From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms
Without Objection
Senate Judiciary Committee w/Alberto Gonzales-7/24/07 Pt13
Used in lieu of a vote on non-controversial motions, amendments or bills that may be passed in either the House or Senate if no member voices an objection.
Voting in the Senate is by voice, division, or roll call. On a voice vote, the presiding officer normally announces which side seems to have won based on how loudly they voted. More typically, the presiding officer states that “without objection the item is agreed to.” This is a variation of a voice vote.
The Senate sometimes resolves nominations conflicts by crafting unanimous consent agreements providing for limited debate or by bundling a group of nominations that are of interest to a wide group of senators. Nominations that come up frequently are called up en bloc and usually approved without objection.
Also see Nomination; Roll Call Vote / Record Vote; Unanimous Consent; Voice Vote; § 6.130 House Floor: Voting, § 6.240 Senate Floor: Motion to Reconsider and Final Passage, in Congressional Deskbook.
More
- “Voting and Quorum Procedures in the Senate,” CRS Report 96-452 (16-page PDF
) - “Voting in the Senate: Forms and Requirements,” CRS Report 98-227 (3-page PDF)
- “Beginning and End of the Terms of United States Senators Chosen to Fill Senate Vacancies,” CRS Report R41031 (8-page PDF)
- “House and Senate Rules of Procedure: A Comparison,” CRS Report RL30945 (19-page PDF)
- “How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction,” CRS Report RS20067 (10-page PDF)
- “The Senate ‘Two-Hour Rule’ Governing Committee Meeting Times,” CRS Report R45170 (xx-page PDF)
- “House Committee Markups: Manual of Procedures and Procedural Strategies,” CRS Report R41083 (220-page PDF)
- “Germaneness of Debate in the Senate: The Pastore Rule,” CRS Report R45134 (14-page PDF)
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