On the Motion (Motion to Instruct the Sgt. At Arms to Request Absent Senators)

Number:
Senate Vote #121 [primary source: senate.gov]
Date:
Jul 30, 2011 (112th Congress)
Result:
Motion Agreed to
Related Bill:
S. 627 (112th): Faster FOIA Act of 2011
Introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT] on March 17, 2011
Current Status: At President

This was a procedural vote.

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Totals     Democrat     Republican     Independent
  Yea 75
 
 
 
75%
50 24 1
  Nay 20
 
 
 
20%
0 20 0
Not Voting 5
 
 
 
5%
1 3 1
Required: Simple Majority

Vote Details

Notes

What’s the difference between aye and yea?

There is no meaningful difference between aye and yea (and nay and no), but the terms are used in different sorts of votes based on Congress’s long tradition of parliamentary procedure. The House and Senate follow the U.S. Constitution strictly when it says that bills should be decided on by the “yeas and nays” (Article I, Section 7). The House sometimes operates under a special set of rules called the “Committee of the Whole on the State of the Union” (or “Committee of the Whole” for short), which is a sort of pseudo-committee that is made up of every congressman. During this mode of operation, the House uses the terms “aye” and “no” instead. (See the Rules of the House, Rule XX, and House Practice in the section Voting.)