Roll-call votes

What it is

When the House or the Senate takes a recorded vote, the chamber writes down how every member voted: yea, nay, present or not voting. This feed lists those votes, newest first, with the question put to the chamber, the result, the totals and, when the vote was on a bill or resolution, the bill. A member's page lists the votes they took part in and the votes on the bills they sponsored.

Who files it

The Clerk of the House publishes each House vote on its own site, usually within hours. Senate votes come from Voteview, a University of California, Los Angeles project that republishes the Senate's recorded votes, typically within a few days of the vote.

How current

We collect new votes several times a day on weekdays while Congress is in session. Congress takes breaks of days and weeks, and the list does not change while it does.

Terms

Roll-call voteA vote in which the chamber records how each member voted, by name. Votes by voice, and bills that pass by unanimous consent, are not recorded this way, so a bill can pass without appearing here.QuestionWhat the chamber was asked to decide: passing a bill, agreeing to an amendment, ending debate (cloture), confirming a nomination, or adopting the rule that sets the terms of debate on a bill.PresentA member who answers the roll call as present, without voting yes or no. It counts toward a quorum but not toward the result.RuleIn the House, a rule is a resolution that sets the terms of debate on a bill. The vote on the rule is tied to that resolution, not to the bill it brings to the floor.

Worth knowing

Many bills pass by voice vote or unanimous consent, which are not recorded by name, so a bill missing here may still have passed. A vote on an amendment, on a rule or on ending debate is not a vote on the bill itself, and a member can vote differently on each. Quorum calls, nominations and the election of the Speaker have no bill. Searching by words or bill lifts the date window so every match shows. Senate votes come from Voteview rather than from the Senate itself, so a vote the Vice President decided by breaking a tie shows one fewer yea or nay than the Senate's own count, and Senate votes have no time of day.

House votes come from the House Clerk. Senate votes come from Voteview (Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal, Boche, Rudkin and Sonnet, Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database), which republishes the Senate's recorded votes.