress is initiated by the introduction of a proposal in one of four principal forms: the bill, the joint resolution, the concurrent resolution, and the simple resolution.
A resolution affecting the House of Representatives is designated “H.Res.” followed by its number.
This is power in the hands of the electorate to either accept or reject a proposal to an existing legislation through an election called for this purpose. Referendum can be initiated by the legislature also as when a measure is presented to the electorate for its approval. For example, changes in the state constitution require to be approved by the electorate before being put into effect. Some states are required by the constitution, even to get approval for any proposed tax changes. Legislative referendum is less controversial than referendums initiated by the voters and often easily approved. Popular referendum supersedes the powers of the legislature; within 90 days of passing of a piece of legislation, popular referendum can take place to reject or approve it. Out of total 50, there are 24 states where popular referendum can take place.
Constitutional amendments require at least 8% of the total votes cast in the lat gubernatorial elections.
Initiative and referendum are powers granted to the electorate by the constitution of several states, and refer to the processes that allow voters to vote directly on certain legislation. They represent direct check on democracy as people can exercise their powers to accept or reject a piece of legislation. There are critics that disapprove of ...
Popular referendum supersedes the powers of the legislature; within 90 days of passing of a piece of legislation, popular referendum can take place to reject or approve it. Out of total 50, there are 24 states where popular referendum can take place.
It is a political instrument given as a power to the voters of a state, to propose statutes bypassing their own legislature or even propose constitutional amendments. There are 24 states that grant this special power to their people. It was South Dakota in 1898 that became the first state to grant the power to its people, ...
For example, changes in the state constitution require to be approved by the electorate before being put into effect. Some states are required by the constitution, even to get approval for any proposed tax changes. Legislative referendum is less controversial than referendums initiated by the voters and often easily approved.
The US Congress is one of the three highest authorities, as well as the country’s main legislative body. Its powers are recorded in the US Constitution. The Congress consists of the lower and upper chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively.
If during elections to the House of Representatives an electoral district is formed depending on the number of people, then the entire territory of the state becomes an electoral district when electing senators.
Senators are elected simultaneously with members of the House of Representatives. Since each member of the lower House of the US Congress is re-elected once every two years, and the term in the upper house is 6 years, then one-third of the Senate will be reelected on a rotating basis every two years. If during elections to the House of ...
Two Houses of Congress. The House of Representatives of the US Congress consists of 435 representatives participating in voting on the issues under discussion. Each of these representatives is elected to the lower House of the Congress in its own electoral district.
Candidates for election to the US House of Representatives must be over 25 years old, be citizens of the United States and live in the state that they will represent for at least the past seven years; The Senate is composed of 100 members (senators), each of whom, works in the upper house of US parliament for 6 years.
Initially, members of the Senate were elected by the members of the legislative assemblies formed in each state, but in 1913 , the 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution came into effect, according to which the election of senators became direct. Senators are elected simultaneously with members of the House of Representatives.
The House of Representatives is headed by the Speaker, who is elected directly inside the House by a vote of its members. Members of the US House of Representatives are involved in passing federal laws, that is, those laws that apply to all states without exception.
Members are voted in based more on their personal attributes and goals for the time they are serving than based on political party affiliation.
Put simpler, because the head of state (the executive branch) and the Parliament (the legislative branch) are so intermixed, they must always vote to support each other or else the government will not succeed. In Congress, the members have more freedom.
The Congress is the legislative branch of a congressional democracy. This type of democracy is found in the United States and a few other democratic countries. While these two systems of government have similarities, they also have a few very important differences that we will be looking at during this lesson.
Parliamentary democracy and congressional democracy are two systems of government that are utilized in democratic governments . Parliamentary democracy is a system of democratic governance in which the executive branch is held accountable to the legislative branch and the head of government is almost always a member of the legislature. The Parliament is the legislative branch of a parliamentary democracy. This type of democracy is found in Britain and in free, independent countries that Britain used to rule.
Put simpler, because the head of state and Congress are separated, the government is protected by a system of checks and balances because Congress and the president do not always agree and have the power to disagree with, or, in some cases, vote to change, decisions that the other makes. This makes our government stronger.
Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams.
In Parliament: Members are chosen by the major political party to serve , and the choice is based mainly on the fact that they are a member of the major political party. Decisions are usually made based on what the political party wants, not based on an independent point of view.
In the 1st Congress (1789–1791), the House appointed roughly six hundred select committees over the course of two years. By the 3rd Congress (1793–95), Congress had three permanent standing committees, the House Committee on Elections, the House Committee on Claims, and the Joint Committee on Enrolled Bills, but more than three hundred fifty select committees. While the modern committee system is now firmly established in both House and Senate procedure, w…
While earlier select committees often narrowly tailored to specific issues, some select committees ultimately had a noticeable impact on federal legislation and American history. One was the select committee dealing with Missouri's admission to the Union as a new state. The committee was established in 1821 and lasted just 7 days. Chaired by Henry Clay, the committee helped draft the Missouri …
Notable select and special committees established in the 20th century include:
• House Special Committee on Un-American Activities Authorized to Investigate Nazi Propaganda and Certain Other Propaganda Activities (McCormack-Dickstein Committee): established in 1934 "in reaction to the overthrow of a number of established foreign Governments in favor of communist or fascist systems and reflected concern that foreign propaganda might subvert the U…
The Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming was established in 2007 in the 110th Congress (under Speaker Nancy Pelosi) and renewed for the 111th Congress. The committee was advisory in nature, and lacked the legislative authority granted to standing committees. The committee was chaired by Representative Ed Markey of Massachusetts, the co-author of the unsuccessful 2009 cap-and-trade legislation (Waxman-Markey) supported by Demo…
• Select committee (parliamentary system)
• Select Committee (United Kingdom)
• Special prosecutor