Roll Call Votes

The topic of discussion for this Constitution Monday comes from Article I.5.3: “If one-fifth of those present desires to have a recorded vote of each member on a particular issue, the presiding officer will ask for a roll call and the vote of each member will be shown in the journal.” One-fifth of the members present in either house have the right to demand a recorded vote of every person present and voting on a designated issue.

Roll call votes take more time that routine matters require, but they are critical on important issues. This record shows exactly how an incumbent voted on a certain issue – information that is desirable to know during an election.

The time-consuming roll call vote in the House of Representatives was replaced with an electronic voting system in 1973. Using this system, a representative can insert his computer card into a voting box and push one of the three buttons – “Yea,” “Nay,” or “Present.” Sometimes representatives do not want to support or oppose a matter and simply vote “Present.” This practice may or may not help them during an election.

The individual votes are displayed on a large screen before the House, permanently recorded, and then printed in the Congressional Record. This is how the American public can judge the voting record of any member of Congress.