From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms
Standing Vote / Division Vote
A non-recorded vote used in both the House and Senate. (A standing vote is also called a division vote.) A division vote can be demanded by any member after a voice vote is taken. The chair or presiding officer can either ask for a show of hands or ask members to stand. In a standing vote, members in favor of a proposal stand and are counted by the presiding officer. Then members opposed stand and are counted. There is no record of how individual members voted. Division votes are rarely employed.
Also see
- § 6.130, House Floor: Voting, § 6.250, Voting in the Senate, in Congressional Deskbook
- Chapter 4.I. Voting; Chapter 5.M. Voting; Chapter 5.N. Final Passage; in Congressional Procedure
More
- Senate Rule XII – Voting Procedure
- House Rule XX – Voting And Quorum Calls
- “Ordering a Rollcall Vote in the Senate,” CRS Report RS20199 (5-page PDF
) - “Voting in the Senate: Forms and Requirements,” CRS Report 98-227 (3-page PDF)
- “Obtaining a Record Vote on the House Floor,” CRS Report RS20208 (6-page PDF)
- “Parliament and Congress: A Brief Comparison of the British House of Commons and the U.S. House of Representatives,” CRS Report RL32206 (22-page PDF)
- “House Committee Markups: Manual of Procedures and Procedural Strategies,” CRS Report R41083 (220-page PDF)
- “The Committee Markup Process in the House of Representatives,” CRS Report RL30244 (29-page PDF)
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